Arena Has Steadily Brought U.S. Back to Respectability
Late September, 1998: The global reputation of U.S. men’s soccer is in the trash heap. The World Cup had been a unmitigated disaster, American ears are ringing with mocking “We’re No. 32 (out of 32 teams)!” derision, a core of U.S. veterans had mutinied against the coach and the coach, under pressure from the federation, had tendered his resignation.
This was the sad-sack program Bruce Arena inherited a few weeks later when he was hired as Steve Sampson’s replacement as coach of the U.S. national team, signing on to accept one of the most taxing salvage jobs in the sport.
With the exception of his stint as coach of the 1996 U.S. men’s Olympic team, Arena was a neophyte when it came to international soccer, but he knew enough to begin the task with ears and eyes wide open.
“My biggest concern when I came into the job was how to reestablish a team,” Arena says. “Certainly, the result in France was disappointing. I inherited a team with low morale, and that needed to change--and change quickly.”
But how to do that, short of persuading a dozen or so Brazilian youths to move north and work intently on getting naturalized?
Arena’s gambit was to move in and start from ground zero, which was fairly easy to reach from rock bottom. He didn’t clean house as much as temporarily empty it-- informing all players, longtime starters and rookies alike, that no one was assured a spot on the team, that everyone was assured a fair shot at playing for the United States.
“We made it an open competition,” Arena says, “with no one being guaranteed a position on the field.”
This is where Sampson had derailed in France, with so many veteran players--Alexi Lalas and Tab Ramos at the head of the list--expecting to play because that had simply been the way for so many years. When they didn’t, the ensuing rebellion was loud, divisive and destructive.
Arena turned his initial training camps into all-comers meets. Soon, U.S. starting lineups were dotted with new and unfamiliar names: Zach Thornton, Eddie Lewis, Ben Olsen, Chris Armas, Richie Williams, Carlos Llamosa, Clint Mathis, C.J. Brown.
Eventually, too, Arena brought back some long-banished names from exile--John Harkes, the longtime captain cut by Sampson just before the World Cup, and Tony Meola, who last made a national team appearance in the 1994 World Cup.
Using a total of 45 players in 13 matches, Arena tinkered and dabbled the U.S. program back to respectability: a 7-3-3 record in his first year as coach, including two victories over Germany, another over Argentina and a bronze medal in the FIFA Confederations Cup. Recently, the United States moved back into the top 20 in FIFA’s world rankings.
“I knew it would be a tremendous challenge,” Arena says. “To be honest, we have a great group of guys. They work hard. They want to win. I think wiping the slate clean and giving everyone a chance has helped with the harmony of this team. No one is guaranteed a spot and nothing is assumed.
“It has made for a healthy atmosphere--I’ve had no problems with this team. I was absolutely shocked by the press that came out of France. It sounded like we had a bunch of selfish players. I haven’t seen that kind of behavior since I’ve been here.”
IS THERE A STRIKER IN THE HOUSE?
Arena says the results of the last year have demonstrated the “great depth” of the U.S. player pool--”although perhaps not at the forward position.”
A lack of players who can put the ball in the net. If that has been a problem for Arena, it was also the same for Sampson and Bora Milutinovic and Bob Gansler and Lothar Osiander--basically every coach who has ever stood and scratched his head on a U.S. sideline.
Why can’t America, with its national psyche to score and score some more, develop quality finishers?
“I don’t think it’s a U.S. problem,” Arena says. “It is universal. I don’t think there are that many countries that have a world-class forward. What the problem is, I don’t know.
“I think we have a number of young players who could fill that role in the future. Landon Donovan is a good young player playing in Germany right now. Chris Albright in D.C. Eric Wynalda could come back and be a factor. I think we can still see a lot more out of Brian McBride.
“Right now, we haven’t produced a player who can score a lot of goals. But, at the end of this year, I don’t walk away saying, ‘Scoring goals is a problem.’ A lot of times it is a combination thing, with our passing and crossing not always being good enough. A player like Brian McBride needs quality crosses to maximize his game.
“But, we’re not at a point where we’re desperate. We outscored Germany, 5-0, in two games. I’d just like to see more depth at forward, see more new faces.”
L.A. WON’T BE THE PLACE
Arena doesn’t begin his first World Cup qualification campaign for another year, but he already is mulling potential home sites for his team.
Los Angeles, it appears, has no reason to plan on printing tickets.
“I think it really depends on who we are playing,” Arena says. “In general, D.C. is a great venue. I think New England is a great venue. New York would be a great venue. Southern California is not a good venue when we play Central American teams.”
Arena was alluding to the large base of Mexican and Central American soccer supporters living in Southern California, who have turned past U.S. matches at the Coliseum and San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium into virtual road games.
“Wherever we get good support from our fans is a good venue for us,” Arena says. “And the L.A. Coliseum doesn’t fit into that definition.”
MANCHESTER: SO MUCH TO ANSWER FOR
It can be tough at the top, newly crowned European club champion Manchester United is discovering.
United has been savaged in England for abandoning the FA Cup--the Super Bowl tournament of English soccer--in order to compete in the inaugural FIFA World Club Championship in Brazil in January.
Especially offensive to English soccer observers: United is bailing while being the current holder of the FA Cup.
“It’s criminal,” said former Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough. “They have won the trophy several times and now they’ve pulled out. Where are they going? Brazil? I hope they get diarrhea.”
The 1999 FA Cup completed United’s rarefied “treble” of championships last season, following the English Premier League championship and the European Champions League title. United’s defense of the Premier League trophy has hit some bumps lately, with the champions drawing back-to-back games with Wimbledon and Southampton-- both at home.
Saturday’s 3-3 tie with Southampton had United Manager Alex Ferguson railing about his team’s “suicidal tendencies.”
“The hard facts are that a game we should have won by six, seven or even 10 goals, we’ve drawn,” Ferguson fumed. “It’s been absolutely suicidal.”
