New England Revolution

New England Revolution players refused to train on Tuesday following the resignation of manager Bruce Arena, per The Athletic's Pablo Maurer and Tom Bogert.

Arena resigned on Saturday after New England's 1-1 draw against Minnesota United. He had been the subject of a nearly six-week investigation commissioned by MLS to look into allegations of "inappropriate and insensitive" remarks. MLS said in a statement Saturday that the investigation "confirmed certain of these allegations" and if Arena wanted to work in the league again, he'd have to file a petition with commissioner Don Garber.

Arena, who had been on administrative leave since Aug. 1, was replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach Richie Williams. Maurer and Bogert reported on Saturday that complaints by Williams were part of the investigation into Arena's behavior.

Maurer and Bogert stated Tuesday that New England's "locker room has been fractured over the investigation into Arena." On Monday, team president Brian Bilello sent an email saying there would be a mandatory meeting prior to Tuesday's training session. Players reportedly "demanded more information on the investigation that led to Arena's resignation."

They were then granted extra time with the entire coaching staff after feeling unsatisfied with the answers. Williams was asked in that meeting about his reported involvement in the investigation, and he said he was unable to comment.

Revolution interim sporting director Curt Onalfo reportedly met with "a number of" senior players to "further discuss concerns surrounding Williams' continuing leadership of the club." A source told Maurer and Bogert that "a decision on a potential coaching change could be made as early as this week."

In addition to his apparently fractured relationship with the players, Williams reportedly also isn't on good terms with Revolution assistant coaches Shalrie Joseph and Dave van den Bergh. Both of them "have publicly expressed their support for Arena," while Williams and Joseph "have clashed repeatedly, with the two having to be physically separated on one occasion last season."

For his part, Williams said during his press conference on Tuesday that the decision not to train on Tuesday was a collective one.

"We didn't have training today as we had a bunch of meetings between players, coaches and management," he said. "The length of the meetings and what was discussed we decided as a group, collectively, that we wouldn't have training today and we'd be out tomorrow."

The Revolution will face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

Bruce Arena's tenure as head coach of the New England Revolution has come to an end.

The Revolution announced Saturday that Arena had resigned from his position with the club. It also said in the statement that Curt Onalfo would continue to serve as interim sporting director and Richie Williams would continue to serve as interim head coach.

Arena said in a statement, per the Associated Press:

The investigation has been a hard and difficult process, for me and my family, but hearing from so many who have been part of my career truly has been gratifying and has helped make this decision easier. I know that I have made some mistakes and moving forward, I plan to spend some time reflecting on this situation and taking corrective steps to address what has transpired. And while this has not been an easy decision, I am confident that it is in the best interest of both the New England Revolution organization and my family that we part ways at this time.

The news comes after The Athletic's Pablo Maurer and Tom Bogert reported Saturday that Arena's tenure as head coach of the Revolution was "likely to end" amid an investigation into his conduct.

Major League Soccer announced on Aug. 1 that it had opened an investigation into Arena and placed him on administrative leave following allegations that he made "insensitive and inappropriate remarks."

The Revolution also released a statement at the time saying "the organization takes any allegations of workplace misconduct extremely seriously and is working closely with the League and fully cooperating with its investigation."

Neither the Revolution nor MLS released further details into the investigation, and more than one month passed with no news on Arena's status with the team.

Williams, who has been coaching the Revolution on an interim basis since Arena was placed on leave, filed complaints against Arena that are part of the league's investigation into his conduct, according to The Athletic.

The investigation also includes comments Arena allegedly made to his coaching staff "behind closed doors," according to The Athletic.

Arena, Williams and Onalfo "have clashed during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, those sources said, over differences between the club's sporting direction and tactics," The Athletic wrote.

Arena and Onalfo have also collided over player signings and the latter "had largely been marginalized from player personnel decisions" prior to Arena being placed on administrative leave, per The Athletic.

