The age old debate about who should be the manager of the USMNT has entered familiar territory. In just over six months since he was appointed, Mauricio Pochettino has done some good things, and some not so good things. The most recent not good thing has launched 1000 takes including bemoaning that the players on the USMNT are not likable or trying hard or something. It was only a matter of time until the old standby of nationality waddled into the fray and it was brought to us by a reliable source of such insights.
Bruce Arena, who began playing soccer as a keeper after a career as a lacrosse player, has pointed out that Poch is not, in fact, from the United States of America. The former USMNT manager, who once took a team ranked 4th according to FIFA to a World Cup only to score two goals and be escorted out of the group as the 25th best team in the tournament, does not think this is a good thing.
He thinks this because Poch does not understand our culture as he told the befittingly named Unfiltered Podcast:
“And I think when you have coaches that don’t know our culture, our environment, our players, it’s hard. I’m sure our coach is a very good coach, but coaching international football is different than club football, it’s a completely different job.
And I think when you’re a national team coach, you need to know your environment, you need to know the animals you coach, and we’re lacking that. If you’re an American coaching the U.S. team, you know the culture, you know the pride and how important the national team is. I think when you bring in somebody from the outside, they don’t understand it, especially in our country, because we’re so different.”
Arena’s understanding of American culture is no doubt greater than that of the new manager’s. It’s so great that he used this knowledge to such great effect that the team missed the 2018 World Cup under his tutelage.
In the time since, Arena is now managing the San Jose Earthquakes having left the New England Revolution for reasons. Also in that time, an American manager brought the USMNT through the group in the 2022 World Cup and was then fired after losing to Panama.
Exactly what about having an understanding of the American culture is so critical for a USMNT manager was not expanded upon. Pride and the environment were mentioned, but beyond that the most important quality the current manager lacks is found on his birth certificate according to Arena.
Perhaps Poch should be wearing a cowboy hat telling the boys to go win it for apple pie and the Statue of Liberty. Maybe then American players like Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, Tyler Adams, Johnny Cardoso, Chris Richards, and Antonee Robinson will be able to win games. Unfortunately, those details are lacking and Arena didn’t explain what about his own understanding of American culture made him successful as USMNT manager in 2002 when he won two games at the World Cup.
There’s no doubt that managing a national team is difficult and finding the right mix of vibes, tactics, personnel, and leadership is needed for success. These are qualities that can be developed through a process of trial and error. The important thing is that the errors provide insight that leads to positive developments. Generally missing from that mix are dull and exhausting strawmen.
Arena is voicing an opinion and perhaps he’s achieved a status that makes him entitled to it having been an assistant lacrosse manager and soccer head coach for over five decades. American Manager Bruce Arena’s opinion is also nothing more than feckless noise while Pochettino is pushing the signal against loud tangents about the team. Perhaps if Arena really wants to move the issue forward he can file a lawsuit. In the meantime, whatever Poch’s understanding of the culture of the players that he manages, he won’t assessed as a failure or success because of his nationality. He’ll be assessed by the metric that American culture truly values: Scoreboard.
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