Coach enjoying two former players now on USMNT
Two world-class soccer players cut their teeth in metro Atlanta
The U.S. Men's National Soccer Team beat Morocco 3-0 Wednesday night and coming up on Sunday, they'll face Uruguay in a friendly. The roster features a pair of players not only from metro Atlanta but both from the same high school, Brookwood. A coach discusses helping both Sean Johnson and Walker Zimmerman on their path to the international stage.
LILBURN, Ga. - The US Men's National Soccer team beat Morocco 3-0 Wednesday night and coming up on Sunday they'll face Uruguay in a friendly on FOX 5 Atlanta.
Right now the roster features a pair of players not only from metro Atlanta, but both from the same high school. Brookwood.
"It was so not fair," Danny Klinect knows he was spoiled to have two world-class players on his teams at Brookwood.
Now the head coach at Parkview High, Klinect watched the US and Morocco Wednesday night and was delighted, but not surprised at an incredible pass from Zimmerman that set up the USA's first goal of the night.
"Walker has an uncanny ability to read the game. When I coached him in high school, he would just do things where you'd go 'wow, did he just do that?" said Klinect.
Klinect has just as many amazing stories about Sean Johnson, a basketball player and goalkeeper for the Broncos who is in his 14th season in the MLS and is in camp with the US national team. Klinect stays close with his former players.
"Two Christmases ago, Sean just showed up unannounced. He texted me and said coach I'm going to come over. It was Christmas day and I was like OK. He came over and spent like three of four hours with us and hung out at the house," said Klinect.
Klinect has plans this summer to visit Zimmerman at his MLS club in Nashville and while he knows nothing is set when it comes to the US World Cup roster this fall, he knows it will be a topic of conversation.
"I'll really get to sit down then and maybe talk to him some more about it. But I know he's probably on cloud nine, I know I would be if I were involved with that. Watching him develop to where he is now. Seeing him be a captain for the US Men's National Team, it really just makes me smile," said Klinect.