Bruce Arena has a call list rich with players on the rosters of top European clubs and thick-skinned veterans of matches in hostile Central American venues.
Heading into the 16-month, 18-match marathon that will decide whether the U.S. soccer team will go to a fifth consecutive World Cup, the head coach says he’s bringing more to the table this time too.
“There’s no training ground for being a national team coach,” Arena said. “Being a club coach, whether it’s at Real Madrid or D.C. United, there’s no experience you gain to prepare a team for World Cup qualifying. In the early going, the players were more prepared for what was going to happen than I was.
“The unexpected is expected, and I’m much more comfortable this time around understanding what’s going to be there. I expect every round to go to the last day because that’s what experience tells you.”
The brickbat-paved road begins Sunday in Columbus, Ohio, where the U.S. team meets the tiny Caribbean nation of Grenada (noon, ESPN2 and Telemundo) in the first round of qualifying. The two teams will play the back end of the series in St. George’s, Grenada on June 20.
Assuming Arena’s team runs through this early bit of red tape–“Even on a bad day, we should win the game,” he said–the six-match semifinal round is next on the agenda. The United States would open up against either Jamaica or Haiti in mid-August.
The semis end in November and the 10-game regional round robin extends from February through October of next year as teams vie for slots at Germany ’06.
Arena, 52, was hired shortly after the U.S. slouched to a last-place finish at the 1998 World Cup in France. Four years later, the former University of Virginia, Olympic and D.C. United coach guided the team to the World Cup quarterfinals in South Korea.
Qualifying in the CONCACAF region, which includes North and Central America and the Caribbean, looks easier on paper in this four-year cycle. The region gained an additional half-slot, so the top three countries will qualify and the fourth-place team will play off against an Asian team.
But in the last cycle, the United States started the semifinal round with a tie and a loss on the road and had to scramble back to win its group, then didn’t clinch a trip to Korea until the second-to-last game of the final round.
As usual, the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica are considered the region’s strongest teams. But on any given day, the crowds at any away match act as tens of thousands of 12th men.
“The influence of the fans in the stadium, the pressure on the referees and pressure on your players is very interesting,” said Arena, who landed a two-game suspension during the semifinal round in 2000 for criticizing the officiating after a match at Costa Rica.
“Four years ago, I probably put together a roster at the beginning of guys who weren’t ready for it. Players you have a lot of confidence in, you see them get in those environments and they lose everything.”
Arena said he will be extra discerning in his roster choices for away games, blending players with and without qualifying experience.
Even players who have weathered the intense atmosphere of English Premier League matches may be intimidated by the blast-furnace conditions of Guatemala City or San Salvador, Arena said.
New York/New Jersey MetroStars goalkeeper Jonny Walker, is getting a look this year because of his club experience in Chile even though Arena already has three stellar ‘keepers to choose from.
Arena said the goalkeeping situation will be his sternest challenge as he tries to sort through three top players with complicated personal relationships.
“If we survive this, I deserve a Ph.D. In psychology,” Arena said. “In fact, I should also be able to give medication.”
Longtime Premier League starters Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller have been jockeying for space in the U.S. net for more than 10 years, and 25-year-old Tim Howard recently was voted top ‘keeper in England.
“We could win with all three of them,” said Arena, who will not name a No. 1 goalkeeper for qualifying but will rotate and monitor each player’s form. Keller is slated to start Sunday. Friedel and Howard are not in camp.
“Our group knows team spirit takes priority,” Arena said. “Things are tough enough, but if we’re fighting internally, it’s going to make it even more difficult when we get on the field. We have to get that stuff right.”
