Gold Cup: Is Victory Even Possible for Bruce Arena?
For USMNT Manager Bruce Arena the Gold Cup Could Be an Important Test
The latest edition of CONCACAF’s Gold Cup competition is underway in several venues across the US. It brings with it just over two weeks full of some of the world’s best soccer players trying to make their mark in international play. It is also something of a first test for USMNT’s “new” manager, Bruce Arena, and perhaps a final exam for Mexico’s Juan Carlos Osorio.
Arena (Re-)Making the Grade
The 65-year-old Arena just returned to lead the US men’s team six months ago. His last term in that position ran from 1998 to 2006.
To some degree, starting with this month’s Gold Cup, the USA’s head coach may be faced with the reality that there is nothing he can do in his new-old post other than tarnish his own legacy.
He is arguably the most successful head man the US team has ever had. In his last tenure leading the team, he oversaw the transition of the USA from international competition absentee to World Cup speed-bump to now being a perennial threat. The next step in that progression could come as early as next June in Russia.
One Cup at a Time
But regardless of whether Arena manages to get his charges to Russia next June for the 2018 World Cup finals, this month’s Gold Cup is the first real test of his new administration. The US always at least co-hosts the Gold Cup. And as home team nearly always carries the pressure of being a favorite. In his previous tenure Arena won 2 of the 4 Gold Cups in which he coached the USA.
This one is different. For Arena it is so partly because of the failure of his predecessors. Bob Bradley won the Gold Cup just once in three attempts.
Jurgen Klinsmann led the USA to one Gold Cup on two tries. The former German World Cup winner has had some successes as a coach since retiring from the field of play. The last Gold Cup competition was certainly not amongst those.
The Klinsmann-led USMNT lost two matches in a row to bow out very ungracefully from the medalists’ podium in 2015. Many saw that as the beginning of the German legend’s end as US manager.
Bruce, 2.0
Arena boldly accepted the reins of the USA in the wake of Klinsmann’s firing in late 2016. Even then there were barely 12 months to go in World Cup qualifying and the team were 0-2 in the CONCACAF Hexagonal. Since then he’s fashioned two wins and two draws. But the USA are not out of the woods yet. It remains for the fall to see if Arena has been able to completely turn the ship towards St. Petersburg.
Before that he faces his first real hurdle at this month’s Gold Cup. While the USA’s World Cup qualifying squad retains Klinsmann’s influence, the Gold Cup squad is much more in Arena’s control.
Can he return a team of his own making once more to the heights which he previously led them to? One of the biggest challenges in the competition will be regional rivals Mexico.
Osorio Banned
Together Mexico and the USA have won all of the Gold Cups since the tournament was established in 1991. Mexico leads with 7 titles to USA’s 5. The lone exception was Canada’s single title won in year 2000. Coincidentally Bruce Arena’s first Gold Cup as US coach.
But Mexico may be even extra motivated this time around.
Their current coach Juan Carlos Osorio was suspended by FIFA the day before the Gold Cup began. The term of that suspension will see the fiery Colombian effectively banned for the term of the Gold Cup.
Osorio led the likely World Cup qualifying Mexican team to a draw with European champs, Portugal, at last month’s Confederations Cup. But was unable to back that up in the knockout stage. Mexico subsequently fell to eventual winners Germany. And they fell hard.
It is of course still up in the air whether the coach’s suspension will act as extra motivation for his players in the Gold Cup. If so, it could be all the more tough on Arena and team USA.
Either way, for both Juan Carlos Osorio and Bruce Arena July is going to be a very long month. In fact, it may end up feeling a lot like four years.