Jurgen Klinsmann, Sunil Gulati Reportedly Discuss US Coaching Job
- The future of U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley remains unclear, but that apparently has not stopped U.S. Soccer officials from pursuing a potential high-profile replacement.
Former German national team and Bayern Munich head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has met with U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati about the U.S. head coaching job, according to an ESPN.com report. Klinsmann is interested in the job, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions cited in the report, but the source gave no other details.
The news of Klinsmann's talks with Gulati comes on the heels of Gulati's Thursday meeting with Bradley in Los Angeles, as first reported by The Washington Post. The two reportedly discussed Bradley's coaching status, but no decision was made on Bradley's future with U.S. Soccer.
Bradley, who guided the U.S. to the knockout stage at this summer's World Cup, has been drawing foreign interest since the tournament's conclusion, first as a candidate for the head coaching job at Fulham FC, which ultimately went to Mark Hughes, and more recently as a candidate for vacant job at fellow English Premier League club Aston Villa. Bradley admitted his interest in the Aston Villa job earlier this week in an interview with the BBC.
U.S. Soccer previously targeted Klinsmann as a candidate for the job when seeking a replacement for former coach Bruce Arena following the 2006 World Cup, in which Klinsmann led Germany to a surprise semifinal appearance. Klinsmann, however, passed on the job, which ultimately went to Bradley. Since then, Bradley has compiled a 38-21-8 record during his tenure, highlighted by the team's historic run to the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup and Round of 16 finish in South Africa.
Nonetheless, it appears that Klinsmann, out of coaching since being fired by Bayern Munich in April 2009, could again have a chance to claim the job if he wants it. Unlike most top flight European coaches, the legendary German striker has ties to the U.S. as a longtime Southern California resident and former technical adviser with the LA Galaxy.
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