News-Record.com

It's official. Bruce Arena's contract as head coach of the U.S. men's national soccer team has not been renewed in the wake of the team's disappointing performance at the World Cup in Germany.

Everyone from U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati to Arena himself made nice-nice at the noon news conference, but clearly these folks won't be exchanging Christmas cards.

Where does that leave a U.S. men's program that will have to replace a host of aging "stars" (Claudio Reyna, Kasey Keller, Brian McBride and High Point's own Eddie Pope) before WC 2010 qualifying begins sometime in 2008?

The obvious front-runner for the job is now-former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The former world-class striker and diver (sorry, but he really knew how to draw a penalty or yellow card) said he was burned out when he stepped down after the hosts' third-place finish at this year's World Cup. But if the money is right, it's hard to believe that Klinsmann, a year-round California resident with an American wife and children who are U.S. citizens, wouldn't relish the chance to work in the States.

It's more likely that Klinsmann will take a vacation and let the dust settle, lest he look like a mercenary to the folks back in the Fatherland for leaving Die Mannschaft, before opening the bidding for his services. The guy is only 41 and he will coach again soon. It's just a matter of where.

It didn't take long for soccer journalists to start throwing around other names of potential successors to Arena. ESPN.com's Kristian Dyer did a pretty thorough job of handicapping the early-line favorites back on July 2 and his assessment is worth reading again.

His most intriguing name might be former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, but I just can't picture the Swede fitting in with the U.S. soccer culture.

Whomever takes the job needs to make some tough decisions on player personnel and the direction of the team. If it were me, I'd start by throwing Freddy Adu into the fire in the next year or so to see if he's ready to take on a greater role. Maybe even a leadership role, as crazy as that may sound.

After Landon Donovan's disappearing act in Germany, the next U.S. coach will need to build around a creative player with some attitude. Adu is still only 17, but I think he's already more mature than Donovan.

Maturity is the question for another player who could take on a central role with the national team. Barely halfway through the same MLS season in which he was suspended for the opener after punching out his team captain during practice, Clint Dempsey has been sent off again -- this time by the league. His recent "attack" on a Chicago Fire defender during a game prompted a two-game suspension from MLS action.

Yes, this is the same Clint Dempsey whose rap recording was used in Nike commercials to promote the national team. The same Dempsey who learned not along after the commercial was completed that the rapper with whom he shard the mic, fellow Texas native Big Hawk, had been gunned down in a drive-by. The same Dempsey who lost his older sister to a brain aneurysm when they were teenagers and who pays tribute to her at her grave in the closing images of the rap video.

It seems as if Dempsey hasn't just been getting in touch with his innter thug this year, he has him on speed-dial. But for all his volatility, Dempsey also has the talent and the heart to provide the spark the team sometimes needs. Witness his goal against Ghana (the only U.S. goal actually scored by a U.S. player in Germany).

The new coach will need to nurture Dempsey's obvious talent while also harnessing his fiery personality.

And that's just for openers. It won't be any easy job for Klinsmann or anyone else, but it's a job with a lot of potential. Here's hoping the federation finds the right man.