FIFA Coach of the Year Candidates Named: Jurgen Klinsmann, Joachim Low and More

The final 10 contenders for the FIFA World Coach of the Year have been announced, with a slew of the world's best football strategists filling a group of 10 worthy managers.

FIFA.com announced the group on Twitter:

There's a very even smattering of coaches from club and country, which is to be expected following a World Cup year. Six club managers highlight the final 10 with four internationals, as Louis van Gaal is being touted for his work with the Netherlands rather than Manchester United.

Here's a list of the final 10, as per FIFA.com:

Manager	Club/National Team
Carlo Ancelotti	Real Madrid
Antonio Conte	Juventus
Pep Guardiola	Bayern Munich
Jurgen Klinsmann	USA
Joachim Low	Germany
Jose Mourinho	Chelsea
Manuel Pellegrini	Manchester City
Alejandro Sabella	Argentina
Diego Simeone	Atletico Madrid
Louis van Gaal	Netherlands

Jurgen Klinsmann is being recognized after getting the United States into the knockout stage in Brazil against the odds. But despite the overachievements, it's hard to see him making it into the final three over Germany coach Joachim Low or Argentina's Alejandro Sabella after their deep runs.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press/Associated Press

Low is likely a front-runner after leading Germany to glory, but recent history doesn't bode well for him. Vicente del Bosque finished as a runner-up for this same award behind then-Inter manager Jose Mourinho in 2010—the year Spain won the World Cup under del Bosque and emerged as one of the best football teams in history.

Many top club managers with sparkling resumes could threaten to win the award as well. Diego Simeone masterfully led his Atletico Madrid squad to the La Liga title and the cusp of a Champions League, while Antonio Conte spurred Juventus to another dominant Serie A campaign. 

Don't sleep on Carlo Ancelotti either, who helped Real Madrid complete La Decima in the Champions League and has Los Blancos scoring at a historic rate to start 2014-15.

There are also previous winners in the mix. Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola both remain in contention to become the first person to ever win the award—that was started in 2010—twice. 

Either way, this year promises to include a completely different three finalists from last year, when Jupp Heynckes held off Jurgen Klopp and Sir Alex Ferguson to win the 2013 award. 

The three finalists will be announced on December 1, and the winner will be crowned January 12, 2015.