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En Route: Jurgen Klinsmann overseeing a generational shift for USA
Jurgen Klinsmann begins his search for a new group of players, as the reality sets in for the old guard.
Sep 9, 2011 1:32:00 PM
By J.R. Eskilson
Getty
Out with the old, in with the new.
"I think we have some very interesting youngsters coming through the ranks,” U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann remarked in the press conference following the 1-0 loss to Belgium on Tuesday.
It is the reality of the situation for Klinsmann; the window of opportunity is closing for a lot of the stalwarts of the national team.
Regulars like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Carlos Bocanegra, and Steve Cherundolo are all going to be over the age of 30 by the time the next World Cup kicks off.
Why is that age significant? It is the rough cutoff spot for soccer players in the new coach’s system.
When Klinsmann led the German national team to a third place finish at the 2006 World Cup, he only had three field players over 30 on the roster.
For those who argue that talent is cyclical, Germany only brought two players over that mark to the 2010 World Cup. The Germans finished third at that event.
Prior to the Klinsmann era, Germany had five field players over the age of 30 on the roster at the 2002 World Cup, but only took four players under 23, which was the most populated age group for next two World Cup finals.
The style that Klinsmann preached, and then his assistant Joachim Low modified at the next World Cup finals, is built on fitness and youthful legs.
Perhaps this is the reason that eccentric FC Dallas star Brek Shea has already caught the eye of the new U.S. boss.
“[Shea]'s full of energy, he's creative, and he’s fast and has a good physical presence,” Klinsmann said. “He's one of the kids we are going to build over the next cycle.”
The coach went on to mention New York Red Bulls forward Juan Agudelo as another piece for the coaches to build for the next cycle.
‘Building players for the next cycle’ was the crutch for the coach during the press conference and should be a specialty for his staff given the current makeup of his assistant coaches.
Lead assist Martin Vasquez was most recently the technical director - albeit briefly - of the U16 and U18 Real Salt Lake residential programs in Arizona. Fellow assistant Thomas Dooley was a coach with the Pateadores Academy during their 2010-2011 championship season. Tab Ramos, recently the interim manager of the U.S. U-20 national team, previously coached a youth club team in New Jersey.
Even with this much focus on developing talent and making the movement toward a more youthful lineup, positions on Klinsmann’s rosters are not just to be handed out to those who idolized the Power Rangers growing up.
“We've told the young players it's now their time to challenge the established ones,” Klinsmann said. “That's the message they've got and they have three years to do that.”
Three years may seem like a long time, but once CONCACAF qualifying starts, there is a different dynamic with more on the line and less opportunities to experiment with the roster and new players.
Hence the reason Klinsmann is on a European tour now to visit with some new players like Danny Williams, Joe Gyau, and Charles Renken, all of whom are currently playing in Germany and eligible for the Olympic team next year.
The onus is on the coach to push the timeline forward for these players and begin the process of introducing them to the program. The earlier into the cycle that these players join, the more relaxed they will feel with Klinsmann’s standards.
“Each time I play I get more and more comfortable,” Shea said in the post-game press conference on Tuesday.
The comfort level is an important aspect for young players in any new environment, especially for the players who have never received a call-up to the national team at any level in the past.
Shea’s sentiment echoes this point; the time is now for Klinsmann to put his new stars at ease with the coaching staff and the program.
During Klinsmann’s last World Cup coaching appearance, even led by a roster with the main age-range between 20-23, there were only three field players with fewer than 10 appearances prior to the World Cup. Despite the youthful roster, there was a good amount of experience for most of the players who made the final roster.
The transition did not happen overnight for Germany, and it will not occur rapidly with this U.S. squad either. The youth movement will be a laborious process that requires time to vet players and find who is right for the job.
Pieces are beginning to fall into place for that mentality to be successful, but the results may stagger in the intermediate time period. Chalk it up to the price a national team has to play as it moves from one generation to the next.
Follow J.R. ESKILSON on
"I think we have some very interesting youngsters coming through the ranks,” U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann remarked in the press conference following the 1-0 loss to Belgium on Tuesday.
It is the reality of the situation for Klinsmann; the window of opportunity is closing for a lot of the stalwarts of the national team.
Regulars like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Carlos Bocanegra, and Steve Cherundolo are all going to be over the age of 30 by the time the next World Cup kicks off.
Why is that age significant? It is the rough cutoff spot for soccer players in the new coach’s system.
When Klinsmann led the German national team to a third place finish at the 2006 World Cup, he only had three field players over 30 on the roster.
For those who argue that talent is cyclical, Germany only brought two players over that mark to the 2010 World Cup. The Germans finished third at that event.
Prior to the Klinsmann era, Germany had five field players over the age of 30 on the roster at the 2002 World Cup, but only took four players under 23, which was the most populated age group for next two World Cup finals.
The style that Klinsmann preached, and then his assistant Joachim Low modified at the next World Cup finals, is built on fitness and youthful legs.
Perhaps this is the reason that eccentric FC Dallas star Brek Shea has already caught the eye of the new U.S. boss.
“[Shea]'s full of energy, he's creative, and he’s fast and has a good physical presence,” Klinsmann said. “He's one of the kids we are going to build over the next cycle.”
The coach went on to mention New York Red Bulls forward Juan Agudelo as another piece for the coaches to build for the next cycle.
‘Building players for the next cycle’ was the crutch for the coach during the press conference and should be a specialty for his staff given the current makeup of his assistant coaches.
Lead assist Martin Vasquez was most recently the technical director - albeit briefly - of the U16 and U18 Real Salt Lake residential programs in Arizona. Fellow assistant Thomas Dooley was a coach with the Pateadores Academy during their 2010-2011 championship season. Tab Ramos, recently the interim manager of the U.S. U-20 national team, previously coached a youth club team in New Jersey.
Even with this much focus on developing talent and making the movement toward a more youthful lineup, positions on Klinsmann’s rosters are not just to be handed out to those who idolized the Power Rangers growing up.
“We've told the young players it's now their time to challenge the established ones,” Klinsmann said. “That's the message they've got and they have three years to do that.”
Three years may seem like a long time, but once CONCACAF qualifying starts, there is a different dynamic with more on the line and less opportunities to experiment with the roster and new players.
Hence the reason Klinsmann is on a European tour now to visit with some new players like Danny Williams, Joe Gyau, and Charles Renken, all of whom are currently playing in Germany and eligible for the Olympic team next year.
The onus is on the coach to push the timeline forward for these players and begin the process of introducing them to the program. The earlier into the cycle that these players join, the more relaxed they will feel with Klinsmann’s standards.
“Each time I play I get more and more comfortable,” Shea said in the post-game press conference on Tuesday.
The comfort level is an important aspect for young players in any new environment, especially for the players who have never received a call-up to the national team at any level in the past.
Shea’s sentiment echoes this point; the time is now for Klinsmann to put his new stars at ease with the coaching staff and the program.
During Klinsmann’s last World Cup coaching appearance, even led by a roster with the main age-range between 20-23, there were only three field players with fewer than 10 appearances prior to the World Cup. Despite the youthful roster, there was a good amount of experience for most of the players who made the final roster.
The transition did not happen overnight for Germany, and it will not occur rapidly with this U.S. squad either. The youth movement will be a laborious process that requires time to vet players and find who is right for the job.
Pieces are beginning to fall into place for that mentality to be successful, but the results may stagger in the intermediate time period. Chalk it up to the price a national team has to play as it moves from one generation to the next.
Follow J.R. ESKILSON on
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