The U.S. Soccer Federation fired Bob Bradley as coach of the U.S. men’s team after five years. (Kevork Djansezian/GETTY IMAGES) 
 
 In more than four years as coach of the U.S. men’s soccer team, a spell that ended with his firing Thursday, Bob Bradley always seemed like the interim choice. 
 
 U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati was constantly flirting with more glamorous candidates, stringing Bradley along as the temporary boss before naming him the permanent coach in May 2007 and looking elsewhere last year before re-signing him. 
 
 Bradley went about the job in his low-key, cerebral way, and the results were mostly positive: first place ahead of England in the 2010 World Cup group stage in South Africa, a stunning upset of Spain in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup semifinals and the CONCACAF Gold Cup championship in 2007. 
 
 But Gulati’s wandering eye didn’t exactly exude confidence in Bradley. Twice, Gulati failed to persuade Juergen Klinsmann, the former star striker from Germany and that nation’s 2006 World Cup coach, to accept the job on the USSF’s terms. He also had conversations with Argentina’s Marcelo “El Loco” Bielsa, the quirky leader of Chile’s World Cup effort last year who now coaches Spanish club Athletic Bilbao. 
 
 So when Bradley failed to win the Gold Cup last month, losing to arch nemesis Mexico in the final after relinquishing a two-goal lead, Gulati had an opening to make a move. 
 
 “We felt now was the right time for us to make a change,” Gulati said in a written statement. “It is always hard to make these decisions, especially when it involves someone we respect as much as Bob.” 
 
 Gulati declined an interview request. Amid speculation that Gulati had finally landed Klinsmann or someone of similar name recognition, the USSF said it would make another announcement Friday. No details were provided. 
 
 Aside from Klinsmann, some other big names are available: Argentina’s Jose Pekerman as well as Louis van Gaal, a former Barcelona, Ajax and Dutch national team coach who was fired by Bayern Munich. 
 
 In a statement released by his representative, Bradley said: “It has been an incredible honor to serve as head coach of the U.S. national team. I am proud of everything that we have accomplished during the last five years, and I appreciate all of the hard work of the players, coaches and staff.” 
 
 Bradley, a former University of Virginia and D.C. United assistant who coached three MLS teams before joining the U.S. staff, wasn’t available for further comment. He signed a long-term contract last year with a base salary estimated at $700,000. Terms of such USSF deals typically include a clause for a single payout in case of termination. 
 
 The timing of the move made sense in many ways: With the Gold Cup over, the most important stretch of the year had passed and only a series of friendlies remained on the calendar, starting with an Aug. 10 rematch against Mexico in Philadelphia. Hence, the objective over the next nine months was to build the player pool and prepare for the start of 2014 World Cup qualifying next summer. 
 
 In Gulati’s eyes, the team had peaked under Bradley’s guidance. From another view, the move raises questions about the USSF’s decision-making last year. 
 
 After the World Cup, Gulati was torn whether to rehire Bradley. Had the Americans defeated Ghana in the round of 16, it would’ve been an easy decision. Had they failed to advance from group play, the choice also would’ve been clear. Losing to Ghana dropped Bradley into a gray area. 
 
 The situation was further complicated by the manner in which the Americans were eliminated: poor starts in regulation and extra time against Ghana, resulting in a 2-1 loss. Bradley’s odd lineup choices, specifically the use of midfielder Ricardo Clark and forward Robbie Findley, also fueled criticism. 
 
 For his part, Bradley explored opportunities with English clubs. While praising Bradley’s overall work, Gulati expressed concern about the program turning stale under the same coach over another four-year cycle. 
 
 Globally, it’s uncommon for national team leadership to remain in place after the World Cup, and Gulati said he had witnessed a malaise set into the squad toward the end of Bruce Arena’s two terms in 2006. 
 
 Perhaps fearing a repeat, and sensing a new opportunity to secure Klinsmann’s services, Gulati approached the charismatic German last summer. Again, they failed to reach terms – and again Gulati turned to Bradley. 
 
 The 2011 schedule began with respectable ties against Chile and Argentina, but three days before the Gold Cup started, the Americans lost to World Cup champion Spain, 4-0. The margin could’ve been much worse. 
 
 The USSF, however, had put Bradley into a difficult situation by scheduling the high-profile, lucrative friendly so close to the tournament. With more at stake in the Gold Cup, Bradley fielded a secondary squad, and his team paid the price. 
 
 Facing weaker competition in the CONCACAF event, the Americans sputtered through the first round, suffering their first-ever loss in the group stage of the 20-year-old tournament. 
 
 They rebounded to reach the final at the Rose Bowl but were outclassed by the best Mexican team in recent memory, losing 4-2. 
 
 When days passed without a peep from Gulati, the consensus was that Bradley would keep his job. The abrupt announcement Thursday — and hints of a replacement being named Friday — seemed to suggest that the USSF boss had initiated talks with replacement candidates in recent weeks. 
 
 Gulati and USSF chief executive Dan Flynn informed Bradley of the decision Thursday during a meeting at U.S. team training headquarters in Carson, Calif. 
 
 Bradley, 53, finished with a 43-25-12 record. ||||| On Thursday, Jurgen Klinsmann, the coach of the United States national men’s soccer team, dined with President Obama, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, a number of Nobel laureates and a couple of astronauts at a gala in Berlin. The sausages were “excellent,” he said. 
 
 On Friday, Klinsmann returned to his home in California and was bemused by the criticism he was receiving in the news media for two recent losses by his team, which had damaged — but not erased — its chances of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. On Sunday, Klinsmann aggressively defended his record as coach in an interview, saying that he was “very comfortable” in his position and was not especially concerned about being removed. 
 
 On Monday, Klinsmann was fired. 
 
