Juergen Klinsmann talks future of U.S. soccer
New U.S. soccer Coach Juergen Klinsmann thinks his mix of international experience and American knowledge will allow him to improve the national team.
The former Germany striker and coach, who has lived in the United States for 13 years, was introduced Monday and he spent much of the time talking about how to mold future American stars, not managing current ones.
“It all starts down to develop the next Landon Donovan,” Klinsmann said of the U.S. one day becoming a serious contender for World Cup titles.
And “one day” is the key phrase — he thinks “we still are quite a long way away from that.”
“You need maybe 10 Landon Donovans at different positions with different characteristics in order to one day be there,” Klinsmann said in an interview.
Klinsmann takes over for Bob Bradley, whose firing was announced Thursday. The U.S. reached the round of 16 at last year’s World Cup but blew a two-goal lead in the Gold Cup final loss to Mexico in June.
ETC.
Fish withdraws with injury
Mardy Fish withdrew from the Legg Mason Tennis Classic at Washington, citing a bruised right heel.
The eighth-ranked Fish was seeded second at the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open and he joins 12th-ranked Andy Roddick on the sideline. Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, withdrew from Washington last week because of a side muscle injury.
Fish reached the final at each of his last two tournaments, winning the title at Atlanta on July 24, then finishing runner-up at UCLA on Sunday.
In first-round matches, Donald Young of the United States reeled off 14 consecutive points in one stretch and defeated Artem Sitak of New Zealand, 6-0, 6-3; James Blake of the United States beat Tatsuma Ito of Japan, 6-3, 6-3, in under an hour; and Igor Kunitsyn of Russia eliminated Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5)Chris Guccione Alejandro Falla .
Serena Williams has returned to the top 100 in the women’s rankings after winning her first title in more than a year at Palo Alto on Sunday.
The former No. 1 jumped nearly 90 places to 79th in the rankings released Monday after beating Marion Bartoli, 7-5, 6-1, in the Bank of the West Classic final.
Former Oregon and NFL quarterback Joey Harrington was injured when he was hit by a sport utility vehicle while bicycling in southeast Portland, Ore., on Sunday night.
Harrington is hospitalized because of a broken collarbone, a punctured lung and a cut on his head. He is expected to stay in the hospital until Tuesday.
Authorities say a former Lakers player is facing drug charges in western Arizona after he was arrested last week.
An Arizona Department of Public Safety officer pulled over 35-year-old Samaki Walker on Thursday near Kingman, the agency said Monday.
As the officer approached Walker’s car, he could smell marijuana, said Capt. Stephen Harrison, an agency spokesman. A search of the vehicle produced one gram of marijuana, 259 prescription pills and eight bottles of an unknown prescription, Harrison said.
Walker did not have a prescription for the drugs, Harrison said.
