In his first extended media appearance last June, Bruce Arena was asked what the ideal ending to his illustrious coaching career — which spans nearly five decades — would be.
Without hesitation, he replied: The 2018 World Cup. The plan was to take the U.S. to Russia and then ride off into the sunset as the hero.
That was six years ago. Now age 73, the most successful American soccer coach is still searching for that ending. He hopes it will be in San Jose.
On Wednesday, Arena was unveiled as the new head coach and sporting director of the San Jose Earthquakes, who finished league-worst in the standings this season despite spending record money on player transfers.
The former national team and Los Angeles Galaxy manager will take over all personnel decision making from General Manager Chris Leitch, who had two mixed seasons at the helm.
“If we finish 28th next year, that will be a success,” Arena quipped at his introductory press conference.
Of course, the five-time MLS Cup winner has his sights set higher than that. But Arena, who is coming into the job with his reputation and confidence bruised, warned that a massive turnaround will take some time. “Every situation is different,” Arena said.
Indeed, this time last year, Arena was unceremoniously banished from Major League Soccer for his role in an alleged workplace violation involving “insensitive and inappropriate remarks” that took place during his time in charge of the New England Revolution from 2019 to 2023.
While those remarks and more specifics about the situation have yet to come to light, Arena said he completed counseling before he was reinstated into the league earlier this summer.
“I understand that I am held to a higher standard than basically anyone in our building,” Arena said, while declining to share any more specifics. “I need to be smart about the things I say and in my actions. I know they’re closely monitored every day. I made a couple of mistakes [in New England]. I accept the responsibility and I’m going to move forward.”
Taken altogether, perhaps this is why the Earthquakes — who routinely rank in the bottom-third of the league in player spend and have yet to host a playoff game since opening PayPal Park a decade ago — were able to land a coach of this stature.
If the lack of leadership was one of the main reasons the team failed so spectacularly this year after an encouraging turnaround season under Luchi Gonzalez, then replacing him with the league’s winningest coach ought to whip the dressing room back into shape.
On paper, Arena has done it before. The national team turned to him in 1998 after a disastrous World Cup and he rewarded them with a run to the quarterfinal in 2002. Later, with the David Beckham experiment on life support, Arena then guided the LA Galaxy to three titles over a span of eight years.
And before the situation went up in flames, he worked wonders again with the Revolution, taking the beleaguered team from last place to its first-ever Supporters’ Shield in less than two years by nailing his designated player signings and developing in-house stars like Tajon Buchanon and Matt Turner.
“I look at the strengths and weaknesses of the players in the squad and employ a style of play that’s suitable for them to be successful,” Arena said of his philosophy. “If you look at teams around the world, like Man City or Real Madrid, they have the luxury to bring in any kind of players they need to make their teams better. We don’t have that situation in Major League Soccer.”
Will he have the tools in San Jose? Arena said he was assured across two separate meetings with embattled owner John Fisher that he would be provided with the “necessary investments” to improve the squad.
The Earthquakes have only 11 players under contract next season and a bevy of options to decide on by Nov. 27. “We’ll be making additions,” Arena hinted, while only specifically calling out Argentine playmakers Cristian Espinoza and Hernán López as surefire starters.
San Jose will also be picking at the top of the college and re-entry drafts.
Leitch, for his part, will stay with the front office and handle “the day-to-day operations” of all teams within the Earthquakes organization, Arena said. It was not immediately clear who from Arena’s previous staff, which was fractured by the end of his stint in New England, will be joining him on the touchline.
Barring any new hires, a quick scan of the soccer landscape confirms that Arena will be the oldest coach in the league by over a decade once his team kicks off in 2025. (Brian Schmetzer of the Seattle Sounders and Tata Martino of Inter Miami are only in their early 60s.)
The most recent superlative that comes to mind in world soccer is Claudio Ranieri, the 73-year-old Italian manager who was just coaxed out of retirement to lead AS Roma for the second time in his career.
Even if things go well, he will not come anywhere close to the glory of winning the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016.
Which begs the question: What’s a perfect ending anyways when hardly anybody ever leaves on top?
“I’m not defending my legacy,” Arena said. “It is what it is…This is a new challenge in my life, like the previous challenges I’ve taken… I look forward to it. This is what I do.”
About the Author: Kevin V. Nguyen is a business and sports journalist. He has covered soccer for The Guardian, The Sacramento Bee, and The San Francisco Standard. Follow him on X/Twitter @KevinNguyen_89
