MLS Week 12: Top 3 storylines to watch

The Week 12 of the 2019 MLS season continues this weekend. Here are the top three storylines to follow, including Bruce Arena’s first game as New England Revolution head coach.

The 2019 Major League Soccer season is entering its middle stanza. Teams are beginning to vie for a playoff push, while others are panicking and making swift, far-reaching changes to try and turn their seasons around.

Among others, Week 12 sees Bruce Arena take charge of his first game as New England Revolution head coach, a lovely Eastern Conference Final rematch between the Red Bulls and Atlanta United, and two of the top teams of the year, D.C. United and Houston Dynamo, hoping to prove their worth.

Here are the top three storylines to watch this week in MLS.

3. New England Revolution hire Bruce Arena, turn the page on their season

The New England Revolution hired Bruce Arena as head coach and sporting director earlier this week. The move was preceded, first, by the dismissal of head coac Brad Freidel and then the firing of GM Mike Burns, both moves occurring in the last week. Feidel’s sacking came after the team averaged just 0.7 points per match through the season’s first 12 matches. This was a regression from last season’s mark of 1.2 points per match. Interim manager Mike Lapper led the Revolution to victory last weekend against San Jose.

In Arena, the New England Revolution have hired one of the biggest names in U.S. soccer. Arena, of course, is famous for previous stints in MLS with D.C. United, the New York Red Bulls, and the Los Angeles Galaxy. Arena has won five MLS Cups (two with D.C. and three with the Galaxy), which is as many as any MLS team has won. He is perhaps most notorious for his long tenure as manager of the USMNT, helming the squad from 1998-2006 (and then, again, from 2016 and 2017). He led the national team at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup, reaching the quarterfinals in 2006.

It remains to be seen how Arena adapts to today’s MLS. The league has changed since he last coached the Galaxy in 2016, with teams like Atlanta United and Los Angeles FC (just to name two) making big money signings and shifting the scouting focus from Europe to South America. Bruce Arena said at his introductory press conference, ‘I don’t think any club in the league needs to spend the way Atlanta spends. You can be successful without being the top spender in the league.’ That may not be what Revolution fans want to hear. They may have envisioned Arena’s arrival to signal the commitment to spending shown during his tenure with the Galaxy.

However, Arena does not believe there is a quick fix for New England, ‘You know it’s not going to happen in the next two weeks, but I’m confident over the next couple of years, that we can make very good progress and make this team much more competitive than it is today.’

It remains to be seen what changes Arena will make during the summer transfer window. However, there is some talent already in the fold. Carles Gil was signed this winter as a Designated Player and has been the team’s best player, scoring four goals with one assist thus far this season. Cristian Penilla and Diego Fagundez have both taken steps back following stellar 2018 seasons, but they still have the ability to be 10-goal scorers in MLS. Juan Agudelo and new signing Juan Fernando Caicedo have combined for five goals sharing the starting striker position. New England have several intriguing players acquired either through the SuperDraft or signed as homegrown the past two years. Right back/right midfielder Brandon Bye has developed into a league-average starter. He was acquired in the 2018 draft. 2019 draftees Tajon Buchanan and DaJuan Jones have shown flashes this season as well. Justin Rennicks and Issac Angking are talented young homegrowns. There are building blocks already established in this Revolution squad.

Bruce Arena’s Revolution lost to Chelsea in a friendly during the week, but the new manager faces his first MLS test on Saturday afternoon. New England will be on the road against the Montreal Impact. Montreal have been one of the early surprises in MLS. They are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points. The key for New England will be to improve defensively. They have allowed 31 goals in just 13 matches thus far this season. The team has plenty of talent in attack, but the defense needs to be the priority right now.

It will be interesting to see how Bruce Arena lines up his squad against Montreal. The Revolution trotted out a 4-4-2 diamond with wide wingers in their victory over the Earthquakes under Mike Lapper. However, it looked like Arena played a 4-2-3-1 against Chelsea. I expect a conservative line-up from the Revs.

This Saturday, the New England Revolution begin a new chapter in their franchise’s history. Their match against Montreal is just the beginning, and there probably will not be too many conclusions to draw from the outcome. Arena expects a slow build toward MLS success. Still, the veteran manager’s arrival in New England spurs excitement and optimism due to his history of success building winners in this league.

The New England Revolution take on the Montreal Impact this Saturday 5/18, at 1:00 pm EST.