Arena earns MLS record fourth Coach of the Year honors after leading Revs to Supporters’ Shield-winning season
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NEW YORK(November 29, 2021) – Major League Soccer today announced New England Revolution head coach Bruce Arena as the 2021 MLS Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year. The coaching icon led the Revolution to a record-breaking campaign that surpassed the single season points record and won Supporters’ Shield to secure the top seed in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, with homefield advantage and a Round One bye.
Arena makes history, earning MLS Coach of the Year for a record fourth time in his MLS coaching career to become only the second individual in league history to win the award with three different MLS clubs (New England Revolution, 2021; LA Galaxy, 2011, 2009; D.C. United, 1997).
Coming off a record-breaking campaign, Arena’s Revs posted 73 points – the most during a single season – to overtake the previous record high 72 points set by the Los Angeles Football Club in 2019. Arena fittingly tied the late Sigi Schmid’s record 240 regular season victories and became the first head coach to win four Supporters’ Shields in league history. In addition, he became the second head coach since Schmid himself to win the Shield with three different clubs.
Arena’s next test will come in Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs, when the top-seeded New England Revolution welcome New York City FC to Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, Nov. 30 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1/ FOX Deportes).
Seeking his sixth MLS Cup victory, Arena is three wins away from becoming the first coach in MLS history to win MLS Cup with three different teams, which would make him just the second coach in the five major North American men’s professional sports leagues to win a championship with three different teams after Scotty Bowman accomplished the feat in the National Hockey League.
Arena received 57.97% of the overall vote by MLS club technical staff, media, and current MLS players. Leading the Colorado Rapids to the top spot of the Western Conference, Robin Fraser was second with 20.80% of the total vote.
COACH |
PLAYER |
CLUB |
MEDIA |
TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Arena, Bruce (NE) |
54.20% |
57.60% |
62.10% |
57.97% |
Fraser, Robin (COL) |
10.90% |
30.30% |
21.20% |
20.80% |
Schmetzer, Brian (SEA) |
2.60% |
3.00% |
6.40% |
4.00% |
Smith, Gary (NSH) |
3.60% |
3.00% |
3.00% |
3.20% |
Nancy, Wilfried (MTL) |
2.10% |
3.00% |
1.50% |
2.20% |
MLS Coach of the Year Winners
2021: Bruce Arena – New England Revolution
2020: Jim Curtin – Philadelphia Union
2019: Bob Bradley – Los Angeles Football Club
2018: Gerardo “Tata” Martino – Atlanta United
2017: Greg Vanney – Toronto FC
2016: Oscar Pareja – FC Dallas
2015: Jesse Marsch – New York Red Bulls
2014: Ben Olsen – D.C. United
2013: Caleb Porter – Portland Timbers
2012: Frank Yallop – San Jose Earthquakes
2011: Bruce Arena – LA Galaxy
2010: Schellas Hyndman – FC Dallas
2009: Bruce Arena – LA Galaxy
2008: Sigi Schmid – Columbus Crew SC
2007: Preki – Chivas USA
2006: Bob Bradley – Chivas USA
2005: Dominic Kinnear – San Jose Earthquakes
2004: Greg Andrulis – Columbus Crew SC
2003: Dave Sarachan – Chicago Fire
2002: Steve Nicol – New England Revolution
2001: Frank Yallop – San Jose Earthquakes
2000: Bob Gansler – Kansas City Wizards
1999: Sigi Schmid – LA Galaxy
1998: Bob Bradley – Chicago Fire
1997: Bruce Arena – D.C. United
1996: Thomas Rongen – Tampa Bay Mutiny
