Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951)^[1] is an Americansoccer coach who currently serves as the head coach and sporting director of theSan Jose Earthquakes.^[2]

Bruce Arena

Arena in 2006
Personal information
Date of birth	(1951-09-21)September 21, 1951 (age 73)
Place of birth	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1968	New York Hota
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1969–1971	Nassau Lions
1971–1973	Cornell Big Red
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1976	Tacoma Tides
International career
1973	United States	1	(0)
Managerial career
1973	Cornell Big Red (assistant)
1976	Puget Sound Loggers
1977	Cornell Big Red (lacrosse assistant)
1978–1985	Virginia Cavaliers (lacrosse assistant)
1978–1995	Virginia Cavaliers (soccer)
1996	United States U-23
1996–1998	D.C. United
1998–2006	United States
2006–2007	New York Red Bulls
2008–2016	LA Galaxy
2016–2017	United States
2019–2023	New England Revolution
2024–	San Jose Earthquakes
Medal record Men'ssoccer Representing United States(as manager) FIFA Confederations Cup 1999 CONCACAF Gold Cup Winner 2002 2003 Winner 2005 Winner 2017
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He is a member of theNational Soccer Hall of Fame and the NJCAA Lacrosse Hall of Fame.^[3] Arena has had a long and distinguished coaching career and is considered to be one of the most successful coaches in North American soccer history, having won fiveCollege Cup titles and fiveMLS Cup titles.^[4] He was theUnited States national team head coach at the1996 Summer Olympics, the2002 FIFA World Cup and the2006 FIFA World Cup, head coach of theNew York Red Bulls,D.C. United,LA Galaxy, and theNew England Revolution inMajor League Soccer, and coachedVirginia Cavaliers men's soccer to severalcollege soccer championships. He is the U.S. soccer team's longest-serving head coach^[5] with the highest number of wins,^[6] and the only coach to lead the team to two World Cups.^[7]

Before beginning his coaching career, Arena was agoalkeeper forCornell University, and earned one cap with theUnited States men's national soccer team.

Arena was born inBrooklyn, New York to Vincent and Adeline Arena, Italian immigrants (fromAlicudi,Sicily).^[8][9] He grew up in theLong Island town ofFranklin Square, New York, where he attendedCarey High School.^[10] His father was a butcher while his mother was aschool bus driver. Adeline was diagnosed with breast cancer when Bruce Arena was a child and had to undergo amastectomy.^[10]

While he excelled at several sports, he was too small forAmerican football, so he joined his high school's soccer team as a defender. He moved into the goal when the starting goalkeeper was suspended after hitting another school's player during a game. While in high school, he also played a single season with local club Hota S.C. of New York City'sCosmopolitan Soccer League.

After graduation, he began his collegiate athletic career playing bothlacrosse and soccer atNassau Community College, a two-year college near his home. Arena was a 1970 and 1971 Honorable MentionAll-American lacrosse player and an All-American soccer player. He was inducted into the National Junior College Hall of Fame in 2008.^[11] While at Nassau, he played soccer for head coach Bill Stevenson and goalkeeper coachShep Messing, a futureNew York Cosmos goalkeeper. At the end of his two years with Nassau, Arena transferred toCornell University in upstateNew York where he was a 1972 Honorable Mention All American and a 1973 Second Team All American in lacrosse. He did not originally intend to play soccer, but injuries to the school's first and second string goalkeepers led the men's soccer coach,Dan Wood, to recruit Arena into the team as its goalkeeper. Arena backstopped theCornell Big Red soccer team to the1972 NCAA Soccer Championship Final Four and earned Most Valuable Defensive Player honors for the tournament.^[12]

After Arena's graduation from Cornell,New York Cosmosdrafted him in the fifth round of theNorth American Soccer League college draft. The Cosmos released him before the season. Arena then signed to play professional lacrosse for theMontreal Quebecois, spending a single season with the team in 1975. TheNational Lacrosse League folded at the end of the 1975 season, leaving Arena unemployed. At the same time,Dan Wood, who had recruited Arena to play for the Cornell soccer team, had been named the new head coach of the expansionTacoma Tides which played in theAmerican Soccer League. Wood contacted Arena and convinced him to move to thePacific Northwest in 1976 to play for him.^[13][14] While Arena was the second string goalkeeper behind starterJamil Canal, the move to Tacoma was significant in that it introduced Arena to coaching. That year, in addition to playing for the Tides, Arena coached the men's soccer team at theUniversity of Puget Sound, where he compiled a 5–7 record.^[15]

