What if we told you that we aren’t surprised that Jurgen Klinsmann got fired? We don’t agree with it. But we aren’t surprised.
We also aren’t surprised that US Soccer went ahead and hired Bruce Arena… again. We absolutely 100% don’t agree with it but, we aren’t surprised.
Why aren’t we surprised? Well, we’ve seen all of this happen before.
But did we learn anything during Jurgen’s time in charge? Did we make any improvements? Are we any closer to winning a World Cup?
On this episode of the podcast, we revisit some articles from 3four3 that were published in the Summer of 2011, you know, around that time when US Soccer fired Bob Bradley and hired Jurgen Klinsmann.
You’re going to hear a clip from our podcast with Bob Bradley and you’ll hear him talk about the moment that US Soccer decided let him go.
You’re going to hear several articles written by Gary Kleiban detailing his thoughts and expectations at the time of Bradley’s exit and Klinsmann’s introduction.
Here are the articles mentioned in the podcast:
On Replacing Bradley, Rongen, and the Whole Entourage
Klinsmann: What Are The Expectations?
You’re also going to hear clips from a Skype call between Gary and I. You’re going to hear me grilling Gary about his positions back then and how he feels now and how it’s all still relative to everything that is happening with Jurgen Klinsmann being fired and Bruce Arena being handed the reigns of the US Men’s National Team for the second time.
And again, it was no surprise at all to see that the message from 3four3, and from Gary, has been and continues to be clear, and consistent year after year.
Enjoy this episode of the podcast! Let us know how you feel about it. Leave us a comment or reach out to us on Twitter. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
- Subscribe to 3four3 FM on iTunes
- Subscribe to 3four3 FM on Stitcher
Love all of your work, and very good In-depth discussion and you are getting right down to the bone. This is all so honest and helpful. Just wish more people would listen and take note.
Keep it up please, let’s wear them down.
Tony
Great podcast! I feel like there is a line that is now blurred with how one is supposed to react to coaching the US national team. At the 3four3 conference this past year Hugo Perez talked about how the fans in El Salvador (Club Deportivo) would nearly riot if they were watching a game where several bad passes were made. I love the thought of that kind of accountability/knowledge/demand from our fans! Yet, I feel like Klinsman was fired mostly due to public pressure based on him speaking critically about poor USA player ability than for his two “qualifying” losses. While I agree with the firing and feel he was not consistent with his own coaching goals and structure, I do not like the idea that we are not demanding that the new hire continue to improve the structures for possession soccer. I am guessing that you would not welcome more of the MLS machine – but is there any room for a compromise – perhaps an Oscar Pareja with a Columbian background combined with working his way up thru the ranks like a certain Brian Kleiban is doing? Lastly, I almost want the USA to not qualify with Arena coaching as I feel that might become justification to not fight for systemic change. The Status Quo would not be good enough for me…
Circling back as always to Gary arguing for the fundamental problem as he sees it Pro/Rel…. and recognizing I once asked him to write an article playing devil’s advocate about how the current system or evolving current system COULD work… in light of the fact, some of this is out of our hands and the long term plan of MLS, to my knowledge is a hidden agenda… I pose these questions.
.
.
I also posed these questions to Ted W a bit ago. He was unimpressed. We had a good discussion though.
.
What if MLS owned every team across the top four divisions and opened the pyramid to Pro/Rel. What if a club was funded enough privately and earned its way into 4th division then paid MLS…then had every right to work its way up to top tier.
.
What if like it or not this could be the long term plan for US Soccer What if Those in the Know are whispering amongst themselves and the NFL Overlords, ‘in 30 years this soccer thing is going to be the biggest thing in the world’… I recognize some could argue that all the clubs would be franchises like Applebees (Ted’s response) or McDonalds…but even many of those franchises are in differing housing structures: strip mall here, remodeled building there, train station here, Madison Avenue there….
.
…which all leads me to this very important place- which isn’t whether some agree or disagree, like the model or dislike the model… but to the place of will it WORK? Will it get kids playing in the street perfecting their artistry, will it get academy to refine the artist- WOULD it work well enough to lift the Holy Grail?
.
.
Well.. could it?
Not gonna lie… I’m a nobody.
.
I recognize it. No badges. No pedigree. Only undergraduate studies in theory meaning and value, intertextuality and historical contexts only a bachelors of science which then taught an understanding of how to think deeper and use empirical evidence to ask thoughtful questions. None the less in soccer circles I don’t know shit.
.
I also recognize I’m a bit disappointed the comment above did not receive even an attempted answer by anyone — because today Peter Wilt, a man INFINITELY smarter and more in tune to the workings of soccer in America outlined in Howler magazine an argument in essence for what I lobby for in a tangential way above…. that not incidentally (received a ‘thumbs up’ from here) and whether it could or would work.
.
As always. I’ll keep asking questions and I’ll keep lighting the way for folk to this most important of places of learning.