A day after Jürgen Klinnsman's departure, Bruce Arena is confirmed as head coach of the US Men's National Team in a statement from US Soccer President Sunil Gulati on Tuesday. Taking over from Klinnsman, Arena returns as head coach of the team a decade after he was fired from the same position. For Arena, this is his second time to be at the helm.
Bruce Arena is widely considered as the most successful coach in the history of the US Men's National Team. He managed the team from 1998 - 2006, leading the team to the quarter-finals at the 2002 World Cup, which is the best position of the US Men's National Team so far since the tournament began in 1930, as per Reuters.
"I don't view it as Bruce II but Bruce 2.0," said Gulati during the press conference in announcing Arena's return as head coach of the US Men's National Team. "I think he has far more experience than he did with the national team the first go around and has proven and reproved many times at all levels of the game in the United States that he is an extraordinarily capable and successful coach.
As the head coach, Arena is expected to handle the long journey ahead for the US Men's National Team in the bid to qualify for World Cup 2018. Klinnsman's dismissal came after the US suffered a 4-0 loss against Costa Rica, which happened just right after the team's previous loss against Mexico, per Reuters. The US team is currently last in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying run, as per Reuters.
Arena's first day on the job will officially begin on December 1. With Arena's experience and record, the US Soccer Federation expects a turnaround when the US Men's National Team resumes its World Cup qualifying in March, as per Associated Press.
