U.S. soccer faces tricky transition
Coach switch comes amid Cup qualifying
Firing your coach after he’s just lost a vital game by a humiliating 4-0 score might not seem like the boldest move imaginable, but in reality Monday’s dismissal of Jurgen Klinsmann was just that.
In letting Klinsmann go after five years in charge of the men’s national team, U.S. Soccer also had to be game enough to let go of a dream it had chased long and hard and admit that it had been wrong. Namely, in thinking that the German coach could bring about a golden era of stylish, winning soccer to the national team program.
Whatever happens next, there will be none of the fervent optimism that greeted Klinsmann’s arrival, what was supposed to be a trailblazing move that ended in acrimony and frustration.
The U.S. national team, less than two years out from the next World Cup, has to go through the tricky process of rebuilding while also attempting to atone for a dismal start to its attempt to qualify for the world’s greatest soccer show.
That the federation is far more
worried about results than perception will be borne out Tuesday, when it is expected to unveil Bruce Arena as Klinsmann’s replacement, three people with knowledge of the decision told USA TODAY Sports. The people requested anonymity because Arena’s appointment had not been made official.
Whether Arena is viewed internally as a short-term measure or not, the scathing snipers of social media quickly vented their view that the current Los Angeles Galaxy coach would be an unimaginative and backward-looking choice.
The change also will prove to be fiscally burdensome, with Klinsmann likely to pocket most of the $2.4 million-per-year salary he is owned through 2018, a contract that was drawn up in advance of the last World Cup.
However, Klinsmann gave U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati and his advisers too many reasons to pull the trigger. The progress to the knockout round of the 2014 World Cup was laudable, but the blueprint for European-style, flowing soccer was never truly met.
Periodic setbacks to far weaker foes such as Guatemala and Jamaica could be laughed off when they occurred in games of little mean- ing. Yet when back-to-back losses against Mexico and Costa Rica happened four days apart, there was suddenly a real sense that Klinsmann not only wasn’t making giant strides forward, but that the team also was in danger of missing out on qualification.
Gulati remained coy after the Costa Rica game but surely his mind was made up. It was time for a change, one that would be far removed from the Klinsmann mold.
After Klinsmann attended a glitzy Berlin function alongside such political luminaries as President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week, Gulati set off for California to drop the bad news.
Klinsmann will not be especially missed. American soccer fans are no longer a patient bunch, and having spent so long in the doldrums they are hungry for a period of glory.
Some will doubt whether Arena is capable of delivering it, yet his record suggests he has a solid grasp on what it takes to perform internationally. The burning question is whether his arrival is a backward step or an inspired leap that will take the USA back to a brighter future.
Arena has long voiced his discontent with the number of German-raised players on the national team, a scenario that can be expected to shift instantly, with stronger preference being given to those who ply their trade in Major League Soccer.
Finding defensive stability will be a priority, as will injecting a fresh burst of positive energy into a camp that had gotten somewhat stale.
Among Arena’s initial tasks will be in getting the team to play with pride and togetherness, something that was lacking of late, although, in fairness, that is as much on the players as on Klinsmann.
With Arena, there will be none of the confusing doublespeak that Klinsmann often used to talk his way out of disappointing performances. Optimism is an impressive trait, but providing a dose of reality on the back of poor outings is an integral part of being a successful coach.
A new era has arrived, and if it looks in some ways like an old one, it is no coincidence. Arena took charge of the USA from 1998 to 2006 and led the team to its best modern finish in a World Cup by reaching the quarterfinals in 2002.
Such targets seem far off just now, as Klinsmann’s dreams crashed and burned Monday and the long process toward international relevancy he so often talked was about to be entrusted to another man.