The Jurgen Klinsmann era is over for the US national team.
US Soccer announced on Monday that Klinsmann "has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the US men's national team and technical director for US Soccer."
Klinsmann was hired as USMNT head coach on July 29, 2011, and racked up a 55-27-16 record in that span. The team reached the knockout round of the 2014 World Cup, won the 2013 Gold Cup, and finished fourth in the 2016 Copa América Centenario. But the US were also knocked out of the 2015 Gold Cup in the semifinal round, on home soil, to Jamaica, and recently started the hexagonal round of World Cup qualifying with two losses, their worst-ever start since the Hex was created.
Multiple national reporters indicated in the wake of Klinsmann's firing that LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, previously linked to a return as USMNT boss if Klinsmann was dismissed, will indeed be the next head coach of the national team, although those reports also indicate a deal is not yet finalized as of Monday afternoon.
US Soccer president Sunil Gulati released the following statement on Monday regarding Klinsmann's dismissal:
"Today we made the difficult decision of parting ways with Jurgen Klinsmann, our head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team and Technical Director.
"We want to thank Jurgen for his hard work and commitment during these last five years. He took pride in having the responsibility of steering the program, and there were considerable achievements along the way.
"Many are aware of the historic victories, including leading us out of the Group of Death to the Round of 16 in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but there were also lesser publicized efforts behind the scenes. He challenged everyone in the U.S. Soccer community to think about things in new ways, and thanks to his efforts we have grown as an organization and expect there will be benefits from his work for years to come.
"While we remain confident that we have quality players to help us advance to Russia 2018, the form and growth of the team up to this point left us convinced that we need to go in a different direction. With the next qualifying match in late March, we have several months to refocus the group and determine the best way forward to ensure a successful journey to qualify for our eighth-consecutive World Cup.
"There has never been a greater time for soccer in this country, and with the support and efforts of the millions of fans, sponsors, media and friends, we look forward to continued progress in the game we all love."
