Bruce Arena wary of his L.A. return against a Galaxy team ‘due’ for success

The last time Bruce Arena and Dave Sarachan stood together on the sidelines at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Galaxy were beating the Colorado Rapids in the MLS Western Conference semifinals. That was 2016 and the win was the pair’s 18th playoff victory in eight seasons with the Galaxy.

It was also the last game they coached together in Carson.

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They’ll be back on Wednesday, only this time Arena and Sarachan will be in the opposite technical area, standing in front of the San José Earthquakes’ bench. And in some ways it’s a bittersweet return. Because while both men have mostly fond memories of their time with the Galaxy, they return with the home team hungry and winless through 15 games, the longest drought in franchise history.

That makes the homecoming both welcome and challenging.

Read more: Commentary: Bruce Arena aims to achieve the seemingly impossible with San José

“I have nothing but good memories of my time in L.A. with the Galaxy. So it’s nice to go back,” Arena said.

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“I like watching them and they’ve had tough times. But they’re better than their record indicates. We’re the next team up, which will be in some ways very, very challenging because you know they’re due to have success.”

The Galaxy (0-11-4) have led in each of their last three games, only to lose two of them on goals deep in stoppage time. So Wednesday’s game could be a dangerous one for the Earthquakes (5-6-4), who are unbeaten in their last five.

“It’s almost amazing that they haven’t gotten a win,” Sarachan said. “It’s a double-edged sword because there’s a certain fragility to it. But at the same time, they’re looking to get out of this funk. They’re in a tough situation so we just have to be ready.”

Arena and Sarachan, his top assistant with both the Galaxy and men’s national team, are arguably the most successful coaching duo in U.S. Soccer history, having taken the national team to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup before winning three MLS Cups and two Supporters’ Shields in five seasons with the Galaxy.

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It was the most successful five-year stretch by any team in MLS history. But the Galaxy didn’t win another MLS Cup until last season, ending the team’s longest trophy drought.

Less than two years after leaving the Galaxy to return to the national team, Arena and Sarachan went their separate ways after failing to qualify the U.S. for the 2018 World Cup. They reunited this winter in San José, where they took over a team that had tied the MLS record for losses (25) and broke the record for goals allowed (78) in 2024, guiding it into playoff position after 15 games this year.

“Our goal is to get through the first half of the season where we have a good feel for our team and understand where we need to go in the second half,” Arena said. “At the end of next week we’ll be at the midway point in the season and we have a better feel for where we are.

Read more: LAFC and Galaxy each won something notable in their El Tráfico draw

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“We’re improving. Maybe not as quick as I’d like but I think we have a chance to be a good team in the season half.”

Arena’s blueprint for turning the Quakes around is the same one he used to rescue the Galaxy team he took over midway through the 2008 season. In L.A., he remade the roster by shipping out more than 20 players that winter. In San José, he brought in 16 new ones, including former Galaxy defender Dave Romney, who leads the team in minutes played, and former LAFC striker Cristian Arango, who is third in the league with nine goals.

But while Arena celebrates his team’s success, he takes no joy from the Galaxy’s struggles.

“Listen, I did my spell there and it was time to move on, like anything else,” Arena said. “You stay in one place too long, they eventually want you to move on.

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“I have the greatest respect for that organization. There are better times ahead for them. The second half of the season is going to be much improved.”

Sarachan agreed. But he’d just as soon the Galaxy hold off on that improvement until the Quakes have left town.

“Yeah,” he said, confessing to harboring no hard feelings. “I’d like to see them 0-12-4. And we can move on from that.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.