Several Revolution players had voiced their support of Arena over the last month, but most did so while requesting anonymity, per The Athletic. Team captain Carles Gil told The Athletic in August that his experience with the head coach "has been very good."

"Every coach I've had has helped me in some way; with Bruce, I have a great relationship," Gil said. "I'm the captain of this team, so I try to represent the entire dressing room when I speak to him, and honestly, I have a very good relationship with him."

One player told The Athletic last month that Arena is "the last player's coach" in the league.

Arena had been head coach of the Revolution since 2019, and the team made the playoffs in three of his first four seasons at the helm.

New England's best season under Arena came in 2021 when it finished atop the MLS standings for the first time in its history with a 22-5-7 (W-L-T) record before suffering a quarterfinal loss in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The Revolution entered Saturday's game against Minnesota United second in the Eastern Conference with a 13-5-8 record. Arena hadn't been on the sideline since a July 26 win over San Luis in the Leagues Cup.

Arena, a former two-time coach of the United States men's national team, is the winningest coach in MLS history and a four-time MLS Coach of the Year. He won three MLS Cup titles as head coach of the LA Galaxy (2011, 2012, 2014) and two as head coach of D.C. United (1996, 1997).

The 71-year-old closes his tenure in New England with a 60-31-42 MLS record.

According to The Athletic, Arena met with MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Tuesday in regards to the investigation and was also at Gillette Stadium on Thursday to speak with the Kraft family, which owns the Revolution and NFL's New England Patriots.

The United States Men's National Team defeated Morocco 3-0 on Wednesday in an international friendly match at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, in what was their first of four matches this month.

The match gave Gregg Berhalter a good look at his player pool ahead of the World Cup in Qatar this fall as players like Haji Wright, Joe Scally, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Malik Tillman saw a decent amount of time on the pitch.

While Wright, Brenden Aaronson and Timothy Weah found the back of the net in the win, and Christian Pulisic impressed, it was goalkeeper Matt Turner who drew a lot of the attention from American fans on Wednesday night after earning a clean sheet.

Many even called for Turner to replace Zack Steffen as the team's No. 1 goalkeeper entering the World Cup after making eight saves in the win.

Turner entered Wednesday's game with 16 appearances for the national team, including 12 wins and 11 clean sheets. He is now 13-2-2 with 12 shutouts since making his debut in 2021.

The 27-year-old has made a name for himself over the last several years after going undrafted out of Fairfield University.

He signed with the New England Revolution in 2016 and has emerged as the MLS side's top keeper. After going 17-7-4 with five clean sheets during the 2021 season, he earned the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award and was named to the MLS Best XI.

Turner is also set to transfer to Premier League side Arsenal in June, a huge reward for his impressive performances in the MLS and for the national team over the last couple of years.

Meanwhile, Steffen has been with the U.S. national team since 2018 and is 14-4-7. In six games this year for the USMNT, the Manchester City keeper is 3-2-1 with two clean sheets.

With Turner pushing for Steffen's starting job, things should certainly be interesting as we inch closer to the World Cup in November.

Former USMNT manager Bruce Arena has been appointed as the new head coach and sporting director of MLS side New England Revolution. 

The Revolution announced the news via their official website. Investor/operator Robert Kraft discussed his appointment:

"Bruce is one of the most successful coaches in American soccer history, and we feel his commitment to excellence, track record of winning championships in Major League Soccer, as well as his success at the international level, makes him the best person to bring the Revolution back to MLS Cup contention. We have known Bruce dating back to the advent of MLS, and we have full confidence that he will raise the level of our club to the standard we all expect and demand."

Arena will immediately start his job as sporting director, while an exact date for his first day as manager is still unknown. The current technical staff will remain in place. New England host Chelsea in a charity match to help combat antisemitism on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium.

The Revolution sacked their previous manager, Brad Friedel, following an embarrassing 5-0 defeat away to Chicago Fire on Wednesday. At the time, the team had won just two of their first 12 MLS matches of the season and were bottom of the Eastern Conference, per BBC Sport. 

