Now that the United States lost to Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup, the hot takes are lighting up the U.S. Soccer world regarding Jurgen Klinsmann’s job security as Manager and/or Technical Director. I must admit, there are days where I feel Klinsmann should go and there are days where I feel he should stay. But what is best for U.S. Soccer, should Jurgen Klinsmann stay or should he go?
First, let’s get a couple things out of the way. U.S. Soccer has already said that Jurgen Klinsmann is safe through the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia so any talk about Klinsmann actually getting sacked should be taken with a grain of salt. Whether or not you believe Jurgen Klinsmann should be fired, it’s not going to happen for at least another three years. Also, Klinsmann has two jobs, Manager and Technical Director. Some believe that Klinsmann should only be Technical Director. Yeah that’s not happening either, at least until after Russia 2018. So that’s off the table too. As much as it’s a nice compromise, any talk of Klinsmann getting sacked at this time would need to be all or nothing. Jurgen Klinsmann was given the keys to the car and everything that entailed, he’s not going to settle for losing one of those two jobs.
Why Jurgen should be sacked?
Well, the obvious reason why Jurgen Klinsmann should be sacked is because he’s just simply not getting results (some of the time). Even though the USMNT escaped the “group of death” at the 2014 World Cup, they lost out in the Round of 16 like any other time except for 2002. There was the embarrassing performance at the Gold Cup this Summer coupled with the CONCACAF Cup last night. That resulted in the USMNT not qualifying for the Confederations Cup. And since Klinsmann highly values giving younger and inexperienced players that experience, missing out on the Confederations Cup is certainly a missed opportunity.
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – JUNE 27: Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann of the United States speaks to the media during training at Sao Paulo FC on June 27, 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Speaking of inexperienced players. Klinsmann always had a penchant for experimenting with formations and playing younger players, especially in friendlies. Klinsmann tried that somewhat in the Gold Cup and was a contributing factor in why they lost that but in the CONCACAF Cup, Jurgen went with experience. The fact that Klinsmann went with experience last night showed that maybe he is playing too many young players. I’m all for putting in two or three young players in a friendly to get them experience because that’s the only way to do that, but it doesn’t help anyone when you play Tim Howard or Brad Guzan in goal, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, an inconsistent Jozy Altidore and inexperienced players everywhere else. While that’s a great long term strategy, particularly for the younger players, there is a sense that Klinsmann is mortgaging the present for the future, a future that may never come. Whether or not Klinsmann feels this is for the best or not, even he should realize that many people will have a legitimate concern about how he is running the team in this fashion.
There is also a very real sense of disconnect between Klinsmann and many of those who passionately follow U.S. Soccer. Whether it’s the fans, media or even the players, there is a level of BS that Klinsmann is trying to sell to everyone with varying degrees of success. I don’t know what the atmosphere is in the locker room but I have to imagine things aren’t completely harmonious. And seeing what’s out in public from fans and media, many are certainly not pleased.
To me, in terms of handling the public, Klinsmann reminds me of former Liverpool Manager Brendan Rodgers. More USMNT or Liverpool fans would be okay with Klinsmann or Rodgers if they even showed a little bit of humility and blamed themselves a tiny bit in terms of why the team isn’t performing as it should. Both managers give off the impression they’re better than the people who they’re talking to and they are/were there to “save” their team and how dare anyone question their methods. Whether it’s talk about fitness or character, that only masked actual problems plaguing their respective teams. Klinsmann doesn’t deserve all of the blame but when things aren’t going right, it’s everybody’s fault and it’s up to everyone to be able to find an appropriate solution. And Klinsmann is the top guy for both on the field performance and the development of U.S. Soccer as a whole. When things aren’t going as well as they should, why shouldn’t Jurgen Klinsmann be immune to criticism and at the very least, take responsibility and shoulder some of the blame?
Why Jurgen shouldn’t be sacked?
