Arena's Fate Sealed at Gillette

Former US Coach 'Resigns' from Red Bulls

November 6, 2007

By Nick Williams

New York’s season-ending loss to the Revolution at Gillette Stadium Saturday sealed the fate of Red Bulls coach and former U.S. National Team headman Bruce Arena.

After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, the club decided to part ways with Arena, despite two remaining guaranteed years on his contract.

Officially, though, the Red Bulls are calling the separation a mutual decision, saying in a statement that Arena resigned from his duties as coach.

“We've made progress this season, but it is not where we want to be,” Red Bulls Managing Director Marc de Grandpre said in the statement. “We made a promise to our fans to provide the best quality product on the field. Unfortunately, we haven't achieved that promise to this point. Thus, we've come to a mutual agreement to part ways. I want to thank Bruce for his hard work. I am certain that he will have success in his future endeavors.”

Arena took over the reigns in New York last summer, going 16-16-10 during his year and a half at the helm.

"Marc and I discussed the direction of the team and decided mutually that this was the best move for Red Bull New York," Arena said in the statement.

Arena coached the U.S. Men’s National Team from 1998-2006, racking up a US-record 71 wins before being replaced by Bob Bradley following the Americans’ disappointing first-round exit from the World Cup in Germany.

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