Bob Bradley, as coach of the United States men’s national team, has done a heroic effort by taking the country to the final of the Confederations Cup in 2009 and leading the US to an admirable Round of 16 qualification this summer in the World Cup. Bradley has nothing to be ashamed of and has done wonderfully well with what he has.
But it’s time for the United States Soccer Federation to move on and select a new coach to replace Bradley. Someone who can take the United States further and make them into a major soccer power on the world’s stage. Bradley has taken the team as far as he can take them. It’s time for a new person to step in and build on the foundation that Bradley has built.
The next few months are key for the USSF. They have an opportunity to make a decision that will have an impact on the next decade in American soccer. There is the perfect coach who is sitting right under their noses if only they would take notice.
He is the man who is absolutely perfect for the position. And the perfect time to hire him is now.
That person is…
…Jurgen Klinsmann.
The former manager of the German national team is no stranger to American soccer. He lives in California with his family and has lived in this country since 1998 after his playing career ended. He has worked closely with the Los Angeles Galaxy. And he is smart enough to look at other sports outside of soccer to understand how sports psychology, coaching and medicine can benefit soccer. It’s no surprise then that Klinsmann follows basketball very closely, just as one example of many American sports.
There are so many reasons why Klinsmann should be the one and only logical choice to select him as coach. Here are just a few:
- The US men’s national team has a lot of raw talent, but Bradley hasn’t been able to take that raw talent and turn it into a well oiled machine. Klinsmann has the experience at Germany and Bayern Munich as well as a professional player in some of the top leagues in the world to know how to do it,
- Klinsmann isn’t afraid of making significant changes, when needed. When he took over the German national team in 2004, he was heavily criticized for making drastic changes. But those changes, such as bringing in a lot of youth, worked well in 2006 and paid dividends in this current 2010 World Cup campaign,
- There’s a lack of style and philosophy with the US men’s national team. And Klinsmann is exactly the person who can make the team more cohesive and have it play a particular style that is uniquely American. Right now, and for several years, it seems that the only way the United States knows how to play is a counter-attacking style under a 4-5-1-. But I don’t believe it’s been a very effective system. Plus, it hasn’t gotten the best out of the players. When you see the United States play, it’s often difficult to know which team will turn up. They need that vision that Klinsmann will undoubtedly share. A vision that everyone believes in and understands.
- Klinsmann has first-hand knowledge of the system that turned Germany from an embarrassing team in the early 2000’s to one of the best in the world in just one decade. It’s imperative that the USSF takes advantage of his knowledge and tries to figure out how they can institute, where applicable, the German system into America,
The USSF missed a golden opportunity in 2006 to capture Klinsmann as coach of the United States. Now it has another opportunity to approach him if they play their cards right. Bob Bradley should be congratulated for everything he has done, but it’s time for one of the best soccer minds in the world to take the United States to the next level and hire Jurgen Klinsmann.
Who do you think should get the US men’s national team coaching position? Share your opinion in the comments section below.
