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Arena's contract runs through December, but a search for his replacement will begin immediately, said U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati. One logical candidate is Jurgen Klinsmann, who coached Germany to the semifinals and lives in Southern California near the U.S. training base in Carson, Calif. "I'm sure I'll talk to Jurgen," Gulati said.
Other possible replacements include Arena's assistant, Glenn "Mooch" Myernick, Sigi Schmid of the Columbus Crew, Dave Sarachan of the Chicago Fire and Bob Bradley of Chivas USA.
Arena coached the U.S. team since 1998, the longest tenure of any of the 32 World Cup coaches, and won twice as many games (71) as any coach in U.S. history. He led the 2002 team to an improbable quarterfinal World Cup run, but the 2006 team fell short of expectations, exiting in the first round without a victory. It lost to Czech Republic and Ghana, and tied eventual champion Italy.
"Bruce Arena didn't become a bad coach in the games -- it has much more to do with eight years and us looking for a fresh approach," said Gulati, who met with Arena for five hours in New York on Thursday. "He has given us credibility worldwide. He certainly left the program a lot better than when he found it."
Arena, reached Friday afternoon at his home in Virginia, said he had a feeling even before the meeting that Gulati wanted to go in a different direction.
"Eight years is a long time and we all get sick of each other," Arena said. "For me to continue, they'd have to want me, and I'd have to feel U.S. Soccer was doing things I think need to be done to move forward, and I don't think we see eye to eye on the technical side."
Arena said he hopes the decision was not based solely on the team's performance in Germany.
"If the decision was made on the World Cup, that's pretty foolish," he said. "If it was because it was time for a change, for a fresh look, a new perspective, I can live with that."
He urged U.S. Soccer to retain Myernick, "who has more experience than everyone in Chicago federation headquarters. I think experience is lacking in U.S. Soccer overall."
In searching for a successor, Gulati said an American passport or residency is not a prerequisite, but the United States offers unique challenges and he would prefer a coach who understands Major League Soccer, the NCAA, the American youth soccer system and geographic hurdles that face the U.S. national coach.
"Does Jurgen Klinsmann fit these criteria, he probably does, and he is a very interesting candidate," Gulati said. "He lives in America and has expressed a desire to stay here. He has played at a very high level, had success as a World Cup coach, has a much better handle on American soccer than other foreign coaches might, and most important, he is very inquisitive. He has attended many of our coaches conventions, asks a lot of questions, quizzed [North Carolina women's coach] Anson Dorrance about how he motivates players -- he's intelligent, multilingual, and has a lot of very positive qualities. I'm sure I'll talk to Jurgen."
Klinsmann stepped down as Germany coach on Tuesday, citing burnout. He said he wanted to take a few months off and return to California with his American wife and two children. Asked specifically about the possibility of coaching the U.S. team, Klinsmann said there was "no interest and no contact."
Arena, meanwhile, is a candidate to coach Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls and said he'll be "doing great" once he chooses a new challenge. He had been offered "a nice opportunity in Europe" before the World Cup, but contractual obligations forced him to decline.
"I've had a blast, and I'm not looking back," he said. "I'm looking forward. I feel good about what I've done, and am kind of excited about the future. I think U.S. Soccer is better off now than when I started, and I'm proud of that. I'll be watching with interest the next few years and hope to see the U.S. in the 2010 World Cup final."
