Jurgen Klinsmann named new USA coach

Posted Sunday, July 31, 2011 by theguardian.com

• Former Germany manager to be unveiled on Monday
• California resident 'proud and honoured' to be appointed

Jurgen Klinsmann named new USA coach
Jürgen Klinsmann, seen here coaching Germany in 2006, has been named the new coach of the USA.

The former Germany manager Jürgen Klinsmann has been named the new head coach of the USA. The announcement comes a day after Bob Bradley was sacked after four years in charge.

Klinsmann had a distinguished playing career, highlighted by winning the World Cup in 1990 and the European Championship in 1996 with Germany, but has had only fleeting spells in management, first with Germany and later Bayern Munich.

He has lived primarily in the United States since retiring from playing, and now resides in California with his family. Klinsmann has frequently been linked with the national team job and vacancies in Major League Soccer.

"I am proud and honoured to be named the head coach of the US men's national team," said Klinsmann, who will take charge of his first match on 10 August against rivals Mexico.

He added: "I would like to thank the US Soccer Federation for the opportunity, and I'm excited about the challenge ahead. I am looking forward to bringing the team together for our upcoming match against Mexico and starting on the road toward qualifying for the 2014 Fifa World Cup."

Klinsmann enjoyed an outstanding playing career that lasted 17 years and included spells with Stuttgart, Inter, Monaco, Tottenham and Bayern Munich. He scored 47 goals in 108 appearances for Germany and West Germany.

He retired from playing in 1998, and took his first management job with Germany in 2004. He led them to third place in the 2006 World Cup on home soil, but stepped down from the role after the tournament. Two years later, he took charge of Bayern, reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but left after one season.

"We are excited to have Jürgen as the head coach of our men's national team," the US Soccer president, Sunil Gulati, said. "He is a highly accomplished player and coach with the experience and knowledge to advance the programme. Jürgen has had success in many different areas of the game and we look forward to the leadership he will provide on and off the field."

Klinsmann will be introduced at a press conference in New York on Monday.