U.S. Not Ready To Give Successful Coach Full-Time Job

Although the United States has convinced the world of its international soccer prowess this summer, Steve Sampson has not yet convinced officials he deserves to be the permanent coach of the national team.

Sampson is making a great case for his elevation from interim status at the South American championships, or America Cup, where the United States has impressive victories over Mexico, Argentina and Chile.

Thursday, in the tournament’s semifinals in Uruguay, the Americans will play Brazil, which defeated the United States, 1-0, in the second round of the 1994 World Cup.

Also on Sampson’s resume since he replaced Bora Milutinovic during the spring are victories over Mexico and Nigeria in the U.S. Cup. But Alan Rothenberg, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, said Tuesday he wasn’t yet ready to offer Sampson a full-time position.

“Obviously, Steve’s stock has soared; it may be more bullish than the stock market,” Rothenberg said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.

But he held to his position that a permanent coach would not be named until after the four-team Parmalat Cup at Giants Stadium, which begins Aug. 4.

Rothenberg continued to say that naming him the permanent coach would be a risk because of Sampson’s lack of international experience.