Bundesliga Legend Lothar Matthaus thinks the USA would have had a better chance of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in Russia this summer had they not parted ways with Jürgen Klinsmann.
Klinsmann helped revolutionise US soccer after taking charge of the USMNT in 2011, leaning on his homeland for players like Jermaine Jones and John Brooks – players with both German and American nationality – and winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2013.
Strong favourites to qualify from their section for this finals this summer, the US endured a difficult campaign, though, and Klinsmann was dismissed in November 2016, to be replaced by Bruce Arena.
“Jürgen Klinsmann was a different kind of coach to Bruce Arena,“And I think it’s sure that with Jürgen they had a bigger chance to qualify,”” Matthäus explained to Bundesliga.com