Sports writer Ives Galarcep believes the club is rectifying a mistake by hiring Arena now, and his struggles with the national team shouldn't overshadow everything else he has accomplished:

Fox Sports' Keith Costigan is also a fan of the move:

The 67-year-old Arena has won the MLS Cup five times during his career, twice at D.C. United and three times with L.A. Galaxy. He also guided the USMNT to three Gold Cup victories, but his second stint with the Stars and Stripes was not successful.

Returning in 2016 as Jurgen Klinsmann's replacement, he failed to guide the team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with the USMNT's elimination confirmed after a disastrous 2-1 loss away to Trinidad & Tobago. He resigned shortly after the defeat.

Devastation engulfed the New England Revolution in California last year when the LA Galaxy, formulating a storybook finish for retiring U.S. star Landon Donovan, defeated the Revs in the 2014 MLS Cup.

Robbie Keane’s goal in extra time snagged a 2-1 advantage for LA that even Revolution midfielder Teal Bunbury could not draw level with his late-match chip that soared and dipped off the crossbar.

New England, having now appeared in the MLS title game five times since the league’s inception, is still searching for its first crown. It will have the opportunity to begin another quest against the Seattle Sounders on Mar. 8—one of many regular-season openers.

The roster’s offseason outlook provides good reason to believe the reigning Eastern Conference champs will advance deep into the 2015 playoffs.

2014 MLS MVP candidate Lee Nguyen will return after anchoring the best statistical campaign of his entire career. He earned himself national team attention, getting his first call-up in seven years for November 2014 friendlies. He is ready to climb the ranks among the Stars and Stripes' best attackers.

The former PSV Eindhoven youngster revealed his yearning to become a key contributor at the international level.

“I want to keep pushing for better. I always feel like there’s another level,” Nguyen said in national team training earlier this month, per The Dallas Morning News' Jon Arnold. “Being on this national team, I don’t want to just be on the fringe; I want to be one of the guys being called up. I definitely think there’s another level I can strive for.”

Nguyen’s 18 regular-season goals signaled the highest sum of any midfielder in MLS, but one cannot attribute this outcome only to his performance, although the 28-year-old Texan emerged as manager Jay Heap’s cool-headed penalty kick converter early on.

The arrival of designated player Jermaine Jones in the summer came at the decisive moment, providing his toughness and playmaking ability to make Nguyen and the rest of the squad worthy of postseason prestige.

Players from the top to bottom of the roster began to step up. The current roster, barring the losses of standout defender A.J. Soares to Norwegian side Viking FK and Patrick Mullins to New York City FC, has managed to stay uniform.

Juan Agudelo, the burgeoning American talent who failed to experience a useful stint overseas with Stoke City, left Eredivisie club FC Utrecht and, after signing with New England in January, returned to the place where he delighted in former glory.

Agudelo signed with New England in January. His presence gives New England a strong, skilled man up top. Since performances shift year to year in MLS, it’s uncertain whether or not Charlie Davies can match his first-class efforts from the end of ’14.

Therefore, the inclusion of Agudelo, in addition to the his sheer upside based on familiarity with the existing Revs, grants Heaps depth and well-rounded talent able to combat scoring streakiness.

ESPN Boston’s Brian O’Connell laid out the numbers behind the forward’s previous triumphs:

But Agudelo isn't just a big-bodied target man with average shot. Consider that in his 14 games with the Revolution in 2013, he scored seven goals, an impressive goal/game ratio of 0.5. A closer look, though, reveals just how lethal Agudelo is in front of the net: Those seven goals came from only 11 shots on goal. In other words, he put away more than half (63.6 percent) of the shots he took.

The re-signing of midfielder Teal Bunbury also strengthens the Revs’ offensive prowess. The speedy veteran overcame intermittent struggles to emerge as a crucial pace-pusher on the wing. He will certainly execute a similar role come opening day.

