Bruce Arena is arguably the greatest soccer coach in United States history. He further staked his claim on that title by earning his 100th career MLS win last Saturday, joining Sigi Schmid, Bob Bradley and Steve Nicol as the only coaches to reach that watermark.
In honor of this milestone, we salute Mr. Almighty with this week's MLSsoccer.com Top 10: Bruce Arena's All-time Greatest Wins.
1. USMNT defeat Mexico 2-0, 2002 World Cup (Round of 16)
During Arena's tenure as national team boss, the Yanks rose to an astonishing 4th place in FIFA's rankings. Bouncing El Tri from the Big Dance, though, was the definitive highlight of his stay.
2. D.C. United stun LA Galaxy, 1996 MLS Cup
The league's inaugural championship game, played under a near-Biblical rain storm, was a classic. Trailing 2-0 with 17 minutes remaining, D.C. rallied before defeating the Galaxy 3-2 in extra time.
3. USMNT shock Portugal, 2002 World Cup (Group D)
Arena's Yanks surprised everyone by attacking powerhouses Portugal from the outset. The 3-2 win was enough to propel the U.S. out of the group and into the knockout stages.
4. Virginia outlast Santa Clara, 1991 NCAA championship
Arena led a young Claudio Reyna and the Cavaliers to their second national championship after beating Santa Clara in PKs. It was the first of four straight NCAA titles during Arena’s tenure.
5. D.C. United win second title, 1997 MLS Cup
Once again the championship match was played under extreme weather conditions, this time with gale-force winds. Having already won the Supporters' Shield, Arena's United crew edged Colorado, 2-1, for their second straight Cup.
6. David Beckham packs Giants Stadium, 2007
As head coach of the New York Red Bulls, Arena got a taste of the Beckham circus on Aug. 18, 2007. But it was Arena who came out victorious, leading the hosts to a 5-4 win in front of 66,237 raucous fans. Giants Stadium never looked so good.
7. D.C. United top Toluca, 1998 CONCACAF Champions Cup
D.C. dispatched T&T's Joe Public and Mexico's León to set up a final against Mexican powerhouses Toluca. An Eddie Pope goal was just enough, as United became the first American side to win the regional tournament.
8. 100th career MLS win, 2010
In what was dubbed the "Battle of the Best," Arena's LA Galaxy waltzed into Columbus as underdogs and without Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle. The Galaxy played a near-perfect counterattack game to earn the 2-0 win.
9. D.C. United top Vasco de Gama, 1998 Copa Interamerica
Arena's D.C. edged past Brazil's Vasco de Gama, 2-1, to become champions of the Americas. Perhaps more importantly, though, the win helped further MLS's quest to become a legitimate league among the traditional soccer powers.
10. D.C.'s "All-Americans" defeat Colorado, 1997
Fielding a side almost entirely made up of Americans, Arena's United thrashed the Rapids, 5-0, to win their fifth straight match of the season. D.C. kept Colorado to just three shots on goal in the near-perfect win.
