no, they didn't. it was klinsmann who decided to leave. he did so because of the many attacks by the yellow press during his two-year spell.
2
He was basically forced out. As they say it is better to resign than be fired. The truth is that Klinsmann has been fired from all three of his coaching jobs.
2
Their play was not cohesive. Brooks, especially seemed intent on knocking down the other team rather than playing the ball. It was just ugly.
1
One of the problems with US men's soccer is the way we develop players. The problem is apparent in the number of American players starting on first-division teams in Europe(0 to 2 depending on the week). AYSO soccer awards trophies to every kid that plays. Travel teams - the next step up - play an inconsistent range of competitors - from bad to decent. High school and college soccer are broadly mediocre - because the coaching is still poor and because our best athletes still prefer football, basketball and baseball. Because soccer forces US athletes to compete globally, our deficiencies are exposed and our normal high school-> college->pro sequence can't compare to the training available in the professional academies in other countries that sign players as young as 12. Until we make a commitment to match the training of other nations, and learn to appreciate creative players, the U.S. men's teams will be a step behind.
13
Football and basketball players simply have the wrong build for soccer. That old argument are best athletes aren't playing soccer no longer makes the cut. America soccer's problem is due to lack of sophistication, which is evident in hiring the snake oil salesman Klinsmann in the first place. Gulati is just as responsible as Klinsmann for this mess the team finds itself in. Things were going relatively smoothly with Bradley. Hopefully, the US can now put the Klinsmann era behind it and get back to being a regional powerhouse. Klinsmann basically created problems that never existed before in US soccer.
1
Andrew, you'd have to say that Paul Pogba is built like a prototypical small forward/shooting guard, as is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I'd let Marouane Fellani mix up elbows with power forwards, and Crissy Ron could knock around with any guards in the game...
3
Our identity is that our talent isn't good enough right now to play straight up against Mexico, or against Costa Rica away from home. We should face reality, and adopt the tactics of Iceland in the most recent European Championships, and Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup - put 10 or 11 behind the ball, use the offside trap, and look to steal a goal on the break. That's the way second and third tier teams compete at the top level internationally, and that's where we are right now.
6
Prediction: We fail to qualify for Russia and by time next WC rolls around Dempsey, Altidore, Bradley, Howard, Guzman (no great loss), Jones and 'many others' (to use a Trump phrase)will be too old, retired or hobbled by injury to play for us...so, in summation, skip Russia, we don't do anything noteworthy in WC to follow so look to twelve years from now for something, from who knows who on field and sideline as coach. Thanks Klinsman. You spent four years/five years getting us into this mess with your indecision about how to play the same 11 men for 90 minutes for two or more games in a row. Well done.
One yuge difference: England's qualification for the Putin Games 2018 is hardly in doubt. On the other hand, Arena will have to produce somewhere between 13-16 points in the remaining 8 matches to at least make the playoff against an Asian side.
Given the felonious conduct of FIFA's ExCo, it's sort of funny to see Allardyce streeted for something so relatively trivial.
Given the felonious conduct of FIFA's ExCo, it's sort of funny to see Allardyce streeted for something so relatively trivial.
3
One of the questionable money-driven things FIFA has done, of course, is to make it very easy for the United States to qualify for every recent World Cup--far easier than European or South American teams. So Arena has a very good chance of doing it.
1
George, the hardest qualifying is, by far, in Africa, with five spots for over 50 countries. South America sends half their teams, Europe about 1 in 4 (including San Marino, Andorra, Faeroe Islands and now Gibraltar among the minnows)
It's not that FIFA has made it easy for the US. With 3.5 spots available, only Oceania has less, with reason.
Even Mexico struggled for the 2014 qualification, having to go the playoff route. Then again, for 2010, Uruguay was the last team in, a 2-1 aggregate over Costa Rica to get there, and they made the semifinals. I really don't se the argument how FIFA made it easy for the US. Sort of not the US' fault that they're in with dreadful Canada, and the Jamaicas, T&Ts, Costa Ricas and Honduras of the world.
In what way would you make qualifying for the US more fair?
It's not that FIFA has made it easy for the US. With 3.5 spots available, only Oceania has less, with reason.
