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Jürgen Klinsmann named coach of U.S. national team

What do you think of the hire?

I am doing a lot of other things today before tonight's Union game, but here's the announcement from U.S. Soccer that Jürgen Klinsmann has been hired as U.S. national team coach.

Grant Wahl of SI.com says Klinsmann tweets: "He'll have more control than any U.S. coach before him." We'll see what that means.

You can get a bit of background information on Klinsmann in this post I wrote yesterday about Bob Bradley's dismissal.

There will be a press conference with Klinsmann in New York on Monday. I won't be there, but I will be at Klinsmann's first game in charge - right here in Philadelphia, on August 10th against Mexico at Lincoln Financial Field.

It was already going to be quite the occasion. Now it will be even bigger.

What do you think of the Klinsmann hire? Let me know by posting in the comments and voting in the poll.

CHICAGO (July 29, 2011) — U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati named Jürgen Klinsmann as head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team today, making him the 35th coach in the history of the program.

"We are excited to have Jürgen as the head coach of our Men's National Team," said Gulati. "He is a highly accomplished player and coach with the experience and knowledge to advance the program. Jürgen has had success in many different areas of the game and we look forward to the leadership he will provide on and off the field."

U.S. Soccer will hold a press conference in New York on Monday, Aug. 1, to formally introduce Klinsmann. Further details regarding the press conference will be released later today.

Klinsmann's first match in charge of the U.S. National Team will be against Mexico on Aug. 10 in Philadelphia. Tickets are still available for the match and can be purchased at ussoccer.com. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Univision. In addition, Univision will air a live pre-game show beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.

"I am proud and honored to be named the head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team," said Klinsmann. "I would like to thank the U.S. Soccer Federation for the opportunity, and I'm excited about the challenge ahead. I am looking forward to bringing the team together for our upcoming match against Mexico and starting on the road toward qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup."

Klinsmann has been involved in soccer almost his entire life as a player, coach, television analyst and consultant. As a player, Klinsmann was one of the game's premier forwards and enjoyed a 17-year career that included stints in four major European leagues for a number of clubs, including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, AS Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich. One of the most well-known international players of all-time, he earned 108 appearances for Germany and scored 47 goals while helping the team win the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy and the 1996 European Championship.

After retiring from professional soccer following the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Klinsmann moved into different areas of the sport. He also moved to the United States with his wife, Debbie, and they currently reside in California with their two children, Jonathan and Laila.

In July of 2004, Klinsmann was named manager of the German National Team. He guided Germany to a 20-8-6 record and a third place finish in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, earning him Coach of the Year honors in Germany. Despite stepping aside as Germany's manager after the World Cup, he left a foundation for ongoing success, including the core of the German National Team coaching staff and players.

Two years later, Klinsmann took over the head coaching position at Bayern Munich. Under his guidance, Bayern reached the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League, losing to eventual champion Barcelona. Overall, his record with Bayern from 2008-09 in all competitions was 25-9-9.

After the match against Mexico, the U.S. will play a pair of friendlies in September, hosting Costa Rica on Sept. 2 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., before traveling to face Belgium on Sept. 6 in Brussels. Kickoff on Sept. 2 at the National Training Center is set for 8 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Galavision. Four days later, coverage from King Badouin Stadium begins at 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET) on ESPN Classic and ESPN3.com. Fans can follow both matches live on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker and Twitter @ussoccer.