Bruce Arena didnÆt have to search hard to find a compatible assistant coach. He picked Dave Sarachan, a fellow Cornell alum who worked with him at Virginia and D.C. United. By all accounts, theyÆre a perfect match.
As he embarks on his second year as U.S. assistant coach, Dave Sarachan once again ponders the dynamics ù and psychological burdens ù of working with Bruce Arena.
The affable Sarachan and the blunt Arena are stark contrasts. Yet the men themselves and the people they work with believe the partnership works because their personalities complement each other.
And, as Sarachan points out, heÆs been through it before.
ôPeople forget, this is the third time weÆve been together,ö says Sarachan, who worked as ArenaÆs No. 2 at the University of Virginia and with D.C. United. ôItÆs not like I didnÆt know what I was getting into.
ôWe go back a long way. We know each other so well. There are times I know Bruce wants to talk and hash out a lot of the issues with players, and we get into it.
ôAnd there are times when heÆs made decisions, he shows me the roster, I say it looks good, and thatÆs the end of it.ö
Their roles have been jumbled by a three-game suspension handed to Arena by FIFA, which reduced the penalty to two games in time for the Hexagonal opener Feb. 28 against Mexico.
Arena chose Sarachan with a clear delineation of responsibilities in mind. ôHeÆs comfortable in that role,ö said Arena. ôThere are some assistants who arenÆt comfortable being assistants. ThatÆs never been a problem with Dave.ö
In SarachanÆs two matches as ôhead coach,ö the U.S. tied Costa Rica, 0-0, and beat Barbados, 4-0.
FROM PLAYER TO COACH. In addition to his assistant stints at Virginia and D.C. United, Sarachan, 46, has nine years of head coaching experience at Cornell, his alma mater. He also played in the NASL and MISL and sees his role as a conduit between the head coach and the players.
ôIn my role, itÆs critical to be a sounding board on both ends,ö said Sarachan. ôThe players have that respect. They will bring things to me if they donÆt want to go to Bruce but know once they get to me they will get to Bruce.
ôSome guys arenÆt always easy to deal with or talk to, and Bruce relies on me. If I had to self-assess, IÆm an active listener.ö
He also holds a psychology degree from Cornell, which comes in handy.
On the field, Sarachan warms up the players and conducts the end of training sessions. ôHe usually starts the training and ends it with some kind of finishing,ö said Arena. ôI do the stuff in between.
ôDaveÆs not a real vocal figure on the field. He goes with the flow and gives input as he thinks is necessary. After he gets the team ready for me, I take over and he picks his spots.ö
Sarachan stays after practice to work with players individually and cites a pair of very different athletes, Eddie Pope and Eric Wynalda, as example.
ôAt D.C., there was a stretch of about a month where me and Eddie Pope would work on a series of technical things with the ball in certain situations,ö he said. ôWith the national team, I worked with Eric Wynalda for about 15 minutes and after we finished he said to me, æIÆd like you to do that more with me. I havenÆt gotten enough of that.Æ
ôPeople outside the inner circle look at pro soccer players and think, æWhat do they have to learn?Æ But just the opposite is true, IÆve found. TheyÆre very eager to train and do extra, and theyÆre open to new things.ö
Arena has given Sarachan the duty of studying CONCACAF opponents, and watching and breaking down videotape.
ôMy biggest concern with him right now is that he has a good understanding of CONCACAF,ö Arena said. ôHeÆs acquiring that after about a year.ö
DUELS. Sarachan enjoys competing with players. He nicked Eddie Lewis for $50 in a hit-the-crossbar event and during subsequent matchups lowered the ante to $5 each.
ôI think the tab is still running,ö said Sarachan. ôI have to remind him about that.ö
HeÆs not been as fortunate in soccer tennis duels with Jeff Agoos, who also faced Sarachan at D.C. United.
ôItÆs not really a rivalry, because to have a rivalry, one of the participants has to win at least some of the time,ö said Agoos. ôI think Dave has won once.ö
Once out of how many games? ôI think there have been thousands,ö said Agoos.
Still, Sarachan earns high marks for serving the players as well as the head coach.
ôI thought IÆd be in the starting 11 for the Guatemala game and wasnÆt, and didnÆt come in,ö said Agoos. ôDave told me why things were the way they were and made it understandable to me.
ôAs an assistant coach itÆs a fine line of being a friend and being a coach. Dave does a great job of staying right on that line. IÆve been around a lot of coaches but IÆve never seen anyone able to do it like Dave has.ö
MENTORS. Arena is one of several men who helped shape SarachanÆs coaching philosophy. He also cites his coach at Monroe Community College, Joe Mancarell; his coach at Cornell, Dan Wood; and Region I counterparts Bob Montgomery and Bob Bradley as well as Seton Hall coach Manny Schellscheidt.
ôManfred is clearly one of the guys that I gained a lot of insight into the game through, in terms of his simplicity and delicate way of talking about the game,ö he said. ôHe showed me constantly that itÆs an art, not a science.ö
While growing up in Rochester, Sarachan adored Carlos Metidieri, a Brazilian forward who played for the NASL Lancers. By watching Metidieri play, Sarachan would invent personal training regimens.
One exercise required him to dribble around and between a row of eight bushes in his yard: ôIÆd pretend I was Carlos Metidieri and compete against myself, trying to beat my time.
ôI got hooked on the game fairly young. In my mind, once my [playing] days were over there was a likelihood IÆd stay in the game as a coach.
ôI enjoy being around the sport and all that comes with it.ö
by Soccer America senior editor Ridge Mahoney