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – MARCH 26: Jurgen Klinsmann, coach of the United States attends a match between Mexico and US as part of FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier at The Azteca stadium on March 26, 2013 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Miguel Tovar/Getty Images)
While it may not be as obvious, Jurgen Klinsmann has made the USMNT a more solid team, even if that doesn’t show on the scoresheet all the time. Yes, Klinsmann’s USMNT may not have been perfect and they have lost some critical games, but they also played and won in some tough games against some tough opponents. He got the United States to win at the Azteca and until last night, be unbeaten against Mexico. His team has beaten Germany twice, including once in Germany as well as win in the Netherlands. He finally got the USMNT past Ghana and was within seconds of completely stifling Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in the World Cup.
Klinsmann also isn’t afraid to play these tough teams in tough places even if it may result in an embarrassing loss. Before Klinsmann, the United States was more focused on having games at home, against beatable (usually CONCACAF) opponents and in massive stadiums to attempt to maximize ticket sales as much as possible. Klinsmann wanted the team to be tested and competitive. That meant going to the Azteca for a friendly, flying to Europe to play top UEFA teams and playing more games in intimate soccer specific stadiums that create an atmosphere.
Take a look at the last time the USMNT participated in World Cup Qualifying. U.S. Soccer went to Denver and Kansas City for two World Cup Qualifying games. Before Klinsmann, they would have never played those games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and Sporting Park. There are NFL stadiums in those cities, the games would’ve been played there and there would have been hardly any atmosphere in a 3/4 full stadium. This time, they went to these MLS stadiums with an insane fan atmosphere and in the case of Denver, created one of the most memorable USMNT games ever in the snow against Costa Rica. That’s something that Jurgen Klinsmann has helped instill in the fabric of this organization.
Jurgen Klinsmann has also brought in a new wave of players and while he has been criticized for going to much into the younger and inexperienced sector of the USMNT player pool, at least he’s going there. He’s utilizing the unique situation of American citizens living abroad to build up the talent base that before him, would’ve been ignored. As a whole, that can only raise the depth of the player pool. Has this resulted in the kind of world class player that more successful countries enjoy? Probably not yet. But at least with an expanded focus, there’s a better chance that an American Lionel Messi can be identified in the future, long after Klinsmann leaves as USMNT Manager.
Should he stay or go?
This all leads to the question asked in the beginning. Should Jurgen Klinsmann stay or go? And while things aren’t going as smoothly as expected when Klinsmann took over the team and there is a valid discussion in terms of if U.S. Soccer has actually improved since, Klinsmann should stay on as USMNT Manager and Technical Director. When I look at whether or not a manager should be sacked, one thing I look for is if that team can get someone just as good or better than who they have now. Otherwise you’re just going to have the same problems with someone different.
There are two notable examples of this with differing opinions. The first was when Alan Pardew was at Newcastle and many fans wanted him out even though the owner is a cheapskate and they had no one remotely as good as Pardew to take over. Enter John Carver and now Steve McLaren and Newcastle has regressed and may relegate this season. The second example just took place a few days ago. Liverpool was struggling under Brendan Rodgers but it was also known that Jurgen Klopp was available and was interested in the Liverpool job so yeah, get Rodgers out of there. Klopp has only been on the job for 48 hours so who knows if Liverpool will improve, but there’s definitely a sense of optimism and confidence among Liverpool’s fans and haters in terms of how they will perform in the future with Klopp.
In Klinsmann’s case, there isn’t anyone better who can take over at this point. Many point to Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes as a possible replacement and while I think that would be a great move, it wouldn’t be fair to just drop Vermes in with no international management experience into the USMNT Manager role a month away from beginning World Cup Qualifying. If Vermes is in the discussion after Russia 2018, I’m all about having that discussion, but it won’t serve anyone if the playbook was thrown out now and started from scratch. Let Klinsmann manage the team through the World Cup and then give Vermes or whoever an entire four year window and let them build the squad in their own vision in the years leading up to Qatar. Depending on where you stand in terms of Klinsmann, we must face the grim reality. Even if this is all his fault, U.S. Soccer’s issues won’t magically be fixed if Klinsmann gets sacked. So like it or not, Klinsmann is the best guy to captain the ship going into 2018.