Even Mexico struggled for the 2014 qualification, having to go the playoff route. Then again, for 2010, Uruguay was the last team in, a 2-1 aggregate over Costa Rica to get there, and they made the semifinals. I really don't se the argument how FIFA made it easy for the US. Sort of not the US' fault that they're in with dreadful Canada, and the Jamaicas, T&Ts, Costa Ricas and Honduras of the world.
In what way would you make qualifying for the US more fair?
2
Well, Canada is dreadful, but didn't Costa Rica just kick American butt?
The fact that the US players seem nonplussed by a match where US was destroyed by a much better side from a much smaller country shows that it not a crisis or a calamity. Those words are used when something important has happened. Since the players, the US federation and the domestic press did not freak out, it's not that big a deal. USA will wander on, while many (most?) other smaller, poorer countries who live and die with the sport wreck us on the field. It's all ok tho, it's just a game. The rest of the world sees the sport as more important.
When USA devotes its considerable resources domestically to grass roots training of coaches (like Iceland has done) and then turning this much broader and improved network of coaches toward identifying players who have potential and care desperately, we may see improvement. The current system of lavishing development resources on a tiny handful of precious snowflake academies is not producing much in terms of impact in national player pool.
When USA devotes its considerable resources domestically to grass roots training of coaches (like Iceland has done) and then turning this much broader and improved network of coaches toward identifying players who have potential and care desperately, we may see improvement. The current system of lavishing development resources on a tiny handful of precious snowflake academies is not producing much in terms of impact in national player pool.
3
Except that England actually has good players.
1
Well..... yes, they may be good players but the quality only shines through in the EPL, where they're surrounded by many other good (some great) players from places outside of the UK. That makes them raise their game a bit. When they all have to play without those others players, their lack of ????? really comes glaring through. England's players don't adapt well to changing conditions, they don't really seem to have a Plan B.
3
Without the exception of a few stars that is not entirely true anymore.
The US Soccer Federation is a joke of an organization led by aggressively provincial clowns with no understanding of world soccer. Yes, the USMNT has been lackluster as of late. How about their solid performance in two World Cups under Klinsmann? Does that count for nothing?
Klinsmann introduced new training methods and cajoled world class Bundesliga players with US citizenship to join the USMNT. It really gets me when their legitimacy is questioned. These are US citizens--American service members were their fathers. The same applied to Tom Dooley who captained our team almost two decades ago.
Now we've got Bruce Arena, a nice guy but uninspired journeyman-level coach. I'm American, but find it painful to watch the MLS. I remember when he aspired to go from the USMNT to a job in the English Premiere League. Nobody wanted him. Klinsmann will have his pick of jobs. Ultimately, the USSF as it's now configured didn't deserve him. From its sexist approach to the USWNT to player development, the organization needs a root and branch overhaul. Let's start by firing Sunil Gulati and replacing him with Klinsmann.
Klinsmann introduced new training methods and cajoled world class Bundesliga players with US citizenship to join the USMNT. It really gets me when their legitimacy is questioned. These are US citizens--American service members were their fathers. The same applied to Tom Dooley who captained our team almost two decades ago.
Now we've got Bruce Arena, a nice guy but uninspired journeyman-level coach. I'm American, but find it painful to watch the MLS. I remember when he aspired to go from the USMNT to a job in the English Premiere League. Nobody wanted him. Klinsmann will have his pick of jobs. Ultimately, the USSF as it's now configured didn't deserve him. From its sexist approach to the USWNT to player development, the organization needs a root and branch overhaul. Let's start by firing Sunil Gulati and replacing him with Klinsmann.
2
Klinsmann only managed the USMNT in ONE WC, not two. That other one was managed by Bob Bradley.
The results under Klinsi were determinedly inconsistent. The most impressive wins were in friendlies (Germany in the USSF Centenary, when Klinsi was unde pressure, a game played like a testimonial, with a testimonial-like 4-3 scoreline, Italy, Bosnia, Netherlands).
But a win in the Gold Cup was followed by a crash out prior to the final four, an unwelcome first, losses to Panama and Jamaica. Ugh.
Then there was the Gold Cup/Confederations Cup playoff, a one off in the USA where the USMNT got outplayed badly.
The Copa America Centenario went well in group play (in the weakest group possible, missing out on Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay), but a total capitulation before Argentina.
In the first phase of CONCACAF qualifying, struggles against Antigua and Barbuda? Really?
