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Former USMNT coach and current New England Revolution boss Bruce Arena is PASSED by fans on his 71st birthday… when tweet about ‘legendary’ national team account manager backfires
- Bruce Arena turned 71 on Wednesday and the USMNT account wished him a happy birthday
- But some fans weren’t happy to see the team honor the team’s ex-coach
- Arena has had an award-winning club and international career, but the team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup when he was at the helm
- Click here for all the latest 2022 World Cup news and updates
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Former USMNT coach Bruce Arena was the target of extensive online criticism on Wednesday, as fans were not kind to the national team’s official Twitter account to wish the “legendary” coach a happy 71st birthday.
Arena coached the national team in two World Cups and oversaw a quarter-final in 2006, but is now known by some for coaching a team that failed to snag Trinidad and Tobago for a spot in the 2017 World Cup. to earn next year.
And a short message to the highly decorated coach – ‘Happy Birthday to the legendary Bruce Arena!’ – was apparently enough to mislead some fans.
Bruce Arena enjoyed huge success as the USMNT, but also oversaw a massive failure in 2017
Fans were not happy to see the USMNT account wishing Arena a happy birthday on Wednesday
“Hold us back for 5 years,” said one person.
“He needed a draw against Trinidad and Tobago to get to the World Cup and he couldn’t even get that,” said another.
“His legacy is forever tarnished. I don’t care what he did in MLS.”
Arena is a five-time MLS Cup winner (with DC United and the LA Galaxy), four-time MLS Coach of the Year winner and three-time Gold Cup winner with the national team.
In 2002, he led the team to historic victories against Portugal and Mexico, and the quarterfinals of that year’s World Cup still stands as the USMNT’s best ever finish in the tournament.
But the (failed) qualifying cycle for the 2018 World Cup is now a stain on his palmares.
Some came in defense of Arena and told others to remember his in-game accolades
Arena is a widely respected coach, but he felt the fury of American fans on social media today
Arena took over from former UMSNT coach and technical director Jurgen Klinsmann with eight games left in qualifying after the team dropped their opening games in Mexico and Costa Rica.
And while Arena initially straightened out with a four-game unbeaten run, the team eventually finished fifth in the six-team group with a devastating 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago.
However, some fans came to defend Arena in response to Wednesday’s harsh comments.
“…No American coach has performed like Bruce at the collegiate, club and national level,” said one of Arena, who also won five national championships in Virginia.
The now 71-year-old is pictured during the Gold Cup final against Jamaica in 2017
Led by Arena, the USMNT finished fifth in a group of six teams for World Cup qualifiers
“Go and look at his resume.”
“Impressed by the sheer amount of plastic fans who don’t even know how important Bruce is to American football,” said another.
Arena led the Revolution to a single-season MLS record of 73 points last season, while losing just five games all year.
2022 isn’t going too well, though, with New England currently in 11th place and four points out of a playoff spot.