October 13th, 2017 at 11:26 AM ^
All the events leading up to the T and T game would be different if Klinsmann was manager.
Don't let Bruce being absolutely horrible prop up Klinsmann's job as manager. He didn't do a good job at all.
October 13th, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
Klinsmans last non friendly games included losses to Jamaica, Panama, and Mexico at home, a blowout loss to Costa rica on the road. He also managed all of a 0-0 draw in his wcq at trinidad and tobago. He wasn't a good coach this cycle. Arena may not have been the right replacement, but Klinsman wasn't taking this team through either.
October 13th, 2017 at 11:41 AM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 11:48 AM ^
We are having two completely different conversations.
I don't think any of us really wanted Bruce Arena. I'm not arguing with you about that. And I didn't have the future foresight to guess that after JK was canned, he would be the guy.
But Klinsmann was not a good USMNT manager. That's not just me speculating or being upset with the guy. That's the evidence from his results and the product on the field. And I don't know how we can suggest that after starting 0-2, with an absolutely humilating road loss to CR, that this team would suddenly up and qualify. They were coming apart at the seams.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 12:10 PM ^
He didn't get fired for losing to costa rica, he got fired for losing to costa rica after losing to mexico at home and after losing to jamiaca and panama at home.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^
If Klinsman was our manager I don't think we get a point in Mexico so we would have needed a win at T&T to qualify and that is something Klinsman had already failed to do. The team was ass under him. I don't know how that can be in dispute. The idea of Bruce was to get someone boring who was good at firing up mediocre teams in the past to get into the world cup. The hire wasn't about the youth system, it was always going to be a two year to stopgap just to try to ensure a world cup was qualified for. It didn't work because Arena and the team got complacent and cocky after the panama win but the youth and development system was never part of this hiring decision so harping on it seems weird.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 1:48 PM ^
Its not just feelingsball thinking we would have qualified, it is ignoring almost an entire year of results.
Nothing that Klinsman did at the youth level to improve american soccer (which he did do good things for) has been undone in the last year and I don't think keeping Klinsman would have made it better, and keeping him for another world cup cycle would have been a horrendous situation. The job of a national soccer team coach is to primarily win with the current team. All of the money and resources and interest that makes having a stronger youth program possible comes from the interest and enthusiasm driven by the world cup, missing that is in fact inexcusable in one of the most forgiving qualifying regions there is. If Klinsman wants to be replace gulati I'd be fine with it, but he needed to go as a coach because the US wasn't winning with him and making the world cup had to be and always will be priority #1 because the world cup is what drives everything else in US soccer.
October 13th, 2017 at 2:09 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 11:24 AM ^
Klinsmann would be a perfectly cromulent technical director, but he was a wretched game coach. He helped the German program, but he also had a matchday genius in Jogi Loew. When he went to Bayern and had to actually coach, he was fired before the year was out and the players said he basically did nothing strategy-wise to the point the players themselves had to discuss before the game what they would do.
This sounds quite familiar. His coaching often seemed to be the equivalent of yelling "do something." He helped the player pool (Brooks is our best defender, for one) and he's right that guys in the prime of their career shouldn't be transferring to MLS from Europe. But they'd have still failed to qualify if he'd remained in charge.
October 13th, 2017 at 11:58 AM ^
Klinsmann is a good technical director, but not a very good coach.
Either way this is probably the weakest our player pool has been since I started watching in 2006 ish. Even with a weak player pool, they should be able to qualify in CONCACAFF and that is why both were fired.
October 13th, 2017 at 5:50 PM ^
You are conflating the job of manager/coach and the job of President/Technical Director. I actually don't take huge issue with the idea of him taking the role of shaping the system, he's actually pretty good at that (according to people in Germany, who would also tell you he is a TERRIBLE manager.)
His track record in his job as manager in Germany was stepping down and handing it over to Low (who has seen that federation to a WC in '14) and getting booted from Bayern after less than a year. He claims it was political, a lot of pundits and players on that team said he couldn't make adjustments or choose appropriate lineups to save his life.
If you look at JK's tenure, one of the really stark things is that the US lost games or conceded goals to produce a draw a LOT in the second half. I don't think I need to tell anyone here about half-time adjustments. They are just as big a deal in soccer, if not more so, than in football. At least in football, a cadre of coaches can constantly get in the ear of units and players. In soccer, you get about 10 minutes and then it's back out there for 45 minutes mostly on your own as a player.
October 13th, 2017 at 11:05 AM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 11:06 AM ^
Arena was always the safe pick who was supposed to keep the ship afloat long enough to qualify. He didn't so goodbye. Now lets please not hire another "safe" boring dude. But we probably will so get ready for them to announce Tab Ramos.
