Patience needs to be an American virtue - Direct Kick - building a national soccer team

Soccer Digest, March, 2003 by Scott Plagenhoef

SOCCER ISN'T A NUMBERS game. In soccer, statistics can't be used to arrive at a fairly accurate measure of a player's worth. With coaches, it's another matter. Like in any sport, a soccer coach is ultimately judged by whether his team wins. And in few places are the demands for success as great as they are in international soccer, where--especially in Latin America--the route to top jobs is marked by a revolving door. In Mexico, Brazil, and elsewhere, one particularly embarrassing World Cup qualifying result usually results in a pink slip.

U.S. coach Bruce Arena doesn't suffer the same scrutiny or pressure as his peers do. With a disinterested mainstream media and only a small but loyal legion of die-hard soccer fans, the U.S. coach has few checks and balances. In the past, that was not necessarily a bad thing. But after the U.S.'s quarterfinals appearance in the 2002 World Cup, the bar has been raised. The small group of U.S. soccer aficionados and sponsors--who don't often understand that success in the World Cup isn't a linear process--may expect these results in all competitions.

They shouldn't--not because the U.S. isn't strong team, but because it needs to consider the longview.

Unlike their counterparts in the major UEFA and CONMEBOL nations, few American players compete in top European leagues. MLS is vastly improved, but unlike the top leagues in England, Italy, Spain, Germany, and other European nations, it doesn't come close to replicating the speed of play and thought needed in international games. As a result, Arena doesn't have the luxury of selecting a roster full of the most in-form players at a given point in time. He instead needs to create a pool of players and test them at the international level, preparing them for the pace and mental pressure of those games.

Also unlike European and South American nations, the U.S. doesn't compete in a major tournament on a biannual basis. Sure, the Gold Cup is demanding and prestigious within CONCACAF nations, but it's not a global event Only the World Cup and its qualifying demand Arena's absolute best players.

With this in mind, there is a need for patience from the national team staff and fans. At the moment, the U.S. national team is in transition. Sixteen of 23 men on the 2002 World Cup team were 28 or older, and many of them won't be around in 2006. The ones who won't be needn't be around in 2003, either. The temptation to bring in the old guard to get results must be avoided. This is a four-year cycle for Arena and the U.S., and a few tough losses in 2003 or 2004 are preferred if that means the roster will be more battle-tested and lean in the following two years.

Based on his November 2002 camp roster, Arena knows this. He must be allowed to experiment, even if it means short-term failure. After all, only the World Cup really matters for the U.S.