Quakes tab Bruce Arena as head coach, sporting director

The San Jose Earthquakes named Bruce Arena as their head coach and sporting director on Thursday.

Arena, the most successful manager in MLS history, will be tasked with turning around the league’s worst team.

The Earthquakes went 6-25-3 (21 points) this year, allowing an MLS-record 78 goals. Manager Luchi Gonzalez was fired in June, and Ian Russell served as interim head coach the rest of the way.

“Bruce is the most accomplished coach in American soccer history, and we are thrilled to bring him to San Jose,” Earthquakes managing partner John Fisher said.

“With an unsurpassed track record at all levels of soccer in our country that includes numerous MLS Cups and Supporters’ Shields, he’s the ideal choice to lead the Earthquakes. We know he will help get the club back to the level that San Jose and the Bay Area deserve, winning games and competing for championships.”

Arena, 73, has led teams to five MLS Cup championships — the only head coach/manager to capture the title more than twice. He guided D.C. United to the crown in 1996 and 1997, then was in charge when the Los Angeles Galaxy prevailed in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

He also is the league’s winningest coach in terms of regular-season victories (262) and postseason victories (35).

“I am extremely excited for the opportunity to come to San Jose,” Arena said. “I coached my first ever professional game at Spartan Stadium in 1996 — the first game in MLS history — and my first international game with the U.S. in 1998 was in San Jose as well. The Earthquakes and Northern California have a proud soccer tradition.

“There’s a lot of potential with the club, and I am looking forward to working with everyone here to unlock that potential and get back to winning ways.”

Most recently, Arena was the sporting director and manager of the New England Revolution, but he resigned from the team in September 2023 amid an MLS investigation into “inappropriate and insensitive remarks.”

ESPN reported that Arena was cleared by MLS commissioner Don Garber last December to return to work in the league. Arena told ESPN regarding the circumstances surrounding his departure from New England, “It was just staff joking around with each other in private. I accept any of the criticism and I’m moving forward.”

–Field Level Media