Frankfurt, Germany (My Sportsbook) - Germany's national team coach Juergen Klinsmann resigned his position on Wednesday citing family reasons. "My big wish is to go back to my family, to go back to leading a normal life with them," Klinsmann said in a statement on the official Germany website. "But another important reason is that after two years of putting a lot of energy into this, I feel that I lack the power and the strength to continue in the same way." Former assistant coach Joachim Loew was named the team's new head coach following Klinsmann's resignation. Germany went undefeated in the group stages in the World Cup to advance to the knockout stages. In the Round of 16, Germany found a 2-0 win over Sweden to advance to the next round. In the quarterfinals, the team escaped with a 4-2 win on penalties over Argentina before being eliminated in the semifinals in a 2-0 loss to tournament champion Italy. Germany earned the third place spot with a 3-1 win over Portugal in the third place playoff match. Klinsmann reportedly was considering his future to stay with the German team after the third place win. Klinsmann, who has a home in California, took the coaching spot in Germany in 2004. The former Bayern Munich player received criticism during the friendly schedule leading up to the World Cup for commuting from his California home to Germany. Germany is scheduled to face Sweden on August 16 in Gelsenkirchen. |
