Bruce Arena resigns as U.S. men's soccer coach after team fails to qualify for World Cup
NEW YORK -- The coach of the U.S. men's soccer team has resigned after the team failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in more than 30 years.
Bruce Arena released a statement Friday saying he was stepping down from the post, which he has held for just under a year, CBS Sports reports.
"It is the greatest privilege for any coach to manage their country's National Team, and as I leave that role today, I am honored and grateful to have had that opportunity twice in my career," Arena said.
The U.S. men's team (USMNT) lost on Tuesday at Trinidad and Tobago and finished fifth in its group. The last time the U.S. men's team failed to make the World Cup was in 1986.
Arena took over the team late last year and helped get the team's World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with impressive results, including a 1-1 draw against Mexico and important wins against Honduras, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago at home. But losses at home to Costa Rica and ultimately at Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday did the team in.
Arena's 66.55 winning percentage is the best all-time in U.S. Soccer for a manager that has coached more five matches. Arena coached 148 of them, leading the U.S. to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2002 during his first stint as USMNT boss.
