Cool story from Steve Goff:
Good for Hamid, and justly deserved.
And, good for Klinsmann. I didn't blog on his appointment before, but I must say I was pleased US Soccer finally ended the courtship and consummated this relationship. Bob Bradley did a fine job in his time at the helm, but you could just feel some sort of change was needed.
I'm particularly glad to see we didn't hire another American for the job. Sampson, Arena and Bradley were all good selections at the times they were hired, and an important step forward for soccer in this country. However, I've been wondering if we were not developing a little myopically, especially where the "American player" was involved. Maybe it is time for an outsiders view of the player pool. (Though, I must admit, Klinsmann's long association with soccer in the US makes him less than the ideal outside observer, he still coached in Germany relatively recently. He will be fine.)
I can't wait to see what happens now.
D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid didn’t recognize the number when his cellphone rang Wednesday. So he let the call go to voice mail.
“I thought it was a telemarketer or something,” he said after Thursday’s practice at RFK Stadium.
Hamid ate lunch and then checked the message.
It was from Juergen Klinsmann, the new U.S. men’s national soccer team coach.
“I was shocked,” Hamid, 20, said. “As soon as I heard the voice, I knew it was him. I didn’t listen to the rest of the message. I put the phone down and was like staring into a far-off land. I started crying a little bit.”
Hamid had been chosen to join the national team ahead of next Wednesday’s friendly against Mexico at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia — the first senior call-up of his career.
Good for Hamid, and justly deserved.
And, good for Klinsmann. I didn't blog on his appointment before, but I must say I was pleased US Soccer finally ended the courtship and consummated this relationship. Bob Bradley did a fine job in his time at the helm, but you could just feel some sort of change was needed.
I'm particularly glad to see we didn't hire another American for the job. Sampson, Arena and Bradley were all good selections at the times they were hired, and an important step forward for soccer in this country. However, I've been wondering if we were not developing a little myopically, especially where the "American player" was involved. Maybe it is time for an outsiders view of the player pool. (Though, I must admit, Klinsmann's long association with soccer in the US makes him less than the ideal outside observer, he still coached in Germany relatively recently. He will be fine.)
I can't wait to see what happens now.
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