New USA boss Klinsmann to build on what is already there

Incoming USA manager Jurgen Klinsmann says he will simply build on what has already been constructed before him.

The former Stuttgart, Tottenham, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich star has replaced Bob Bradley at the helm of the US team and says there is not too much he needs to change or fix as the current crop of players have been performing well in recent times.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with the team. They lost a Gold Cup final against a very, very good Mexico team that over the last couple of years became one of the top 10 teams in the world and have a lot of talent,” he said.

“When you come into a situation like this, you analyze every individual player, the team itself and the program, which I’ll have the chance to do during the next couple of weeks, 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.”

And Klinsmann said the impact of Major League Soccer over the past 20 or so years has helped soccer in the United States come a long way.

“The US has, since 1990, always qualified for the World Cup. The US has made a lot of noise with MLS being introduced. Now look where MLS is,” he added.

“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. We can build on what has been built by Bob [Bradley] in the last five years, and before that by Bruce Arena and Steve Sampson and so on. I’m proud to get that opportunity.”

 
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