When the news "broke" that Sunil Gulati had met with Jurgen Klinsmann, a wave of deja vu washed over the USMNT fan base. Thursday meetings between Gulati and Bob Bradley yielded no resolution on the current coach's future, and word that the Fed is bringing the German legend back into the mix is sign that Bradley might be on his way out. For Bradly-haters and Klinsy-lovers, the development was welcomed enthusiastically.
But word of the Klinsmann meeting almost certainly emanated from US Soccer itself, bringing into question the reason for the leak. That Bradley has made googly eyes at European clubs like Fulham and Aston Villa while his status as National Team manager is unsettled can't sit well with Soccer House, and though Klinsmann's candidacy in 2006 and stated interest in the US gives meetings with him some weight, it's possible both sides are just playing games. The ultimate significance of the Klinsmann meetings is mitigated by the origin of to the story and the outlet that reported it first (ESPN). It definitely seems like US Soccer was looking to to make a point through the press from here.
Which Bradley surely received, though it's difficult to know if it hit its mark as Gulati intended. As long as Bradley remains on the job months after the World Cup and meetings end without resolution, any noise about a successor should be viewed with a skeptical eye. The Klinsmann star has dimmed a bit in the intervening years since '06, and while that might make it easier for US Soccer to bring him aboard without repeating complications, it might also have soured them on giving him the control he demanded. If Bradley is done, then Klinsmann is a logical choice to replace him; but this meeting wasn't much more than Gulati and Klinsmann getting reacquainted and glad-handing a bit. Maybe Gulati talked to Klinsmann about taking the job, or perhaps he just asked the German his opinion on the program, Bradley, and how to take the next step. We certainly know Klinsmann has opinions.
Even if much of the haranguing between Bradley and US Soccer is just an issue of money, Klinsmann will cost more than Bob. Maybe that's not an issue, but if the choice is down to bringing back a proven, if decidedly un-sexy, commodity at a slightly higher cost than before or bringing in an unproven (at least in the US job) and much more expensive option, the the Fed's calculated leak might not be anything more than a negotiating ploy. Each side is working to expand their leverage; Bradley has largely missed with his plays for English interest (Villa effectively eliminated Bradley with their statement over the weekend), but the message that he's looking for a new challenge is clear. US Soccer's salvo, timed conveniently with Gulati's meeting with Bradley is their message that they do have other options.
In the end, the effectiveness of these ploys is questionable at best. As mentioned, Bradley has no return interest from major clubs abroad to give him significant leverage with US Soccer. Unless he is open to a return to MLS, he may not have a ready-made landing spot. For their part, US Soccer has drummed up no vocal interest from any name candidates, and look to be falling back on a sympathetic, and local, standby for their own bit of push back. The longer this saga goes on, the more it appears that neither side has viable Plan B.
Klinsmann might be a legitimate candidate, and maybe US Soccer really is ready to consummate the relationship they couldn't in 2006. But the nature and timing of the Klinsmann news makes it seem more like a calculated shot across Bradley's bow than an actual step towards a new USMNT manager.