 The announcement, which was made by U.S. Soccer, the federation that oversees the sport in this country, came shortly after Sunil Gulati and Dan Flynn, two of the federation’s top executives, met with Klinsmann at a hotel in the Los Angeles area. U.S. Soccer did not immediately name Klinsmann’s replacement, though it is expected that Bruce Arena — a Major League Soccer veteran who led the national team from 1998 to 2006 — will take the job through the end of the current World Cup cycle. 
 
 “While we remain confident that we have quality players to help us advance to Russia 2018, the form and growth of the team up to this point left us convinced that we need to go in a different direction,” Gulati, the U.S. Soccer president, said in a statement. He is expected to elaborate on the thinking behind Klinsmann’s dismissal during a conference call with the news media on Tuesday afternoon. ||||| On the final day of World Cup qualification Tuesday, Argentina needed a win in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, to advance to Russia. With everything to lose and a soccer mad country on pins and needles, the legendary Lionel Messi recorded a hat trick and Argentina was safe. 
 
 It’s crazy to compare Argentina to the United States because one country has the history and youth system to remain an international force. And we certainly don’t have and perhaps never will have a player on the level of Messi. 
 
 But the mission and the pressure were the same. And all Bruce Arena’s team had to do was earn a tie against tiny Trinidad and Tobago to keep the USA’s World Cup dream alive. 
 
 And we failed. 
 
 Spectacularly. 
 
 A shocking 2-1 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago, the worst team in the final round of CONCACAF regional qualifying and already eliminated, means no 2018 World Cup for the Red, White and Blue next summer. No trip to Russia. No grand stage for Christian Pulisic. And no luck for Fox Sports, which paid a fortune for the television rights. 
 
 It took 90-plus minutes for United States soccer to regress 30 years. 
 
 “It’s a blemish for us,” U.S. coach Bruce Arena said. “We should not be staying home for the World Cup.” 
 
 The U.S. finished fifth in the group. CONCACAF sends three teams automatically to the World Cup: Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. The fourth, Honduras, heads to a playoff against an Asian confederation team, Australia. 
 
 It took 90-plus minutes for United States soccer to regress 30 years. (Ashley Allen/Getty Images) 
 
 The political backdrop was impossible to ignore. Mexico gave up an 88th minute goal and lost, 3-2, to Honduras. A Mexico draw would have moved the U.S. into fourth place and a playoff with Australia. The United States needed help from Mexico. Imagine that. We didn’t get it. 
 
 But really, the United States has only itself to blame. A tie would have secured third place and spot in Russia. It wasn’t asking much. 
 
 “We had everything there for us today,” Arena said. “No excuses for us not getting a second goal and at least a point.” 
 
 The U.S. was poor throughout qualifying. Jurgen Klinsmann was fired as coach 11 months ago after losing at home to Mexico and getting embarrassed, 4-0, in a loss at Costa Rica over a four-day stretch. Arena, who led the U.S. to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, was installed as head coach. But a home loss to Costa Rica, followed by a draw against Honduras, put the team in the danger zone. 
 
 The U.S. last missed the World Cup in 1986. It clinched a berth in 1990 by winning at Trinidad and Tobago on the last day of qualification. That watershed victory sparked a growth for soccer in this country. Youth participation exploded, Major League Soccer started in 1996 and the popularity of the sport grew. 
 
 Even our player development improved. The best example is Pulisic, the 19-year-old budding star who scored the lone goal after the U.S. had fallen behind, 2-0, in the first half. 
 
 But we didn’t have enough players to replace some of our aging stars. Tim Howard, a world class goalie five years ago, simply doesn’t have it anymore. Clint Dempsey is no longer capable of playing 90 minutes. Michael Bradley has lost a step. 
 
 And our center back play was abysmal. Poor Omar Gonzalez, burned last month for Honduras’ goal, had his attempted clearance sail over Howard and into the net for an own goal. 
 
 The U.S. last missed the World Cup in 1986. (Ashley Allen/Getty Images) 
 
 “It’s one that will haunt me forever,” Gonzalez said. 
 
 The fallout from this will be epic. Heads will roll. Arena is done. Sunil Gulati, the president of the United States Soccer Federation, could be in trouble. 
 
 Maybe the United States needed a major setback to move forward. Good teams, even great teams, have missed the World Cup. England and France didn’t qualify in 1994. The Netherlands is out of the 2018 World Cup. Italy has to win a playoff to get in. 
 
 But it’s also much tougher to qualify in Europe. Same with South America. The United States has a geographic advantage, especially with the financial resources and population. 
 
 The players are here. We just haven’t discovered enough of them. And we haven’t developed enough of them. 
 
 It’s time for a reboot. 
 
 And now we have until 2022 to get it right.
– Jurgen Klinsmann is out as coach of the US men's soccer team, the AP reports, ending a contentious five-year love-hate relationship on the job. US Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati announced Monday that Klinsmann has been "relieved of his duties" as coach and technical director for US Soccer. The move isn't exactly surprising, notes the New York Times, following a pair of embarrassing losses that damaged the Americans' efforts to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The final straw came less than a week ago, as the Times puts it: "Then came the 4-0 thrashing against the Ticos in which Klinsmann’s team looked alternately disorganized, dispirited and—perhaps most damningly—disinterested." "While we remain confident that we have quality players to help us advance to Russia 2018, the form and growth of the team up to this point left us convinced that we need to go in a different direction," said Gulati in a statement. Klinsmann replaced Bob Bradley in July 2011 and led the team to the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup title and the second round of the 2014 World Cup, where the Americans lost to Belgium in extra time. But the US was knocked out in last year's Gold Cup semifinals, lost to Mexico in a playoff for a Confederations Cup berth and started 0-2 this month in the final round of World Cup qualifying.