What you want from a coach (R)

[Jumbo]

-The ability to rally players to respond from a bad loss with energy, focus, effort and resolve, since at some point or another, you're going to have a bad loss.

-A guy who adjusts to his opponent, rather than making knee-jerk reactions based on one game.

-A guy who, when his team meets adversity in a given game (falling down a goal, poor officiating), keeps his team composed.

So, let's see. The U.S. comes out fired up, displaying completely different body language than the last games. Tactically, the U.S. shuts down the midfield, and Italy struggles to adjust. An Italian flop leads to a goal of a set piece, but the U.S. doesn't panic and puts itself in position for a little luck of its own, to tie the score. And then, just when it looks like we'll be playing the second half in a tie game up a man (and with Arena, I'm sure, ready to dispatch a couple of offensive-minded subs into the game), Mastroeni gets tossed for no reason. Then the U.S. loses Pope early in the second. And yet playing with nine guys, no one gives up. The players rally together, hold off one of the top teams in the world, and survive.

That, friends, is why Bruce Arena has been, is, and should continue to be the coach of the USMNT. He knows his players better than we do. Period. I couldn't be more proud of the team's effort today. And since Bruce took all the hits for the team's lackluster performance against the Czechs, I hope you'll all be lining up to shake his hand after what you saw today.

[WorldGame]

A thought: couldn't we have had fresh legs up top in Eddie Johnson, subbed in for McBride at the hour? ONLY for freshness purposes; a strategic move, with nothing negative implied about BMac's performance, who did just fine today, I thought.

Or: would that have been too much of a roll of the dice, and put as at risk of throwing away the point we ended up getting?

[USvsIRELAND]

I'm not sure about Bruce.

Why put in Beasley and not EJ?

Why not use your third sub?
JOB for Reyna or EJ for McBride?

[WorldGame]

I'm not sure about Bruce.

Why put in Beasley and not EJ?

Why not use your third sub?
JOB for Reyna or EJ for McBride?

You must have been in our living room. We were shouting exactly that for an hour.

[Dirt McGirt]

I'm not sure about Bruce.

Why put in Beasley and not EJ?

Why not use your third sub?
JOB for Reyna or EJ for McBride?EJ should've come on at the 70 min mark. Beasley was a good sub maybe O'Brien.

[Dynamo Kev]

I want a coach to use all his subs..

[Eleven Bravo]

Bease was a good sub even though he didn't have the best game, but why didn't Johnson come in? why would you save a sub if you've been playing a couple men down for a whole entire half? I would have preferred to see Johnson in around the 80th minute so we could have played the long ball and just have him run onto it. McBride had a good game though.

[littlerockant]

I agree....bruce should've brought in ej for the fresh legs and speed...I've come to the conclusion that he's an idiot

[kal-el]

Another thing you want: someone who can produce results against top teams.

The Bruce's record in World Cups against seeded team: 2-1-1. Goals for/aginst: 6/4

2002
Stunning victory over Portugal
Convincing victory over Mexico
One-goal loss vs. Germany in which neutral observers said we outplayed with them

2006
Tie with our backs against the wall vs. Italy

I conceded we've stumbled against lower-quality teams, but can we stop acting like this guy is a complete loser?

[beergod]

a coach who is less cautious, arena's teams haven't fared well against better teams and our performance in the preliminary round of qualifying looked very poor due to arena's tactics

i don't think we are at our best when we are willing to settle for a draw or come in to the game with negative tactics

also, a coach who can make adjustments during the game

basically someone like karel bruckner, who is a genius in my opinion

[nagol]

I don't think he's a total loser. His PRE Game preperations were fabulous today. But his gametime decisions were highly suspect today.

What is sad in my opinion is that he's a coach who doesnt go for the jugular ever. Italy was awful today, and I think we could have gotten a win if he had made the McHead for GAM switch. (a switch that doesnt hurt us at all defensively) Its the World Cup, why not put it all on the line?

[ebbro]

I agree....bruce should've brought in ej for the fresh legs and speed...I've come to the conclusion that he's an idiot

I wanted EJ to come in somewhat, but the most important thing was to make sure we got a draw. McBride does more defensive work and can hold the ball up better and, obviously, has the experience - I think that's what Bruce's logic was there.

