Arena making tough calls
Revolution roster already changing after playoff exit
New England Revolution sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena performs his dual responsibilities concurrently when the team is performing on the pitch.
In his two seasons at the helm, Arena has adjusted to the challenges and benefits of having one person in charge of both sides of the operation.
“You obviously have control of the roster and the decisions you want to make,” said Arena. “There are some situations in sports where you see there can be conflicts in the thinking of a sporting director and general manager and the coaching staff.
“In this case I don’t have too many arguments with myself so that’s one advantage there. The disadvantage is it’s a lot of work, especially in the part in dealing with contracts and agents and players and all that. “
Arena’s job as field manager ended Sunday when the Revolution were eliminated from the MLS playoffs in the Eastern Conference final.
The No. 3 seed Columbus Crew SC scored in the 59th minute and held on to defeat No. 8 New England 1-0 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Arena was upfront during his postgame press conference that changes to the roster were at hand.
Arena went full-time sporting director in the aftermath of elimination and he systematically thinned the herd on Tuesday. The Revolution have 13 players under contract through the 2021 season and they comprise the nucleus of the team on both ends of the field. Arena exercised the contract options of five players, most noticeably dynamic playmaker Carles Gil, who fit squarely into the no-brainer category.
“The team’s goals are very clear and evident and I see us making steps forward,” said Gil. “Last year we made the playoffs and this year we reached the conference finals so we are taking steps forward.
“Our goal is to win a championship and each year are getting closer. We know what our goal is.”
Arena did not exercise the options on seven players who are now free to seek employment elsewhere. That left five unsigned players that included homegrown midfielder Diego Fagundez and two players he traded for after the MLS is Back Tournament, Lee Nguyen and Tommy McNamara. Fagundez ended the season tied with Shalrie Joseph for the club-record 261 games played.
“We offered him a new contract and he’s exercising his right to free agency and he is going to test the waters,” said Arena. “I think it was about two months ago we offered him a new contract for a couple of years.”
The Revolution endured a forced separation of four months when MLS shut down on March 12 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. They lived together in close quarters under a bubble in Orlando, Fla., during the MLS is Back Tournament. The Revs managed an unbalanced schedule through injury and adversity to win three playoff games. A team can grow close in difficult times, but the business side of MLS is always in the background.
Even a hardened veteran like forward Teal Bunbury, who signed a multi-year extension on July 13, has a hard time processing that on a personal and professional level.
“I guess it’s been difficult for everybody because it was a tight-knit group, but at the end of the day you understand that it is a business,” said Bunbury. “Unfortunately, decisions have to be made on who is coming back and who potentially is not going to be here.
“I think they are all made in the hopes for the betterment of this organization and I’m glad I don’t have to make any of those decisions. I think they are difficult because so many guys did a great job this year and, in their careers as well. Those are decisions Bruce and the coaching staff have to make.”