USMNT - ‘23 and beyond
writing on the wall?
I would have had him in the short list of replacements.
The more I read ( just read a piece from 6 years ago, penned post- TnT loss about the whole Klinsmann/Gulati/Arena/US Soccer debacle ) the more I return to issues with culture and the prior "reputational fight" between MLS and the European big 3 leagues.
I think part the "culture" aspect stems from the long standing feeling of US Sports in general that if we decide to play a particular sport, that it is just preordained, we will dominate. That somehow the US athlete will find a way to rise to the top echelon internationally. Couple that with MLS attempting to "fast track" itself to a preeminent competitive professional footballing league ( internationally ), there had been an element inside US Soccer that saw itself as the main protectors and advancers of that league. To the detriment of competing internationally - especially player development.
One item was the friction between US Soccer ( read Garber ) and Klinsmann- the latter, basically challenging USMNT players to play in Europe, get out their comfort zone and play for clubs that will challenge them. Whereas MLS wanted those players to remain domestic to "further" MLS reputation. But for Klinsmann, he felt that having players dominate MLS wouldnt translate into players getting better rounded for international competition. This created a pretty large chasm within the entire structure of US Soccer/MLS. ( Klinsmann wanted supreme powers to dictate the future of US Soccer on down to youth leagues- something US Soccer was simply not going to give up )
I think that whole episode has now lead us to this point- where US Soccer is OVERLY protective - circle the wagons type - for ANY coaching hire that MIGHT want to come in and not only coach, but look to a systemic change of US Soccer and how its run, its youth programs/leagues and ultimately continue to pit MLS vs Euro teams, that is detrimental to MLS and its ability to grow ( read- money ) into a real powerhouse league.
I just feel like MLS and the powers that be figured within 20 years, they would rival leagues like La Liga/Bundesliga/EPL - tried to fast track it to prominence and it doesnt work that way. Especially in a country where soccer/MLS is the 5th pro league and not a "US SPORT" like NFL/NBA or MLB.
At some point, US Soccer will have to divest itself from MLS- they simply cannot be intertwined with executives that are MLS success driven. We cannot compete internationally when decisions on coaching, players etc come from folks who are internally designed to protect the domestic product.
US Soccer will have to stand alone in regards to international play and focus its efforts on developing players and allowing them the opportunity - be it domestic or internationally - to make their own decision on where to play.