Arena brings much of his LA Galaxy staff to national team

By Associated Press 05 January 2017, 12:00AM

CHICAGO (AP) — Bruce Arena is bringing much of his LA Galaxy coaching staff with him to the U.S. national team and has hired former under-20 coach Thomas Rongen as his chief scout.

Dave Sarachan, Pat Noonan and Kenny Arena — Bruce's son — have been appointed as assistant coaches, the U.S. Soccer Federation said Wednesday. Matt Reis will be goalkeeping coach.

Arena, 65, coached the U.S. from 1998-2006, leading the Americans to the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals. He returned in November when Jurgen Klinsmann was fired after a 0-2 start in the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.

Qualifying resumes with a March 24 home game against Honduras, followed four days later with a match at Panama.

Sarachan, 62, was head coach of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire from 2003-07, winning U.S. Open Cup titles in 2003 and 2006, and was a national team assistant under Arena from 2000-02. Sarachan also was an assistant for Arena at the University of Virginia (1984-1988) and D.C. United (1998-1999) and was associate head coach of the Galaxy from 2008-16.

Noonan, 36, made 14 appearances for the U.S. and was a Galaxy assistant for the past four years, and Kenny Arena, 35, worked for his dad with the Galaxy for the past two seasons. Reis, 41, played twice for the national team and was a Galaxy assistant for the past two years.

Rongen, 60, was U.S. under-20 coach from 2001-04 and 2006-11. He coached Tampa Bay to the first MLS title in 1996, spent the next two seasons coaching New England and took over D.C. United for the 1999 season after Arena left for his first stint coaching the national team. Rongen led D.C. United to the 1999 MLS title.

He was American Samoa's coach in 2011 when it beat Tonga in a World Cup qualifier for its first international win after 30 consecutive losses over 17 years. He coached Tampa Bay in the second-division North American Soccer League in 2015.

By Associated Press 05 January 2017, 12:00AM
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