Galaxy’s Bruce Arena selected as MLS coach of the year
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Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena today was selected coach of the year in Major League Soccer after taking Los Angeles from last place in 2008 to first place in 2009.
Arena, 58, becomes the third two-time winner of the award, joining former Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid, now with the Seattle Sounders, and former Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley, now coach of the U.S. national team.
Arena first won the honor in 1997 when he led D.C. United to the best record in MLS and to its second consecutive league championship. He joined the Galaxy on Aug. 18, 2008, and this season, with a massively revamped roster, has taken the team to Friday’s Western Conference final against the Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center.
The Galaxy finished the regular season with a 12-6-12 record, having recorded the fewest losses in the league and having given up only 31 goals in 30 games compared to 62 goals the previous season.
The team finished in last place in its conference in 2008 but rebounded to finish in first place this season.
The list of MLS coaches of the year:
2009: Arena (Galaxy)
2008: Schmid (Columbus Crew)
2007: Preki (Chivas USA)
2006: Bradley (Chivas USA)
2005: Dominic Kinnear (San Jose Earthquakes)
2004: Greg Andrulis (Columbus Crew)
2003: Dave Sarachan (Chicago Fire)
2002: Steve Nicol (New England Revolution)
2001: Frank Yallop (San Jose Earthquakes)
2000: Bob Gansler (Kansas City Wizards)
1999: Sigi Scmid (Galaxy)
1998: Bob Bradley (Chicago Fire)
1997: Bruce Arena (D.C. United)
1996: Thomas Rongen (Tampa Bay Mutiny)
--Grahame L. Jones