Germany’s Juergen Klinsmann, 35, won the World Cup and European Championship. The goalscorer who played in the leagues of Germany, Italy, France and England now makes his home in California.

SOCCER AMERICA: Why aren’t you playing in MLS?

JUERGEN KLINSMANN: A very simple reason. My decision to retire after World Cup ’98 was a family decision. I could have played for awhile, but I wanted to be with my family and see my son, who is now 3, grow up.

SA: Is it difficult not to be playing?

JK: It was especially hard the last couple of weeks when I worked out with the Galaxy. I’ve followed them for over a year and have joined them for training sessions, and they have such a great group and great spirit ù they got to me emotionally and made me think a couple of moments maybe I could still do it.

The thoughts left when I got home and saw my boy and realized, “That’s where I have to be.”

SA: Why were you training with the Galaxy?

JK: It was for a four-week observation for my German coaching license. I asked Sigi Schmid about doing it, and he said, “You can train with us and write the stuff down afterward.”

SA: Does that mean you’re planning on a coaching career?

JK: No. It’s for an educational point of view. I want to see on which level they educate professional coaches.

SA: What do you think of MLS?

JK: The level of play is very good. It is absolutely underestimated in Europe. It’s really improving every year.

SA: What are your plans?

JK: I’m interested in different subjects. One is the development of the Internet in the soccer area. I’m taking classes in a technology school in Orange County to get more knowledge on how the Internet will change our society and on the technical side ù the marriage between content and technology. … I’m taking Spanish classes. … I’m also interested in youth soccer development.

SA: When did you first visit the United States?

JK: About 16 years ago for a friendly game. I was fascinated by the country and came over every single year on vacation since.

I met my wife in Europe. She’s American, and that’s how we ended up here. That was also a family decision. We wanted to find an environment where I’m not living in the past, which would be the case in Europe. There I would always be connected to the people by who I was as a player.

by Soccer America executive editor Mike Woitalla