1. He's been as successful as any American soccer coach in history
Arena
and winning -- on the collegiate and domestic league level -- go hand
in hand. Arena started coaching at the University of Virginia in 1978
and won five national championships in 18 seasons, with a record of
295-58-32. There he groomed some of the biggest names in U.S. Soccer
history like Claudio Reyna, Jeff Agoos, John Harkes and Tony Meola.
After
his stint at UVA, he went on to coach D.C. United of MLS from 1996-98,
winning two MLS Cups. Overall, he has won five MLS Cups (three with his
current team, the Los Angeles Galaxy).
Arena's five MLS Cups are three more than the next closest coach.
2. Arena is familiar with the role
Arena
coached the U.S. from 1998-2006, guiding the team in the 2002 and 2006
World Cups. He has more wins as USMNT manager than anyone else in
history and guided the team to that brilliant run to the quarterfinals
in 2002, his finest accomplishment.
3. He is the logical short-term fix
Based on
his past experience as USMNT manager, he was always going to be the
quick-fix choice. He averaged six wins per each 10-game hexagonal round
he's guided his teams through. He is also familiar with some of the
players, especially Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey, both of which were on
his 2006 World Cup roster.
That roster also had Landon Donovan,
who he signed out of retirement this year for the Galaxy (yeah, wouldn't
a return to USA be crazy for LD?)
So, it's the obvious choice and U.S. Soccer hopes it's the right choice.
4. He's a big Landon Donovan fan, but could he return?
Donovan
is one of Arena's favorites, and rumors are going to swirl, and there
is no reason to think that Arena won't give Donovan a look, either as a
player or assistant coach. The latter is the most likely in my opinion.
Since
rejoining the Galaxy, Donovan has started two of the nine games he's
played and scored only one goal. The 34-year-old is surely nearing the
end of his playing career, but he loves the sport and is knowledgeable,
which could land him a spot alongside Arena.
5. He may have some explaining to do
File this under "how things could get weird." A few years back, Arena had some strong words for foreign-born American players. He's pretty much against them.
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