Bruce Arena resigns as US football team coach
Disappointing fans, the US failed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia next year.
In a statement, Arena said: "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."
"Obviously the biggest disappointment is for our fans. As a person involved in the sport for more than 40 years, to see how support for soccer in the United States has grown is incredibly gratifying. I believe I speak for everyone involved in the game in thanking all of you for your passion and commitment, and I hope you maintain your steadfast support of U.S. Soccer," he said.
The former coach said: "While this is a difficult time, I maintain a fierce belief that we are heading in the right direction. I believe in the American player and the American coach, and with our combined efforts the future remains bright. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I can say this from the bottom of my heart: from the high of reaching the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup to the low of a few days ago; I have appreciated every minute of being a part of this program."
The US men's team were defeated by Trinidad and Tobago 2-1 on Tuesday.
The defeat ended US dreams of playing the World Cup next year.
This will be the first time the side will not be playing the World Cup since 1986.
US Soccer President Sunil Gulati called the result of the match and the side's failure in reaching the main rounds of the four-year tournament as 'disappointing'.
He said in a statement: "Obviously, the end of the qualifying campaign on Tuesday was very disappointing to all of us. It’s a shock to the system and while we had some ups and downs throughout the process, we fully expected to qualify going into the game on Tuesday. Clearly, we didn’t do enough to win that game or tie the game, and results in other venues didn’t help. So that’s a big disappointment for me personally -- I’ve been involved with the program for a long time -- and for all of our fans. I take the responsibility for not getting the job done and getting to Russia."
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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