Bruce Arena, who has guided the San Jose Earthquakes to vast improvement in his second season as head coach and sporting director, signed a new contract through the 2028-29 season on Monday.
The winningest coach in MLS history, Arena has the Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) tied for first place in points in the Western Conference with the Vancouver Whitecaps (10-2-2). The Earthquakes last held that perch 14 years ago, per the team. San Jose also set an MLS mark by winning nine of its first 10 games in the post-shootout era.
“I have enjoyed my time here in San Jose, and I am excited to continue to see this team improve and compete at the highest level in MLS,” Arena, with his fifth league team, said in the news release. “We have a great core group of players here and a devoted fan base that has treated me very well from the start. I would like to thank ownership for their support since I arrived, and I’m looking forward to the second half of this season as we compete for a playoff spot.”
The Quakes are third in the overall Supporters’ Shield table. San Jose, which tied MLS records by starting 5-0-1 on the road and opening with six straight shutouts, can match last season’s regular-season win total (11-15-8, 41 points) with one more victory.
“He has done an outstanding job rebuilding this team and getting us positioned amongst the top teams in MLS this season,” Earthquakes managing partner John Fisher said in the news release. “Not only has he assembled a great, young team that is already competing for the playoffs this year, but he has built a team that is set up for sustainable, long-term success. We are excited to keep Bruce in San Jose for the foreseeable future.”
Arena, 74, has coached teams to a record five MLS Cup championships, four Supporters’ Shield titles, one CONCACAF Champions Cup, a Copa Interamericana and a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. He has won the most MLS regular-season games (283) and postseason games (35) and been selected MLS Coach of the Year a record four times.
A member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Arena coached the U.S. men’s national team to 81 wins (first all-time) and two FIFA World Cup appearances.
–Field Level Media
