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Rongen hired as assistant coach of World Cup team
CHICAGO (AP) -- Thomas Rongen was added to the U.S. World Cup team staff Thursday and will serve as one of coach Steve Sampson's assistants.Rongen, currently coach of the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer, joins Clive Charles and Milutin Soskic on the U.S. bench.
"We are very fortunate to have someone of Thomas' caliber with this World Cup team," Sampson said. "He has demonstrated with both New England and Tampa Bay that he is extremely effective in getting the most out of his players. His presence will only add to our competitive level and make us a better team in France."
Rongen, 41, first served as Sampson's assistant coach for the June 17, 1997 match vs. Israel, a 2-1 U.S. victory. During the second half of CONCACAF qualifying last year, Sampson called upon Rongen on several occasions to join the U.S. team for important matches.
The 1996 MLS coach of the year, Rongen guided the Tampa Bay Mutiny to a league-best record of 20-12 and an Eastern Conference championship.
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan