Arena to be named Galaxy head coach

                                                                         Photo by ISIphotos.com

The Bruce Arena era in Los Angeles is about to begin.

The Los Angeles Galaxy has hired Bruce Arena as the team's new head coach, multiple sources told SBI on Friday. Arena will be joined on the Galaxy staff by former Chicago Fire head coach Dave Sarachan, who served as Arena's assistant with the national team during the 2002 World Cup.

Arena’s first game as Galaxy head coach is expected to be the team’s Aug. 21 home game against the Chicago Fire.

The news comes as little surprise following Arena's appearance at Home Depot Center on Thursday night for the Galaxy's 2-2 tie vs. Chivas USA, adding fuel to the rumors that he was being lined up to replace departed Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit. When Tim Leiweke sang Arena's praises during the ESPN broadcast of the LA-Chivas USA match, it became clear that the job was Arena's to take.

On Friday, he took it.

Arena met with AEG president Tim Leiweke on Thursday to discuss the state of the Galaxy as a club and Leiweke called Arena the best candidate for the job when asked about Arena during the ESPN broadcast of the Galaxy-Chivas USA game.

"No bones about it, if I could convince Bruce to join AEG and join the Galaxy, he'd be the ideal guy to come in here," Leiweke said. "There's not a better candidate. There's not a better potential coach. He knows more about the game. I have more respect, Mr. Anschutz has great respect for Bruce, so we'd be honored to have him.”

According to sources, Arena will bring in Sarachan to be his lead assistant. Sarachan was Arena’s lead assistant at the 2002 World Cup and has been most recently working with U.S. Soccer in the player development field.

Arena revealed his desire to return to coaching back in May, admitting that he had turned down a coaching offer last off-season.

So what do you think of Arena taking over as Galaxy head coach? Is he the man to help turn things around in LA? Will he struggle like he did with the Red Bulls? Will Arena's arrival lead to Landon Donovan sticking around? Could the Galaxy pull off a miracle MLS Cup run?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[scott47a]

Makes sense.

Hope he can clean up the mess. Gonna be hard though.

[Sin2R]

Awesome! Not for the reasons you may think. Only because Arena's mega personality will clash with the GALS and keep them locked in the basement where they belong!

GO RSL!

[DaveCville]

Great Signing for LA! Hopefully they'll give Arena more than one season to build a deep squad. Ives, what's your take on TFC signing Johann Smith?

[briguy]

Yay! The Gals will make the playoffs in the coming years, but continue to be mediocre!

Good luck, jewel of MLS! Flagship of our flagging football fortunes! Arena will take you to the heights of 1996!

[Chris]

Lern2Dfend Galaxy!

[THE Nick]

Not good for LA.

Arena is overrated. He proved it with the Red Bulls.

I'll be very surprised if he does anything.

[MLSTrader]

Arena's 7 Item To Do List:

#1 Improve not only the product on the field - but the HDC field itself. It looked horrible last night. AEG needs someone to tell them it's time to scale back the wear and tear - or put in the underground heating system that other teams use to keep the grass healthy (even in warm climates).

#2 Fire Bravo - that dude looked too comfortable in last night's broadcast. If Alexi is part of the problem - Bravo is the other half. He looked too tan - too gabby - and too relaxed last night when chatting with Il Bruce. Firing him would be a great way to put his stamp on things.

#3 Push to hire a real solid soccer exec in the Kevin Payne mold - someone who likes the soccer stuff but stays out of it - but understands it - but is better at fighting front office battles and will keep pushing to sell out HDC and raise the profile of the club. Who is that exec?

#4 Ask more of Landon - this can't go the way past efforts to get guys like Eddie Pope to be more vocal and lead more. Landon is the Beckham equivalent on the team - but he doesn't act like it and when things don't go his way he seems to lose interest in the team or he seems to go inward when as a leader he needs to get more people involved.

#5 Don't hire Harksie.

