Klinsmann had a verbal agreement to coach USA – report

(GSM) – Former Germany coach Jürgen Klinsmann has revealed that he had a verbal agreement in place to coach the US national team before talks broke down over ‘control’ issues.

Klinsmann had successfully negotiated terms with United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati before a deal failed to materialize in written format.

Klinsmann told Sports Illustrated: “We couldn’t get the deal done because of a couple of issues and the main issue was that we couldn’t get it into a written format.

“Verbally it was done but then the paperwork started and we couldn’t get it done in the paperwork process.”

Current USA boss Bob Bradley penned a new four-year contract last month after talks with Klinsmann stalled.

Asked if he had already talked to Gulati about his salary, Klinsmann said: “Yeah that was the first thing we got off the table.”

Klinsmann negotiated the role before after the 2006 World Cup but did not accept the job, also for ‘control’ reasons.

“More and more coaches, if they have the position, try to be (general manager) and coach in one person. English coaches traditionally work that way,” he said while declining to give details of what areas of control he was referring to.

Klinsmann took Germany to the semi-finals of the World Cup on home soil in 2006 before having a brief and unsuccessful spell with Bayern München from 2008.

The United States reached the second round of the 2010 World Cup before being eliminated at the hands of Ghana in the knockout stage.