The New England Revolution announced that it accepted the resignation of under-investigation boss Bruce Arena late Saturday night.
Arena was both head coach and sporting director of the Revs, and had experienced a bit of a career resurgence at the club following a controversial stint at the United States men’s national team that saw the team fail to make the 2018 World Cup.
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He had been placed on leave in early August as the club and MLS investigated allegations of “insensitive and inappropriate remarks.”
Almost a month and a half later, he stepped down and MLS says an investigation “confirmed certain of these allegations.” Any MLS club wishing to hire Arena in the future will need to petition the league.
Arena, 71, has won five MLS Cups as a coach and three Supporters’ Shields. He led the University of Virginia to five College Cups, the USMNT to three Gold Cups, and is a four-time MLS Coach of the Year.
Bruce Arena statement on his resignation (via The Athletic)
“I know that I have made some mistakes and moving forward, I plan to spend some time reflecting on this situation and taking corrective steps to address what has transpired,” Arena said. “And while this has not been an easy decision, I am confident that it is in the best interest of both the New England Revolution organization and my family that we part ways at this time.”
“I would like to thank Robert Kraft and Jonathan Kraft for providing me with this opportunity over four years ago. In my time with the Revolution, we have had much success and it truly has been a direct reflection of all the support the organization has provided me. In particular, I also want to thank all the players, coaches and staff at the Revolution as everyone has provided outstanding service and done a terrific job to help elevate the club to where it is today.”
New England statement on Bruce Arena’s resignation
From revolutionsoccer.net
The New England Revolution have accepted the resignation of Bruce Arena. We wish Bruce well and thank him for his contributions to the team. Curt Onalfo will continue to serve as interim Sporting Director and Richie Williams will continue to serve as interim Head Coach as the team prepares to close out the 2023 season.
Arena joined the club May 14, 2019, compiling a 60-31-42 MLS record during his tenure as head coach.