When he was hired as U.S. national team coach, Jurgen Klinsmann promised to explore the best minds in American soccer and bring in guest assistants for auditions before naming a permanent staff. After an exhaustive process — one match — Klinsmann told ESPN.com this week that he’s settled on … his good friend Martin Vasquez, the same guy who was his lead assistant at Bayern Munich during a stint that ended with the pair both being fired.
There’s no dispute that Vasquez, 47, remains well-liked. He’s been a successful assistant coach with Los Angeles and Chivas USA, and Real Salt Lake had named him director of operations for its Arizona academy last month.
But the choice could set a precedent for Klinsmann, whose greatest flaw may be his tendency to get caught in the big picture. In Vasquez’s case, it appears the coaching picture was too big, and Klinsmann settled for what was familiar. Hopefully he doesn’t do the same when choosing coaches for the U.S. under-23 and under-20 teams.
– Craig Stouffer
