Arena Will Step Down

I think American soccer has progressed a long way, and Bruce Arena has a lot to do with it. Isn’t just like the supposedly big powers in world football, when the team wins the coach is a hero, when the team loses he is the scapegoat. Yes US soccer has arrived and Bruce is he reason. Isn’t it ironic that since he has done so well with team USA that he is now dragged through the mud. What a sport! Thanks Bruce and good luck.

Posted from  United States

klinsman will not take that position if offered…no way but it would be great if he did. maybe one day i can lead the US to victory-that is if they would look at my resume that does not contain the professional coachin experience they are looking for

It’d be nice for a father coaching his son’s team to get some FIFA recognition!

Posted from  United States

Mike, you have my adoration. Good luck to your son’s team! Keep up the good work, Mike. Sorry, I can’t hire you.

Posted from  United States

I’m not sure I understand all this love for Klinsman. His credentials are not nearly as glowing as some have been spewing.

He’s never qualified a team - a huge minus - he’s never had to work with inferior players like he would have to with the US - another huge minus - has no experience developing youth talent (something that is done by the pro teams in Germany) - another huge minus - and he’s never coached a meaningful game on the road - another huge minus - he’s never coached a team in any kind of race including at the club level - yet another huge minus - and he’s never coached a full cycle at any level - guess what? another huge minus. Furthermore his committment to his family over country, while admirable, does not show an overriding passion for a being head coach, something the US is going to require for the next cycle and beyond.

He had one great run in a tournament on home soil that he was automatically qualified for in a rather mild group and people talk like he’s the second coming of Jesus Christ. Klinsman may be a good coach, hell he may even be the man for the US job - but his record in reality is more indicative of an average manager not the walk-on-water-savior some would make him out to be. At least try to keep all this gushing to realistic levels.

Posted from  United States

A great job by Arena. Look how far we’ve come!

As for Juergen, it’s a nice story- and the press likes a nice story- but what did he do in Germany? He motivated and excited some very talented players to play slightly above themselves. He drew from a deep base of talent.

The US often plays above itself. Motivation is not a problem (I’m forgetting that the CZE game ever happened). Someone has to tend to the “System” so that the talent pool deepens.

Would Klinsmann have the patience for that? He might, and I’d certainly cheer him on- wait, that’s what we’d be doing: cheering Klinsmann instead of the team.

Posted from  United States

I’d first like to say we owe a debt of gratitude for the service Bruce Arena has done in the last 8 years. By far the most successful coach in U.S. history. With that said, it was time to move on. I agree with Kelly and Pogue Maghon about Juergen Klinsmann. But on the other hand, I would like to have a foreign coach. What are everybody’s opinion on having a foreign coach?

Posted from  United States

ETucker is right on. A washington post article also quotes LD as saying something like… I wasn’t born yesterday, I know why Klinsman quit… indicating that Klinsman has already decided to take the job. The 6 months thing does seem to fit too perfectly.

Posted from  United States

Thanks Bruce and good luck. But we have to move on. Now I am in the group of undecided on JK . I am not totaly convince he is the right man for the job
Sure he has a grate résumé as a player, but lots of questions remain as a coach
What about others like Peter Nowak, Steve Nicol Sigi Schmit. Well I hope the USSF
Take it time and pick the right person. GO USA

Posted from  United States

That would be a strange comment coming from pussy Donovan, seeing how he was obviously the beneficiary of Arena’s love/favoritism.

Posted from  United States

@ kelly, are you sure your on the right blog? ’cause you don’t know jack about what your talking about. better go back to your windowless office at enron and crunch the numbers again.
if, by chance you seen any of germanys or the us’ games, it should have hit ya like a ton of bricks. arena got the us sent home early(anyone who saw him sitting on the bench with his hands behind his head remerbers that at that point the vomit was comin up)at that point you could of had a slug coaching..pathetic!
klinsmann, on the other hand was ALL over the place.very pro-active in his approach.
basically, day and night.intrinsically, the us program has no fire, due wholly because of arenas ‘the devil may care’ attitude.
arena is one of the most rediculous characters ever involved with american soccer. if there is a coach that knows how to turn things around here, its klinsi!

