JURGEN KLINSMANN WAS HIRED, at least in part, to help take the United States national team deep into the 2014 World Cup. But with the announcement today that his contract was extended through 2018, Klinsmann won't have to advance out of the treacherous Group G to retain his job.

Apparently, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati has seen enough from his coach and wanted to lock him up before the tournament gets underway.

"One of the reasons we hired Jurgen as our head coach was to advance the program forward and we've seen the initial stages of that happening on the field and also off the field in various areas," Gulati said. "In the past two years he has built a strong foundation from the senior team down to the youth teams and we want to continue to build upon that success."

It's a bold statement from the organization, and firmly places Klinsmann as the heart and soul of the national team. Klinsmann has certainly proved himself over the past two-plus years, finishing first in World Cup qualifying, winning the 2013 Gold Cup, and securing the team's best-ever winning percentage this calendar year.

"I am very fortunate to continue the work we started more than two and half years ago," Klinsmann said. "It's exciting to see the progress we have made, and we continue to make improvements on all fronts. The role of Technical Director is a huge challenge and also a huge opportunity as we look to keep connecting the dots to the Youth National Teams, Coaching Education, the Development Academy and the grassroots efforts in this country. These are fascinating topics and I am excited work with so many talented people and hear fresh ideas. For sure it means more work, but also many more fulfilling opportunities."

What do you think of this move? Should Gulati have waited to see how the team performs in Brazil? Or was he right to lock up his coach now? Tell us below.