NOTEBOOK
Arena Draws Ire of MLS With Recent Comments
Associated Press
Wednesday, June 28, 2006; Page E08
Four years ago, U.S. Coach Bruce Arena lauded Major League Soccer as a reason for the Americans' run to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Now, some think he's trying to blame the 11-year-old league for a first-round exit from Germany 2006.
The U.S. went 0-2-1 at the World Cup, failing to advance to the second round. Arena's comments afterward rubbed some the wrong way -- although he did not specifically criticize MLS.
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"And the way for us to get our players to get better is: We do need to get more of our younger talented players in Europe," said Arena, who won two of the first three titles in MLS with D.C. United. "We need them in a year-round soccer environment. We need them playing in more intense games to help develop them mentally, as well as soccer-wise."
In a subsequent interview with ESPN on Monday, Arena, a member of the MLS strategic technical committee, said specifically he was not blaming the league. Others believe he was suggesting it was inadequate.
"I think it's ridiculous," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. "If I were him I'd take a deep breath and think about what I say before I criticize anyone in American soccer."
Eric Wynalda, a former national team player who played in Germany from 1992 to 1996 and spent six years in MLS, put the blame for the U.S. failures squarely on Arena.
"He can take a team to a certain level, but he has no idea where the next level is," said Wynalda, a commentator for ABC and ESPN. "How much does he know about playing in Europe, other than having a hot dog and a beer in the stands?"
About half of both the 2002 and 2006 teams comprised players in MLS. Chicago Fire Coach Dave Sarachan, for one, says counting foreign and domestic players may be beside the point.
"Maybe it's more simplistic, like we just didn't play well," said Sarachan, an assistant to Arena at the 2002 World Cup. "We fell flat in the tournament."
