Bruce Arena a candidate for D.C. United coaching vacancy: Sources

By Pablo Maurer, Tom Bogert and Paul Tenorio

Former New England Revolution and USMNT coach Bruce Arena has put his name forward to D.C. United to be a candidate for the team’s coaching vacancy, sources briefed on the talks told The Athletic.

A source briefed on D.C.’s plans confirmed that Arena is a candidate for the team’s coaching vacancy, but said the club remains focused on hiring a general manager first. Multiple team sources have told The Athletic over the last month that the new GM will lead the hiring process for the team’s next coach.

The Athletic reported last week that Columbus Crew assistant GM Issa Tall and Nashville SC assistant GM Ally Mackay are among the finalists for the GM role. Additionally, after initially being rejected permission to interview, Orlando granted D.C. the ability to speak with its technical director Ricardo Moreira about the GM opening, sources briefed on the talks told The Athletic. Moreira is also a finalist for the job. D.C. had interest in FC Cincinnati’s Kyle McCarthy, but Cincy rejected permission to interview. A decision is expected within the next couple of weeks.

Though Arena was the sporting director and coach of New England, sources briefed on the matter say he is not under consideration for a similar dual role with D.C.

Arena, the record-holder for most wins as a head coach in MLS history, resigned from the Revolution in September after he was placed on administrative leave and placed under an MLS-commissioned investigation for alleged “inappropriate and insensitive remarks” on Aug. 1. Alongside his resignation, MLS announced that “certain” allegations were confirmed and that Arena would have to submit a petition to the commissioner if he should pursue future employment within the league.

Reaching out to D.C. indicates that Arena, 72, wants to continue a coaching career that tops most milestones in MLS. He has the most wins in MLS history (250), the most MLS Cups (five), the most Coach of the Year awards (four) and most Supporters’ Shields (four).

D.C. United has neither a general manager/sporting director nor a head coach at the moment, as former coach Wayne Rooney departed earlier this month with United narrowly missing out on the playoffs. The team has been without a GM since Lucy Rushton departed the club after the 2022 season.

United’s current roster is built around forward Christian Benteke and midfielder Mateusz Klich. The club has an open designated player spot behind those two, as well as several promising academy graduates in the first team, including Ted Ku-DiPietro, Matai Akinmboni and Kristian Fletcher.

Arena has a history with the organization; he was hired as the first-ever D.C. United coach in the inaugural MLS 1996 season after winning five NCAA College Cups and six ACC championships over 18 years as coach of the University of Virginia, In addition to winning the first two MLS Cups, D.C. won the U.S. Open Cup in 1996.

Arena left United in 1998 to lead the USMNT, which had just finished dead last at the World Cup in France. In 2002, Arena led the team to its best World Cup finish since 1930, a memorable run to the quarterfinals of the tournament that included upsets over Portugal and Mexico and a near-upset of eventual finalists Germany. He coached the team again in the 2006 cycle and through a disappointing appearance at that year’s tournament. Arena also led the USMNT to three continental championships during his national team career.

He joined the LA Galaxy in 2008, arriving in Los Angeles not long after English legend David Beckham in 2007. Arena won three MLS Cups in a four-year span with a Galaxy squad built around Beckham, USMNT legend Landon Donovan and Irish international Robbie Keane.

Arena later returned to the U.S. men’s national team, and was at the helm on the day it failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018, probably the highest-profile fiasco in the program’s history. He later joined the Revolution, which won the 2021 Supporters’ Shield under Arena and was among the league’s best teams over the last three seasons until his departure.

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(Photo: Mike Lawrie / Getty Images)