In 1973, he earned his onlynational teamcap as a second-half substitute forBob Rigby in a 2–0 loss toIsrael.^[16] National team coach,Gordon Bradley, had called Arena into the national team for an earlier game againstHaiti, but Arena could not get time off from his job teaching at a local junior high school.^[17] In addition to his single cap with the U.S. soccer team, Arena also played for the national lacrosse team which won the 1974World Lacrosse Championship and finished runner up in 1978.^[18][19]

In 1977, Arena moved back to teach at Cornell and act as the school's assistant lacrosse coach. While he was there, theUniversity of Virginia (UVA) advertised for two open coaching positions – head soccer coach and assistant lacrosse coach beginning the 1978 season. Arena took that opportunity and went on to coach both the UVA lacrosse and soccer teams for seven years, before becoming the school's dedicated soccer coach in 1985. Arena was the head coach of the Virginia program for eighteen years, during which he won five national championships (including 4 straight from 1991 to 1994) and amassed a 295–58–32 record, for a career NCAA mark of 300–65–32. Additionally, he coached and developed many players at Virginia who would go on to play significant roles in the United States national team, includingClaudio Reyna,Jeff Agoos,Ben Olsen,John Harkes andTony Meola.^[6] Arena also coachedRichie Williams who later became his assistant coach with the US national team and the New England Revolution.^[20] In addition to coaching, Arena served as the ACC soccer coaches chairman as well as two three-year terms on the NCAA Division I soccer committee from 1989 to 1995.^[21]

On January 3, 1996, Arena left UVA to become the coach ofD.C. United ofMajor League Soccer. The 1996 season would be both the team's and the league's inaugural season, so Arena needed to build a team from scratch just like the other 9 MLS club managers. To make his position even more difficult, he had agreed to coach theU.S. U-23 national team at the1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where it went a disappointing 1–1–1. Despite the underperformance at the Olympics, Arena managed to form his team and lead United to an improbable comeback victory in the firstMLS Cup atFoxboro Stadium. In addition to the MLS title, Arena also took United to the1996 U.S. Open Cup championship. Arena and United continued to experience success in 1997. The heavily favored team won its secondMLS Cup atRFK Stadium defeating the surprise Western Conference championColorado Rapids 2–1. Arena's success led to his selection as the 1997MLS Coach of the Year. This year, Arena took United to the semi-finals of theCONCACAF Champions' Cup. In 1998, Arena took United to its third consecutive MLS Cup only to see his team fall to the expansionChicago Fire led by his protégéBob Bradley. However, while Arena failed to add another MLS championship to his resume, he guided United to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup title with a 1–0 victory overToluca on August 16, 1998. He followed that with a defeat of Brazilian clubVasco da Gama to take theInteramerican Cup title. Arena was also the 1997 and 1998MLS All-Star head coach.

Arena was hired by the U.S. national team to replaceSteve Sampson as head coach in October 1998 following the team's disastrous showing in the1998 FIFA World Cup. His first game in charge was a friendly againstAustralia inSan Jose, California, on November 6, 1998. He then forged the team into a successful international side, and is the most successful coach in United States history: most international wins; longest home shut-out; best World Cup showing since 1930, reaching the quarterfinals at the2002 World Cup, before a defeat againstGermany; and all-time best internationalFIFA Ranking (4th place, April 2006). Arena also won two Gold Cup championships in 2002 and 2005, with a third-place finish in 2003.

The 2002 World Cup was the high point of Arena's career as the U.S. coach. Heavy underdogs coming into the tournament, they stunned the world by beating a respectedPortuguese team 3–2 in their opening game. Arena was lauded afterward for instilling in his players the confidence to play aggressively against an international powerhouse. A hard-fought tie against host nationSouth Korea was enough to qualify for the second round, despite a poor loss againstPoland in the final group game. Arena and the U.S. met old nemesis Mexico in the Round of 16, and Arena adapted his tactics to secure a 2–0 victory and a quarterfinal berth. The U.S. switched from their usual 4–4–2 to a 3–5–2, and it paid dividends almost immediately whenJosh Wolff, who Arena had brought in to fill out the formation, set upBrian McBride for the winning goal early in the first half. Arena switched the team back to a 4–4–2 for their quarterfinal against Germany, and the team continued to surprise many by dominating stretches of the game. However, they lost 1–0 on aMichael Ballack header,^[22] and there was a controversy with a penalty not awarded to the U.S. for a handball in the German penalty box.^[23]

