Jurgen Klinsmann (right) pictured with Sunil Gulati and Carli Lloyd, will try to qualify South Korea for the 2026 World Cup. (FrontRowSoccer.com Photo)
Former U.S. men’s national team head coach and Germany legend Jurgen Klinsmann is back.
On Monday, he was hired to coach South Korea’s national team.
Klinsmann, 58, who coached the USA from 2011-16 and helped West Germany win the 1990 World Cup, replaced Paulo Bento. The Portuguese coach left the team after leading South Korea to the second round at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
“I am very happy and honored to be the head coach of South Korea’s national football team,” Klinsmann said in a statement. “I know well that the Korean national team has been, over a long period of time, constantly improving and producing results.”
Klinsmann signed a contract through the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
South Korea has qualified for 10 consecutive World Cups.
Klinsmann’s charge will be to extend that streak. It should be easier because he Asian confederation will get eight guaranteed spots at the expanded 48-team World Cup in three years.
Klinsmann directed the USA into the 2014 World Cup as it reached the Round of 16. However, the Americans stumbled out of the block for Russia 2018 and the German was fired in November 2016.
His last coaching job was a 76-day spell in charge of Hertha Berlin that ended in January 2020.
