Howard C. Smith/ISI PHOTOS
Bruce Arena is enjoying life these days. Between spending most of his time playing golf, and some of his time working as a TV color analyst for the Kansas City Wizards, Arena is enjoying life away from the stress of being a soccer coach.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want back on the bench.
"Yeah it is," Arena said when asked if coaching was something that was a possibility for him to return to. "I’ve talked to people. I had a potential opportunity in the off-season and I turned it down.
"I didn’t think it was time to jump right back into it," Arena said. "I’ll entertain anything that makes sense.”
So what makes sense? Given the struggles of his former team, the D.C. United job could become a possibility if head coach Tom Soehn can’t turn things around with his floundering squad.
D.C. United suffered a 3-1 loss to Chivas USA on Saturday night to drop D.C. to 2-6, a staggering record given the resources spent on new players this past off-season. D.C. United’s struggles could eventually lead to the departure of Soehn and potential return of Arena.
An Arena-D.C. reunion makes sense because the same man who Arena worked with during his first stint with D.C. United a dozen years ago is still in charge. Kevin Payne, D.C. president and one of the most respected team official in MLS, is still team president and his presence provides the very stability Arena mentioned when discussing the type of MLS coaching job that would appeal to him.
“I’d consider anything that makes sense,” Arena said about potential coaching jobs. “What I learned here, more than anything, is that organization is important, and that your front office is an important part of the team on the field. It’s got to be good experience and the right kind of support to move forward."
What do you think about Arena potentially returning to MLS? Where would you see him going? D.C.? Philadelphia? Seattle? Share your thoughts below.