Down to the Wire

Soccer Digest, Feb, 2001 by Ashley Jude Collie

The U.S. coach looks ahead to the 10 games that will determine his and U.S. soccer's immediate future

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS: 10 games in 10 months. Six teams, each playing one another at home and away for CONCACAF's three spots in the 2002 World Cup. For Bruce Arena and his U.S. team, it all kicks off with a dramatic opening game against Mexico.

Settling into his third year as national team coach, Arena is optimistic about the Hexagonal, which includes Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, and either Costa Rica or Guatemala, which will meet in a playoff game to determines the final spot.

Arena is optimistic primarily due to his strong, large pool of players. The coach resurrected former stars such as Tony Meola from soccer's scrap heap and successfully blended them with international babes such as Landon Donovan and Clint Mathis. Close to half of the U.S. pool now plays abroad and the rest in MLS, but Arena has brought this mix together to create a competitive team with a solid chance at qualifying for a fourth consecutive World Cup.

SOCCER DIGEST caught up with Arena before the Hex and spoke with the U.S. coach about lessons learned from the semifinal round of qualifying and his expectations for the regional finals and beyond.

SOCCER DIGEST: How are you enjoying the job?

BRUCE ARENA: Overall, it's been fun. I don't think the work load is an issue. I think the unpredictability of the job constantly keeps you scrambling. It's awkward to try to put teams together; it's awkward trying to get a home field. There are a lot of constant issues that people on the outside don't realize go into putting a team on the field, playing a game, those type of things. Just [maintaining] an organization around the team that helps make it work [is important].

SD: Have there been any pleasant surprises on the job?

BA: The players have been a very pleasant surprise.

SD:. How so?

BA: Their attitude. Since the first day, they've been terrific.

SD: In hindsight, which games were key in the semifinal qualifying round?

BA: Getting a point in Guatemala was big. And getting a point against Costa Rica at home with an undermanned squad was big. That put us in a position to advance. Costa Rica walked off the field thinking,they had advanced at that point, and we just knew that having eight points after that game put us in a position to get three more in Barbados, bringing us to 11 and guaranteeing that we advance. I also realized that Guatemala was going to give Costa Rica a tough game, which they did.

The two draws in the group were good. You have to go through that group and expect that we would have lost a game. That wasn't shocking, the loss to Costa Rica. The circumstance perhaps was shocking, but to lose one on the road in qualifying isn't the end of the world. [A highly questionable handball was called against the United States in the game's closing minutes. Costa Rica converted the subsequent penalty kick and won, 2-1. --Ed.] Getting four points on the road was great.

SD: Do you still have one more game left in your suspension?

BA: It was for three games, but whether that will hold or not we don't yet know.

SD: Was it difficult not being on the sidelines?

BA: Yes and no. You still prepare the team the same way--you're just not on the sideline or in the locker room at half-time. But it's something we can manage. At this level, not very many coaches direct their teams during the game.

You have to also realize that the players don't hear 90% of what you're saying [during the game] anyway.

SD: You used a whole slew of players this year, with 18 different players scoring in 17 games.

BA: We actually used 31 players during qualifying, which is unheard of.

SD: What were the advantages and/or disadvantages of using so many players?

BA: You have to look at it from the terms of both qualification and friend-lies during the year. During the year, extra players are a plus. You want to get more players experienced at the international level. But at qualifying time, you'd like to get consistency. We had an unusual number of injuries, suspensions, and club issues that never allowed us to put our [best] on the field.

Would I want to use 30 players in the next 10 games? No, but you never know. The nice part was that we were able to do it. Costa Rica, basically, from what I could see, didn't change its lineup for the last five games. So it's remarkable that we were able to use so many players but still managed to get through the group.

SD: Were there any players who were a revelation?

BA: I'm not sure "revelation" is the right word, but there were some pleasant surprises. In no specific order, there was Meola in the end being able to help us. A year ago, his career was in question with injuries and everything else.

Certainly some of the young players were surprises. Guys such as Donovan, a player who's going to be in the mix even though he hasn't gotten on the field yet; Josh Wolff, even though he only played a little bit; and John O'Brien, in the little that he played.