Former U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel was outraged by some of the defamatory comments lobbed at Coach Bruce Arena from some of his former teammates following the national team's sorry exit at the hands of Ghana on Thursday. Friedel singled out TV commentators Marcelo Balboa and Eric Wynalda, teammates of his for many years, saying "those who criticize should have some pedigree as coaches themselves," after hearing the pair discuss possible replacements for Coach Arena. "I don't want to be associated with those naming names to replace Bruce Arena," he said. Balboa had mentioned L.A. Galaxy coach Frank Yallop as one possibility. The 42 year old was voted MLS Coach of the Year in 2001; he also holds the third-highest winning percentage in the league's history. Wynalda named German legend Jurgen Klinsmann , Germany's current coach, as a good bet because he lives in Los Angeles and speaks fluent English. Friedel, meanwhile, believes that the U.S. would be remiss to lose their current coach, who guided the team to its highest ever FIFA ranking (4 th). "Talk of firing Arena is ludicrous," he said. "It's not the coach's fault there that was a lack of aggressiveness. This is the World Cup."

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