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Bruce Arena to Headline Collegiate Soccer
Banquet
Coach led the U.S. to its best finish in the World Cup
Bruce Arena, head coach
of the U.S. Men’s soccer team, will headline the Missouri Athletic Club’s
Hermann Trophy Dinner on Friday, Jan. 10, 2003. The award honors the top
 men’s and
women’s collegiate players in the country and is regarded as college soccer’s
version of the Heisman Trophy.
Coach Arena will discuss the strides U.S. soccer has made on the international
scene and the future of the sport in this country. While coach at the University
of Virginia, Arena attended previous M.A.C. banquets when his star player,
Claudio Reyna, won the award (1992 & 93).
During an 18-year career as head soccer coach at the
University of Virginia, Arena built the program into a perennial powerhouse,
winning five NCAA Division I championships while amassing a record of 295-58-32.
His winning percentage (.808) at UVa ranks among the best ever in collegiate
sports, surpassing even legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden (.804)
When he first took over as head coach of the U.S. Men’s
National Team at the end of 1998, Bruce Arena was repeatedly quoted saying that
the team’s only goal was to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan.
Mission accomplished.
Arena surpassed his initial goal and led the U.S. team to its’ best finish in
the World Cup in the modern era, guiding the squad to a quarter-final appearance
against Germany. With the success of the U.S. at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Arena
became the all-time winningest coach in U.S. Soccer history compiling an
impressive 33-18-14 record in 65 games. That record includes a 2-2-1 showing at
the World Cup, an 8-4-8 mark in qualifying and successful navigation of the
grueling 16-game CONCACAF qualifying schedule across 2000 and 2001.
Prior to the rigors of 2001 final round qualifying, the U.S. had arguably their
best year ever in 2000, compiling a stellar 9-2-6 record and outscoring their
opposition by a team-record 23 goals. The team also set a new American standard
for shutouts in a year with nine, and twice shutout arch-rival Mexico,
outscoring them 5-0 in two meetings.
Much as he did when he took over in October 1998, Arena
continues to utilize Major League Soccer players as well as the usual collection
of overseas American professionals to build his squad. With the continued
development of the USA’s top domestic league producing better players in greater
numbers every year, the 50-year-old Brooklyn native has shown a keen ability to
select the best players to suit each individual game.
The winners of the M.A.C.'s Hermann Trophy will be decided by a vote of current NSCAA members at
the NCAA Division I level. The winners will be announced
in early December. The Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy is on exhibition
at the National Soccer Hall of Fame Museum in Oneonta, NY.
Make reservations now for this celebration of American soccer and a special
M.A.C. event by calling 539- 4470.
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