"He was also, somehow, available to U.S. Soccer at a salary in the very low six figures-which was to be paid to an offshore company that then "loaned" the federation Milutinović's services, according to then-federation president Alan Rothenberg-a fraction of what the other candidates commanded. Milutinović had other job offers. Certainly more traditional ones than this strange gig sculpting a respectable national team out of players most of whom had no club team. But he thought of his life as an adventure."
"With an unconventional approach, he brought a moribund team to an improbable quarterfinal on its home soil at the 1986 World Cup, making him a Mexican hero. He was hired by Costa Rica just two months before the 1990 World Cup, dumped half a dozen of the team's stars, and made it the first Central American nation to reach the World Cup's second round. He was a certified miracle worker."
"Milutinović wanted to live in Southern California and believed there was untapped potential in the team's young core. Their mentality appealed to him. They would shut up and do whatever they were told. In March 1991, Milutinović and his signature mop of early-Beatles-style hair signed on to coach the American men through the 1994 World Cup."
Velibor Milutinović, nicknamed Bora, was born in Yugoslavia and orphaned by World War II. He played soccer, then moved through clubs in Switzerland, France, and Mexico, where he became a successful coach and later managed the Mexican national team. His unconventional approach helped Mexico reach an improbable quarterfinal at the 1986 World Cup on home soil, making him a hero. He was hired by Costa Rica two months before the 1990 World Cup, removed several star players, and led the team to the second round, a first for Central America. He later became available to U.S. Soccer at a low salary structured through an offshore arrangement, while he pursued an adventure and believed in the U.S. team’s young core.
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