The Coaching Philosophy of the New US MNT Head Coachhttp://www.ussoccer.com/News/Mens-National-Team/2011/08/Quote-Sheet-Klinsmann-Introduction.aspxIt’s not about power; it’s about topics that float around, challenges.
I’m really excited about this opportunity, this chance to coach the U.S. team having lived here for the last 13 years, and also getting to know the U.S. Soccer environment, having connected with this country in all sorts of environments – the youth level, the college system, MLS. There has always been a feeling around that maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to coach the U.S. team.
We had a clear understanding of what we want to do, and that’s why I’m really happy that we’ve thought about this and found a comfort level for moving forward.”
“I don’t think there is anything wrong with the (US MNT) team.
When you come into a situation like this, you analyze every individual player, the team itself and the program… to see how I can develop them further. You build on what was built before, and if you look back on the past 20 years in this country, a lot has been built.
Now look where MLS is. I know in the beginning there were eight or 10 teams and half of those were supported by
Phil Anschutz. Now, you have a league with 18 teams and growing next year again.
There are development teams being introduced with the Academy program. It’s come a long way, soccer in the United States. I’m now getting this opportunity to move it further.
I think you can also be proud of what you’ve achieved over the last few years where soccer is now. Look at this press conference. Look at three or four soccer television channels. Who would have thought that 15 years ago? It’s a lot of movement going on, and I want to be part of that movement and help out with it. There is a lot to do.”
I will, step by step, introduce the ideas that I have, always double checking if it suits the American game.
One of my challenges will be to find a way to define how a U.S. team should represent its country.
What should be the style of play? Is it more proactive and aggressive, a forward-thinking style of play? Or is it more reacting style of play?
What suits us best? What would you like to see and identify with?
‘Why is the program really not that important to people, and why is it always about where you are going to college?
What’s the high school? Where are your kids going to school?’ I always responded, ‘My kids are going to school at the next closest school. What’s the big deal?’
…what people can we work with on a global basis?
‘Should we have somebody in Europe to oversee those players so I don’t have to fly back and forth every weekend?’
“I deeply believe that soccer in a certain way reflects the culture of a country. Having studied the U.S. culture over the last 13 years, it’s quite a challenge.
Players have all different characteristics, so every coach needs to find his own little path of how to put things together.
All these discussions are important and also important for you, media, to have your say in it. I’ve talked to a lot of youth coaches, my boy is playing youth soccer, my girl as well, and they all wait for information. They are very knowledgeable on the youth level in this country but they also ask those same questions. I think there’s a huge opportunity to discuss things and bring different people in and hopefully define more and more how the style should look like.”
Studying your culture and having an American wife and American kids, mainly right now my understanding is that you don’t like to react to what other people do. I think this is maybe a starting point. I think America never really waits and sees and leaves it up to other people to decide what is next. I think America always likes to decide on its own what is next. This guides maybe towards a more proactive style of play where you would like to impose a little bit the game on your opponent instead of sitting back and waiting for what your opponent is doing and react to it. It always depends, also, on your opponent. If you play Brazil or Argentina, you might play differently than maybe a country in CONCACAF, but it is a starting point if you say we want to start to keep possession, we want to start to dictate the pace of the game, we want to challenge our players to improve technically in order to keep the ball. All those components you have to build into your training sessions and have to build it into the curriculum for the youngsters because the earlier they start with that type of work, the better it is. Barcelona was not born in the last couple of years. It was born, the style of play now, in the early 90’s through Johan Cruyff. It took 20 years for that moment today that we see and all admire, just to take an example. So I’m really curious to hear all the different opinions out there.”
“I think there are a lot of different challenges ahead of us, especially on the foundation level and the foundation is youth…
This is really important to be addressed from the beginning because I think this is what is really missing compared to the leading soccer nations around the world.
U.S. Men’s National Team head coach JURGEN KLINSMANN 
we beat Honduras the 53 ranked team 1-0.
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