Klinsmann getting ready for next coaching job

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California, Jan 24 (Reuters) Even if most coaching jobs are not made in heaven, Juergen Klinsmann knows they sometimes do fall out of the sky -- as he learned with his first assignment in 2004.

So the former world-class striker, who unexpectedly landed the Germany job two-and-a-half years ago after two top candidates had turned it down and then led his country to third place at last year's World Cup, is getting ready for the next opportunity.

''Yes, definitely, at some point I'd like to be coaching again,'' Klinsmann said in an interview with Reuters. ''I'm preparing myself for something new that might come along. It could happen in a month or two, or a year or two.

''I'm getting myself ready for the next step without knowing what that next step might be,'' said the multi-lingual Klinsmann who became one of world's more highly regarded coaches in just two years. ''I'm learning Spanish, going to seminars and trying to learn as much as I can from other sports and coaches.'' Klinsmann, 42, decided to step down after the World Cup even though his popularity in Germany was extremely high. He returned to California to be with his family.

He was exhausted after two eventful years in which he revitalised a young German team which had been humiliated at Euro 2004. His team's refreshing, attacking style of play sparked a wave of patriotic fervour in the host nation.

Klinsmann needed a break, especially after an uneasy relationship with German tabloids and soccer magazines and the draining, long-distance commuting between his American home and Germany.

BATTERIES CHARGED ''My batteries are recharged now,'' said Klinsmann, who also speaks fluent English and Italian along with some French. He said he could imagine coaching in any of the countries he has played in or places where he speaks the language.

''You have to be open to a lot of things,'' he said when asked if he could see himself one day coaching football powers England or Italy, countries he knows well after playing for clubs there.

''There is not an endlessly long list of job options at the level I've been fortunate enough to coach. The air is pretty thin up there. And if it's the right fit with the family and the right challenge, then you go to the country where you might have once never thought you'd go.'' Klinsmann, who however conceded it was hard to envision himself as a club coach, said his break has been useful, allowing him to feed an insatiable appetite for learning.

''It was important for me and my family to gain some space and perspective after the World Cup. I knew it would take a few months.

But I feel great now and am really excited about what I'm doing, learning new things again and learning Spanish.'' ''It's getting better,'' he said, six months into intense two-hour sessions of one-on-one Spanish tutoring and a steady diet of watching Spanish-language television. ''I think it's important to be able to communicate directly with the players, but also to understand the culture and mentality.'' Klinsmann spent three years learning Italian as a player and still speaks fluently the language of the country that knocked Germany out in extra time of their World Cup semi-final.

''Italian is still embedded in my system,'' he said. ''It's all stored away and still in there. I think you need to be able to speak the local language otherwise you're missing something.'' US JOB Klinsmann was the first pick of U.S. soccer bosses to take over after the World Cup but talks collapsed last month.

''That was truly unfortunate,'' he said. ''We were really quite far along in the talks but there were a few sporting aspects we couldn't find a common denominator on.'' He said that did not rule out ever coaching the U.S. team and laughed when he heard that one fan at the Americans' first match since the World Cup in nearby Carson had held up a sign reading: ''Where's Klinsmann?'' ''We parted in very good company. We both wished each other all the best and said 'Let's stay in touch','' he added.

US Soccer president Sunil Gulati told reporters on Saturday, before the U.S. beat Denmark 3-1 in a friendly, that he had been bombarded with e-mails from fans urging him to hire Klinsmann.

Klinsmann said he had learned that fortune played a vital role in getting the right job at the right time.

He was picked for the Germany job in 2004 only after Ottmar Hitzfeld and Otto Rehhagel turned down offers from the German football association (DFB). Former coach Berti Vogts, who was on holiday nearby, recommended the then-untested Klinsmann.

''A lot happens by chance,'' said Klinsmann, who moved to this quiet Pacific coast town south of Los Angeles after his playing career ended.

''Because Berti was here on holiday at the time the job was still open he made a call, then I got a call from the DFB. I was stunned.

It just shows that football can be so unpredictable with its own great stories.

''I've seen that coaching jobs can come along out of the blue.'' Reuters SAM DB1030