The official Team USA weblog from Germany

[AreliusIV]

The official Team USA weblog from Germany

[AreliusIV]

Chemistry, environment influence Arena's soccer decisions

Chemistry, environment influence Arena's soccer decisions

BY STEVE DAVIS
The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS - Ask Bruce Arena about tactics. Go ahead.

Quiz the highly successful U.S. soccer manager on the complexities of the flat-4 defense, if you dare, or the subtle differences between attacking midfielders and withdrawn forwards.

Arena's weary retort will surely include a dismissive roll of the eyes, accompanied by an exasperated sigh. If he's in a foul mood, Arena may finish the job with a stinging volley of Brooklyn-bred sarcasm.

Arena, by far the most successful U.S. soccer boss yet, has little patience for tactics talk. (He can scarcely hide his annoyance with media types who seem consumed by it.)

In Arena's world, winning is about players. It's about managing the athletes. About assigning roles within comfort zones.

It's about stirring the chemistry soup just so, to get the best collectively and to squeeze the most of each athlete individually.

"He knows how to get that little extra bit inside of players that other coaches can't get out of them," veteran defender Eddie Pope says.

In Arena's world, the word "coach" hardly exists. The former college lacrosse and soccer player now prefers being described as U.S. Soccer "manager," not "coach."

Furthermore, managing soccer is no different from any other sport. So says the man who, as soccer coach at Virginia, once regularly eavesdropped on pregame and halftime conversations in the adjoining room, which happened to be Virginia's locker room for visiting ACC basketball coaches.

Arena was educating himself on their organizational and preparation methods. Those are lessons that Arena, 54, is still drawing upon as his 23-man roster, which arrived at its base in Hamburg on Friday, prepares for its three World Cup first-round matches.

The players believe

Arena inherited a program in shambles in October 1998. A 32nd-place finish at the 1998 World Cup, dead last, got previous manager Steve Sampson let go, essentially, before landing back in the States.

Arena already had two Major League Soccer titles by then. The first two, in fact, in 1996 and 1997.

In his new position, he guided the United States through 2002 World Cup qualifying, which led to that celebrated quarterfinal run in Asia.

Every tactical choice, every personnel decision seemed to fall spectacularly into place at that World Cup.

Of course, personnel formulas and program management are nothing without honest belief. Arena's teams excel here, too.

His calm self-assurance - some say ****iness - is legendary. Apparently it's contagious.

"He makes us believe we can win against any team," said Frankie Hejduk, who was picked for the World Cup but is injured. "You have this little indestructible feeling and once you have that, you play better and you're not afraid of any opponent."

Qualifying for Germany 2006 was surprisingly trouble-free; the Americans secured their spot among the 32-team field with three games to go.

Now, however, the road to Berlin is daunting. FIFA's World Cup draw was merciless, gut-punching the United States with a grouping alongside two sophisticated European teams, the Czech Republic and Italy, and one African team with a wealth of talent, Ghana.

Oddsmakers put the U.S. chances of advancing into the Round of 16 at roughly 2-1. And yet, U.S. players brim with confidence.

Almost to a man, they credit their manager for assembling a balanced, talented bunch - and the words "tactician" rarely comes up.

"He listens," team captain Claudio Reyna said. "He's a good communicator as far as speaking to players, what's good, what's bad. Not only about the soccer stuff, but off the field, too."

And what about that famous sarcasm?

"Yeah, that takes time," Reyna says with a snort. "Some guys don't know when he's joking."

Communications

The players appreciate how their boss keeps them in the loop - contrary to foreign influenced, old-school ways. Traditionally, managers pick the team, assign spots and draw up the big picture. Information is often parceled to the players on a need-to-know basis.

That's not Arena's way. He is successful because he recognizes the American athlete requires a little more. He has studied successful coaches in various U.S. sports, once even singling out Cowboys coach Bill Parcells.

"The value an American soccer coach gains, in the United States, you have an opportunity to witness a variety of sports, and top level coaching in those sports," he said. "In Europe, soccer coaches learn from soccer coaches."

Pope is about to play in his third World Cup. He says Arena, by astutely assessing individuals and then mashing the right motivational buttons, can dig out that little bit extra.

Hang around the national team, Pope says, and you'll regularly hear things like, "That's the best this player has ever looked.

"He makes sure the environment is right," Pope said. "Then he gives little reminders. Little pieces of information. For him, it's about creating an environment where it's almost hard not to do well."

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BRUCE ARENA

Born: Sept. 21, 1951, Brooklyn, N.Y.

College: Cornell

Bonus fact: A serious movement was afoot to hire a big name foreign coach after the France `98 fiasco. But then-U.S. Soccer president Bob Contiguglia championed Arena. Says captain Claudio Reyna: "If you bring in some random foreigner who wouldn't understand our young kids, the different culture, it wouldn't be good for the team."