Abby Wambach says she would fire USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann

Abby Wambach said on Bill Simmons’ podcast that she would fire USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

SI Wire | Dec 16, 2015

Abby Wambach says she would fire USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann /

Abby Wambach said on Bill Simmons’ podcast Tuesday that she would fire head coach Jurgen Klinsmann if she were charged with reforming the U.S. men’s national team.

Wambach, who will play the final game of her professional soccer career on Wednesday in New Orleans, mentioned the firing after Simmons asked her how she would go about fixing the troubled team.

“Oh man, I would definitely fire Jurgen,” said Wambach, who is international soccer’s all-time leading scorer with 184 goals. “Sorry Sunil [Gulati] (U.S. Soccer Federation president), sorry U.S. Soccer.”

When Simmons inquired further, Wambach added, “First of all, [Klinsmann] hasn’t really focused, I feel like, enough attention on the youth programs. He says he has, I don’t think that he has. The way that he has changed and brought in these foreign guys, it’s just not something that I believe in.”

Wambach’s comments come in response to a disappointing 2015 for the USMNT, during which the U.S. finished fourth in the Gold Cup and lost the Confederations Cup playoff against Mexico.

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“If any guy or girl feels like I’m abusing them in the media, I don’t care,” Wambach said to Simmons. “I’m not going to try and positively spin it.”

Wambach’s final match will take place on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

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