Jürgen Klinsmann’s reign as coach of the United States men’s team is over, with US Soccer announcing his departure on Monday. The news comes after the US lost successive games to Mexico and Costa Rica in the qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup.

Multiple reports indicate Bruce Arena will be named Klinsmann’s successor, possibly as soon as Tuesday.

“Today we made the difficult decision of parting ways with Jurgen Klinsmann, our head coach of the US men’s national team and technical director,” Sunil Gulati, head of US Soccer, said in a statement. “We want to thank Jürgen for his hard work and commitment during these last five years. He took pride in having the responsibility of steering the program, and there were considerable achievements along the way.

“Many are aware of the historic victories, including leading us out of the Group of Death to the Round of 16 in the 2014 Fifa World Cup, but there were also lesser publicized efforts behind the scenes. He challenged everyone in the US Soccer community to think about things in new ways, and thanks to his efforts we have grown as an organization and expect there will be benefits from his work for years to come.

“While we remain confident that we have quality players to help us advance to Russia 2018, the form and growth of the team up to this point left us convinced that we need to go in a different direction. With the next qualifying match in late March, we have several months to refocus the group and determine the best way forward to ensure a successful journey to qualify for our eighth consecutive World Cup.”

US Soccer did not immediately give a timeframe for the recruitment of Klinsmann’s successor, though the New York Times, Associated Press and USA Today all reported the likely choice is Arena, who previously coached the national team from 1998 through 2006. That tenure included USA’s run to the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals, the team’s best showing in the tournament since 1930.

Klinsmann, who managed Germany to a third-place finish on home soil at the 2006 World Cup, oversaw the national team for 98 matches since his appointment in 2011. His 55 victories, against 28 losses and 15 draws, rank second all time behind Arena’s 71.

But his record against opponents ranked in the top 20 of Fifa’s world rankings – two victories, eight losses, two draws and a minus-10 goal differential – was the worst in modern national team history. The gulf in class was showcased at this year’s Copa America. Although the US reached the semi-final they were thoroughly outplayed when they came up against the best sides in the tournament, losing 2-0 to Colombia and 4-0 to Argentina.

Highlights of Klinsmann’s tenure include guiding the team to the last 16 of the 2014 World Cup and their first ever victory over Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in 2012. He also coached the team to their fifth Concacaf Gold Cup victory in 2013.

Last week’s losses to Mexico and Costa Rica dropped the United States to 0-2-0 in the final round of World Cup qualifying, which resumes against Honduras on 24 March and four days later in Panama.

Voices from around the soccer world responded on social media as word of the news of Klinsmann’s dismissal spread on Monday afternoon. Landon Donovan, who was famously left out of Klinsmann’s final squad for the 2014 World Cup, declined to revel in the coach’s departure. “Never want to see someone lost their job,” wrote Donovan in a tweet. “I have no doubt that this talented group of players will qualify for Russia ‘18.”