LA Galaxy reward manager Bruce Arena with multi-year contract extension
LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena has signed a new multi-year deal with the club. (Alex Gallardo/AP)
The LA Galaxy have had plenty of success with the Landon Donovan-Bruce Arena player-coach combo, and they've taken steps to ensure that both remain at StubHub Center for the foreseeable future.
The Galaxy signed Arena to a "multi-year" contract extension Thursday, keeping the most successful coach in MLS history and the U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer in place. Specific details regarding the length of the new deal were not disclosed.
The 62-year-old Arena, the only manager to win four MLS Cups, has been with the Galaxy since 2008, when he took the reins during the second year of the David Beckham Era and helped steer the club to its current period of success. He guided the club to Supporters' Shields in 2010 and 2011 and MLS Cups in 2011 and 2012, and he also doubles as the club's general manager. He'll carry on in both roles.
“Bruce Arena has played an integral role in the growth and success of the LA Galaxy,” Galaxy president Chris Klein said in a statement. “His hard work and commitment to our club has helped the Galaxy become the premier team in MLS. Under Bruce, the club has won championships, developed talent and grown as a brand.”
Arena's 159 regular-season wins are the second-most in MLS history, trailing Seattle Sounders manager Sigi Schmid's 187. His 27 postseason wins are four clear of Schmid for most in league history.
Arena's extension comes less than six months after the Galaxy were able to sign Omar Gonzalez to a Designated Player deal and lock up Donovan to a multi-year deal. With Robbie Keane under contract through at least the 2015 season as well, the club's star nucleus is firmly in place.
