USMNT boss Dave Sarachan visits Triangle
Posted March 1, 2018 7:06 a.m. EST
Updated July 13, 2018 3:20 p.m. EDT
The last time Dave Sarachan hosted a press conference at WakeMed Soccer Park was June 25, 2014. Sarachan was an assistant coach for the LA Galaxy, which had just lost to the Carolina RailHawks in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the third consecutive year. After the match, Galaxy manager Bruce Arena sent Sarachan in his stead to meet the media.
Yesterday, Sarachan returned to Cary, still very much filling in for Bruce Arena. After Arena resigned as manager of the U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team last October following the U.S.’s failure to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Sarachan, still Arena’s assistant, was named the national team’s interim head coach.
Sarachan came to the Triangle in advance of the USMNT’s March 27 friendly against Paraguay, which will be played at WakeMed Soccer Park. Sarachan still couldn't escape the ignominy of the Galaxy’s erstwhile woes, now memorialized on a banner hanging behind the west grandstands that’s emblazoned with former Galaxy great Landon Donovan’s quoted lament that he was “sick of losing to Carolina.”
“Every team has a bogey-team,” Sarachan said. “And the Carolina RailHawks were a tough foe for us.”
Sarachan’s visit began with taking in the UNC-Miami basketball game in Chapel Hill on Tuesday, accompanied by North Carolina FC owner Steve Malik and Tar Heels soccer coaches Anson Dorrance and Carlos Somoano. Wednesday started with a morning press conference at WakeMed Soccer Park, followed by an afternoon spent making local radio and television appearances, plus a visit to the NCFC Developmental Academy alongside U.S. U-14 Boys’ National Team manager Clint Peay. The day was capped with a fan Q&A session held at London Bridge Pub in downtown Raleigh, home of the Raleigh chapter of the American Outlaws supporters group.
Promotion of the March 27 friendly was not the preeminent purpose for Sarachan’s visit, with over 95 percent of tickets for the match already sold. A U.S. Soccer spokesperson said the hectic itinerary, admittedly unusual in its breadth and distance from next month’s friendly, was a “pilot” trial of a new approach to community engagement the federation would like to incorporate into their U.S.-based matches. Perhaps coincidentally, this pilot program was launched at the home venue of Malik, who is also a member of the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors.
“This area is really like a model [for soccer] for this country,” Sarachan extolled. “People like Steve Malik, we need a hundred Steve Maliks around this country in terms of what he’s put into this area and what he’s done for the sport in this area.”
While the roster for the March friendly has not been finalized, Sarachan said to expect a wider array of young, up-and-coming U.S. talent.
“Philosophically speaking, 2018 is a year to offer an opportunity to a lot of players who we think have a real future and really getting to know some new players,” Sarachan said. “So, the March roster will be comprised with a blend of European-based players, players based in Mexico and other places around the world, and then Major League Soccer players.”
Sarachan cast doubt on whether such familiar names as Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore will be called up for the next several USMNT matches, although he said their long-term place in the national team setup remains.
“Michael, Jozy, I could name a number of other guys who have been through qualifying who I know personally and have coached over the years—I still believe there’s a future for all those players going forward,” Sarachan said.”However, for the March game and the games in May and June, I still believe that it’s a platform to allow players to get their feet wet internationally.”
As for Sarachan, this week’s sojourn suggests he has no desire to fade back into the soccer woodwork. Yes, he was an Arena assistant at the University of Virginia, in MLS with D.C. United and the Galaxy, and in two stints with the USMNT. Yet, Sarachan also guided Cornell, his alma mater, to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances during a 10-year stint as its head soccer coach. He also led the Chicago Fire to a Supporters' Shield, two U.S. Open Cup championships and a spot in the MLS title game while their manager from 2002-2007.
In describing the ideal resume for the next full-time USMNT manager, Sarachan says it’s a job that requires a lot of experience with the various national, regional and world soccer federations. Echoing sentiments expressed last week by Donovan, Sarachan also said that he “believes that an American coach has a real understanding of the culture of the American player. I believe that an American coach would be ideal for this position.”
Do those job qualifications conspicuously apply to the 63-year-old Sarachan, whose current tenure as the USMNT interim manager is now set to run through the end of the World Cup this summer?
“I would leave that to those who know me and my background,” Sarachan said. “If you’re asking me could I and would I want to continue (as USMNT manager), the word is absolutely. It’s always an honor to be part of the men’s national team on any level. If I were offered that opportunity, I would love it.”
In the meantime, Sarachan has a friendly to coach on March 27. It’s only the second time the USMNT has played a match in the Triangle, the first also in Cary at the then-named SAS Soccer Park against Jamaica in April 2006. Indeed, with a seating capacity of approximately 10,000, Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park is the smallest American-based venue to host a USMNT match since the 2006 friendly in Cary.
Nonetheless, Sarachan seems eager to enjoy the clamorous confines of Sahlen’s Stadium.
“When we go to venues in our home country, we really want a home crowd,” Sarachan says. “I’m certain that, when we come to Cary, the environment is going to allow us to do the best job we can do as a team. It’s going to be a great environment, a very pro-USA crowd, and we’re very excited about that.”
