Associated Press
Posted: 2 minutes ago



NEW YORK (AP)

Bruce Arena is out as coach of the national team less than three weeks after the first-round exit from the World Cup.

U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said Friday that Arena's contract would not be renewed when it runs out at the end of the year. A search for a replacement will begin immediately, Gulati said, adding that no potential candidates have been contacted.

Arena, who coached the U.S. for eight years, leaves as the most successful coach in the history of the national team, having won more than twice as many games (71) as any of his predecessors .658 winning percentage, both all-time team records.

Thank you for all you did Bruce.

Now, let's pray for Jurgen!!!!

Thats an interesting one Josh. Has he been linked to the post before? Would be a big name scoop anyway and has been documented well before, apparently he spends ALL his time there....

I take it Bruce is held in the highest esteem by you lot? He did wonders.

I think most of us hold Bruce in high regard. You can level criticism for his favorites selections that didn't belong on the NT (Josh Wolff is a good example) and he wasn't particularly good in Germany...but you can hardly argue with his accomplishments and overall record. When he took over, our program was at a "new low," reeling from our dismal 1998 WC performance. Since then, we've firmly established ourselves as a respectable program. Bruce can't take all the credit for that as the MLS has certainly played a large role in our improvement. However, Bruce was definitely a key factor in our success.

On Klinsmann....there have been rumors but only recently. I think he is at the top of the USSF's list because, as you noted, it is well know that he loves living here. That gives him an in with the cultural aspects of things and was clearly a factor in his decision to resign from the German post.

I'm not sure if the USSF's budget is high enough for him ..... in fact, I have absolutely no clue what we could expect from the USSF's budget. Anyone would be insane not to have Hiddink as their first choice, but he is on contract with Russia of course. But I have a hunch that he is also out of our price range.

We shall see. I wouldn't mind Bob Bradley, Steve Nicols or Sigi Schmid either (all MLS coaches). Peter Nowak would be good too, but I think that he may be going to coach Poland...there have been rumors about that anyway.

he did good but his time is up.
how do you think we'll hire? any ideas

Leo Beenhakker, formerly Trinidad & Tobago's coach, is now Poland's new Coach.

Arena out as U.S. coach at end of year

CHICAGO (Ticker) - Bruce Arena's eight-year tenure as coach of the United States national team is coming to an end.

U.S. Soccer announced Friday that Arena's contract will not be renewed when it expires at the end of the year.

"We will begin an immediate search for a new national team coach," U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said.

Gulati met with Arena and secretary general Dan Flynn at New York's La Guardia Airport for five hours on Thursday and spoke over the phone Friday morning to discuss the coach's future.

"I would like to thank the players, coaches and staff who have been with the program over the last eight years," Arena said in a statement. "Their tireless effort has helped transform the national team program into something we can all be proud of, and I am extremely grateful for their commitment. I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience, and I would like to thank U.S. Soccer for the opportunity and their support throughout my tenure.

"I am proud of how far the organization has come over the last eight years, and I am extremely optimistic about the future of the sport in our country. As for me, I am planning to take some time off to weigh my future opportunities."

Hired in October 1998, Arena has gone 71-30-29 guiding the U.S., setting records for wins, games (130) and winning percentage (.658). The 54-year-old Brooklyn native previously had won five national championships in 18 years at the University of Virginia and led D.C. United to the first three MLS Cup finals, winning two.

"Bruce Arena's success on the field for the United States is unprecedented," Gulati said. "But it is more than just the results he has achieved on the field. Simply said, no one has done more to lift the stature and respect of our men's national team programs worldwide.

"We appreciate Bruce's years of service to U.S. Soccer, and as we move forward we will be looking for someone to build on the success he has established for our men's program and our organization."

Numerous reports have linked Arena to the coaching position with the struggling New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. The last-place squad fired Mo Johnston last month and replaced him with assistant Richie Williams. Gulati said Arena turned down an international opportunity before the World Cup to give his full attention to the U.S. effort.

Arena guided the U.S. to a surprising quarterfinal run in the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, but the Americans came in last in the rugged Group E of last month's World Cup in Germany.

"I think comes down primarily to eight years being a long time," Gulati said. "We want to continue the progress we've made, but I think having a fresh approach after eight years ... is the strongest factor.

"We didn't get the result we wanted at the World Cup, but Bruce Arena did not all of a sudden become a bad coach."

It is believed that U.S. Soccer will attempt to hire Jurgen Klinsmann, who led his homeland to a semifinal showing at the World Cup. Klinsmann, who resigned from the German post on Wednesday, is married to an American and lives in Southern California.

"I'm sure I will talk to Jurgen," Gulati said. "Whether we'll talk seriously about this, we'll see."

Really? Ah, actually, Beenhaker was also on my wish list. I guess that makes Nowak a stronger posibility then!

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Nowak took over and then Arena went back to DC United.

I'm dying to know who will take over though!

I'm hoping for Klinsman.