Posted from  United States

Yeah, LD isn’t happy about Arena’s departure because 1) he probably won’t be the new captain now and 2) he might not even play. But, he was just saying that although he is dissapointed, he’s still not stupid, it’s pretty obvious that Klinsi will be the new coach.

Posted from  United States

Klinsman leaping up and down on the sidelines does not make him a good coach. It’s in the weeks, months, years leading up to a tournament where the games are won or lost. After the whistle blows a coach has minimal impact on the outcome. A sub here, a shift there, maybe, but being animated on the bench amounts to very little in terms of affecting the outcome of game. If histirionics were the hallmark of coaching execelence, Portugal would’ve won the whole shooting match.

And Klinsman’s animation does not answer the questions about the holes in his coaching resume. Being fired up does not make up for his lack of experience in qualification, tournaments, playing in hostile environments, player development, talent evaluation, season long pressure or tactics when forced to use less than world class talent.

Jumping up and down when scoring a meaningless goal against Costa Rica or fist-pumping when facing a lackluster Sweeden is not indicative of coaching ability.

No, I think I’d like to know how he handles being a goal down in Azteca; I want to know how he deals with fielding a midfield without Bundesliga starters; I’m curious to how he adapts to playing home games with far more hostile visiting fans filling the stadia; what’s he going to do when facing a do-or-die on some crappy, half-flooded pitch in Panama; how is he going to react to being two points shy of qualification with one game left in the hex; I’m more interested in where he’s going to find a pair of forwards that can slot the ball home.

You be impressed with all the shiny bows and bells, but don’t berate me for being more interested in the contents rather than the tinfoil wrapping.

Posted from  United States

Dietmar, Kelly actually hit the nail right on the head. thought you can’t take away what Klinsman did for the Germans, Kelly is exactly correct with the facts thought she did leave one fact out. Klinsman went to Bruce Arena for some pointers. I read somewhere that Klinsy attended some US camps to observe Arena. No one should dought the effect Arena has had on US football. Is it a bad thing that Bruce’s tenure is over, no. In Europe and in South America national team coaches just do not last for 8 years, I think we have the perfect example here as to why that is.Will Klinsy make a good coach for the US, who knows but he obviously has the balls to stick up for what he thinks is the best for the team. He bucked the German fans, press, and even there Football Association. That is what it will take , someone with balls, to run this team, Klinsy shows that quality. But there are others also, Nowak I Think is one. Sorry this is so long. As far as Landon Donovan, we will now see if he is worth the hype he got. He will either lay down and play dead or he will rise up and be the player he has the potential to be. LD’s future is up to LD’s attitude.

Posted from  United States

Kelly, I refered to you as “she” though I do not know if that is so. You could be a “he”. Also I like the way you write, well thought out. Maybe you should apply the the coaching position the will open up on 1/1/2007;)

Posted from  United States

Bruce-you did great! You were the best coach the US team ever had and you pushed US soccer to a level it never seen before. Congratulations to you, you deserve nothing put praise and gratitude from all us US fans.

Posted from  United States

all right kelly, give us the dossier’ of any other coach…

Posted from  United States

If Gulati makes this a true world-wide search, then the doors are wide open. I’m sure that there are at least three or four “unknowns” that would be on the list, first and second division managers in Europe and maybe South America. The really big names are going to be next to impossible to lure to the outback of US Soccer and money may be an issue as well. A few of the usual suspects:

World wide:
Scolari - WC experience but none working with US athletes. If you like histrionics here’s your man. Would be hard to entice to US at any cost.
Eriksson - Experienced, but England really underachieved under his hand. Pricey.
Queiroz - Again experienced, both internationally and with the US. Was the favorite the last time we went through this.
Klinsman - Has a cup under his belt and turned the Germans from a boring by-the-numbers automatons into a genuinely fun team to watch. Has US experience but lacks any long term tempering.

