The writing was on the wall for Jurgen Klinsmann.
After losing the first two games of the CONCACAF Hex against Mexico and Costa Rica, no one expected the German tactician to remain as the USMNT head coach for the upcoming games on March. And that’s exactly what happened, as Klinsmann was fired by the U.S. Soccer following the poor results in recent months.
Klinsmann lost against Mexico at home, and was later thrashed by Costa Rica on away soil. Granted, those are two of the toughest teams on the CONCACAF region. But the USMNT should’ve done better. At the very least they should’ve escaped with a point. But more than the losses, the fact that the team looked so drastically overmatched certainly had an impact on the decision.
Fortunately for all the USMNT fans out there, it didn’t take long to find a replacement. The report came out on Monday that Bruce Arena was the most likely candidate to succeed Klinsmann. And while the official confirmation is still pending, hiring the current (or former, at this point) LA Galaxy head coach makes plenty of sense.
For one, he already knows what it means to be the USMNT head coach. Arena was with the team in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. He carried the team all the way to the Quarterfinals in Korea and Japan. And even though he couldn’t live up to the expectations in Germany four years later, the improvement was noticeable. He has the experience and the knowledge needed for the job.
Another thing that could work in Arena’s favor is his knowledge of the league and the American players. Unlike Klinsmann, who always had problems to figure out the best role for his players, Arena already knows them. He knows what to do with the talent at his disposal. And he’s seen practically every single player that has played in the USMNT in recent years already. He appears to be a massive tactical upgrade, especially in a time where the results are the most important thing for the team.
With Klinsmann, the USMNT rotated on several tactical systems but there was no clear preference for one. On the other hand, everybody will know how the USMNT will play under Arena: 4-3-1-2 of 4-4-2 seem like the most logical options, but he’s been using a 4-2-3-1 over the past few years with the Galaxy. It’s safe to say the latter seems like the most logical option given the players the USMNT has as its disposal.
Arena has the knowledge, the experience and the tactical ability to put the USMNT back in the map where it belongs. He’s the best option available, and right now he’s the best option to fix the team in the short term. After all, getting to the 2018 World Cup is the ultimate goal, and if anyone can do it, that’s Arena.