Let’s not forget the growth of defensive midfielder Scott Caldwell, who elevated his game alongside Jones, often utilizing tight spaces in midfield to properly control sequences in midfield. Will we see a greater improvement from him?

Even though elements of a championship team are firmly in place, consistency reigns supreme, and the Revolution will face remarkable tests from new expansion teams NYCFC and Orlando City in two upcoming matches versus each franchise. The Revolution will also battle playoff opponents New York Red Bulls twice and Columbus Crew once, and they host the LA Galaxy at Gillette Stadium in a late-May MLS Cup rematch.

The main area of concern for New England heading into game day will be the makeshift back line, which will have to cope without Soares, a consistent starter throughout the squad’s road to the championship. Switching Andrew Farrell to center back may occur, but it’s not his choice spot and would require acclimation; in this scenario, Goncalves will shoulder a burden too heavy.

However, we have yet to see the full squad in meaningful action. The Revolution are boasting an undesirable 1-2-1 preseason record in Tuscon, Arizona, while the larger context points to an MLS side prepped to vie for the big title once again. Expect the Revs to regain their triumphant ways, in the second half of 2015 at the latest.

The LA Galaxy defeated the New England Revolution, 2-1, after extra time to win MLS Cup on Sunday. Even though the Revolution lost their record-breaking fifth final in franchise history, they're still the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference.

New England had just two wins after their first seven games of the 2014 regular season. The Revs improved in April and May, but then lost eight matches in a row from the end of May and into the final week of July. The Revolution's chances of making the playoffs were grim.

Around a month later, Jermaine Jones was signed as a designated player. New England won 10 of their last 12 games with the American international on the roster. The Revs subsequently qualified for the playoffs as the second seed in the East.

MVP finalist Lee Nguyen was also integral to the Revolution's success in the second half of the season. The American midfielder scored nine of his 18 goals after Jones arrived at the club. Nguyen was also extremely difficult to contain with Kelyn Rowe, Chris Tierney and Teal Bunbury alongside him.

Players such as Nguyen, Rowe, Tierney, Bunbury, Jones, Scott Caldwell and Charlie Davies make up the core of the Revolution.

Goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth has become a legitimate No. 1 over the last two years after serving as a back up for former shot-stopper Matt Reis.

Defenders such as A.J. Soares and Andrew Farrell have dramatically improved since they were drafted by the Revs. The latter was shaky during the playoffs, but the experience will serve him well in the future. Jose Goncalves wasn't as consistent in 2014 as he was in 2013, when he was named MLS Defender of the Year, but some of that was to do with his contract situation.

Head coach Jay Heaps is one of many young coaches in MLS who has excelled in his new role on the touchline. When he took over, New England was in disarray. Long-time boss Steve Nicol and the Revs had mutually parted ways.

That gamble paid off for the Revolution. Heaps has led his team to the conference semifinals and an MLS Cup final in back-to-back seasons. 

The only area that New England needs to work on during the offseason is their collective defending. The individual quality is there, but they conceded eight goals in five playoff matches. 

The Revolution allowed 46 goals during the regular season. That was the second-highest amount out of all five playoff teams. However, Goncalves' decline, coupled with the rotation of Farrell between full-back and center back, didn't allow a lot of vital continuity at the back.

Another negative for the Revs was Diego Fagundez. The Uruguayan scored 13 goals and recorded seven assists in 2013. He followed that up with five goals and four assists in 31 appearances this season, the same amount of games Fagundez played in the previous year.

The 19-year-old is linked with many different clubs, which could have distracted him this season. David Amoyal of GianlucaDiMarzio.com said that Italian teams were looking at Fagundez. MLS Transfers claims that Fiorentina was one of the potential suitors.

The key for Heaps and his coaching staff is to teach Fagundez how to overcome this adversity. The attacker became somewhat predictable with his play, so he could snap out of his dry spell if he adds more to his repertoire.

