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It’s finally happened. After two more games of bad results, endless tinkering, and complete dysfunction, Sunil Gulati has officially opted to fire manager Jurgen Klinsmann.
BREAKING: Jurgen Klinsmann has been fired as head coach of the U.S. National Team. No word on replacement, though Bruce Arena is likely.
— Sam Borden (@SamBorden) November 21, 2016
LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, as the New York Times’s Sam Borden would later elaborate, is the early favorite to replace Klinsmann.
Bruce Arena likely to be the interim coach; he feels he has unfinished business with USMNT, but details still being worked out.
— Sam Borden (@SamBorden) November 21, 2016
Gulati reportedly traveled to California to personally meet with the German manager, who was hired in 2011. Klinsmann objected to the firing, obviously, and Sunday he had called the rumors of his being let go “disrespectful” in a Facebook Live chat with fans.
After a semifinal finish in this summer’s Copa America, the US lost 2-1 to Mexico and 4-0 in Costa Rica in the Hexagonal round of World Cup qualifying. Klinsmann’s decision to use a 3-5-2 in the Mexico game was a large reason for the defeat.