The U.S. national squad fell short of expectations at the2006 FIFA World Cup, finishing last in Group E with losses to theCzech Republic andGhana. The United States scored only twice in its three games, a tie against eventual championItaly on anown goal by ItalianCristian Zaccardo and a goal fromClint Dempsey against Ghana. Some, including former team member andESPN analystEric Wynalda, have blamed the poor performance on questionable coaching decisions by Arena, including not playingClint Dempsey and puttingDaMarcus Beasley on the right wing instead of his favored left against the Czechs, and using a defensive 4–5–1 in the must-win match vs. Ghana which the U.S. eventually lost.^{[citation needed]} Another questionable decision was made whenClaudio Reyna became injured after the first goal when Arena subbed in defensive midfielderBen Olsen to replace Reyna.^{[citation needed]}

During his time as national team head coach, the United States rose in the FIFA world rankings from nineteenth to fourth, to the surprise, even, of U.S. players.^[24] Arena's 75 wins from 1998 to 2006 are by far the most in U.S. history. Nevertheless, three weeks after the Americans' disappointing first-round exit from the World Cup in Germany, theU.S. Soccer Federation announced that Arena's contract would not be renewed when it expired at the end of 2006. U.S. Soccer Federation presidentSunil Gulati explained Arena's dismissal, stating that the U.S. was seeking a "fresh approach."^[25]

Arena was eventually replaced as national team coach by his close friend and former assistant at Virginia and D.C. United,Bob Bradley. During his time coaching the national team, Arena had 81 wins, the highest number of any coach in the team's history.^[6]

After the US. national team, Arena pursued other coaching opportunities. That led to his being hired byMajor League Soccer teamNew York Red Bulls. Arena's first match with the club came on August 12, 2006, in a friendly againstFC Barcelona. On November 5, 2007, Red Bulls and Arena decided mutually to part company. During his year-and-a-half with the club, he went 16–16–10. He had two years remaining on his contract with the club.

On August 18, 2008,Los Angeles Galaxy hired Arena to replaceRuud Gullit as head coach andAlexi Lalas as general manager.^[26] He inherited a team that had failed to make the playoffs since 2005 and would finish the 2008 season at 8–13–9, finishing next-to-last in the league and letting in a league-high 62 goals. During the offseason, Arena reshaped the defense, draftingOmar Gonzalez andA. J. DeLaGarza who became fixtures on the backline and bringing inDonovan Ricketts as the goalkeeper. Although the team scored only 36 goals in 2009, they also let in only 31. This led to a 12–6–12 record and second-place finish in the league standings. The Galaxy went to the playoffs and Arena was selected as theMLS Coach of the Year Award.

The2011 Major League Soccer season went extremely well for Bruce's Galaxy. His club won the Supporters' Shield for the second straight season, became only the third team in league history to reach the 60-point plateau, and won the2011 MLS Cup in a 1–0 victory over theHouston Dynamo. Los Angeles also advanced to the elimination round of theCONCACAF Champions League. The Galaxy was, however, eliminated from theU.S. Open Cup in the quarterfinal stage. The club was undefeated in competitive matches at theHome Depot Center in 2011.

The2012 Galaxy repeated winning the championship, again over Houston, despite a slow start to the year. He won a third championship with the Galaxy in 2014 over theNew England Revolution.

On November 22, 2016, Arena was appointed as coach of theUnited States national team for the second time, replacingJürgen Klinsmann after two disastrous losses in the first two matches ofHex qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup.^[27][28] On March 25, 2017, Arena led the USMNT to a trouncing 6–0 win overHonduras, followed by a 1–1 draw withPanama. On June 9, Arena led the USMNT to an important 2–0 win in a qualifying match againstTrinidad and Tobago, followed by the USMNT's 3rd ever WCQ draw atEstadio Azteca againstMexico.^[29] The team had a 14-match unbeaten streak leading up to the Gold Cup,^[30] the best streak in the team's history.^[31] During a pause in World Cup Qualification, Arena's squad won the2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 2–1 win overJamaica in the Finals.^[29] Arena's team returned to World Cup Qualification and lost 2–0 to Costa Rica on September 1. The US team bounced back with an impressive 4–0 rout of Panama on October 6 to get back into the qualifying third-place spot during the fifth round.

