The United States men’s soccer team is officially in rebuilding mode after today’s resignation of Head Coach Bruce Arena.

Arena’s departure was inevitable after the U.S. men this week failed to make the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

This was a mandatory move for the United States: Missing out on thebiggest sporting event in the world, after coming from the sub-par North American qualifying group, is unacceptable in this day and age.

United States soccer has been rising in viewership and passion over the years, but the product has never been up to par.

The problems started early in their qualifying effort, with old manager Jurgen Klinsmann leading the USA to two losses in two matches. This led to the firing of Klinsmann and the hiring of Bruce Arena from the Los Angeles Galaxy, who had managed the national team from 1998-2006.

Arena started off strong in his second tenure, earning eight points in his first four matches in qualifying. Then disaster struck, with the USA gaining just nine points from their last six matches against inferior competition.

The final straw was Tuesday night’s loss against Trinidad and Tobago, which officially eliminated the United States from qualification for the World Cup.

All Arena and the squad needed from that match was a single point, but they failed to earn one against a bad Trinidad and Tobago squad.

The combination of the U.S. loss with a Panama win led to qualification for Panama in a spot that should have been easily acquired by the United States.

Arena’s lackluster tactics and squads led to terrible performances against inferior competition. The elimination from the World Cup summed up the terrible era of Bruce Arena and American soccer in general.