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| photo by Horst Ettensberger |
- by TJ Ferguson, writing from Boston
There were no real details given and besides telling everyone that Bradley had been fired, it just said another announcement would be made the next day. Not only was this a surprise to US fans and the rest of the footballing world, but apparently Bradley was also blindsided by the decision. He had already begun planning his roster and notifying players of their invitation for the USA vs. Mexico match on August 10th in Philadelphia.
There is plenty of speculation as to why the decision was made to make the head coaching switch but the fact of the matter is the efforts to get Jürgen Klinsmann is finally a goal that USSF has realized. They wanted Klinsmann five years ago, they wanted Klinsmann after the 2010 World Cup and now they have finally got him. The major sticking point seemed to always be the amount of control that Jürgen wanted was more than the federation wanted to give him.
The speed at which the hiring of Klinsmann was announced and the sudden firing of Bradley leads me to believe that maybe after rehiring Bradley after the 2010 World Cup, Gulati, or someone else at USSF, were in continued contact with Klinsmann just waiting for the two sides to come to an agreement. Or maybe after losing a Gold Cup group game for the first time and blowing a 2-0 lead in the final, that was just the last domino that had to fall to grant the former German International and Head Coach the control he desired.
Looking at the two coaches there are decided differences in their resumes and coaching styles. Bradley was never even a professional player while Klinsmann is one of the best strikers the world has seen. Bradley’s only appearance in a World Cup was as the USMNT coach. He led the Stars and Stripes to the top of their group, a feat they hadn’t accomplished since the very first World Cup. Earlier in his coaching stint with USA Bradley was at the helm for the 2007 Gold Cup which they won earning a spot in the 2009 Confederations Cup.
At the Confederation Cup, Bradley coached the United States into the final, beating Spain en route in what is one of the most famous victories by the USMNT. In the final, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan gave the Americans a 2-0 lead in the first half before conceding the final three goals to lose 3-2. The 2009 Gold Cup was the next competition for Bradley and the United States. They again made it to the final granting Mexico a rematch, this time losing 5-0.
Klinsmann has appears in multiple World Cups as a player, winning in 1990 and once as head coach of Germany leading them to a third place finish in the 2006 World Cup. Klinsmann’s only other coaching experience was just one season at the helm of Bayern Munich in 2008. He was fired with just 5 games remaining in the Bundesliga campaign while just 3 points from the top. In the Champions League, Munich made it to the Quarterfinals before being eliminated by eventual champions, FC Barcelona.
Under Bob Bradley, the USMNT played a defensive style of football, opting to sit back and wait for opportunities to counterattack as a primary source of goal scoring. One common setback experienced by USA was that they would often concede early goals, or give up scoring chances early on in a match.
With Klinsmann, fans should expect the US to play a more offensive strategy. It will be interesting to see if Klinsmann sticks with the 4-2-3-1 that Bradley used towards the end of the Gold Cup with some success or if he chooses his own formation. The toughest challenge ahead of Klinsmann will be using the players available to him in the way he wants them to play.
One thing Bradley was good at was getting the US team to play better than the sum of its parts. Whether or not Klinsman can do the same will play a huge role in the level of success, or failure, he brings to the team. One thing seems certain; players will likely be encouraged to take risks on the field in order to create scoring chances and hopefully goals.
Jürgen Klinsmann will be introduced to the public at a Monday press conference by the US Soccer Federation in New York City. Klinsmann will likely address the media and field questions hopefully being open with his goals and his plans to achieve these goals.
