Tim Howard reflected on Jurgen Klinsmann's tenure as U.S. men's national team coach while offering some tips to reported hire Mauricio Pochettino.
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Howard offers Pochettino advice after reported hiring.Says ex-coach Klinsmann didn't teach team.Howard dives into what went wrong under ex-coach.GettyWHAT HAPPENED?
U.S. Soccer is reportedly close to appointing Mauricio Pochettino as U.S. men's national team head coach, ending a coaching search that began this summer with Gregg Berhalter's dismissal. Pochettino would be the USMNT's first foreign head coach since Jurgen Klinsmann, who led the team into the 2014 World Cup before being dismissed following a poor start to 2018 World Cup qualifying.
Howard was a member of those Klinsmann-led teams, and he said that there's plenty Pochettino can learn from the German-born coach's mistakes. Chief among them was not focusing on actual soccer, as he says it's important for Pochettino to be more of a teacher for this current group.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT HOWARD SAID
"I was there before, during and after his reign," Howard wrote for the Daily Mail. "I spent 15 years on the national team and I don't remember a time when there was a bigger disconnect between the players and the manager than under Jurgen.
"He organized a lot of team excursions. He specialized in fluff and philosophical rhetoric. But there was zero soccer. We went to Versailles, we went to the 9/11memorial, we went on boating trips. He made us come into lunch and sing the national anthem. He dictated when we slept and when we woke up. He decided what we wore.
"He replaced sugary snacks and enforced tighter curfews. He tried to change our breathing, he sent us on 'empty stomach runs' at dawn. He hired people and literally made up staffing positions for them.
"Jurgen tried to reinvent the wheel but he didn't teach us a lot of soccer. So we had to rely on the likes of Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore to bring the team together and win games – in spite of the manager.
"The lesson for Pochettino to learn from Klinsmann? Understand the American player. Don't make it about yourself. Every culture has different nuances – wherever you coach around the world. So, yes, players have to be pushed out of their comfort zone, but you have to learn what makes people tick."
(C)GettyImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Pochettino is reportedly set to take over a USMNT facing a short runway ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The U.S. will host the world's biggest tournament in less than two years, giving Pochettino little time to really prepare this group for what lies ahead.
The coach enters with an extensive resume of success in Europe, having coached at the likes of Tottenham, PSG and Chelsea. He has yet to coach on the international level, though, which will certainly present some challenges for the Argentine.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT?
The U.S. is set to face Canada and New Zealand in September friendlies, their first matches post-Copa America. It remains to be seen if Pochettino will be involved, with U-20 head coach Mikey Varas expected to take charge if not.