Thanks for all you did Bruce, but it's time for a new influence on the team.

Does anyone else think Bruce should have stepped down himself? Argentina's coach was gone before he even reached home.

Thank you Bruce...You da man!

Now...nervous phase I is over. Now for phase II...Who will take over??? Klinsman. Scolari....? I really dont know who to go for.

And Bruce should have done the same. The 4-5-1 he pulled off in Germany will go down with the 3-6-1 of Sampson in France as the two worst tatical movements in Us Soccer history. Lets face it, Bruce had the talent but he didn't get the boys ready to go against good talent except for Mexico. He let players feel like spots were guarnteed and didn't push them enough. Its easy to judge now, but eight years was too long.
That said, I hope he continues to coach, he still has alot to give to the MLS. From what the rumors are saying, it sounds as if he will replace Richie Williams as coach of Red Bulls New York which would be great for the MLS to turn around that team and make a market there.
Now on to Klinsman, I really hope he accepts the US job, I can't believe he would just step away from coaching after his successful World Cup. PLus he lives in Orange County making the drive to the Home Depot Center only about 30 minutes from his house. If he doesn't accept the job, I hope we go after a European club coach before an MLS coach. Nowak has done a fine job for DC United, but if this whole Freddy situation from years ago has proven, he is afraid to go with young talent. Bradley has done a good job with Chivas but JOB is sitting in a luxury sauite during the games, I am not pointing fingers but it doesn't look like he works with his starts well.
I wonder how long we will wait til Klinsi's response.

For me Hiddink is the way to go, I just read on fox sports that his contract with Russia fell through and he is available.I hope the US go with Hiddink as he has a track record of succes at the international level.Klingsman wood be ok, but doesn't have a coaching resume anything near Hiddink's.Either way we need an foreign coach.

Hiddink could take Fiji to the World Cup. He seems to win with any team he is given. If there is any possible way to get him, I would be HIGHLY in favor.

i say Juergen Klinsmann hey tooka young german team to a third place finish. and maybe he can get some young players to join becuase its not just about 2010 its about 2014 also.

i think arena did a good job at getting the us team to be compeditive, now its time for someone to take them to the next step. HIRE HIDDINK!!

i would like to see Juergen Klinsmann in at coach he proved his worth with germany

not really. http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-...s&type=lgns

so yeah the German is the only one left, and I hope he's lured by USSF

yea we despratly need a good coach who knows what hes doing

im telling ya Klinsmann is the way to go in my mind

I know. i just wanna know their decision really fast. waiting is the hard part.

yea it is.
i am gonna die if they pick and mls coach or something

yeah no doubt. i'll be uberly disapointed. i actually talked abt this on ESPN radio;even the host agreed that Klinsmann would be the best fit

The guys on ESPN radio don't know jack about soccer.

Peter Nowak, Sigi Schmid or Steve Nicols would all make good USNT coaches in my opinion. Granted, my preference is: 1) Hiddink (probably can't afford him).... 2) Klinsmann.... 3) Nowak.... 4) Schmid.... 5) Nicols

we had better go with a foreign approach because the american approach doesnt work in the big games

i doubt that we will get klinsmenn because he doesnt want the post but he would be a great manager for the team

the normal programming yes, but this one was the host of "soccer hour" in my area..and he's an ex-player.

Ah, my bad.

I don't think we should write off the MLS coaches and regarding desire for a foreign coach....Nowak, Nicol & Schmid are all foreign:

Nowak (DC United)- Polish
Nicol (NE Revs) - Scottish
Schmid (Crew) - German....while the Crew are crap, Schmid did wonders with the Galaxy....It only took 2 years for Sampson to wreck that team.

I think Colin Clarke (Dallas), also deserves a shout. He's English and has done very well with Dallas.

Of the MLS coaches, Nowak would be my first choice.

yeah I like Nowak also.

Klinsmann is comming to cali to visit family or soemthing.
maybe he will be the head coach by the end of next week? i hope

Hiddink is a done deal with Russia, i am pretty sure that case is closed.
If we are serious about 2010, we can't settle on a coach from the MLS. Nowak and schmid are good coaches but they won't have the experience necessary to take us to the late stages in the world cup.
Klinsman is the way to go, if he turns us down, I would say that we throw nowak in there for a few years then get a new coach for the last few games before the world cup.

yea i agree

i hope he dosent turnm us down we need him

I disagree. Experience is nice but not a requirement, in my opinion. How much experience did Klinsmann have before the WC? ZERO. No club coaching. Nothing. Of course, he was a legendary player and that, undoubtedly, helped a great deal.

How much Experience did Van Basten have? Next to zero. He was involved with the Ajax youth system, but other than that, no real coaching experience at the senior level. Again, playing experience obviously helped.

I believe Rijkaard took over for Holland before having any experience.

