CHICAGO -- Former German national team player and coach Berti Vogts has been hired by the U.S. national team as a special adviser to coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
Vogts will help develop training plans and scouting reports, and will observe U.S. opponents ahead of the World Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) said Sunday.
"He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, both as a player and a coach, and he knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level," Klinsmann said in a statement. "He is obviously very familiar with our opponents in the group stage of the World Cup, and for us this is a huge bonus."
In addition, U.S. U20 coach Tab Ramos has been added to the national team coaching staff, and former Chivas USA coach Martin Vazquez will leave the staff for other USSF duties.
The 67-year-old Vogts was a defender in West Germany's 1974 World Cup-winning team and made 96 international appearances in all. He coached his national team from 1990-98, winning the 1996 European Championship with Klinsmann as one of his players.
Vogts went on to coach Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and the national teams of Kuwait (2001-02), Scotland (2002-04), Nigeria (2007-08) and Azerbaijan (2008-present). He will continue his job with Azerbaijan.