On October 10, the final day of qualification, the USMNT needed a draw againstTrinidad and Tobago to qualify for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The U.S. were heavy favorites^[32] coming in as Trinidad and Tobago had lost six straight games, but the team fell into a 0–2 hole with anOmar Gonzalez own-goal and anAlvin Jones goal. WhileChristian Pulisic pulled one back, the U.S. could not score again and lost to Trinidad and Tobago 1–2. With this loss, along with bothPanama andHonduras beating their opponents, the U.S. fell to fifth place in the CONCACAF region's final qualifying round and failed to qualify for theFIFA World Cup for the first time since1986.^[33] Three days after the team's failure to qualify, Arena resigned from his position as men's national team head coach. He said, "We have no excuses, we failed today. We should have walked off this field with at least a point."^[34]

Following his resignation from the national team, Arena was floated as a potential candidate for several coaching and managing positions, including for the Columbus Crew and theScotland national team.^[35][36]

He was named the head coach and sporting director of theNew England Revolution on May 14, 2019, replacingBrad Friedel.^[37] His first game in charge came on June 2, in a 2–1 win over his former team,LA Galaxy.^[38]

Under Arena, the Revolution, who were at that point in last place in the Eastern Conference, went eleven games undefeated until losing 2–0 toLos Angeles FC on August 3, 2019.^[39] Following that defeat, the Revolution closed out the season only losing two more matches on a 2-2-6 run, and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2015.^[40] The Revolution were eliminated in the first round of the2019 MLS Cup Playoffs by defending2018 MLS Cup championAtlanta United 1-0.^[41]

Thefollowing season, Arena's Revolution advanced to the Eastern Conference Final of the2020 MLS Cup Playoffs.^[42] It was the first time the Revolution had made it to the Eastern Conference Final since 2014.^[42] They would ultimately lose the game to the eventualMLS Cup 2020 championColumbus Crew 1-0.^[43]

In the2021 season, Arena led the Revolution to their first-everSupporters' Shield by having the best regular season record in the league.^[44] Additionally that season, the team set a record for most points in a regular season, with 73.^[45] Arena was namedMLS Coach of the Year for a league-record fourth time at the end of the season.^[46] Despite the strong regular season, the Revolution were eliminated in penalties in the2021 MLS Cup Playoffs Conference semifinals by eventual championNew York City FC.^[47]

After a transfer and injury-hampered 2022 campaign,^[48] Arena's Revolution returned to form in 2023, compiling a record of 12 wins, 7 draws, and 4 losses, sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, when regular season play paused for the2023 Leagues Cup.^[49]

On August 1, 2023, Arena was placed on administrative leave by the Revolution amid allegations of "insensitive and inappropriate remarks."^[50]

On September 9, 2023, Arena resigned as head coach and sporting director of the Revolution.^[51][52]

On November 7, 2024, Arena was announced as the new head coach and sporting director of theSan Jose Earthquakes.^[53] Arena's first win as Earthquakes manager came in the club's 2025 season opener on February 22, a 4-0 result over Real Salt Lake.^[54]

Arena has resided in the Los Angeles area with his wife Phyllis since taking over as LA Galaxy head coach, having previously been based out ofCharlottesville, Virginia, during most of his coaching career.^[55]

He has a brother, Michael, and a son,Kenny Arena, who played with the U.S. youth national team and in Major League Soccer before becoming a coach.^[56][57] He is a grandparent through Kenny Arena.^[55]

As of 12 April 2025

• 1.^ Record includes league, cup, playoffs and CONCACAF competitions. During his tenure as D.C. United head coach, all shootout wins were put into their own separate column and all shootout losses were put under the loss column. During his tenure as United States head coach, matches that end in a shootout are considered ties.

D.C. United

• MLS Cup (2):1996,1997
• MLS Supporters' Shield:1997
• MLS Eastern Conference (3):1996,1997,1998
• U.S. Open Cup:1996
• CONCACAF Champions' Cup:1998
• Interamerican Cup:1998

LA Galaxy

• MLS Cup (3):2011,2012,2014
• MLS Supporters' Shield (2):2010,2011
• MLS Western Conference (4):2009,2011,2012,2014

New England Revolution

• MLS Supporters' Shield (1):2021

University of Virginia

• College Cup (5):1989,1991,1992,1993,1994
• ACC Men's Soccer Tournament (6): 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995

United States

• CONCACAF Gold Cup (3):2002,2005,2017

Individual

• MLS Coach of the Year (4): 1997, 2009, 2011, 2021

Individual

• NJCAA Lacrosse Hall of Fame: Class of 2008^[58]

• List of Major League Soccer coaches

• Profile at soccertimes.com
• ESPN feature on Arena, part I (part II) by Marc Connolly
• Sports Illustrated profile byGrant Wahl
• Associated Press profile by Ronald Blum
• Article on Arena's visit to boyhood sites by Michael Lewis
• Los Angeles Galaxy Head Coach