New USMNT coach Bruce Arena on Tuesday immediately struck a "bullish tone" during his introductory conference call and "repeatedly asserted his confidence that he can lead the squad out of the doldrums and reverse its dismal start to the final stage of World Cup qualifying," according to Martin Rogers of USA TODAY. Arena’s contract "formally commences on Dec. 1, though in practice he will begin immediately." His deal is "set up to run through" the '18 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and it can be "reevaluated and potentially extended at the end of that tournament." Arena previously coached the USMNT from '98-'06, and U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said of this stint, "I view it [as] Bruce 2.0. He has far more experience than [the] first time around. He has proven himself at all levels of the game in America, his record as a coach is unparalleled.” Rogers notes the U.S.' next two World Cup qualifiers -- at Honduras on March 24 and at home against Panama on March 28 -- provide an "opportunity to revitalize the campaign, but any more setbacks have the potential to put a place at the World Cup in serious jeopardy" (USA TODAY, 11/23). In DC, Steven Goff writes the USSF this deep into qualifying "was not comfortable hiring an MLS coach without international experience or a foreign candidate unfamiliar with the player pool, personalities and system." Beyond the "potential embarrassment of missing the World Cup and stunting soccer’s growth" in the U.S., the USSF is at risk of "missing out on untold millions through sponsorship deals and FIFA payouts" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/23).
SINGLE-MINDED GOAL: In N.Y., Jere Longman notes Jurgen Klinsmann, who was let go as coach on Monday, had a "mandate to remake American soccer." Arena’s charge is "more pragmatic: Get results in qualifying and, it is hoped, at the World Cup." Arena said that he "felt better prepared to manage the national team now than he did when he coached the Americans to the quarterfinals" of the '02 World Cup (N.Y. TIMES, 11/23). ESPN’s Taylor Twellman said, "He's here for one reason: to get the United States in the World Cup." He is "not worried about youth development, not worried about college soccer" (“ESPN FC,” ESPNews, 11/22). But in DC, Simon Evans writes Arena is an "unimaginative and uninspiring choice," as "fear of failure has clearly driven a safety-first approach" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/23). Gulati said that Arena would have the "final say on the composition of his staff." Klinsmann also served as Technical Dir, but Gulati said the USSF is “not in a rush on that." SI.com's Brian Straus noted it "remains to be seen whether the job will be filled at all" (SI.com, 11/22).
RESULTS BUSINESS: Gulati said that the decision to fire Klinsmann was "based on results over an extended period of time, and not just the two recent World Cup qualifying defeats to Mexico and Costa Rica." ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle noted it was "just 10 days ago that Gulati said during a roundtable with reporters that he expected Klinsmann to be the coach for the entirety of World Cup qualifying." Gulati on Tuesday said, "It's never based on a single game. But you weigh up individual games. In this case, those two games, combined with everything else we had, and we felt that we needed to go in a different direction in order to maximize the chances for success on the field, both in March in qualifying, at the Gold Cup, and then subsequently at the World Cup itself." He also said that the defiant tone Klinsmann had struck in recent days "played no factor in the decision" (ESPNFC.com, 11/22). In L.A., Kevin Baxter notes Klinsmann’s "refusal to take ownership of those failures" against Mexico and Costa Rica reportedly was "also an issue." Gulati said that the decision to replace Klinsmann was "made Sunday night." He and USSF Secretary General & CEO Dan Flynn then "began formal talks with Arena’s agent and the Galaxy to get Arena released from a two-year contract extension he had signed with the team this fall" (L.A. TIMES, 11/23). In Columbus, Michael Arace writes this is a "good time to act" for the USSF. If the USMNT fails to qualify for the World Cup, it "would be a disaster for Gulati, his sponsors and their cause." Things "can only get better" with Arena as coach (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 11/23).
TIME TO CUT THE CORD? In California, Scott Reid notes Arena's hiring "should allow U.S. Soccer’s board of directors to focus to on what in theory is the more important long-term issue facing the American game -- finding Gulati’s replacement." Just as Arena "isn’t a long-term answer for U.S. Soccer, Gulati isn’t either." Reid: "Certainly the man who has presided over so much underachievement can’t be trusted to hire Arena’s successor." Gulati has "two years remaining on his third four-year term" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 11/23). In N.Y., Sam Borden writes in "many other sporting circumstances, Gulati might have been removed along with Klinsmann -- the rough equivalent of a general manager being fired along with a struggling coach as part of a total housecleaning." But Gulati is "not a sports executive whose sole job is to assemble a single team from top to bottom." He "draws no salary" from U.S. Soccer, as the organization is a "nonprofit body." Gulati’s "primary job is being an economics lecturer" at Columbia Univ. There are procedures by which Gulati "could be removed" by the USSF BOD, but such impeachments are "highly unlikely and generally designed for situations in which a board member has done something illegal" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/23).
