their starring run at the 1999 U-17 World Cup. Claudio Reyna and John O’Brien were healthy and in good form – at the same time. Brad Friedel and Eddie Pope were as steady as anyone at the back, and Tony Sanneh was having the best 18 months of his career. Then Portugal melted down against South Korea, and the referee missed an obvious handball by O’Brien in the grand round of 16 matchup against Mexico.

Not that it was all luck. Arena had his team well-prepared for their opener against Portugal and knocked in three first-half goals in a 3-2 win, and his tactics frustrated a talented but temperamental Mexican team to make the quarter-finals.

No stars were aligning this year. Arena took the helm while the ship was listing.The USA had lost the first two qualifiers – admittedly difficult games against front-runners Mexico and Costa Rica – and players were lost under the direction of Jurgen Klinsmann, who had five years to instill his vision for the national team ... and failed.

Through seven months of 2017, it looked as if Arena was doing just enough to keep the team afloat. The USA won the Gold Cup, perhaps with a bit of good fortune but still a notable accomplishment. They earned a draw in Mexico’s fearsome Azteca. Just a week ago, a 4-0 drubbing of Panama made the team a virtual lock to qualify.

But the good luck dried up. Against Trinidad & Tobago, Omar Gonzalez shanked a clearance that found the one spot goalkeeper Tim Howard couldn’t