Ranking Where Jurgen Klinsmann Sits Among All-Time USMNT Bosses
Where does Jurgen Klinsmann rank all-time among United States men's national team coaches? Spoiler alert: Klinsmann appears much closer to the end of this slideshow than the beginning.
One of the primary reasons is that, candidly, soccer has been a second-class (or lower) sport in the United States for much longer than it has been embraced and accepted.
Grantland's Bill Simmons still cannot go 10 minutes talking about soccer without making the tired joke that every soccer player he ever knew looked like the kind of guy who would try to steal his girlfriend. He's right, of course, he just doesn't need to make that point quite so often.
Now that Americans have permitted soccer into their lives, it is probably high time to educate some of these new fans on where American soccer started and how far it has come.
With American soccer coaches, as with life, context is everything.
T33. Elmer Schroeder (1936), John Mills (1956) and John Herberger (1964)
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Elmer Schroeder, John Mills and John Herberger were all winless, which does little for their historical places.
Then again, they all managed just one match apiece.
For Schroeder and Herberger, the times were certainly tumultuous, which might explain why the USMNT only played once in the year they were at the helm.
Mills' time was less turbulent, but again, soccer was not the sport of the future (or even the present) at that time.
32. Gordon Bradley (1973)
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In baseball, four strikeouts by one batter in the same game is known as the "golden sombrero."
Maybe they should call it a "Gordon Bradley"—not to be confused with either Bob Bradley or Gordon Ramsey—since Gordon Bradley took five shots at managing the USMNT and lost all five matches. Granted, his task was complicated by his status as player-manager.
And on second thought, you're right, calling it a "Gordon Bradley" has no ring to it at all.
T30. Bill Lloyd (1937) and Manfred Schellscheidt (1975)
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Bill Lloyd and Manfred Schellscheidt each managed three matches for the USMNT, combining for six losses.
Again, though, neither 1937 nor 1975 was the easiest time in world history to be the manager of a sports team. All H-E-double-hockey-sticks was breaking loose in Europe in 1937 and in Asia in 1975, and the United States surely had more to worry about than soccer.
Still, three losses in three tries is not Princeton material, is it?
T27. Max Wozniak (1973), Dettmar Cramer (1974) and Al Miller (1975)
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Max Wozniak, Dettmar Cramer and Al Miller did the double on the accomplishments of Schroeder, Mills and Herberger noted earlier.
This 1970s trio (no, not Emerson, Lake and Palmer—Wozniak, Cramer and Miller) all managed two matches and lost two.
They rank even below the next three men on this list because, by the mid-1970s, Americans had at least sort of heard of Pele and Maradona. Even with Asian conflict underway, surely these men had enough athletes at their disposal to squeeze one result out.
Apparently not.
T24. Andrew Brown (1947-48), John Wood (1952-53) and Gordon Jago (1969)
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Here we have another trio of coaches who managed the USMNT twice apiece, without a win to show from any of them.
Brown and Wood had the post-World War II hangover to point to, and Jago had the escalation of hostilities in Asia as an alibi.
If you're scoring at home, though, we have named 12 coaches thus far who combined to go 0-0-26. That's, um, not good.
T22. Jim Reed (1959-61) and Bob Kehoe (1971-72)
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Seven slides in, we have some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that neither Jim Reed nor Bob Kehoe were utterly pointless as USMNT coaches. That's right, folks, we have some non-losing results to report.
The bad news is that Reed and Kehoe were each 0-1-3, bringing the aggregate record of the 14 coaches discussed thus far to 0-2-32.
You have to admit, it's getting better.
21. John Kowalski (1991)
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Ladies and gentlemen, we have liftoff!
John Kowalski is our first winner on the list. Kowalski went 1-1-0 as an interim head coach for the USMNT in 1991.
Kowalski is presently the head coach of the women's soccer team at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania.
And we can stop the telethon tally of the losses...now.
20. David Gould (1933-34)
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David Gould ended an even .500 after two matches at the helm of the USMNT.
The defining characteristic of Gould's coaching career as against all who came before on this list is that Gould managed the Americans in the 1934 World Cup, beating Mexico in a qualifier before falling to eventual champion Italy.
19. Nat Agar (1925-26)
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The second coach in USMNT history, Nat Agar went 2-0-1 in three matches at the controls.
He had a better record than his predecessor, Thomas Cahill. But Cahill was the first manager in USMNT history, and there has to be some consideration given to that.
18. George Burford (1924-25, 1928)
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George Burford managed five matches for the USMNT, with a perfectly level 2-1-2 record.
So the 1920s may have been roaring in the United States, but as far as soccer was concerned, there was little or no buzz at all.
T16. Walter Giesler (1948-49) and George Meyer (1957, 1965)
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On one hand, if you got eight cracks at managing the USMNT, you could not have been all bad as a coach.
On the other hand, if you have a record of 1-1-6 (Walter Giesler) or 1-2-5 (George Meyer), the argument that they really could not find anyone better than you is hard to win.
15. Erno Schwarz (1953-55)
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Erno Schwarz managed two wins and four losses in six tries as coach of the USMNT in the mid-1950s.
You might have thought there would have been some momentum for the USMNT following their shock win over England at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, but you would have been wrong.
Besides, these days beating England at the World Cup just is not that big a deal.
14. Gene Chyzowych (1973)
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The year of our Lord 1973 was a tumultuous time for the USMNT.
Observant readers of this piece will note that Max Wozniak and Gordon Bradley sandwiched Gene Chyzowych's tenure with seven matches (all losses) between them in 1973.
