Relaxed, Diplomatic Arena Leads U.S.
If three consecutive victories can do a lot for a team’s confidence, they can do even more for a coach’s demeanor.
Take Bruce Arena, for example. The man actually smiles these days, something he wasn’t doing often in the early days of World Cup qualifying.
But with the Americans off to a 3-0 start and well on their way toward reaching Korea/Japan 2002, there’s no reason for scowls or sarcasm, and Arena has dispensed with both.
Or at least put them away for the time being.
The coach of the U.S. men’s national soccer team was holding court at National Stadium here Friday afternoon and appeared to be enjoying his moment in the sun, even if the Jamaican media were trying to throw him off stride.
On the eve of the U.S. team’s match against Jamaica today, Arena was at his diplomatic best.
“Jamaica, of course, will have a very large turnout of supporters . . . “ one reporter ventured.
“Will they?” Arena interrupted, deadpan. “We didn’t realize that.
“No, we expect, obviously, a very strong pro-Jamaican crowd, and it will make for a great day of football here.”
Perhaps the field--course grass covering a hard and uneven surface--would be a problem?
“I think the field conditions are good,” Arena said.
Being without injured striker Clint Mathis was surely not good for U.S. chances.
“We know we don’t have players of the same dimension as Mathis but we have other players who are certainly capable of being dangerous attacking players and we expect to see them step up in his place,” Arena replied.
But other forwards, including Cobi Jones and Josh Wolff, also are missing?
“This has been a situation we’ve experienced throughout qualification,” Arena said. “We’re very accustomed to having players out of our lineup due to injuries and suspension, so we’re just continuing to move forward and are not troubled by it at all.”
What about the 1 p.m. local start, in the worst heat of the day?
“We’re used to it. We’ve trained in a climate [Florida] equally as warm and as humid as this,” Arena said.
The Jamaican press tried a new tack.
How would the U.S. team cope with Onandi Lowe, the 6-foot-3 striker who spearheads Jamaica’s attack?
“He’s a very good player,” Arena acknowledged. “I’ve watched him play five or six games in MLS [with the Kansas City Wizards]. I’m familiar with his style. We have great respect for what he’s able to do on the ball and we’re certainly going have to be aware of him when he touches the ball.”
The “Reggae Boyz” have not lost at home for 50 games, reporters reminded Arena.
“Obviously, Jamaica’s going to be a difficult opponent,” he said. “They have a pretty impressive undefeated streak here at home. They have a very good team and we know it will be a tough battle, but we look forward to the challenge.”
With that, Arena headed back to the team bus, having negotiated the admittedly sparsely sewn minefield of questions. Diplomacy had won the day.
Who will win the game is another matter.
Arena’s starting lineup is a closely guarded secret, but the consensus is that Kasey Keller will be in goal behind a back line of Steve Cherundolo, Carlos Llamosa, Jeff Agoos and David Regis.
The midfield probably will feature Chris Armas, Claudio Reyna, Earnie Stewart and Tony Sanneh, and Brian McBride and Joe-Max Moore are expected to be the starting forwards.
Arena trimmed his training-camp roster of 23 to 19 for the trip to Jamaica, leaving out Eddie Lewis, who became injured, and allowing Greg Vanney, Pablo Mastroeni and Richie Williams to rejoin their MLS teams.
A tie would be a good result for the U.S., but if Arena is thinking in those terms, he is not doing so in public.
“We’re going to be as offensive as we need to be to win the game,” he said.
That puts the onus on McBride, Moore and Stewart, who among them have played in 199 games for the U.S. and have scored 48 goals.
Whether any of them can add to that number today might depend on whether they can adapt to the heat, the noise and, most important, the field.
“It’s not very good,” McBride said. “It’s a weird pitch in that it’s bumpy. There are all different types of grass. It’s crab grass. It grabs your foot and the ball. The ball’s going to hop up quite a bit too.”
Still, Arena is untroubled by it all.
“We are confident we can come in here and win, and that’s going to be our attitude and approach,” he said.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
World Cup
What--World Cup qualifying game.
Who--Jamaica vs United States.
Where--Kingston, Jamaica.
When--1 p.m. (Jamaican time)
TV--Ch. 7, 2 p.m.
Records--U.S. 3-0 (nine points); Jamaica 1-1-1 (four points).
Other CONCACAF games today--Mexico (1-1-1, four points) vs. Costa Rica (1-1-1, four points); Trinidad and Tobago (0-2-1, one point) vs. Honduras (0-1-2, two points).
At stake--The top three teams qualify for Korea/Japan 2002.
