THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512030212
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DOUG DOUGHTY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long : 125 lines
``Patriotic.'' That's the way U.S. Soccer executive Hank Steinbrecher described Bruce Arena on the day Arena was introduced as men's Olympic coach.
Many adjectives have been used and could be used to describe Arena: intelligent, witty, outspoken, opinionated, cocky, sarcastic and maybe a little smug. Or maybe more than a little smug. But patriotic?
``I'm not sure I've ever been called `patriotic' before,'' said Arena during a recent interview. ``I don't think many people are. Do I feel patriotic? Hmmm, I wouldn't say patriotic. `Honored' is more like it.''
Arena, 44, has been at Virginia for 18 years and has had one of the elite college soccer programs for more than a decade. He has won five Division I soccer titles, the last four in a row. Yet, in some respects, he has been treated like an overnight sensation.
Arena laughs at the suggestion that there was a time when he was considered a soccer outsider.
``Yeah, like maybe now,'' he said.
Arena was so eager to coach in the Olympics that, five years ago, he requested that his U.Va. contract contain a clause allowing him to take a leave of absence for such an opportunity. However, it wasn't the object of much speculation nationally.
``I think the nice thing about U.S. Soccer in the last year is that we're establishing Americans as players and Americans as coaches,'' Arena said. ``They've conceded that both are competent. It's a first, a first in the history of the game.
``In the end, it's your performance that tells the story, which results in recognition or acceptance. Maybe it takes a little longer for some people than others. In my case, it's been a long haul. There's always been a good ol' boy network in U.S. Soccer that no longer exists.''
Arena has become such an insider that Major League Soccer, which begins play this spring, feels it is essential that he serve as coach of the D.C. United franchise.
That would have been a no-brainer before Terry Holland returned to Virginia as athletic director this past summer. Arena has come close to leaving Charlottesville on several occasions.
``Some years ago, I actively pursued this Major League Soccer issue,'' Arena said. ``It was obvious it was going to happen. They said, `Are you interested?' I said, `Clearly.' There were other schools as well.''
Arena was not compensated as well as other U.Va. coaches who had accomplished far less and he believed that then-athletic director Jim Copeland dragged his feet, although it was during Copeland's tenure that the men's and women's programs moved into state-of-the-art Klockner Stadium.
Yet, even Klockner became a problem when the upkeep did not meet Arena's satisfaction.
``There's no sense in beating a dead horse,'' Arena said, ``but this place was ridiculous. Everything was a ------- headache. Camps were an issue. Salary was an issue. Things were done that were disrespectful more than anything. In some ways, it was a slap in the face.
``It was a miracle we had the success we had.'' Although published reports continue to link Arena with MLS, he doesn't talk as if he's about to leave. Holland's offer of a one-year sabbatical comes with no strings attached, which means Arena could try professional coaching for a spring and return to Charlottesville if he didn't like it.
Theirs is a special relationship, despite Arena's proclamation in the 1980s that he hoped U.Va. could become to men's college soccer what North Carolina had been to men's basketball.
``We had a good time with that,'' said Holland, the Cavaliers' basketball coach at the time. ``If Bruce lost or Carolina lost in basketball, we would make sure to bring it up. There was always that kind of banter back and forth. When it's his turn, he's ready to take his licks.''
Arena did not come to Virginia with the intention of becoming the world's greatest soccer coach. He was hired as an assistant lacrosse coach, the likely successor to Hall of Famer Jim Adams, and soccer was just part the bargain.
``The soccer program here was basically an intramural program,'' said Arena, who had coached lacrosse - but not soccer - at Cornell from 1977-78. ``But, lacrosse was such a regional sport. And, talk about a good-ol'-boy network! That one's a classic.
``Professionally, there was only so much you could do. Even if you won a national championship in lacrosse, I wasn't sure it would be that great an accomplishment.''
Virginia made the NCAA soccer tournament in Arena's second season, 1979, but the Cavaliers were beaten in the first round five times between 1979-86. Arena already had established a reputation as an outstanding recruiter, however, as evidenced by his signing of 1985 national player of the year John Harkes.
The Cavaliers frequently had as many Parade All-Americans as there were positions on the field. It is a tradition that continues today - this year's U.Va. team has 11 Parade choices - but Arena has shown little inclination to base playing time on press clippings.
``Let's face it: ``It's a lot easier for us to recruit than it's been in the past,'' Arena said, ``but, we have to be right on target. You can over-recruit a position. You can improperly assess what a player can bring to your team. You see it in all sports, teams making mistakes (in evaluation).''
Virginia was shut out in four straight NCAA tournament losses, 1984-87, but Arena refutes the charge that he has become more offensive in his thinking. The Cavaliers now have gone 57 games since they were last shut out, 1-0, by Duke in 1993.
``I think the change to Klockner (in 1992) made it more apparent that we're a . . . favorite and that's dangerous,'' said Arena, whose teams previously had played on the artificial surface of Scott Stadium, U.Va.'s football field. ``(There were) some years in there when we never lost on the road.''
Until this year, however, the Cavaliers have not gone undefeated. They lost two of the top three scorers and All-ACC defender Clint Peay from last year's team, but have gone 20-0-2 with a starting lineup that currently includes three freshmen and four sophomores.
``I think this team, when healthy, is very skillful,'' said Arena, whose team entertains 15th-ranked Brown (16-3) today at 2 p.m. for the opportunity to play in the final four next weekend in Richmond. ``It's an exciting team. It's a confident team. Yet, it's an inexperienced team.''
In the past, Arena has used midseason losses or lackluster play to give his team a sense of perspective. That hasn't been the case this year.
``I don't think we've ever discussed our record, our unbeaten streak, our ranking,'' Arena said. ``Our guys do know they're No. 1, (but) you don't ever want to coach to lose. We've had enough adversity ... injuries, tough games.''
Arena realizes that anything short of a national championship will bring out the critics, but he's comfortable now with his place at U.Va. and in the soccer community. Life's like that for patriots. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
``It's been a long haul,'' says U.Va.'s Bruce Arena of his soccer
program's climb to prominence.
by CNB