After a disastrous pair of World Cup Qualifiers which included the US’ first home WCQ loss in 15 years and a disastrous showing in Costa Rica, manager and technical director Jurgen Klinsmann has been sacked.
BREAKING: Jurgen Klinsmann has been fired as head coach of the U.S. National Team. No word on replacement, though Bruce Arena is likely.
— Sam Borden (@SamBorden) November 21, 2016
Here is a statement from US Soccer President Sunil Gulati:
“Today we made the difficult decision of parting ways with Jurgen Klinsmann, our head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team and Technical Director.
We want to thank Jurgen for his hard work and commitment during these last five years. He took pride in having the responsibility of steering the program, and there were considerable achievements along the way.
Many are aware of the historic victories, including leading us out of the Group of Death to the Round of 16 in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but there were also lesser publicized efforts behind the scenes. He challenged everyone in the U.S. Soccer community to think about things in new ways, and thanks to his efforts we have grown as an organization and expect there will be benefits from his work for years to come.
While we remain confident that we have quality players to help us advance to Russia 2018, the form and growth of the team up to this point left us convinced that we need to go in a different direction. With the next qualifying match in late March, we have several months to refocus the group and determine the best way forward to ensure a successful journey to qualify for our eighth-consecutive World Cup.
There has never been a greater time for soccer in this country, and with the support and efforts of the millions of fans, sponsors, media and friends, we look forward to continued progress in the game we all love.”
Klinsmann had been US manager since the end of July 2011 when he replaced current Swansea City head man Bob Bradley. He went 55-27-16 as US boss, winning the 2013 Gold Cup and helping the US advance to the Round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup and the semifinals of this past summer’s Copa America.
But after failing to reach the 2015 Gold Cup Final, the 2017 Confederations Cup, and this summer’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the heat on Klinsmann kept on rising and rising, until finally US Soccer reached their breaking point.
Rumors have been swirling about possible replacements, and the most popular name has been former USMNT boss and current LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, who managed the team from 1998-2006.
Hearing Bruce Arena is indeed Klinsmann's replacement. https://t.co/oZD46Ex3nX
— Doug McIntyre (@ByDougMcIntyre) November 21, 2016
Gulati will hold a conference call on Tuesday discussing the move.
