A new era of US Soccer will start tomorrow, when Jurgen Klinsmann is formally introduced to the media as the new national team coach.Rob Hughes of the NY Times writes of the potential influence that Klinsmann will have on his adopted nation.
When Jürgen Klinsmann took over as the German national team trainer before the 2006 World Cup, he opened the eyes of his birth nation.
He persuaded Germans to change the stereotype that had won them World Cups.
He engaged a fresh, young, multiethnic group of players. He instilled an attacking philosophy. He introduced American ideas on fitness and locker-room psychology.
Now, in a sense, Klinsmann must do the reverse. His appointment as head coach to the U.S. Soccer Federation starts officially in New York on Monday morning. And he will try to open American eyes.
He brings European know-how to a land where he settled after his playing prime. He has believed, from the moment he landed in California 13 years ago, that the United States is a melting pot of humanity that ought to be a major player in the global game.
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