U.S. Men's National Team coach Jürgen Klinsmann. Photo: Nick Doyle - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

U.S. Soccer News: Klinsmann Base Salary Revealed

There was much speculation when Jürgen Klinsmann took the helm of the U.S. Men’s National Team about why he finally decided to accept the position. The U.S. Soccer Federation had approached the German star player and coach once before and been turned down. Well, perhaps part of the reason for success this time was revealed in an article in the Washington Post by Steven Goff.

According to the report, which was based on USSF audited financial statements, Klinsmann will pull in a base salary of $2.5 million as head of the MNT. This is some four times the base that previous MNT head coach Bob Bradley received and a whopping 13 times what Pia Sundhage gets for leading the successful U.S. Women’s National Team.

Goff had no information on any incentives or other contract details about Klinsmann’s contract with U.S. Soccer. It was reported, though, that Bradley would continue to receive compensation on his contract through August 2012. Bradley had signed a new four-year contract less than a year before the change was made. The final year of his previous contract included a $450,000 base, and Goff speculates that the new contract had a base in the $500,000 to $600,000 range.

Meanwhile, Sundhage is in the final year of her contract, which guarantees her a $190,000 base. Her contract also included “incentives of undisclosed amounts” for reaching the finals of the Women’s World Cup, as well as a “marketing guarantee” pegged at $20,000.

In his article, Goff also reported that USSF expects to lose money over the next two to three years, following recent gains. His source pointed to Klinsmann’s contract, as well as “an increased financial commitment to officiating programs at the pro level and expansion of the Development Academy.” It is also expected that USSF will look to increase revenue when new sponsorship deals come up in December 2014.

Looking forward, if Klinsmann is able to lead the MNT to the 2014 World Cup playoffs in Brazil, and possibly the finals of the 2012 Olympics in London as well, many will consider the $2.5 million as money well spent. However, if the team falls short, there will be much discussion about the wisdom of putting so much money into just one element of the program. Especially when the WNT has done so well with a much lower paid leader.

At this point, it might show even more wisdom to look into offering Sundhage, who lead the women to Olympic gold in 2008 and the World Cup finals in 2011, a substantial bump in her base when contract renewal comes up. As the old saying goes, “Stay with the partner that brought you to the dance.”

Related Article: U.S. Soccer News