The last time Bruce Arena coached in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the field included South Africa and Colombia, attendance averaged less than 14,000 a game and the U.S. won the title on a penalty kick from a 24-year-old Brad Davis following 120 scoreless minutes against Panama.
That was a dozen years ago and since then attendance has tripled, the field has been limited to teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, Davis has retired and the U.S. has won just one title since 2007. So when Arena returns to the Gold Cup on Saturday in Nashville, about the only thing he’s likely to recognize is the opponent: The U.