News: Bruce Arena says MNT players should be 'Americans'

What a hypocrite.

Not only because of his long history of playing both foreign born and naturalized Americans when he coached the team, but because his team in the American league, has relied so heavily on the biggest of big name and big dollar foreigners.

Hey, Bruce, you want to actually contribute something to this Nat team? Coach up your player Gonzo so he stops ballwatching like a U12.

 

Jones was already integrated into the program prior to Klinsmann. As soon as the rules changed allowing the one time switch he was on board. And unless my memory is failing me he has said that he wants to move to the US towards the end of his career to play in MLS and stay on afterwards (which I assume isn't too far off).

 

I doubt that. In fact, we don't really take it nearly as far as some other countries.

I'm a little surprised this quote has sparked so much controversy. Has anyone bothered to read the entire article (apparently it's on ESPN and a subscription is required)?

Nothing in that quote even makes it clear he's referring to the German players. We don't even know what he was asked that sparked that reaction. WTF is everyone freaking out about?

 

Except the guy clearly knew what he was saying. After all, this is Bruce Arena, not Michelle Shocked.

 

He seemed really aware of the words he was choosing and the questions he was answering. Which makes me feel like his dual-nationals comment is even worse than it sounds.

 

You have a bunch of racist codgers wherever you are in the world. I'm not calling questioning how "American" someone is racist. I don't think it is within this context. It's a tenuous, nonsensical thing to do, but not racist. I'm sure we could find a crazy person that wants only pure Native Americans if we wanted to, but this is beside the point...

Arena was the former manager of our USMNT. His comments, therefore, come from a seat of authority regardless of whether we want to give him that merit. When he says things like this (yes I've read the entire article. This comment was mostly offhand.) it does nothing but create divides.

Who knows who he is referring to? Who knows if he's even referring to anyone at all? I don't care. Makes the comment even more confusing. Just poorly worded stuff.

 

Damn, perfect response.

 

But see, every other country can't. One reason it feels like we've flatlined (aside from overachieving in 94 due to home field and some fortunate results) is that there are lots of countries working very, very hard to get good too. As long as the Netherlands has Ajax-style academies and Spain has Barca-style academies, and the Germans hire guys like Klinsmann to revamp their national team system (oh no you didn't ... Lol!) and the Italians steal our best players and ...

People are freaking serious about soccer out there. While we are wasting our money on national defense they are spending theirs on national defenders. And many good national teams export their best players very early on. Hazard had to go to France to get better game - luckily it was close to Belgium!

And every country imports players now - Germany, Italy, Japan, England, you name it. It is not easy to become and stay a top 10 team.

 

JK pretends to be an idiot. An avalanche of third rate Germans will block national teams for future Rossi's, not help them to get on there.

 

Arena is such an idiot! The "I don't even know the players" comment, but yet have an opinion on them confirms the stupidity of this guy. If you want to develop players stop accepting foreign DPs so the younger guys can learn and have more minutes idiot.

 

Yes because national sport team players is so much more important...

 

I thought that was self-evident!

 

Like duh man













jk













sort of...

 

Yup, we spend our money on better national defense so they can spend their money on better national team players... America: taking one for the team since day 1.

'Murica!!!

 

If they're third rate what are our players?

 

But Preston got a lot more hate I think.

 

Hmm? I honestly think Arena feels talking to the press is 99% bullshit, so I don't think he puts much effort into measuring his words or statement.

 

The problem is that he didn't say it in that manner. He said it in a manner that left it to be interpreted in a xenophobic manner. Ultimately I understand the underlying context but, like another national team coach in Laurent Blanc, the subtext is a very sensitive issue. Especially for those of us who have family members who were born abroad yet consider themselves as AMERICAN as anyone else. Bruce should have been smart enough to word his objections in a more pointed manner. The fact that he chose not to do so is offensive. It wasn't because he couldn't have. It's that he doesn't care. Immigrants in this country take enough shit without poorly-thought-out comments like this.

Does he have a legit point buried in there? Yes. Did he fvck up in the manner that he said it, and unintentionally insult millions of Americans? Abso-fvcking-lutely!

 

All these posts, and not one Bruce Face?

 

Clearly that is not the Bruce Face that we all know. He's too happy there.

 

Most honest post i've seen on this thread.

 

So the idea is that Movsisyan's time in Europe compensated for the handicap of having spent his youth in the USA, and thus enabled him to become Armenia's top striker and the Russian league's current top goalscorer?

That might make sense, if not for the fact that all of his Armenian countrymen also had the opportunity to play in Europe. For example, I notice that one of the other forwards on the Armenian national team spent five years in the fabled Ajax system (before returning to the Armenian league, and later transferring to Ural Sverdlosk Oblast).