Red Bull New York coach Bruce Arena sat down with the New York Times to discuss his new job and the state of Major League Soccer. The former U.S. national team coach expressed certain frustrations with the team he inherited as well as hope for the future. Asked whether the last 10 years have been “lost years” for the team formerly known as the MetroStars, Arena answered, “It’s 10 years with a poor vision and understanding how to do things. But I think there needs to be a vision of how to make it successful on the field. Not just the organization, it’s the league as well.” From a business standpoint, it’s no secret MLS is trying to woo the likes of Ronaldo and Beckham, world-class players in the twilight of their careers, to ramp up domestic interest in the league. Arena admitted that that isn’t necessarily a bad idea, “but we also just need better players and to work real hard to find better players that fit into our budgets,” he said. That means getting players from places other than Europe: South and Central America, Asia and Africa. One of the weaknesses of the entire U.S. soccer system, he says, is that not enough people in decision-making positions “know what a player looks like and smells like.” There’s talent out there that isn’t being nurtured properly, Arena says, because “not enough people understand the technical side.” Regarding the U.S. team’s poor performance at the World Cup this year, he said “Anybody that would actually say that the United States went backward in this last World Cup has no idea what they’re talking about,” adding, “We finished like we should have finished. It’s probably an accurate representation of where we are in the world.”