#6 Start scouting South America - Arena has been out of MLS for a while - and is likely to have missed the boat on what the formula for success is. Granted he pulled off the Juan Pablo Angel rabbit out of his hat - but to do that again he's going to need to start working now.

#7 Stay on his diet. Not going to say Arena looks great - come on a man that fuggly is never going to look great - but hey the diet seems to be working so stick with it.

[BellusLudas]

Let the fun begin....does Bruce know that Posh Spice is his real boss??? :-)

[Ossington Mental Youth]

Hey Ives,
TFC just signed Johann Smith.
What do you think of that (just curious, we dont know much outside of what we can find on the innernets)?

[HristoMourinho]

This means that Landycakes is going nowhere.

[RK]

As a UVa, DCU, and US MNT fan, I love to see the best coach the this country has ever had back in the game.

[Richard, UK]

Beckham's 3rd manager in just over a year.

Ha.

[Hmmm]

I'm sure Bruce will be able to do for the Galaxy what he was able to do for Red Bull and the '06 USA team.

[DeLarge]

Visions of Landycakes becoming captain.

Visions of Landycakes staying in MLS forEVER.

Visions of Landycakes and Arena in bed. Ech.

[kco]

Thank God Bruce has a new coaching job. This means I won't have to listen to his monotone ramblings during a KC Wizards broadcast anymore. Have fun in LA.

[thom]

The Ego Has Landed.

God help the Galaxy because everyone on earth seems to conspire aganist them.

[irishapple21]

Hmm, I wonder how Arena is going to enjoy dealing with the media. He has never been very good at dealing with the limelight and he's an interesting interview to put it mildly.

[George H]

Can't wait until Bruce takes his first order from a guy who used to be Chelsea's equipment manager and England's masseuse.

This should go well.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

christ he looks like the rev from poltergeist (but with hair) doesnt he?
"CAROL AAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNE"

[SonicDeathMonkey]

This means I won't have to listen to his monotone ramblings during a KC Wizards broadcast anymore.

Posted by:kco
----------------------
That was Arena? I thought it was David Brenner!!

[Johnny]

It just keeps getting worse and worse. Bruce is crazy to take this job but he may just right the ship.

[scott47a]

MLS TRADER SAID:
#1 Improve not only the product on the field - but the HDC field itself. It looked horrible last night. AEG needs someone to tell them it's time to scale back the wear and tear - or put in the underground heating system that other teams use to keep the grass healthy (even in warm climates).

--------------

Ummm, you do realize that the field was entirely ripped up for the X Games, right? It has nothing to do with a heating system. Cars and motorcycles were driving in that stadium just a few days previous.

[tbisgrove]

I wouldn't wish Arena on my worst enemy, and I don't like LA. Sorry guys, at least you get Sarachan out of this deal.

[Bruce Arena]

And my first order of business is to tell Howard Stern to stop calling me Baba Boey.

[Sean]

I wish Stone and Harkes would have called Tim Leiweke out about the field on the broadcast. They totally botched the Leiweke interview, kept asking the same questions over and over again.

Now, someone brought up an interesting point. Arena hasn't ever been great with the media. I wonder if this is going to be an issue.

I think Nowak would have been a better choice, but other than that, I think Arena is going to be good for the squad. I wonder if he'll be there long term. It's a bit hard to swallow since DC United was my original club and I followed it when he was there.

If I move to LA, it will be better, but still a bit weird since he was at DC when I supported them, at NY when I moved there, and now maybe at LA when I move there. Weird.

[tbisgrove]

Sean- Stop moving.

[Chris]

shoulda gotten nowak, hes a better coach and better with the media too.

[Eric B]

Oh great, and Sarachan too! :rolleyes:

It is funny though that Harkes did all that brown-nosing during the interview with Lieweke last night and Sarachan ends up getting the asst. job after all...

[Javier]

What's with all the Galaxy haters?

[ag nigrin]

Javier: Why not?

[Acme]

Wow, they hung not one but TWO stones around their neck.

Incredible.

I almost pity them.

