New England Revolution: Tough decisions ahead in Bruce Arena evolution

Former USMNT manager Bruce Arena faces a tall order as he attempts to improve the New England Revolution’s organization and on-field results this season.

After a three-year playoff drought and dismal start to the 2019 season, there was little surprise when the New England Revolution chose to move on from head coach Brad Friedel and longtime general manager Mike Burns.

The move to Bruce Arena to take on both roles has been received as a positive decision, but hiring one person to fix the problems two others left behind is no small task, even for someone with the résumé of a two-time U.S. Men’s National Team manager and five-time MLS Cup champion. After a more than two-year hiatus of his own volition from coaching in the league and criticism for his part in the U.S. missing the 2018 World Cup, Arena is not without his skeptics.

In his introductory press conferences and interviews, Arena has emphasized that he’s charged himself to evaluate everything from the top-down, though he seemed to still have some blind spots coming in when it came to the academy, allocation funds and support staff. Interim head coach Mark Lapper steadied things a bit in the Revs’ last two matches, with at least one more chance to turn a result against D.C. United. Retaining him should be a consideration, particularly if he can pull out a result against a United side that has lost some steam over the past few weeks.

A manager like Arena can be expected to favor veterans, particularly if he believes there is an opportunity to compete for the playoffs. The Revolution are still only two games behind Columbus for eighth in the Eastern Conference. The playoffs are not completely out of sight, however ridiculous that may sound at this point, but the focus could quickly turn to what to do with some of the team’s more familiar faces after this season.

Teal Bunbury is theoretically the type of player that could fill a role reminiscent to Jozy Altidore’s during Arena’s tenure as manager for the USMNT, but Bunbury also has a history of producing some maddening miscues and looks like he’s plateaued in the midst of a lackluster season. Diego Fagundez has struggled to effectively co-exist with designated player Carles Gil in the attacking midfield. The backline is serviceable with Andrew Farrell and Jalil Anibaba in the center, but its depth could be tested depending on the severity of the injury Edgar Castillo picked up against Montreal last weekend.

One thing Arena has been resolute about in his early comments since his hire is his intention to increase the reach of the club’s scouting efforts, which further signals impending changes. Fans should be eager for movement in the summer transfer window after the unfulfilled promise of an added designated player in the last one. However, Arena has also indicated he doesn’t plan on having to spend top dollar to compete at a high level.

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Not having the same sort of coin available as when he fielded a starting XI for LA Galaxy that featured David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane will demand Arena be more creative with his line-up choices, though his on-field tactics have often been predicated on the ingenuity of his players. Arena inherits a roster with several young attackers that can produce smart passing combinations and run at defenders with the ball, but if the team continues to flounder, the season will become little more than an audition for several of them.

Arena is a splash hire for a team that desperately needed reason for optimism, but he made an observation on MLS’ Extra Time Radio during an interview with Andrew Wiebe when questioned about the USA failing to qualify for the World Cup.

‘When teams aren’t successful, whether you agree with this or not, it’s not the responsibility of one person,’ he said. ‘It’s the responsibility of a lot of people.’

He’s taken a significant share of the responsibility in his newest gig, and though he might have a longer leash this time around, he won’t be able to say the same thing if the New England Revolution fail to find their way back to success.