During Bruce Arena's first eight months at the head of the United States men's national team, he didn't get a whole lot wrong. There was a curious lineup choice here, a delayed substitution there, but not much more than minor mistakes. He brought a preparedness and stability to the squad, and his players, still reeling from the whiplash-inducing Jurgen Klinsmann era, responded well. The team went undefeated in its first 16 games, winning the Gold Cup and taking eight points from four World Cup qualifiers.
They weren't brilliant, but they were good enough and moving in the right direction, which was exactly what the red, white and blue needed to do.