per Grant Wahl. Yaaaaay, retreads!!!
I'd hesitate to equate Arena with Ara, especially given that he's never managed at the highest level of club play, but it might be the best ND equivalent in terms of Arena basically having the best historical level of success with the U.S. team (and he's had a pretty good run in MLS too).
couldn't get over the hump at ND being brought back just because he was better than the last guy. What an uninspiring hire. We know, almost beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Arena can't take our program to the next level. Why not take a chance on someone else?
There's a pretty good argument that we outplayed Germany, certainly we played well enough to win the game.
He can get us qualified for '18, and I think the talent is there to make a run if we catch a favorable draw.
Sure, '06 was a disappointment, but I think it's pretty clear by now that most coaches will struggle to sustain success past a single World Cup. (Plus, the '06 team had injury issues and a pretty big talent hole in mid-20's aged players to deal with.)
If Klinsy made any good decisions, they centered on his belief that the MLS was not the place to grow world class players. The EPL, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, etc. are where you grown those players.
Fucking Arena will undo all of that. What a douche.
And I thunk there's a balance to strike between an MLS and Europe focus.
Klinsmann has been awful in more ways than one. I think Arena is an improvement and will instantly make this team at the very least watchable.
Then you pissed it away.
How utterly uninspiring.
At this point it seems that the priority is to qualify and field a strong team for 2018. It seems that there is ample evidence that Arena can do just that.
After 2018 we can look for a guy that can implement a long term vision.
IMO, only Pareja would seem to be a more promising hire. And I would think that he would want to come with sweeping changes in mind.
The new coach is walking into a divided locker room with some strong personalities. He's going to have to find a way to make it work with aging vets like Jones and Bradley, while embracing the futures of guys like Pulisic and hopefully Nagbe, while working with JK guys in Brooks, Wood and Green.
I don't know how a guy like Vermes can walk into a situation like this and expect to win and build the program. And unfortunately, the USMNT needs to win now to continue to grow as a program.
If Arena is on board with helping steer us into the 2018 WC and allow for a smooth transition to the next guy (who could be Vermes), then he is the perfect choice.
I think the change in voice will go a long way with people.
But Arena, it's just such a retread.
I just think it will be difficult for a guy with zero international coaching experience - especially when his resume consists of exactly one MLS program in a small market.
I don't see a problem with Michael Bradley buying in, but I question whether Brooks, Green, Jones, Johnson, etc. would respect him. IMO, it's just a risk that they don't need right now. I think Arena gives you a guy that let's us see the real status of the program now that we have an actual coach that isn't full of $hit most of the time.
All that being said, it's not like Johnson and Brooks didn't have their beefs with Klinsy. So maybe they are in the any change is better category.
I love the comments that follow from that tweet.
- "Good about time we start losing to Ghana again"
- "how amazingly uninspired"
- "Can they please make him temporary and do an actual search. No settling please!"