Yes, Sunil Gulati, the president of U.S. Soccer, said, he understood American soccer fans were angry and frustrated — infuriated, really — at the United States men’s national team’s failure to qualify for next summer’s World Cup. Yes, he admitted, he was personally disappointed, too. And yes, he confirmed, Bruce Arena had quit as the team’s coach Friday morning in the wake of that elimination.

But no, Gulati said, he did not plan to follow Arena out the door.

“I take full responsibility,” Gulati said of the World Cup failure before adding, somewhat incongruously, a beat later, “No, I don’t plan to resign.”

The full cost of the United States’ failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup — the lost sponsorship millions, the young American players never inspired to take up the sport — may not be known for years. But the full fury of fans has been immediately apparent over the past week, and any of it not focused on the performance of Arena and his players has been aimed squarely at Gulati, who has served as U.S. Soccer’s president since 2006 and is expected to seek another four-year term in February.

Asked Friday if he understood why fans might prefer someone else to lead the federation into its suddenly less certain future, Gulati said curtly, “I can understand the frustration of people, sure.”