In his biography German national team player Philipp Lahm said about Klinesman, "There was very little technical instruction and the players had to get together independently before the game to discuss how we wanted to play.” These are pretty damning words, but accurately reflect how the US has been playing in the last 7 months. Even before the World Cup there were questions on the quality of play from the US national team.
After an abysmal 1-7 run and perhaps the US national teams lowest FIFA ranking in a quarter century, the honeymoon for Klinesman as US national team coach is long over. Every team Klinesman has coach has demonstrated similar decline in stature. There has to be a reason he was fired from his last two coaching assignments. Players from Bayern Munich warned everyone that Klinesman is a control freak concerned less with team tactics and more with obsessive control over the team. What is interesting is that the US is now playing with less poise and precision than any Bradley or Arena lead team. How bad do things have to get until we realize that Klinesman is a liability in the development of US soccer. It seems to me Klinesman has more arrogance than talent. This arrogance can be seem in the way he deflects any criticism directed towards him, and instead redirects it to his players.
Like his other two coaching fiascos Klinesman will probably leave the US national team with his tail between his legs. I am sure some naïve nation will then hire him hoping he (klinesman) will develop them into a world soccer power. The truth is Klinesman has never really had great success anywhere as a coach. In many respects Bradley was a much better suited coach for the US national team. The US needs more than a conditioning guru, but a coach that understands soccer tactics, which is something apparently Klinesman is unwilling to teach his players. The problem that has been conveyed about Klinesman is that he doesn’t exactly articulate effectively how he wants to go about making changes. At the end of his reign at Bayern Brazilian midfielder Zé Roberto said Klinesman half times talks consisted of saying nothing more than, “we have to score a goal”.
As a developing soccer nation that US cannot afford this kind of nonsense.
Klinesman's hall of Shame
US ranked 31st in world. Lowest ranking in 24 years
1-7-1 since world cup. Longest US losing streak since 1976