Which makes Chyzowych's case somewhat remarkable. He actually won three and lost two in charge of the USMNT, yet he was somehow brushed aside for Gordon Bradley.
Sadly, Chyzowych died of cancer in May.
T12. Alkis Panagoulias (1983-85) and Lothar Osiander (1986-88)
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Alkis Panagoulias (6-7-5) and Lothar Osiander (4-5-9) coached the USMNT for 18 games apiece. Neither tenure was particularly impressive, though theoretically at least Osiander can claim some modicum of credit for the Americans' eventual progression to the 1990 World Cup.
These men coached a lot of recognizable names but did not distinguish themselves with their records.
11. Phil Woosnam (1968)
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Phil Woosnam was another .500 manager for the USMNT, with a 4-1-4 record through nine matches in 1968.
The Americans were nearly halfway through what would ultimately be a 40-year World Cup drought under Woosnam.
10. Walt Chyzowych (1976-80)
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Walt Chyzowych is notable for having blown away the previous record for longest-tenured (by matches) USMNT coach, amassing a 7-10-14 record over four years.
The prior record for games managed by a USMNT coach was Woosnam's nine.
9. Thomas Cahill (1916-24)
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Somehow this late-in-the-top-10 placement feels right for a man who managed the USMNT for just two matches, a win and a draw.
That they were the USMNT's first two matches justifies Thomas Cahill's relatively lofty placement here.
8. Robert Millar (1929-33)
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As with Cahill, Robert Millar's position in this list is enhanced well beyond the two wins and two losses he achieved as USMNT coach.
Millar led the Americans to their first World Cup appearance in 1930. This USSoccer.com piece tells a story worth a read about the Americans' advancement to the semifinals in Uruguay.
7. Bill Jeffery (1949-52)
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Bill Jeffery was at the helm of the Americans' famous 1-0 victory over England in the 1950 World Cup.
That accomplishment might have earned Jeffery a higher perch on this list, except Jeffery only managed two other matches for the Americans (both losses).
6. Steve Sampson (1995-98)
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From here on, we are only dealing with modern-era managers who led the Americans to the World Cup. Sampson did get the Americans to the World Cup in 1998, but their performance in the tournament was an abomination.
"Coached by Steve Sampson, who was only 41 years old at the time, the Yanks lost all three group-stage matches, scored only one goal, and slouched home to be remembered mainly for internal squabbles, finger-pointing, and the John Harkes controversy," wrote Greg Lalas for MLSSoccer.com.
You kids out there should not Google "John Harkes controversy." Still, Sampson's 26 wins as USMNT head coach are fifth all-time in USMNT history.
5. Bob Gansler (1982, 1989-91)
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Bob Gansler presided over the first USMNT squad to reach the World Cup in 40 years, guiding the Americans to a three-and-out in 1990 that, while discouraging, was at least an indicator that they could compete on a global level.
"Considering the experience levels of the players, the absence of a professional league, and the World Cup group they landed in, they fared reasonably well. Czechoslovakia reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, and the hosts Italy reached the semis, finishing third," wrote John Bolster for MLSSoccer.com.
4. Jurgen Klinsmann (2011-Present)
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Klinsmann has achieved a great deal in a relatively short period of time as USMNT coach. He could someday top this list. His 32 wins from 54 matches gives him the best winning percentage of any coach to manage that many matches for the USMNT, and it is not close.
The afterglow of the Americans' recent advancement to the group stage in the 2014 World Cup makes the reactionary supporter think that Klinsmann must be the best American coach ever or really close to it.
In truth, Klinsmann is sort of far away from the achievements of the men who follow him on this list. But a deep run into the 2018 World Cup knockout stage could catapult him to the top quickly.
3. Bob Bradley (2006-11)
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Bob Bradley was swept aside for Klinsmann, but don't forget that Bob Bradley's only foray into the World Cup in 2010 saw the Americans advance just as far as Klinsmann's 2014 side just did.
Bob Bradley led the Americans to the knockout stage in 2010, only to lose to Ghana in the first round (bowing out in extra time, just like Klinsmann's side did).
Bob Bradley's 43 wins as USMNT coach place him second all-time in USMNT history.
2. Bruce Arena (1998-2006)
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Arena has the most wins of any USMNT coach (71) and led the Americans to two World Cup appearances (2002, 2006), the only American manager to accomplish that feat.
And yet, somehow Arena's run as USMNT coach is often remembered as a bit of a disappointment as recounted by Wayne Drehs of ESPNFC.com:
"Arena, hired in October 1998, (left) the national team as the winningest coach in its history. He coached the 2002 U.S. men's team to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, the Americans' best World Cup showing more than 70 years. But Arena's squad disappointed at (the 2006) World Cup, failing to advance out of group play as it lost to the Czech Republic and Ghana and tied eventual World Cup champion Italy.
"
If you made a passionate argument that Arena belongs at the top of this list, it would take a great rejoinder to prove you wrong. Let's see it.
1. Bora Milutinovic
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Milutinovic's record as a whole is not his ladder to the top of this list.
It was "That Wonderful Summer," as told by Seth Vertelney of SBNation.com.
The 1994 American World Cup team was everything the 1998 team was not. They were unified, they were dogged and they overachieved.
And as the host nation of the 1994 World Cup, the Americans had an awful lot to prove and a terrible pressure burden to carry. They did it, and Milutinovic deserves significant plaudits for same.
"I still say all the time, if I had a nickel for every time somebody said, 'The World Cup in 1994 made me a fan of soccer,' I'd be a rich man today," said goalkeeper Tony Meola to Vertelney.
That team planted the seeds that grew the forest Klinsmann is tending to today.
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