Having had a little time to digest his team's World Cup achievements, U.S. coach Bruce Arena looks back at his historic month in South Korea.
SOCCER AMERICA: For those of us who weren't there, can you give us an overall sense of what is was like?
BRUCE ARENA: Well, I don't think it was very different from what I expected; the quality of the games, the excitement around the games. I think the only thing that was a little unique in our case was being in a group with Korea, so there was a lot of attention around our team, especially for the first two games. Security was exceptional. Facilities – everything right across the board was outstanding.
SA: Can you talk about the team's performance, now that you've had some time to reflect and watch the games again?
BA: This time around I haven't looked at any of the games [on tape]. I'm not concerned by it because it's a clean slate for the future of the program. It doesn't really matter what happened before. Obviously, though, you have mental notes on things. The performances were good. I can't complain about the players' efforts. I think they did a fantastic job. There are a lot of plusses in a lot of areas, but again, it's something that's now history. It's time to move forward.
SA: Do you feel like Jeff Agoos was treated fairly by the media?
BA: The nice part is he probably doesn't know what anybody had to say or write.
SA: How did you feel he did?
BA: For large periods of games he played well, but he was certainly involved in a bunch of plays that cost us goals, which is never good for a defender.
SA: Did you actually tell Tony Sanneh at some point during the past three years to save his ''A'' game for the World Cup?
BA: No, everybody knows you have to play your best at the World Cup. That's what players are supposed to do. Tony's a good player.
SA: Can you talk a little bit about Claudio Reyna?
BA: Well, he started off slowly with the injury he suffered about a week before the opening game. … When he got to games four and five, he was in form and played pretty well. I think he leaves this World Cup feeling good about his accomplishments. I think it was important for him to step up on that stage, and he did.
SA: What's the significance of making the quarterfinals?
BA: I simply think the significance is that it can be done. Hopefully, it can be done again at some point, and hopefully, it can even be done better. But it starts all over again, a new four-year cycle. … The fact that a national team at a World Cup did some good things, that brings confidence to the program.
SA: Any anecdotes from your experience in Korea that you could share?
BA: So you want stories – I'm trying to think. Every day was a good story with our team. We enjoyed the World Cup to its fullest … even the guys that probably were disappointed in not getting as much time – they did well. The whole setting beforehand was important for that. It was a smooth ride for seven weeks. It's not a sexy story to tell you, but it's just the fact that it was done right with the right frame of mind. And U.S. Soccer did its job behind the scenes, which is so critical to the success of the team. So everything fell together.
SA: With all that happened with other teams, you had to be happy with that smoothness.
BA: We always had the potential to have something go wrong. For example, in the goal, there was the issue with [Brad] Friedel and [Kasey] Keller. I'll be honest with you: Keller probably should have played in this World Cup, but that's a decision I made and he hung in there like a real professional. In the end, I think it benefited our team. These guys [David Regis, Tony Meola, Steve Cherundolo and Joe-Max Moore] were equally as important to our team as Claudio was.
SA: What about your future – what's next?
BA: I go to the gym in about an hour.
SA: The little more distant future?
BA: Anything's possible, but I really don't discuss my specific future publicly.
[Editor's note: Bruce Arena is under contract with U.S. Soccer through the end of 2002. U.S. Soccer Secretary General Dan Flynn says the Federation will be negotiating his contract renewal during the next 60 to 90 days.]
SA: Will the way the team performed influence your decision?
BA: No. I have the same options available to me now that I had before the cup. … I'm relaxing right now, and in upcoming weeks I can get into more specifics about my options.
SA: How did the media crush strike you when you got back to the States?
BA: It was a pleasant surprise. … Hopefully, it's something we can build on, but as usual in this sport, it starts all over again. We have editors and people in TV and print media that have a bias, and it doesn't change. Maybe it changes slightly because of the World Cup, but it continues to be an uphill battle.
SA: Anything else you'd like to add?
BA: Again, we weren't fully aware of the following in the States around the World Cup, but we heard it was tremendous, and we'd like to thank all the people out there for supporting us. Now we're hopeful that they can continue to support the sport after the World Cup, because that's our future. If people were excited about what they saw in this World Cup, if they want more of it down the road, they've got to support the sport year round, instead of just picking their spots. If they can do that, it's going to make a difference with television ratings, with sponsors, with attendance at games, and all of that adds up to factors that make your national team better.
by Soccer America Senior Editor Will Kuhns