On the eve of the USA’s crucial Group G clash with Germany, German daily Bild interviews USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann and his adviser Berti Vogts. Both men are former Germaninternationals, both men have lifted the World Cup (Klinsmann in 1990 and Vogts in 1974), and both men have coached the German national team.
According to Vogts, who only started his job asassistant a few weeks before the World Cup, Klinsmann has become “Germany’s best ambassador in a country with more 300 million citizens. The [German] politicians should think about how tothank him.” The 67-year-old explains: “Jurgen is the face of U.S. soccer, he has triggered a boom. When traveling in the United States in May, I saw more soccer fields than ever before. Kids betweenthe age of 8 and 10 kick the ball around everywhere. This reminded me of my childhood in Germany.”
Klinsmann, meanwhile, says that things are going well so far in Brazil, but he alsoadmits that he has one eye firmly trained on the future. “This World Cup is a threshold,” he said. “And a debacle would have had its consequences. But after the opening win [2-1 against Ghana], it wasclear that there will be no debacle. I work for a country, which is still developing. Yet, we soon, if possible over the next four years until the 2018 Russia World Cup, want to be among the eight to10 best teams in the world.”
As for Thursday’s clash, “It’s a special moment because it’s [against] the team that you kind of started building, so I will give them big hugs before thegame, and then leave it aside,” Klinsmann said. “We’re going there to get the job done.”