Nowak has TONS of playing experience...including captain of Poland in international play. I'm not particularly excited about the prospect of Schmid...but I would be very happy with Nowak. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I'm not so sure I even prefer Klinsmann to Nowak. Klinsmann was OK in pre-WC friendlies and had a great tournament. On the other hand, Nowak has been consistently good with DC for two years now.

The ball is round.

Coaching DC and coaching Germany are two whole different leagues.
The experience that Klinsman, Rijkaard and Van Basten have is alot different than Nowak. We are talking World Cup final players.
Nowak is a good coach but I would be really hesistant to let him take over our national team as his first national team coaching gig.
And if I had my ulitmate pick, I would go with Maldini because I still believe in the Italian system. But that would take alot of work to convince him to retire from AC and leave Italy. So I go realistic with Klinssman. I would rather be OK in WC friendlies and great in the tourney than the other way around. Big time coaches put up big time results, and Klinsi handled the pressure well in Germany, granted he was out coached in the semi, but he had a hell of a run.

But many great players make crap coaches. Ruud Gullit & Kevin Keegan are great examples. I would definitely NOT want Maldini. Does he even speak english? Now here is a guy that hasn't coached ever before and you are asking him to coach a foreign national team for his first job?

What makes a good coach is intangible, but experience is not a requirement. It helps, that is for sure, but again, experience is not something Piotr Nowak is short on! Big game experience is not something Nowak is short on! Many people say that experience is important for International coaching, but I don't really see why, esepcially if a the coach has lots of experience as a player.

What role does experience play in International play that isn't encountered in Club play? Adapting to different tactics is the only thing that I feel is a valid argument. Of course there is pressure, but Nowak has experienced plenty of pressure in his Bundesliga & Intl. playing days. He knows how to react to that. Similarly, playing against multiple tactical styles is something he is experienced in.

While Nowak hasn't been trumpeted in the press, I think he's the best candidate for the job .... that we can afford. And I think I prefer him (only just) over Klinsmann because he has a longer track record as a coach.

Maldini's father was a coach and he was raised in the system. I am sure he will be a coach at AC as soon as he retires.

You are right, we don't know what makes a good coach. Some people have it, others don't. But do we really want another person from inside the system....I mean if we are going safe, lets take Yallop and let the relationship with LD really shine. He is US Soccer's media child.
Nowak is doing great with this DC United team this year, and he won a championship with them. He is a fine club coach that seems to do well in that system, let him be and develop a power in the MLS.
If US Soccer wants to prove they are serious, go out there and make a deal, close on Klinsi or someone else. Spend some big money, we all know they have it.
"For the U.S. to progress on the world level, it requires a coach that has a stronger grasp of the tactical nuances of the elite international teams and international style of play. For all Arena's impressive track record as coach and the admittedly excellent job he did in salvaging the U.S. national team after the '98 World Cup debacle, he had two shortcomings that were exposed somewhat in the recent World Cup."
from the jen chang article on the next coach
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story...=us&cc=5901

The last thing I want is someone that is going to continue to coddle Landycakes, so Yallop is a big no for me!

I'd also like to say, that I don't see getting an MLS coach as coming from any particular system. In my opinion, Nowak, Nicol & Schmid are the best coaches in the league, but I don't see that they are part of the same system in anyway. I don't see what "system" they are inside of. I think each of those coaches would bring a fresh approach to the NT. Obviously, each would have his own new set of favorites as most NT coaches do.

Thank the lord that Josh Wolff will probably never be capped again in his life!

i think we need an international coach he doesnt have any ideas yet unlike an mls coach who would probably have a favortie on the
NT team who was on his mls team

when will we pick a coach? im just curious. is it becuase they havent found any body yet?

Qualifing starts in about two years so I think the US federation is going to take their time. There probably going to hire him soon, but theyre also most likely keeping tabs on other coaches that are on the hot seat.

We don't have a game til November I believe. So no rush there, the more urgent job vacancy is the U-23 spot that has been available for a long time now.

Just to keep things tidy I'm going to merge these topics Eddie.

Temp. coach?
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story...=us&cc=5901

Interesting article about options for coaches at this point. Sunil is taking the steady approach to it. He also addresses the Copa America problem at the end of the article.

The rest of the world is finally catchin up with me. Nowak for NT coach!

Good article, thanks JRLM8.

thanks for the article

Sunil going abroad to look for coaches...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6082600942.html

Carlos Queiroz is suppose to be a leading canidate... (Man U assistant coach, had a shot at the job in 98, lost out to BA)
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...cs-soccer-print

is the coach from germany still a possibilty. klinsman (sp?)
i think he is the way to go or the coch from man . i think we need a international coach not a mls who has favroites

from the second article:
"Apparently, ex-Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann isn't the only candidate the U.S. Soccer Federation is considering to fill its coaching vacancy. "

So yes, and Nowak is the leading MLS coach but after a 5-2 loss to LD and company, i think Sunil's trip abroad was well timed.

yeah i didnt think about that becuase maybe someone could get fired or something.

could we have a poll on this i want to see what people think