The idea of playing an xperimental formation in the first match of the Hex, home to freaking Mexico, with the never good trip to Costa Rica looming? What kind of insanity was that? Chandler and Johnson (on his off side) as the wingbacks? Playing Pulisic centrally when he doesn't play there for his club? It was as if Klinsi thought Dos a cero was a given.
There is, however, no doubt that the NT is so much better than it was, say in 1990 and 1994 in the first two of seven straight WC appearances. Pulisic has the potential to be the best ever American outfield player. Johnson is a solid pro getting CL playing time
The results under Klinsi were determinedly inconsistent. The most impressive wins were in friendlies (Germany in the USSF Centenary, when Klinsi was unde pressure, a game played like a testimonial, with a testimonial-like 4-3 scoreline, Italy, Bosnia, Netherlands).
But a win in the Gold Cup was followed by a crash out prior to the final four, an unwelcome first, losses to Panama and Jamaica. Ugh.
Then there was the Gold Cup/Confederations Cup playoff, a one off in the USA where the USMNT got outplayed badly.
The Copa America Centenario went well in group play (in the weakest group possible, missing out on Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay), but a total capitulation before Argentina.
In the first phase of CONCACAF qualifying, struggles against Antigua and Barbuda? Really?
The idea of playing an xperimental formation in the first match of the Hex, home to freaking Mexico, with the never good trip to Costa Rica looming? What kind of insanity was that? Chandler and Johnson (on his off side) as the wingbacks? Playing Pulisic centrally when he doesn't play there for his club? It was as if Klinsi thought Dos a cero was a given.
There is, however, no doubt that the NT is so much better than it was, say in 1990 and 1994 in the first two of seven straight WC appearances. Pulisic has the potential to be the best ever American outfield player. Johnson is a solid pro getting CL playing time
7
No one is questioning the legitimacy of the German-Americans or their right to play in the U.S. national team. What is being questioned is the development of soccer in the United States, concerning which the existence of these players is entirely irrelevant. If we learned tomorrow that Lionel Messi was eligible to play for Romania, and he chose to do so, it would certainly help Romania's performance--but I don't think anyone would say it showed the progress of Romanian football.
1
As coach Klinsmann is inferior to both Bradley and Arena in almost every way. Klinsmann will never be hired by any serious soccer playing nation. Remember, he was not employed as a coach for five years until the US picked him up. That tells you something right there.
1
Well, if England FA want to be the favorit to win the Euro 2020 and Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, then the answer is Jurgen KLINSMANN.
It was controversial for England to hire a Swede (S-G Ericsson) and an Italian (Fabio Capello), but a German? That would never happen. But you know who would be an inspired choice? Arsene Wenger. After being the first to field a PL side with no players from the British Isles/Ireland, now he nurtures Ramsey, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gibbs, Wilshere and Chambers ( the latter two out on loan), and Jenkinson, with Maitland-Niles and Akpom awaiting their turns.
4
Agree. I would love to see Wenger in and he is in reality an honory Brit having been here so long. But he won't leave until the end of this season and the FA won't have the strength to get rid of Southgate - nice but ineffective.
3
I don't think England is going to be interested in a coach that has been essentially fired three consecutive times. A small nation in Central America will probably hire him.
As an American, I'm confused as to why Americans think the U.S. has any business being compared to these other countries. The reality is – and everyone has their opinion as to why – the U.S. doesn't produce world class players, and probably won't for years to come. Germans don't pretend to be good at basketball, so why should the U.S. pretend to be good at soccer?
10
But Spain is good at Basketball and soccer. So is Croatia.
7
Brazil and Argentina can play basketball well, and are OK at soccer, too.
1
The problem with America is that concentrate on sports like American football that other nations don't play. Contrary to what the NFL wants us to believe people in other countries are almost completely disinterested in American football.
2
"We practically only practiced fitness under Klinsmann. There was very little technical instruction and the players had to get together independently before the game to discuss how we wanted to play.
All the players knew after about eight weeks that it was not going to work out with Klinsmann. The remainder of that campaign was nothing but limiting the damage.'
This sounds pretty similar to what happened to the current USMNT. The difference it only took 8 weeks for the German players to revolt. Look how much better Bradley and Arena did with the same talent level Klinsmann had available. The US does not have the talent level of the world's best teams, but they should finish in the FIFA top 20 and qualify for the world cup. Klinsmann's crazy tactics turned a decent US national team into a basket case. Still the US will probably qualify with a little added tension created by Klinsmann.