Hispanic coach is big move for U.S. Soccer – Wilmer Cabrera

In the 20 months that he has been president of U.S. Soccer, Sunil Gulati has fired and hired the men’s national coach, fired the women’s national coach and launched a search for a replacement, and attempted to overhaul an unwieldy youth club system.

Nothing, though, might be more important for the future of the American game than what he did last week, when he hired an under-17 men’s national coach.

Gulati hired Wilmer Cabrera, who played in two World Cups for Colombia and has lived in the United States less than five years. Who speaks Spanish as his first language and heavily accented English as his second. Who grew up playing a brand of soccer that puts a premium on technical skills ahead of the speed or strength or size so coveted by U.S. youth coaches. “*

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