Domestically:
Yallop - Two MLS cups and a stint as head of Canada. Turned San Jose around but floundered leading the disorganized Canucks.
Bradley - Once the unanimous heir, but an awful tenure in moribund New York put a dent in his armor. Has national experience under Arena but needs a great showing with Chivas USA to reestablish his cred.
Schmid - Success at every level including U-20’s. Up and down run at the Galaxy hurts. Maybe the best judge of talent in US.
Nicol - Somehow keeps New England in hunt every year, but falls short, even with superior team. Rivals Schmid for an eye for talent. Would bring a bit of European flavor to table.
Nowak - A championship and hard-nosed as hell. Only in his third year as a gaffer though and has stormy relationship with the next savior, Adu. European with US experience.
Myernick - Arena’s long-time number two, knows CONCACAF, hard nosed. But far less than stellar at Colorado and being in on the Crash of ‘06 drags him down, may be too “familiar” to USSF to be serious contender.

Would think Klinsman has inside track, by a wide margin. Just don’t know if he really wants the job. Don’t see an MLS guy being a favored target, think Gulati wants to make a big splash, not only at home, but moreso abroad. Arena disciples are probably going to be a hard sell as USSF has stated they want to change direction and it’s unlikely any would be radically different.

While I believe the job is Klinsman’s to turn down, I get the vibe ‘06 sucked the life out of him and he’s done for a few years, perhaps forever. In that case, I think for budget and prestige limitations it’s going to end up being somebody that makes most of US Soccer Nation go “Huh?” and scratch their collective head, probably somebody not even on the map.

Posted from  United States

sensible response, but it is just a list.is there one coach out there that can do this job?
don’t want to sound cliche’, but if the shoe fits…
even in the old NASL days, US soccer was wooing the elite soccer stars of germany; beckenbauer, granitza, muller, the list goes on. so why not a coach? when those guys came to the states to play everybody watching was learning something new. honestly i dont think the current MLS even compares to that calibur…what do they do now send ‘em(us players) to europe…you can see where im going with this! there has been a shift in US soccer strategy for domestic(american)players/coaches. seems awefully chovinistic(?) to me since klinsi’s FAMILY are american as apple pie!

Posted from  United States

Germany vs Costa Rica 4 : 2

http://www.attachmax.com/dl.php?key=7b354581efb40c6ad3afbba9047cf72e

The 4-2 result marked the most productive opening match in World Cup history. Germany continued a tradition of undefeated

host nations in their first match in a World Cup finals.

Posted from  India

Poland - Ecuador 0 : 2

http://www.attachmax.com/dl.php?key=852d1b87ca09d8cd61a2cb79e95c96eb
This 2-0 win over Poland is Ecuador’s biggest ever World Cup victory. Their only previous triumph came in the last group

match at the 2002 World Cup against Croatia (1-0).

Posted from  India

Any coach out there can do the job - but can they do everything that needs to be done successfully, that’s the question. The US job is more complicated than nearly any other gaffer’s spot in the world. Player development isn’t even a passing concern in most countries, let alone having to deal with hostile environments during home games. Add in things like the Olympics and scouting in a country of 300 million that stretches over five time zones on a limited budget, dealing with players coming out of college and its bastardized version of the sport and a strong faction within USSF that believes that the Fed should be primarialy concerned with the amatuer youth game are just a few of the things no European coach straight from the Old World has the slightest inkling of. Throw Scolari or Eriksson in there and more than likely they would implode.

If I had to pick a name right now, I’d take Yallop. Former player, has a stint as an international manager, turned around San Jose within the arcane limits of MLS, knows the trap doors of the US system and is a player’s coach. He’s not as sexy as Klinsman but has a track record of success over a substantial period far in excess of the German.

Could Klinsman handle the COACHING? Probably and like I said he may be the right guy for that particular aspect of the job. But the hash that is US soccer is far more complicated than the X’s and O’s.

Posted from  United States

I have a better idea. Since US women team won the World Cup more then once, maybe they need a female coach?

Posted from  United States

aha! you are female(hes not as sexy as klinsi…). i mean no disrespect, just merely commenting, i used to be married so i realize HOW women argue/debate. anyway great imput kelly, in a perfect world your plan may work, but since its dog eat dog out there, well, sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures!
in germany they have a saying: schau mal was der christkindle bringt…roughly translated, ” lets see what we get for christmas”

Posted from  United States

Actually, Tony DeCiccio who coached the women to a World Cup win has been mentioned as a candidate for the men’s job.

Posted from  United States

i think bruce arenas has done an excellent job with coaching the united states national team and i think they should renew his contract
i dont think that the national team couldve beaten the czechs or italy