EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The first anniversary of U.S. soccer’s darkest day in recent memory — the failure to qualify for the World Cup — is fast approaching, and still the sport’s governing body has not hired a permanent head coach.
In the interim, Dave Sarachan, top assistant to ousted Bruce Arena, has earned praise for moving things along and introducing young players. At first, Sarachan was slated to stay on the job just a few months. Then the U.S. Soccer Federation had to wait for the outcome of its presidential election, followed by the hiring of a national team general manager, someone who would oversee the coaching decision.