New England turnaround under Bruce Arena comes quickly
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Sep 30, 2019
So how much of a long shot was the New England Revolution to make the
playoffs after its coaching change?
"I don’t know how I always see the probability of doing this and that," said Revs coach Bruce Arena after a 2-0 win over NYCFC on Sunday
clinched the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. "Like when the USA played Trinidad in the last qualifying game, [they] might tell you we had a 99 percent chance of winning that game and I
think we had a 99 percent chance of not making the playoffs. So, as they say, s*** happens, you know.”
New England was 2-8-2 and in last place in the Eastern Conference when Brad
Friedel was fired on May 9. It wasn't until four games later that Arena took over for interim coach Mike Lapper on the sidelines but there were already signs that there was something to
work with.
The Revs won their first game under Lapper and tied the next two games and went 6-0-2 in their first eight games under Arena.
"We were not in position to lose many
games, starting from the middle of May," said Arena. "So they’ve done an exceptional job. This week wasn’t any more difficult than we’ve faced over the last three months or so."
New England has lost just two of 18 games under Arena, though a spell of six ties in eight games made the playoff chase closer than it should have been.
When he took the job in
May, Arena said he knew little about the Revs and nothing about why the team wasn't doing better.
"I had no idea what I was getting into, to be honest with you," he said. "I still
don’t know why the hell I took this job, but I’m here. There’s nothing I can do about it now, right? No, I mean, I knew very little about the players, to be honest with you. A couple
of them, I knew from being in and around the league and maybe the national team program. But I didn’t really know anything about them.”
What has he learned?
“They’re coachable," he said. "They’re just a good group of players in the locker room. Of all the teams I’ve had all the years, this is as good as any of them to coach every
day, to deal with away from the field. That says a lot. I give them nothing but high marks, even if we didn’t make the playoffs this year and kind of failed towards the end. I still think this
season has been a real positive.”
Much of the talk upon Arena's
hiring was what he would do to put the team in a position to win in 2020 and after that. Making the playoffs this season is an added treat.
"Well, I’m not sure you’d call what
we’ve done special," he said. "It’s really a positive. I’d like to think our best years are ahead of us. So, I’m not ready to be dancing in the woods or having parades and
stuff because we made the playoffs. I think, the goal here, is to get this club better positioned to be one of the top clubs in the league and one day, win an MLS Cup. So, we’re not there
yet.”
Photo: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Friedel always teminded me of the type of coaches who punish their players by making them run mindless laps, etc. Arena appears much more enlightened. Congratulations to him and his team!
There is a reason he won 5 NCAA and 5 MLS Titles.....
I totally agree. Friedl stole their confidence, took the joy out of the game and nearly ruined the career of Kelyn Rowe. DIego Fagundez already alluded to the mindless running. Happy to see the Revs playing so joyfully and creatively. Arena has imoroved the biggest thing that drove me nuts about the Revs, speed of play.
The irony is that Bruce Arena was a keeper back in the day--keepers typically don't make good coaches (see Friedel). But he's obviously been a student of the game and broke out of the stereotype. Any other high-level coaches that used to be keepers?
R2, exactly...I don't trust former goalies as coaches. As a matter fact in Europe you won't find any.
I can't believe the Revolution actually hired Friedel...that says enough about the management...