'This is what I do': Under Bruce Arena, MLS' Earthquakes shaking off disastrous 2024

The San Jose Earthquakes finished the 2024 season with an eye-watering six wins, three draws and 25 losses — by far the worst record in Major League Soccer. 

After that shockingly awful season, the Earthquakes turned to Bruce Arena — one of MLS' original coaches and a former U.S. Men's National Team coach — to turn around the program for one of the league's original franchises. In November, Arena joined San Jose as head coach and sporting director after leaving his previous team, the New England Revolution, for undisclosed reasons.

So, why would the 73-year-old soccer lifer — the MLS' winningest coach — return to a league he has championed since its inception in 1996?

"This is what I do," Arena told Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times about the challenge. "There's an increased commitment to be better. No question about that."

Two games into the season, a small sample size, Arena has the Earthquakes (2-0) tied for first in the Western Conference. Here's how he has pulled off a strong start:

A solid 'spine'

When MLS teams rebuild, they often start with their "spine," the central defenders and midfielders. Putting big-name stars into those positions can revitalize a team's prospects and add a jolt of energy to its play.

But Arena chose a different path. Instead of adding stars to the Earthquakes' spine, he added experience, bringing in a group of players from New England, his former club. Defender Dave Romney and midfielders Ian Harkes and Mark-Anthony Kaye aren't stars, but they are capable and know how to work together under Arena's leadership.

Arena's take was that reliability mattered more than star power in key central positions, and so far, his take is correct. The Earthquakes allowed five goals in their first two games of 2024; they've allowed just one in the first two of 2025 (and scored six of their own).