Bruce Arena, widely considered as the most successful and decorated U.S. men's national team coach ever, was named as Red Bull New York's new sporting director and head coach on Tuesday morning. Arena will oversee all of the club's soccer operations, including the first team, reserve and academy teams and youth development.
Arena, whose contract was not renewed by the U.S. Soccer Federation following a spectacular eight-year career that saw the national team reach the World Cup quarterfinals and a FIFA ranking as high as five, will be unveiled to the media Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET at New York City's Stone Rose Lounge.
Arena will be on the Red Bulls' sidelines starting on Aug. 12 in the team's friendly vs. UEFA Champions League winner FC Barcelona at Giants Stadium. Until then, current interim head coach Richie Williams will serve as the acting head coach until Arena permanently arrives.
After former New York head coach Mo Johnston was released of his duties due to the team's poor play following a 2-3-7 record, Red Bull immediately started the search for a permanent replacement who would lead New York to the upper echelons of MLS.
Though tasked with building a squad that has not, in its 10-year history, hoisted an MLS Cup, Arena comes to the Tri-State Area with an undeniable record of success.
Arena was appointed the U.S. men's national team head coach in October 1998 after a disappointing World Cup in France and the Fairfax, Va., native started to build together the pieces of the program.
Injecting exciting, young stars such as Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley into his lineup, the U.S. made a remarkable run into the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals, defeating powers Portugal and Mexico along the way before falling 1-0 to eventual runner-up Germany in a tight battle.
In the most recent World Cup this summer, Arena and the U.S. faced their most daunting task in years when they were placed in a "Group of Death" with Italy, the Czech Republic and Ghana. After falling to the Czechs in the opening game, Arena rallied his squad against eventual champion Italy. The Americans played with nine men throughout most of the second half, but valiantly controlled play and earned a 1-1 draw.
Though the Americans were unable to advance into the knockout stages, by the time it was announced that Arena's tenure with U.S. Soccer was over, Donovan, Beasley and Oguchi Onyewu had become household names in American sports conscience. Not only has Arena coached the most games in program history (130), but he also amassed the most wins (71) and has established credibility for American soccer worldwide.
Prior to becoming the U.S. national team coach, Arena led D.C. United to back-to-back MLS Cup championships in 1996 and 1997 and during his three-year stint, he earned the best winning percentage (.635) in league history.
Arena previously spent 18 years as the head coach at the University of Virginia (1978-1995). Between 1989 and 1994, Arena won five national titles at UVA and recruited and coached a number of U.S. standout players including Claudio Reyna, Tony Meola, John Harkes and Jeff Agoos.
Arena was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He is married to wife, Phyllis, and the couple has one son, Kenny, who played in 20 games for New York in 2003-04. The elder Arena, who graduated from Cornell University in 1973 and was an All-American lacrosse player for the Big Red, was named the most valuable defensive player during the 1972 NCAA Division I Soccer Championships. For his efforts as a player, Arena earned one cap with the U.S. men's national team on November 15, 1973 in a 2-0 loss to Israel.
