Former U.S. men's national team coach Bruce Arena has been hired to take over as coach and sporting director of the San Jose Earthquakes for the 2025 MLS season.
The 73-year-old Arena is the most accomplished coach in U.S. soccer history and was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2010. He has won five MLS championships and is the winningest coach in MLS and for the U.S. men's national team.
“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," Earthquakes managing partner John Fisher said in a statement Thursday. "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 led the U.S. to two World Cups, including a run to the quarterfinals in 2002 that was the first time the country made it that far since the initial tournament in 1930. The U.S. failed to make it out of the group stage in the 2006 World Cup and Arena's contract was not renewed.
He returned as interim coach when Jurgen Klinsmann was fired in 2016 after a 0-2 start in World Cup qualifying. The U.S. lost at Trinidad and Tobago in its final qualifier, ending a streak of seven straight World Cup appearances.
Arena won two MLS championships with D.C. United and three more with the LA Galaxy in 2011, 2012 and 2014. His 262 regular-season wins and 35 postseason wins are the most in MLS history. He also coached the New York Red Bulls and most recently New England from 2019-23.
He quit the Revolution in September 2023, six weeks after he was placed on administrative leave by MLS for what the league said were “allegations that he made insensitive and inappropriate remarks."
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MLS did not detail its findings except to say in a statement that the probe “confirmed certain of these allegations.” The league said then if Arena wants to accept a future position within MLS, he must petition the MLS commissioner.
Arena also won the CONCACAF Gold Cup three times, and his 81 wins are the most in men's national team history.
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"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to come to San Jose,” Arena said in a statement. “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.”
In his new dual role, Arena will report to ownership, with general manager Chris Leitch reporting to Arena.
San Jose finished this season with a 6-25-3 record and came in last place in the Western Conference. Luchi Gonzalez was fired early in the season and assistant coach Ian Russell took over on an interim basis for the rest of the campaign.
