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2016 Olympics

Andreas Herzog Pegged to Lead U.S. to 2016 Olympics

U.S. national team coach Andreas Herzog has a new role: Jurgen Kilnsmann's close friend and confidant will take over the under-23 team that will attempt to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
January 24, 2015
9:02 AM
IN AN ANNOUNCEMENT ASN predicted earlier this month, Andreas Herzog was named head coach of the United States U-23 team which will attempt to qualify for the 2016 Olympics later this year.

Herzog, 46, has been an assistant coach of the United States national team since December 2011 and his relationship with Jurgen Klinsmann dates back to their playing careers when they were teammates on Bayern Munich. The two were part of the club’s UEFA Cup championship team in 1996.

As a player, Herzog earned more than 100 caps for the Austrian national team which included appearances at the 1990 and 1998 World Cups. He also scored four goals in 27 appearances for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2004.

The job will not be the first head coaching job for Herzog, who was in charge of Austria’s U-21 team from 2009-2011 while he was also an assistant coach for Austria's senior national team.

"Andi has plenty of experience and knowledge in order to prepare this group for the international level," Klinsmann said in a press release. "As a former coach of the U-21 Austria team, he has a lot of experience connecting to the younger generation of players. Having been with the senior national team these past years, he understands the challenges of putting together a team with players coming from all over.

"Andi is absolutely ready to step into this role, and he deserves this opportunity." The job is important to U.S. Soccer which has placed a priority on the Olympic team after the federation’s stunning failure to qualify for the 2012 games in London. In that tournament, Caleb Porter coached the squad that did not advance out of a qualifying group that included Cuba, El Salvador, and Canada.

This year Klinsmann has already used its annual January training camp to integrate many Olympic-eligible players including Luis Gil, Wil Trapp, and Shane O’Neill—who are expected to play a large role with the team.

Earlier this camp, Klinsmann revealed that CONCACAF Olympic qualifying would begin this fall, thereby placing a need to accelerate the progress of the team.

"I'm honored to have the opportunity to coach the U.S. under-23 national team," Herzog said. "We recognize the special place that the Olympic Games have in this country and we are committed as a group to qualifying for Rio in 2016. We look forward to putting together a team that will make all Americans proud.

"We also know it's a part of our responsibility to develop players who will be able to contribute to the senior national team, and that process has already begun."

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