October 13th, 2017 at 11:59 AM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 11:16 AM ^
Job number 1 appoint Tab Ramos as interim coach and call in Jonathan Gonzalez for the Novermber friendlies. It doesn't cap tie him, sure, but with all the uncertainty, Gonzalez is faimliar with Ramos because of his youth national team days, and make it clear is very much central to the US's plans going forward. Which he should be anyway at this point. And hell, call in every other dual US/Mexico national before they all flip to the Mexico national team.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
Agree. Tab can keep things running while we execute an actual coaching search for a world class international manager. I'd like to see this done under not-Gulati, but that might mean Tab is around for several months or a year as Gulati seems reticent to resign.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:14 PM ^
Next election is in Feb in Orlando. So hopefully the longest Gulati will be in charge will be 4 months.
October 13th, 2017 at 11:24 AM ^
Who are you all hoping we get for the full-time gig?
October 13th, 2017 at 12:01 PM ^
Tab Ramos is the most likely, but very uninspiring pick.
More interesting picks in my mind:
-Tata Martino, who coached Argentina NT, and Barcelona and now coaches in Atlanta
-David Wagner, who is a former USMNT player and is coaching in the EPL
-Miguel Herrera just because it would be super entertaining to watch him on the sidelines
October 13th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
My first pick would be Tata. Maybe he can bring Bocanegra with him. For no other reason that he was one of my favorites when he was on the USMNT.
October 13th, 2017 at 4:55 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 12:51 PM ^
Tata is hands down the best candidate. International and club experience and proven success. Sure bring in Tab as interimin manager until we get the right choice.
What we don't need though is an American with sub par coaching credentials.
October 13th, 2017 at 2:25 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^
Belichick.
October 13th, 2017 at 11:27 AM ^
Because this conversation has been going so well, let me sound off for some others.
"SCREW SOCCER!"
"WHO CARES ABOUT SOCCER!?"
Did I miss anything?
October 13th, 2017 at 11:43 AM ^
My only worry here is that this'll end being like firing Hoke while keeping Brandon. No way we get Harbaugh if that happens. If Gulati gets to pick not just an interim, but the next long-term guy, then we'll be screwed for years going forward. Here's hoping we don't let that happen.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^
Wait, Mel Brooks has been coaching the USMNT? No wonder it's been such a farce.
October 13th, 2017 at 11:53 AM ^
No surprises here. He stated last night that he had no interest in coaching another 4 year world cup cycle.
October 13th, 2017 at 11:55 AM ^
It's not 2012 anymore, get some youthful players in there who can bring some new blood, maybe win a Gold Cup, and qualify for WC 2022
October 13th, 2017 at 12:12 PM ^
Is Alexi Lalas a commodity? When I scroll the interwebs and sport choices, he seems to be passionate, articulate, and knowledgable about the plight of USMNT.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
In my opinion he is part of the problem. He is just a mouthpiece for the MLS.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:29 PM ^
Keep scrolling. One out of about every 20 things Lalas says has any merit. He's usually a blowhard but does occasionally hit the nail on the head.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:35 PM ^
He loves set pieces.
October 13th, 2017 at 4:55 PM ^
Because that's all he could ever do.
I love commenting on the internet. Because that's all I can do.
If I ran the USMNT, I'd have them all commenting on the internet.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:58 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 1:55 PM ^
I don't hate him at all like some. I just find most of what he says ridiculous.
He was on that 1994 team and was a big part of it...but there are a ton of guys on his level:
Tab Ramos (current Us Under 20 coach)
Paul Caliguiri
Joe-Max Moore
Brad Friedel
Tony Meola
Cobi Jones
Marcelo Balboa
John Harkes
Earnie Stewart
Eric Wynalda
Claudio Reyna
October 13th, 2017 at 2:42 PM ^
Tab Ramos briefly played for my favorite Spanish team (Real Betis) so he's my favorite of that group. Very scientific but it seems to be working out so far.
October 13th, 2017 at 2:58 PM ^
I really like Ramos as well...I think he's probably the best USMNT Midfielder (other than Donovan) in history.
When I was doing a some writing on Yanks-Abroad I interviewed him a few times...really great guy and gracious with his time.
October 13th, 2017 at 5:08 PM ^
I was at the Newark airport once a long, long time ago, eating dinner at a table in a crowd.
A couple of guys came over and asked if they could share the table. They introduced themselves. One of them was Tab Ramos.
This was pre-World Cup USA and pre-MLS. Nobody had any idea who they were. They were completely anonymous. Just some guys trying to find some space to eat dinner.
We talked about what it was like to try to make a living playing soccer back then and how to try to build some momentum for the sport.
It would be like talking to an American Cricket player today.
October 13th, 2017 at 2:03 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 3:09 PM ^
Stepping down into a lifeboat?
Too bad Gulati's not going down with the ship.
October 13th, 2017 at 3:53 PM ^
Good.
October 13th, 2017 at 5:09 PM ^
What would he do if he stayed anyway?
October 13th, 2017 at 6:08 PM ^
Always going to be a challenge.
October 13th, 2017 at 6:28 PM ^
Cup, in this group? All he had to do was not implode and they would have got in.
Well, he went and, uh... imploded.