New England is, on paper, the best team in the East heading into next season, thanks to the realignment. If the Revolution fix the aforementioned issues, they should be back in the MLS Cup final and win it for the first time in team history next year.

The New England Revolution advanced to the MLS Cup final following a 4-3 aggregate victory over the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference championship. Charlie Davies was the hero who helped New England advance with two goals in the game. Just like his team, he has returned to top form after overcoming hardship.

New England hasn't been to an MLS Cup final since 2007. Since then, the Revolution have only made it as far as the conference semifinals. They also missed the playoffs between 2010-12. The Revs were underachievers. But since Jay Heaps took over as head coach, they've become one of the most dynamic teams in the league.

Davies was also at the top of his game up until 2009, just before New England's decline began. The striker was a member of the U.S. men's national team and contributed to its eventual qualification to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

However, in June of 2009, Davies was involved in a horrific car accident in Washington, D.C. He suffered a broken fibula, tibia, torn ligaments in his knee, severe head trauma and a lacerated bladder, plus numerous minor injuries. It was a near-death experience, and this tragic crash kept the American out of the World Cup—and essentially ended his international career.

Davies managed to recover and returned to competitive action with the Sochaux reserve team, which, at the time, was his club. He then spent a year on loan to D.C. United and scored 11 goals in 26 appearances. The option to make the move permanent wasn't picked up by the MLS side.

The 28-year-old then played for Danish team Randers, but he was loaned back to MLS. This time, New England took a shot on the former U.S. international.

The Revolution signed Davies to a permanent deal just before the current campaign. His scoring output declined from 2011, as the forward had just three goals in 18 appearances in the regular season. The reason for his low amount of tallies was that he sustained a chronic calf injury and never became a key starter until late July.

Heaps still called on Davies to lead the line in the playoffs. That was a smart move from the young tactician, because his striker has now scored four goals from just eight shots, per MLSSoccer.com.

The last two goals are arguably the most important for Davies and are easily the biggest of the Revolution's season.

Heading into the 2014 campaign, Davies was considered an underdog who played for a dark-horse team that will now be participating in the MLS Cup final on December 7. The Revs previously lost in three consecutive appearances, per Comcast Sportsnet. But with their newfound resilience, New England is in a position to erase their past history.

An MLS Cup win would also be a satisfying end to an arduous five-year journey for Davies. He lost his spot with the USMNT, and he may never have the chance to experience a World Cup. But winning a trophy for his club would be almost as satisfying.

On Saturday, Aug. 17, 20-year-old Juan Agudelo got the call for his New England Revolution against the visiting Chicago Fire in a crucial Eastern Conference matchup.

This was a little over a week since it had been confirmed that Mark Hughes and Stoke City had reached an agreement with the Colombian-born player that would bring him to England at the start of January. He signed a pre-contract with the club, which was first reported on Aug. 6. 

I'm sure Hughes will be even happier with his decision after he sees what Agudelo did to open the scoring in this crucial fixture. It occurred in the wee hours of the morning in England, so I would assume he was asleep when this happened:

As Chris Tierney hit a great ball over the top from behind the halfway line, Agudelo realized that onrushing keeper Sean Johnson would prevent him from hitting the ball straight at the goal for a classic breakaway finish.

With this in mind, he had the audacity to hit it with his heel, looping the ball way over the keeper from around 10 yards out. Despite the impressive attempted defensive clearance from Bakary Soumare, the assistant referee affirmed that it had crossed the line.

The American international did this knowing good and well that it could have easily gone wrong. The level of touch needed to pull off such a goal was extraordinarily high. 

The Revolution won the match 2-0 and are now sixth in the East with 33 points. The Fire are two points back in seventh place. Since only five teams from each conference make the playoffs, the Revolution will need more goals from Agudelo to ensure qualification.

I'll be honest, I've always thought Agudelo was a decent striker, but never thought he was capable of something like this. Now I'm thrilled to see what he could bring to the United States national team once he further develops.