Maybe I'm just feeling argumentative after trying to get my high schooler to finish her Walt Whitman essay, but honestly: as many opportunities as he squandered during his first calendar year in charge of the team (particularly as relate to personnel chosen and how they were deployed), my eyes* tell me that there were elements of the squad's performance in the last two matches that indicate he may be starting to have a positive impact on the development/progress of the team. I supported Bradley to a large extent**; I was skeptical from JK's first match; I still have several warning lights that, while not flashing red, are by no means shut off; I have zero faith in Sunil; I do believe that JK has more than a touch of arrogance and inflated self belief; I belief he was very slow to recognize the gap between what he imagined would be effective and what little was actually working from his first dozen games. With all that said, I remain willing to believe -- based on the dynamism that came through in bits and pieces in the Russia and Honduras matches -- that he is capable of getting through to this group of players and leading them effectively. We'll know soon...but will we know soon enough? * which have not seen a replay of the Honduras match ** though I was not in favor of his being retained after WC2010
I think Bob Bradley knew tactics at least. Jurgen Klinsmann is just Hugo Sanchez. (that would make Bradley Lavolpe)
He's a frightening mixture of Hugo Sanchez, Ruud Gullit, Isiah Thomas, and Rex Ryan. Would throw Sven-Goran Eriksson in there, but that would be giving JK too much credit.
Isiah is an unfair comparison. If we had lost to Antigua last fall, then I'd say he could be compared to Isiah. Sanchez is actually a good analogy. Sanchez talked a lot of hot air about what an idiot the current national coach was and how he'd do better running Mexico. Once in place, did about the same as Lavolpe. Klinsmann's massive backers on BigSoccer talked a lot of hot air about what idiots Arena and Bradley were as national coaches, Bradley's hiring demonstrated everything that was wrong with American soccer and Klinsmann represented everything on how it could be better, Bradley being hired instead of Klinsmann shows why Sunil should be fired (funny how people have forgotten that narrative after Klinsmann's hiring and it's now become BigSoccer fan wisdom that Klinsmann is Sunil's Best Friend Forever), give the team a more Latin style, and put in place a top-down change in the structure of U.S. Soccer starting with the youth soccer system.
This is a fairly impressive recreation in a short form. Here is the other thing that most folks really don't realize. Sunil is really a soccer fan (and not like that's a bad thing). He is also brilliant, however, he did not start out as a soccer guy but as a fan. More than a few insiders have suggested that his fanlike appreciation of JK blinded him in his hiring. Again, this is not my theory only one that was mentioned to me (on more than one occasion).
Well the same tendency has been noticed in the NBA. Guys were wondering why lawyers that were basketball GMs were more successful than ex-players, and one reason why the ex-players get hired even with no proven GM ability is the owners themselves are fans and so hire the former player(Jordan, Bird, Isiah, McHale, Elgin Baylor). Not to say it's impossible to be a good player and a good GM, Jerry West and Joe Dumars won a title as GM at Detroit.
Man awesome to see some People blindly supported jurgen from the get go and others hated him already. Either way it was always going to be a bumpy ride
Do you only enter threads to make sweeping and generalized pronouncements about the stupidity of other posters, without even bothering to quote them or explain yourself?
Absolutely. Looking at what he did with Germany in the run-up to WC06, his actions with the US have been strikingly similar, and should not have caused a lot of surprises. - Starting unexpected players, even in key games? Check. - Using unconventional combinations/formations? Check. - Leaving "mortal lock" players out of important games? Check. The German soccer-viewing public thought Klinnsman had lost his mind, but he took a team that had fallen out of favor before the World Cup and made them a winner. I'm certain no one will mistake the US team that arrives at WC14 for Germany's 06 side. But I feel this will be a US team that could make the quarterfinals, unless they land in a Group of Death or suffer key injuries late.
I thought this was a new thread following our performances in the past two Hex qualifiers, with a sarcastic nod to how much better we have looked under a "new" Klinsmann (as compared to the "old" Klinsmann we were ready to fry after losing to Honduras and the article in The Sporting News that generated so much bullsh*t).
I bumped the thread as a reminder that JK's tenure IMO should be judged based on his results in the 2014 WC knock out rounds. This thread highlights the folly of spouting off. It's Christmas everyday ...
Things weren't as bad as they seemed after the Honduras loss and the Sporting News article. Things aren't as good as they seem after this past month's games.
^ This. If the US doesn't come up with the late goal against Jamaica at the office, and if Blas Perez, arguably Panama's best player, is healthy for that match at Seeattle, we might be having a wee bit different discussion.
And if the AR had called offside on Beckford, and if Landon Donovan was with us for the entire hex...
Hey there. Snark-bumps aren't helpful or constructive, especially not in News + Analysis. Thanks a lot for understanding.