Jurgen Klinsmann has been fired as coach and technical director of the United States men’s national soccer team, U.S. Soccer announced in a statement on Monday.
Klinsmann, who had coached the team since 2011, was fired in the aftermath of a 4-0 defeat to Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying, a loss that left the U.S. team at the bottom of their qualifying group through two matches.
“While we remain confident that we have quality players to help us advance to Russia 2018, the form and growth of the team up to this point left us convinced that we need to go in a different direction,” U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said in a statement. “With the next qualifying match in late March, we have several months to refocus the group and determine the best way forward to ensure a successful journey to qualify for our eighth-consecutive World Cup.”
Sam Borden of the New York Times reported that Bruce Arena, who coached the national team between 1998 and 2006 and currently manages MLS’s LA Galaxy, is the most likely replacement.
BREAKING: Jurgen Klinsmann has been fired as head coach of the U.S. National Team. No word on replacement, though Bruce Arena is likely.
— Sam Borden (@SamBorden) November 21, 2016
Klinsmann leaves behind a mixed tenure as coach. He convinced a number of eligible foreign-born players to commit to the United States team, led the squad to the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and helped to navigate them out of a very difficult group in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and into the Round of 16. Results since then have not been more mixed, with fourth place finishes in the 2015 Gold Cup and the 2016 Copa América culminating in the team’s recent struggles in qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. He has been the subject of criticism from one of America’s most prominent soccer players as well.
