![]() ![]() ![]() He’s got the same sarcastic humor, but what’s more important is that he sets a tone for the team. The 1996 MLS Cup showcased Arena’s ability to respond to adverse field conditions and make wise substitutions. : John Harkes #6 and his teammates of DC United celebrate capturing the Alan I Rothenberg Cup after their team defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Major League Soccer MLS Championship game at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The team rallied in extra time and Eddie Pope sealed it for DC United, winning the league’s inaugural championship game. Etcheverry put in a perfect cross to an unmarked Sanneh who headed the ball in for a goal, and Medved tied the game up in the 82nd minute. Arena’s decision was instantly rewarded when both his substitutes scored goals in the ten minutes that followed. Moreover, when the substitutes came in, DC United moved to a 3-4-3, with Etcheverry playing right forward, which caused problems for the LA Galaxy’s Chris Armas who was tasked with man-marking Etcheverry. Both substitute players had a height advantage of the players they were replacing (Sanneh replaced Maessner and Medved replaced Gori ), and were effective at heading the ball. Realizing that the terrible conditions had curtailed the team’s ability to create chances through the run of play, Arena substituted in two players who could make a difference on set pieces: Tony Sanneh (a right back who Arena played as a midfielder) came in for John Maessner and only a few minutes later Shawn Medved (forward) was subbed in for Mario Gori (midfielder). ![]() It was then that Arena made some astute player and formation changes that altered the outcome of the game. Led by club legend, Cobi Jones, the Galaxy grabbed the lead in the fifth minute on a header by Eduardo Hurtado, and doubled its advantage in the 55 th minute when Chris Armas put in a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area. A continuous downpour of rain waterlogged the field, causing the ball to move with all the aerodynamic glide of a concrete boulder doused in tar.įurther, the 1996 LA Galaxy was no scrub team. However, as weather conditions worsened, the open and attractive style of play that had characterized DC United that year proved nigh impossible. In front of 35,000 rain-drenched fans, Arena coached the team back from a two goal deficit in the second half to beat the LA Galaxy 3-2 in extra time.ĭC United started the game playing what appeared to be a 4-3-1-2 that looked something like the following: Perhaps the single game that best encapsulates the genius of Arena’s management of DC United was the 1996 MLS Cup, which occurred on October 20, 1996, during a howling rainstorm at Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts. The squad was built around playmaker Marco Etcheverry who created chances for goalscorers Jaime Moreno and Raul Diaz Arce, and had a supporting cast that included Eddie Pope, John Harkes, and Jeff Agoos. Let’s briefly peruse Arena’s strategic curriculum vitae before evaluating how the tactics he has implemented in the past five years have borne fruit for the LA Galaxy.īruce Arena’s DC United team was one of the best in MLS history. Until Jurgen Klinsmann’s run of form with the national team, Arena also had the highest win percentage of any USMNT coach in modern history.* While Arena has always received plaudits for his man-management and ability to develop players to their fullest potential, Arena is also a deft tactician who has repeatedly demonstrated throughout his career an uncanny ability to make timely and critical decisions that prove pivotal in big games. The two best dynasties in MLS history are the DC United team that won two consecutive MLS Cups between 19 and the LA Galaxy team of the past five years. This article focuses on the impact of Arena’s strategic decision-making during big games. This article is the second in a multi-part series on Bruce Arena’s influence on the LA Galaxy. – Bruce Arena, to Grant Wahl, Sports Illustrated, December 4, 2014 No one in Europe knows anything more about soccer than we do.” ![]()
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