Jurgen Klinsmann’s son finds new soccer home at Cal

BERKELEY, Calif. _ As a budding teen, Jonathan Klinsmann used to get frustrated with American teammates.tmpplchld After all, the son of U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann had been playing in a German academy until the family moved to Newport Beach in 2009. The 13-year-old was so much better than other middle schoolers that he struggled to mesh with them.tmpplchld “He was so hungry and wanted to do so much,” his youth coach Sean Ganey recalled. “Those were difficult moments.”tmpplchld They also were times that Jurgen Klinsmann used to teach his son humility. It is something the 6-foot-4 Jonathan has embraced as he begins his collegiate career at Cal as one of America’s most promising young goalkeepers.tmpplchld For now, Klinsmann is a backup to fifth-year senior Alex Mangels in a program that has produced four current Major League Soccer goalkeepers.tmpplchld The freshman has played 61 minutes for Cal, which plays host to third-ranked Stanford on Sunday in the Pac-12 opener.tmpplchld The Golden Bears (5-2-0) have only two freshmen backing up Mangels, meaning the newcomers have to be ready at any time, as Klinsmann discovered last week as a second-half substitute against Santa Clara. He allowed his first collegiate goal with 7 minutes left as then-No. 20 Cal fell 2-1.tmpplchld “It’s an accelerated curve,” Cal goalkeeper coach Henry Foulk said of expectations for the freshmen. “That’s the way it should be anyway. We’re always trying to push the limit without having them hit the wall too hard.”tmpplchld Klinsmann, 18, already has been pushed by virtue of being the son of one of soccer’s biggest names. Jurgen Klinsmann not only is a German goal-scoring legend, but he set an example of professionalism by supporting social causes.tmpplchld It’s not easy to satisfy such a high standard, as Jonathan learned last year after posting an ill-advised tweet poking fun of Landon Donovan’s exclusion from the 2014 World Cup team.tmpplchld Like many American soccer fans, the teen had an opinion about his father’s controversial decision to pass over arguably the greatest American player in history.tmpplchld Unlike those other fans, Klinsmann experienced a backlash that led to an admonition from his father.tmpplchld “It’s still in the back of my head, but it’s in the past,” Jonathan said before the start of the college season. “I made a mistake and it’s done. I apologized and I moved on.”tmpplchld It was another teachable moment for Klinsmann and wife, Debbie.tmpplchld “Jurgen is as good with that stuff as I’ve seen,” said Ganey, who also coached Klinsmann at Mater Dei High-Santa Ana.tmpplchld Jurgen Klinsmann declined to talk about his son because Jonathan has not done anything at Cal to deserve attention, a U.S. Soccer spokesman said. In other words, the father doesn’t want Jonathan being spotlighted over teammates because of his name.tmpplchld “His dad realizes it’s a process,” Cal’s Foulke said. “He’s got to earn everything and whether he’s a backup for quite a while or short period of time is going to be based strictly on his abilities.”tmpplchld That’s all that Jonathan asks.tmpplchld Klinsmann became a goalkeeper while playing in Germany when his dad coached FC Bayern Munich briefly before getting ousted in 2009.tmpplchld Jonathan had been a forward like his father before stepping into the goal. He wasn’t looking to find his own identity, but it’s a happy coincidence.tmpplchld “I mean, if I were a striker that would be pretty tough,” Jonathan said. “Obviously, the expectations now are pretty high, but if I were a striker, poof ... That would be pretty funny.”tmpplchld Although they play different positions, the elder Klinsmann has offered insight into how to stop goal scorers. Mostly, though, he “lets me do my thing,” Jonathan said.tmpplchld The situation also could be intimidating for Cal’s staff.tmpplchld “None of us think about it too much,” Bears coach Kevin Grimes said. “It’s very normal for us to have players with national team backgrounds or national team aspirations. It’s normal for us to have players who are famous.”tmpplchld It’s also normal for talented freshmen to wait their turn.tmpplchld The Earthquakes’ David Bingham was a backup in 2008 when Stefan Frei was a senior.tmpplchld Frei, who now starts for Seattle Sounders FC, was one of 11 Cal alums on MLS rosters at the start of the season. Klinsmann came to Berkeley to continue the trend.tmpplchld “He comes in with abilities,” Foulke said. “But it’s starting to put together the whole package. You have to have patience. I’ve seen it over and over and over.”tmpplchld Klinsmann is game. It has helped that he already worked with Foulke before the season when participating in a U.S. under-23 training camp.tmpplchld Klinsmann has learned how to bark orders at teammates four years his senior, as well as take the knocks the older, stronger players dish out.tmpplchld “It’s a big step,” he said. “But I’m ready for it.”tmpplchld Whenever the opportunity comes.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)tmpplchld Visit the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) at www.mercurynews.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld