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Klinsmann Officially Steps Down, Loew Steps Up
(Goal.com) - Jurgen Klinsmann confirmed speculation that he was leaving his post as coach of Germany at a press conference in Frankfurt on Wednesday.
Klinsmann, a star striker and World Cup-winner as a player with Germany in 1990, had been coach for less than two years, having taken the reigns of Die Mannschaft in August 2004. His stint as Germany's head honcho also was his first professional coaching gig.
"I want to thank everyone, especially the fans, who pushed us along to this fantastic success," said Klinsmann, who was offered a contract extension by the DFB. "It was the most beautiful World Cup ever. We've created a new image of the Germans around the world.
"I hope that no one's heart will be broken by this. Now let's look to the future. We'll have a lot of fun watching this team," he added.
Klinsmann silenced most of his critics after his un-German approach to coaching, which included monitoring the progress of his players from his home in southern California and adopting innovative training techniques, led a young and inexperienced German squad to a third place finish at the World Cup.
Klinsmann, 41, has long been rumored to be a top candidate to become the next coach of the United States, although recently he has denied any contact with U.S. Soccer about taking over for Bruce Arena, the Americans' coach for eight years. For now, however, Klinsmann will return home to California to consult with his family before making a decision about his future.
Klinsmann will be replaced by Joachim Loew, one of Klinsmann's top assistants.
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Comments
come home klinsmann the USA need a good coach to excel there performance at the next world cup.....................(if they can even make itto the world cup again lol)
Posted by: SWEET!! | July 12, 2006 04:18 PM
klinsmann made a big mistake. USA can never aford what germany would have paid him and will NEVER have as talented of a team as germany.
Posted by: REISTER | July 12, 2006 11:23 PM
Well Reister, you still don't seem to understand the concept. First of all, the US has already offered Klinsman more money than he was making in his position with Germany(the german contract being about $2.8 million/yr, so he's likely been offered in the $3 million range by the US already), so affording him doesn't seem to be an issue unless he is offered a monster contract elsewhere.
Secondly, it's not about who has the best players. Coaching is about making players and teams better. Now that he has proven he can do that with a young German team, he's going to receive offers from other countries that want to improve. If Klinsman wants to continue to build his reputation as a coach, he will specifically want to go to a program like the US that has room for improvement. In fact, I wouldn't even be surprised to see him get an offer (and maybe accept it) from a nation that is lower on the totem pole than the US, perhaps Japan or the like.
It just so happens that he has a lot of incentive to take the American job, since he lives in California, the center of US Soccer.
Posted by: Heath Young | July 13, 2006 02:27 PM
I agree with Heath that Klinsman should take a job with a country that needs to improve and the US could use some help in that area at this point in time. Also like Heath said the US has the added bonus of his family living in California
Posted by: lisa | July 13, 2006 10:01 PM