[Joseph D'Hippolito]

I really can't believe that Arena would take this job, knowing how loony Galaxy management is -- especially since he might very well be working w/a president or GM with whom he might clash. Is Arena going to have imput into that or will that solely be Leiweke's decision?

Leiweke should be prepared for a rocky ride because Arena will not tolerate corporate BS for very long -- especially from terminal incompetents like Leiweke.

[gel65]

i wonder if bruce is just gonna try and get things headed in the right direction and then move to the gm spot and let sarachan take over?

[wendel]

is arena both gm/president and coach like he was in NY or are they still looking for a gm? and is cobi jones staying?

[Eugene]

Lets see if he can do better at LA than NY. There is evidence that Arena is still living in 2002. It appears he peaked then and has been coming down since.

Arena's first act at joining LA -- displace Cobi Jones. Way to be a team player.

[kpugs]

You should still be here Bruce.

[Joseph D'Hippolito]

i wonder if bruce is just gonna try and get things headed in the right direction and then move to the gm spot and let sarachan take over?

Actually, gel65, that's not a bad idea -- if that, indeed, is the plan. But is Leiweke that smart? I seriously doubt it.

[mike from linden]

so what happens to Cobi Jones?
is he still a assistant coach?

[mikeK]

Ives has his name on the bottom ticker on ESPN again =)

[doug]

Ives, wassup with the first viewing guide of the new season. Its not so much as I need it rather than just another reminder of the season kickoff

[Michael F.]

He's a good coach who got screwed at rbny. I hope he leads them to a runner's-up finish to our beloved rbny. and i hope he hires harksie, a great coach in waiting.

[Ron]

HAHAHAHA. This club will stay the official "Joke of The MLS" for at least another 6 more years. This signing proves that the front office don't know crap about soccer. They're all about big names, nothing else, absolutely nothing else. As a person who hates that club, I'm soooooo happy they hired him. He is a joke and not a proven winner. WC 2002 was one of those lucky surprises that happens to average teams from time to time and it wasn't Bruce who made it happen. His MLS Cups with DC were because his team was by FAR the best in MLS and the league was new. He's not going to do crap with LA. LMAO.

[Will]

Bad call, LA. He's completely overrated.

[Squard]

Lalas kicked out, now Arena taking over?

As a Red Bull supporter I have to say, Good luck Galaxy.., good luck

[Neumannator]

I enjoyed the news more when Arena was named Mexico's coach. Ives, can you post that picture again for posterity?

[CobraRC]

Rumors has it that Hugo Sanchez is close to becoming coach of the Galaxy!!

[spartak]

We (Metrostars/RB NY) will learn the hard way that it was a mistake to let the man go.

[George]

Whats with all the LA hate? If it wasn't for the Galaxy (who I am a supporter of) the league would get about half, if any of the exposure it does get. Yes, David Beckham currently couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with his set-pieces, but, WE have raised the awareness of MLS in the US, albeit by some questionable signings. YOUR team reaps the benefits of this when YOU sell out, or get close to selling out YOUR stadium, when WE come in. Bruce Arena is arguably the most successful American coach but I think there might be WAYYYY too much ego on this team for its own good. I hope this works out...if it doesn't, my season tickets probably won't go up like they have for the past 3 years though!

[hector]

Forget this chimp, where is Eddie Lewis????

[papa bear]

Arena AND Sarachan? Does LA have 9 d-mids to play at one time to suit their tastes?

Arena is and has been an overrated manager and it will continue to show in LA where I doubt he lasts more than a year.

[Tom J]

Greetings ...

The ongoing Gullit/Lalas soap opera was (IMHO) the core of the laggard LAG performance. The canning of BOTH Lalas and Gullit was a *GREAT* way to deal with it.

1- This is a month TOO LATE, as there is limited opportunity to stop the defense from hemorrhaging. The problem isn't tactical, and the opportunity to change players is essentially gone.

2- That said, it has the potential to be interesting. Arena's USMNT and RBNY tenures look better in retrospect given the recent performances of those teams.

We live in interesting times ...