I liked the Beasely sub as well - for the defense and offense, but why didn't he attack when he had the opportunity (around min 80) at the 18 yard box?

[nagol]

I wanted EJ to come in somewhat, but the most important thing was to make sure we got a draw. McBride does more defensive work and can hold the ball up better and, obviously, has the experience - I think that's what Bruce's logic was there.

I liked the Beasely sub as well - for the defense and offense, but why didn't he attack when he had the opportunity (around min 80) at the 18 yard box?

With that logic though, you could have put Ching in the game and gotten the same out of him as you'd get from McHead especially with fresh legs.

[jameseyla]

Johnson didn't come in, because Bruce wanted us to keep possession. GAM, like Beasley, has the touch of a rapist. We were better with BMcB

[Dirty_South_Futbol]

I cannot believe some of the ridiculous accusations of Arena!
Hindsight is always 20-20.

Look, I was waiting for Johnson, too, but not getting subbed was a bad move, but not inexcusable. We need that sub in case of injury.

we have come so far with Bruce, and to say you hate him, or he needs to be fired immediately is a joke.

He obviously did a great job of scouting Italy (his job), and he got the players to bounce back and out-play the Italians.

Whats really funny is, had the ref not been payed off, I believe we would have won the match, and then you all would be praising Arena. There would be threads calling Bruce a genius.

Get off his back, and focus on Ghana.

[Jumbo]

Again, for all of those people questioning why he didn't use his final substitution, it's a simple risk/reward situation. The risk of using the last sub was that if any player subsequently was injured, we would've been left in a 10 vs. 8 situation, and good luck avoiding a goal at that point. That far outweighed any potential reward -- i.e. one pair of fresh legs potentially defending better than a tired player or maybe breaking away on some fluke, one-in-a million run for the winning goal. By the time our guys were exhausted late in the second half, we had to play for the draw. Period. And you can play for the draw with nine tired guys bunkering in just as well as you can with eight tired guys and one fresh player bunkering in.

[Say What?]

I don't think he's a total loser. His PRE Game preperations were fabulous today. But his gametime decisions were highly suspect today.



As they always are.

WHich is why he is a limited coach and it's time to find a coach who knows all of the game. Not parts.

[Owen Gohl]

Some of the negativity toward Bruce is amazing.

We just tied one of the top teams in the world with only 9 men. Arena could have done some things differently, especially pulling Pope at halftime, but overall he did a great job. Against most expectations we are still in this and he deserves some of the credit.

[Jumbo]

a coach who is less cautious, arena's teams haven't fared well against better teams and our performance in the preliminary round of qualifying looked very poor due to arena's tactics

i don't think we are at our best when we are willing to settle for a draw or come in to the game with negative tactics

also, a coach who can make adjustments during the game

basically someone like karel bruckner, who is a genius in my opinion

Which game were you watching? We weren't willing to settle for the draw. We kept attacking after we tied it at 1-1. We kept attacking after Mastroeni got thrown out for no reason. And we even counter-attacked for a while down 10-9, and were damn close to a goal (Beasley). But, at some point, when your team is exhausted and you are playing a world power and a point keeps you alive in the tournament, it makes sense to play for a draw. That's called "adjusting your tactics" -- you know, the stuff you seem to like in a coach.

[Say What?]

Some of the negativity toward Bruce is amazing.

We just tied one of the top teams in the world with only 9 men. Arena could have done some things differently, especially pulling Pope at halftime, but overall he did a great job. Against most expectations we are still in this and he deserves some of the credit.

What's amazing is that you say this.

Against C'Crap he has gotten away with it.

At the top level, BA is not up to snuff tactically (in game/subs/adjustments).
Never has been.

School boy error stuff. If you don't understand that then you deserve Euro snob scorn when it comes around.

My Italian neighbours, who watch the US, were ecstatic he didn't sub when Italy was dead man walking, and predicted Pope's dismissal before minute 60.

Not hard to see. Really. It isn't.

People wouldn't be s p hard if limited people woulddefens so blindly something that 99% of the soccer world wouldn't defend.

Any country. Naive.