USMNT would do better with Jurgen Klinsmann as technical director, not head coach
It’s time to realize that Klinsmann’s skills would be better utilized in a different capacity.
Jurgen Klinsmann has been a man of controversy in his time with the Men’s National Team. He has made several decisions that have definitely rocked the boat within our nation.
There have been several decisions that have sparked concern from several U.S. soccer fans throughout his tenure. From leaving longtime American soccer hero Landon Donovan off of the 2014 World Cup Roster, to his most recent experiment of deploying Alejandro Bedoya as a holding midfielder in their most recent friendly against Brazil.
One thing is for certain, Klinsmann is not afraid to make waves. And that is a good thing. However, there is a fine line between experimenting, and not knowing how to best utilize a squad. And that is a line that the German is beginning to flirt with too heavily.
There is no doubt that he has come in and made the team better. However, he is known for rebuilding programs. He helped with the German National team in a similar way, and look where they are now. He has come in and helped us secure several talents. Multinational players like Julian Green, Fabian Johnson, and Aron Jóhannsson have been critical to the USA’s improvement.
That being said, that seems to be where his skills lie. He is strong in procuring talent and building systems to produce better players. We’ve seen him take on the Don Garber and the MLS, and hope to improve the quality of the overall league. The sky is the limit with Jurgen at the helm. But not as head coach.
What the German has in talent as a technical director, he lacks as a head coach. His tactics are simply not good enough. And it frustrates on a wide level. It didn’t take a soccer genius to see how out of place Bedoya was against Brazil. Yet, it seems everyone noticed before Klinsmann. Although he pulled him out just before half, it’s almost concerning that he even tried.
Decisions like these are the types that fail to prove his tactical knowledge. So how do we fix this problem? The answer is not necessarily sack Klinsmann, which is a popular notion amongst fans. However, we may considering relieving him of his duties as head coach.
This will allow him to focus all of his time on rebuilding the system, finding his players, and recruiting multinational players. He would work very closely with the head coach, maybe even oversee his call-ups or have a say in the decision.
Yet, he would be removed from the tactics side. This would allow for someone else to come in, and make the day-to-day decisions that need to be made in order to win matches. This is a formula that would hopefully lead to more results and less experiments.
There is no doubt soccer in America is on the rise. Between the relative success of both national teams the last couple of years and the incoming MLS stars such as Drogba, Lampard, Pirlo, Gerrard, etc., soccer fever in the states is in full swing.
But Americans are not the type of fans to patiently wait by a subpar team. We like results, we want victories and we want trophies. That is why the USWNT was so appealing this summer. They win games. Conversely, the Men’s team gained no fans by bowing out to Jamaica in the semifinal of the Gold Cup. As a country we don’t have time or patience for poor performances.
We need to keep improving, continuing to get better at each tournament, and every time we step onto the pitch. This means no more experiments, no more patience, and no more tactical disasters. We need to reaffirm our approach as a team that plans to compete with the best in the world. To do this, we need a coach who is going to make the proper tactical moves. And we need Klinsmann as a technical director, improving the overall youth system, procuring talent, and securing multinational stars.
Everyone has a role in success and although it might not be in the limelight, it is still vital. Klinsmann and the United States would be more successful with the German focusing on a technical director role, and not balancing a head coach job as well.
