Outspoken, honest, game changing--ultimate soccer insider and legendary
coach Bruce Arena looks back on an extraordinary career, and forward to
what the United States needs to do to compete successfully on the world
stage once again.
"Arena depicts the human side of managing elite athletes.... [US
soccer] fans will definitely want to pick this up."--Publishers
Weekly
At around 8:37 p.m. EST on October 10, 2017, an unheralded Trinidadian
right back, Alvin Jones, received possession of the football in a World
Cup qualifier against the United States. Looking up, he took one touch
and unleashed an extraordinary shot toward the American goal. No one in
the stadium--least of all US coach Bruce Arena, standing ten yards away
on the touchline--thought the ball would hit the back of the net. But
hit the back of the net it did. And so, on that fateful muggy night at
Ato Boldon Stadium, in Trinidad, Alvin Jones doomed the United States to
miss the World Cup for the first time in thirty-two years. Cue
hand-wringing and moans of pain from the legions of US Men's National
Team fans. With that ultimate 2-1 defeat and ouster from the World Cup,
American soccer realized it had to take a long, hard look at itself.
In What's Wrong with US?, Bruce Arena begins that painful but
much-needed process. Arena has won everything there is to win in sports,
including college championships and Major League Soccer triumphs--he has
even excelled as a coach of lacrosse, his first passion. His 2002 World
Cup soccer team came a non-called handball away from the semifinals;
and, having worked with the likes of David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and
Christian Pulisic, he has had a storied life as a coach. Now, though,
it's time to take stock and have an honest discussion about what's wrong
with soccer in the United States. Arena casts his eye on recruiting,
coaching, the structure of Major League Soccer, the integration of
overseas players, and the role of money in the modern game. He looks
back at the 2018 qualifying campaign, reveals what went wrong, and looks
forward to a new way of soccer in America.
