Following Arena's resignation, the New England Revolution are a giant mess
FOXBORO -- The New England Revolution have enjoyed success on the pitch this season, currently sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference. But off the pitch, things are a giant mess.
Legendary coach Bruce Arena is gone, resigning over the weekend after spending over a month in limbo during an MLS investigation surrounding apparent "inappropriate and insensitive" remarks Arena had made. There is still no resolution to that investigation, which prompted the Revs to put their head coach and sporting direction on administrative leave back on Aug. 1.
Interim head coach Richie Williams -- a longtime Arena assistant who also played for him at the college, professional, and international level -- is now out too. Revs players didn't trust him and refused to hit the training pitch for him Tuesday, according to The Athletic.
Williams seemingly was at the forefront of pushing Arena out the door, reportedly filing a complaint against the head coach that was part of Major League Soccer's investigation into the winningest head coach in league history. It's fair to say their longtime relationship has soured a bit.
On Tuesday night, the Revs announced that Clint Peay, who was helming the Revolution II, will now serve as the club's interim head coach. The announcement did not say what Williams would be doing going forward, but he is no longer the man in charge on the sideline.
That was not the only coaching change the club made, however. The Revolution also parted ways with assistant coaches Dave van den Bergh and, shockingly, Shalrie Joseph, both of whom were butting heads with Williams.
Joseph was a Revolution through and through, drafted by the club in 2002 and spending over a decade in New England as a player. He was the club's captain in 2010, and returned to join the coaching staff in 2020. He was a strong supporter of Arena, which definitely played into his frayed relationship with Williams.
The Revs feel more like a soap opera than a soccer club at the moment. Through all of this, there hasn't been much of an explanation of what's been going on from upper management. All announcements have been addressed with press releases with no comments from ownership. Williams spoke with the media Tuesday but didn't offer up much. A few hours later, he was out as interim head coach.
Simply put, there has been a lot for Revolution players and fans to digest over the last few days. A lot. But players still remain in the dark about what Arena did or said, and they didn't want to play for someone who seemingly betrayed the coaching legend.
It's a mess and it's an unfortunate turn for a club that has not only enjoyed success on the field, but has also been a lot of fun to watch. They have an extremely likeable star in Carles Gil, who is an absolute wizard with the ball on his foot. Giacamo Vrioni and "La Pantera" Gustavo Bou make the most of Gil's incredible passes, and both Andrew Farrell and Brandon Bye are excellent leaders on and off the pitch. In the community, the Revs always go above and beyond.
The Revs have been able to overcome the loss All-Star keeper Djordje Petrovic on the pitch, who transferred to Chelsea last month after some transfer controversy in late July. New England is 1-1-2 since returning from Leagues Cup action, and 13-5-9 overall in MLS action. They have been treating Revs fans to some solid soccer all season, sporting a 10-0-4 record at Gillette Stadium.
But will they be able to overcome everything that has happened over the last five days? The Revolution remain in second place in the Eastern Conference, holding a one-point lead over Orlando at the moment. They felt like a true contender just six weeks ago, but now it seems like it's all falling apart from the inside.
Revolution players have done their best to block out the noise and distractions throughout all of this, and they will continue to give it their all on the pitch as the team marches to the postseason. But it feels like all the controversy is about to catch up to the club.
