In the second part of Goal.com’s interview with Bruce Arena, the former Red Bulls and U.S. national team coach says he “giggles” when the media talks about whoever the “hot” managers are in world soccer. Like the NBA, Arena says that having a successful soccer team is more about having quality players than good tactics. Arena suggests, for example, that bringing an international coach into the fold wouldn’t change very much for the national team.
“I would let any coach in the world come over here and coach the U.S. team, but then people will have expectations that they are going to win a World Cup,” he said “It’s ridiculous…You don’t see any real Rocky stories in soccer, where a team comes out of nowhere with blue-collar guys to go on and win championships and cups.”
So what does that say about the Americans’ performance under Arena in the last two World Cups? Arena reflects on 2006, where the U.S. finished last in Group E, the group described by many as the Group of Death. He admits the 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic was a bad performance, but is quick to add that the following game against eventual champion Italy “was probably one of the greatest games ever played by a U.S. National Team.” Against Ghana, “we got screwed,” he says, adding that both he and the U.S. team were judged unfairly in the end.