The U.S. Soccer Federation announced on Thursday that Jurgen Klinsmann has signed a four-year contract extension that keeping him on as as US national team head coach through 2018.
Klinsmann has also been given a second title, becoming the technical director for U.S. Soccer, a new position created specifically for him. The deal's financial terms were not revealed.
"One of the reasons we hired Jurgen as our head coach was to advance the program forward and we've seen the initial stages of that happening on the field and also off the field in various areas," said U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati in a statement. "In the past two years, he has built a strong foundation from the senior team down to the youth teams and we want to continue to build upon that success."
Klinsmann has racked up an overall record of 27-10-7 in his two-and-a-half years at the helm. In 2013, he led the US to one of the most successful years in program history, including a first-place finish in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying and a Gold Cup championship, winning all six of their matches in the tournament.
The USMNT set single year records for wins (16), winning percentage (.761) and consecutive wins (12) in 2013.
"I am very fortunate to continue the work we started more than two and a half years ago," Klinsmann said in the statement. "It's exciting to see the progress we have made, and we continue to make improvements on all fronts. The role of technical director is a huge challenge and also a huge opportunity as we look to keep connecting the dots to the youth national teams, coaching education, the Development Academy and the grassroots efforts in this country.
“These are fascinating topics and I am excited [to] work with so many talented people and hear fresh ideas. For sure it means more work, but also many more fulfilling opportunities."
Last week, the USMNT received an extremely challenging draw for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they will face Ghana, Portugal and Germany in a fearsome Group G. Klinsmann and his charges open the tournament on June 16 against Ghana at Estadio Das Dunas in Natal.
