2.5.13
ASN Morning Read: Timmy Chandler Gets Capped?
The German-American defender is on the cusp of confirming his allegiance to the United States of Soccer; Jurgen Klinsmann talks about learning from Kobe Bryant; it's a party in San Pedro Sula.
BY
Jesse Yomtov
Posted
February 05, 2013
5:17 AM
If Timmy Chandler, seen above as a 16 year old at the Dallas Cup, steps onto the pitch Wednesday in Honduras, he will forevermore be an American player. “I feel increasingly more American,” Chandler says. “I follow American current events now. Every time I fly over to the United States, it feels like I am coming home.” Good to hear. Anything could happen in the next 24 hours, but is anyone else super excited the whole “will-he-or-won’t he?” narrative is finally going to be over?
Avi Creditor takes a look at the USMNT’s rough draw to start the Hex, with three of four matches on the road. Following the old adage “win at home, draw on the road,” failing to at least draw in San Pedro Sula might spell disaster. As Creditor points out, you don’t want to go to Mexico City for the third match, absolutely needing three points.
With the 3 p.m. local start time, the Honduran government has declared Wednesday afternoon a national holiday. For years, fans in the U.S. have been trying to get this done for the first day of the NCAA tournament or at least the day after the Super Bowl. You win this round, Honduras.
Roger Bennett checks out a number of managers who have influenced Jurgen Klinsmann over the years. Sure there’s soccer coaches, but during his time in California, Klinsmann spent time with Phil Jackson and Pete Carroll to pick up some of their qualities. "I was curious to see how he led the environment with the Kobe Bryants of the world," the American manager said. Klinsmann also says that his visit with Carroll left him stunned by how far behind soccer was in terms of technology when it came to scouting. The result was Klinsmann completely shaking up the coaching scene when he returned to Europe. “I came in with the American approach and changed the way the head coach did everything,” Klinsmann says. “I came in believing in the empowerment of people. I told my assistant coaches their goal should be to become head coach."
In today’s shameless plug news: Do you want to win a trip to the 2014 World Cup? American Soccer Now offers you two ways to win. Of course you do. We have two ways for you to win. (We do not take any responsibility for jinxing it if the U.S. fails to qualify.)
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