San Jose, Bruce Arena court controversy in bid to go from worst to first in MLS

But despite his clear bonafides on the field, Arena has a problem off it: He is, by
many
accounts, something of a pain.

“Bruce doesn’t make it easy on anybody,” said Dave Sarachan, one of Arena’s longest-tenured assistant coaches, per Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times. “I could count on one hand the amount of compliments he might have given me.

“There’s days that you don’t want to be around him. And he would probably say the same thing.”

In September 2023, Arena resigned as coach and sporting director of the New England Revolution, a team he took from the dregs of the Eastern Conference to the Supporters’ Shield and an all-time season points record. Few details emerged on why Arena parted with the Revolution after so much success, but those who talked about his tenure related the same old story: He was grumpy and difficult and fell out with the Revolution’s supporting staff (h/t: Henry Bushnell of Yahoo).

For all the controversy he draws, though, Arena apparently never lost the support of his players. The Revolution reportedly refused to train after hearing about his departure. David Beckham called Arena one of the best man managers he ever had, and former MLS MVP Mike Magee followed Arena to three different teams.

“Coaches in this league will hang guys out to dry and not care. And then guess what? That sh— hits the fan in the playoffs,” Magee told the Los Angeles Times.

“You see how Bruce’s team plays? That’s purely creating an environment where guys just want to be there. If you have 11 guys on the field who would rather break their ankle than lose the game, you’re going find a way to succeed.”

When teams hire Arena, they’re taking a calculated risk. It’s hard to say whether his methods will be a shock to the system or just what a team needs. In New England, he was both.

But San Jose isn’t just taking a risk on Arena in 2025. It’s taking a risk on the players who will work under him, too. The club spent the offseason signing a series of MLS legends who carry the same reputation Arena does: excellent on the field but difficult off it.

Colombian striker Chicho Arango arrived first from Real Salt Lake. He put up MVP-level numbers in the beginning of the 2024 season but flamed out in spectacular fashion, earning a messy four-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-harassment policy. Next came Josef Martinez, a one-time MLS MVP who burned bridges with CF Montréal and found himself dropped for the 2025 season. Both are stellar attackers, but both have spent much of their careers mired in off-field drama.

Can Arena — no stranger to off-field drama himself — turn these men around and take San Jose from worst to first? Can he unite this disparate squad of curmudgeons and turn them into a world-beating outfit?

It’s hard to say, but one thing is for sure: After its woeful 2024, San Jose is counting on it.