< back to team staff NAME: Bruce Arena POSITION: Sporting Director/Head Coach

Former head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team Bruce Arena now enters his first full season as Sporting Director and head coach of the Red Bulls. In 2006, Arena took the helm in August, leading the Red Bulls to the Eastern Conference playoffs. In his role, Arena oversees all aspects of the Red Bulls' soccer operations, from the First team, to the Reserve team, down to the Academy teams and through Youth Development programs. He made his debut on the sidelines for the Red Bulls in their friendly against UEFA Champions League winner, FC Barcelona, on August 12.

After making his official MLS debut for New York on August 16 in a 0-0 draw with D.C. United, Arena helped guide the Red Bulls to their fourth-straight playoff appearance. New York went 2-0-1 in their final three regular season games and defeated the Kansas City Wizards, 3-2, in their final match to earn a postseason berth.

In the playoffs, Arena led the Red Bulls into an Eastern Conference Semifinal Series showdown against league-leader D.C. United, where New York fell in a close, 2-1 aggregate decision.

As head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team from 1998-2006, Arena coached more games (130) and compiled more wins (71) than any other coach in the history of the team (71-30-29 record overall, .658 winning percentage). He guided the U.S. team to an historic quarterfinal finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup (8th overall), highlighted by victories over Portugal and Mexico. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Arena coached the team to a 1-1 tie with eventual champion Italy despite playing with nine men for the majority of the second half. It was the only game Italy did not win in the entire tournament.

Arena coached D.C. United of Major League Soccer from 1996-1998. During his tenure, the team won back-to-back MLS Cup Championships in 1996 and 1997 and was the Eastern Conference Champion in 1998. He posted a 61-35 record (.653 PCT) in his three seasons with D.C.

As the head coach of the University of Virginia from 1978-1995, Arena won five National Titles in a six-year span at UVA (1989, and then four consecutive in '91, '92, '93, '94). He won five ACC Tournament Championships (1988, 1991-1994) and eight ACC Regular Season championships (1983, '84, '87, '88, '89, '91, '92, and '95) and recruited a number of prominent U.S. players that would go on to enjoy successful careers at the international level including Claudio Reyna, Tony Meola, John Harkes and Jeff Agoos.

Arena, 55, was born in Brooklyn, NY. He was an All-American soccer and lacrosse player at Nassau Community College and an All-American lacrosse player at Cornell. He was named the Most Valuable Defensive Player during the 1972 NCAA Division I Soccer Championships while at Cornell and earned one cap with the U.S. Men's National Team on November 15, 1973 in a 2-0 loss to Israel.

He is married to wife Phyllis and has one son, Kenny, who played 20 games for New York in 2003-04. Arena resides in Montclair, NJ.