CHICAGO (AP) — Dave Sarachan, the top assistant to Bruce Arena, will be the interim coach for the United States when the Americans play an exhibition at European champion Portugal on Nov. 14.
Arena quit Oct. 13, three days after the Americans lost 2-1 at 99th-ranked Trinidad and Tobago and failed to qualify for next year’s World Cup. The rest of Arena’s staff will remain on for next month’s game.
The U.S. doesn’t have a competitive match until the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup and is expected to overhaul its program during the more than five years it has to prepare for the 2022 World Cup.
U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati hasn’t said whether he intends to run for a fourth four-year term in February.
The U.S. is expected to have a training camp in January followed by an exhibition game or two. The Americans could play a pair of matches during the March FIFA dates.
Sarachan, 63, was a forward for Rochester, played with several indoor teams and became an assistant to Arena at the University of Virginia from 1984-87.
After a decade as head coach at Cornell, his alma mater, Sarachan rejoined Arena as an assistant at D.C. United (1997-99) and the U.S. national team (1999-2002). Sarachan coached the Chicago Fire of the MLS from 2002-07, then worked with Arena at the LA Galaxy from 2008-16 before joining him on the national team late last year.
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