Gold Cup title would keep Bruce Arena-led USMNT headed on right path

The CONCACAF Gold Cup, which the United States will win if it beats Jamaica on Wednesday, is the second-most important tournament the men’s national team regularly plays in.

Out of two.

U.S. coach Bruce Arena said before the competition started that lifting the trophy confers little in the way of tangible benefit, most Gold Cup games played across America over the past three weeks have been doubleheaders to boost attendance, and the opponent at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., is ranked 76th in the world. The game begins at 9:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1, Univision).

Most U.S. fans would swap Gold Cup glory for a mere pocketful of good luck at next year’s World Cup in a heartbeat, and success Wednesday wouldn’t create much of a ripple even in domestic soccer circles, let alone the wider sporting spectrum.

But winning is winning, and to borrow from Arena’s no-nonsense brand of pragmatic phraseology, it sure as heck beats losing.

“I could care less who we are playing in the final,” Arena said. “We want to win a trophy. We could be playing (any team) for all I care.”

Losing is what happened with concerning frequency toward the end of Jurgen Klinsmann’s ill-fated reign, sparking a mini-crisis and paving the way for Arena to return for his second stint in charge.

There has been a steady diet of forward progress since, so much so that unless Jamaica pulls an upset in the final, the USA will remain unbeaten in its 14 games since Arena took over.

“Four months ago we were rebuilding a program that was in dire shape (in terms) of qualifying for a World Cup,” Arena added. “We have made great strides, and this is a great opportunity to continue to make progress.”

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Life for a men’s national team coach in the CONCACAF region, composed of North and Central America and the Caribbean, is largely one of process and formality, interspersed with brief windows of interest and importance.

Performing well at the World Cup is the only barometer that counts in the court of public opinion, and no amount of Gold Cup hardware could ever make up for an early exit from soccer’s biggest spectacle.

In between World Cups, the biggest and most vital task is qualifying for them, a target far easier to attain in CONCACAF than, say, Europe or South America.

Find trouble in doing so, however, and scorn and employment peril beckon, as Klinsmann discovered.

Under Arena, things have been righted in that department thanks to eight points from four qualifying games, and when the qualifiers start again in September, only a serious meltdown could stop the USA from securing a spot.

To reach that point with the Gold Cup stashed safely in the trophy cabinet would be a neat little boost and further proof that things are headed the right way.

The middle of summer has proved generally pain free for the Americans, who are unrecognizably more settled now than under Klinsmann. Arena, a 65-year-old who thought he’d be retired a decade ago but has found fresh humor and is having the time of his life, can be credited for the uplift in energy and results.

“Bruce has come in and taken the edge off a bit,” veteran goalkeeper Tim Howard said. “That’s who he is and how he man-manages us. He is more relaxed off the field and more demanding on the field — and that’s a very good thing.”

It has been a fairly straightforward plot line, devoid of drama and crisis, low on controversy and nail-biting suspense.

Stability might not be sexy, but it was exactly what was needed. A Gold Cup title won’t make or break the perception of Arena’s tenure — but he’ll gladly accept one.

Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter @mrogersUSAT.

PHOTOS: 2017 Gold Cup