2014 MLS Cup
The Bruce, the Buzz & the MLS Vibe in Los Angeles
American Soccer Now contributing editor Brooke Tunstall is in Los Angeles for the 2014 MLS Cup, and he's keeping his eyes open—and his camera at the ready—to help you feel like you are there too.
LOS ANGELES—Bruce Arena has long had a prickly relationship with the soccer media. The Los Angeles Galaxy veteran coach’s personality doesn’t allow him to suffer fools well and he’s not one to hide his emotions when he disagrees with a statement or finds a question foolish.
Many a reporter has been on the receiving end of a dismissive Arena gesture or sarcastic comment. (For many, it’s humorously seen as a badge of honor.) So, it was not without some surprise to see Arena choosing to attend a league sponsored meet-and-greet for media attending MLS Cup Friday night.
The event was held at a watering hole in tony Manhattan Beach, near Arena’s home, and sans any team or league handlers he quietly held court in a corner of the bar and graciously greeted any and all who wished to converse, of which there was no short supply.
While Arena’s reputation for being difficult and arrogant at times is well-earned, that's only part of the picture. He has a very gracious and generous side and when he lets his guard down he reveals a cunning, albeit acerbic, sense of humor and a politician’s warmth that explains how he’s able to engender such loyalty from his players and assistant coaches, almost all of whom revere him.
“We might have had differences with him when we played for him or coached for him but all of us would do it again because he makes all of us better and is so loyal to the people that are close to him,” said John Harkes, who played for Arena at the University of Virginia, D.C. United, and briefly with the U.S. national team. Harkes is in Southern California hosting a show for Sirius-XM radio.
Arena has coached in MLS for 10 complete seasons and in seven of them his team has made MLS Cup. He’s going for his fifth championship tomorrow. That’s in addition to his spell at UVa, where he made the Final Four in six of his final seven seasons and won five national titles, and his eight years with the U.S. national team where he made the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup and won a pair of Gold Cups.
Yes, Arena can be arrogant at times but it’s not like his record doesn’t justify some of it.
Decorative soccer balls are mixed in alongside the Christmas and Hanukah decorations while the lobby bar is filled with MLS officials, sponsors, and media trading lies and gossip.
In short, it feels like a big event, which is not a coincidence as MLS likes to use this week (as well as the annual all-star game) to remind the world how far it has come. Longtime MLS Cup attendees marvel at how much more of a big-time event this feels like and the amount of media covering the event has grown over the years as well.
This growth isn’t lost on the veteran players who have been in prior MLS Cups. “From my first time at one of these, it’s so much different, such a bigger deal,” said Revolution veteran Andy Dorman, who played in three straight MLS Cups between 2005-07. “We thought it was big time then but this really feels bigger.”
Making the growth more remarkable is that MLS changed the format in 2012 when it went from a pre-designated (and usually neutral) venue to allowing the team with the best regular season record to host MLS Cup. The new format is a logistical nightmare for MLS and limits the amount of events they can host because of the finite amount of lead time between the conference finals and MLS Cup. MLS didn't know until about midnight Sunday where the championship would be played.
Still, MLS is thrilled with the results, despite the headaches.
“You can’t do nearly as much of the events-type stuff because you have such a short turn around and it’s tough to get reservations and things planned properly,” said MLS vice president for communications Dan Courtemanche. “But it’s so worth it because of the atmosphere you get in the stadium. There’s so much more energy and intensity having a home team playing in the cup. That makes all the headaches worthwhile because it lets us put on a better product.”
A hot name this week among all the gossip is Jesse Marsch. The veteran player and former Montreal head coach is here this week doing work for the league’s website but has been spotted talking to a lot of presidents and general manager types. “It’s only a matter of time before he’s coaching in MLS again,” said one technical director.
Another rumor making the rounds is that rosters next year will be reduced to 25 because as MLS clubs add teams in the USL Pro League, there isn’t as much need for a big a roster. “One of the big reasons they went to 30 (man rosters) was because coaches said if they had a few injuries or players gone they didn’t have enough bodies for 11-v-11 scrimmages in training and they had to pull guys in off the street just to have 22,” explained one MLS agent. “But now with USL Pro teams and each club having an academy, they have players they can pull from to round out a side in training and the cap room from the bottom of the roster can go to players who actually play."
Many of the coaches are expected to take a break from league festivities this afternoon to attend the UCLA-North Carolina match in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. “It worked out well,” said one MLS executive. “We can do all our league meetings and still get to do some scouting.”
Brooke Tunstall is an American Soccer Now contributing editor and ASN 100 panelist. You can follow him on Twitter.
While Arena’s reputation for being difficult and arrogant at times is well-earned, that's only part of the picture. He has a very gracious and generous side and when he lets his guard down he reveals a cunning, albeit acerbic, sense of humor and a politician’s warmth that explains how he’s able to engender such loyalty from his players and assistant coaches, almost all of whom revere him.
“We might have had differences with him when we played for him or coached for him but all of us would do it again because he makes all of us better and is so loyal to the people that are close to him,” said John Harkes, who played for Arena at the University of Virginia, D.C. United, and briefly with the U.S. national team. Harkes is in Southern California hosting a show for Sirius-XM radio.
Arena has coached in MLS for 10 complete seasons and in seven of them his team has made MLS Cup. He’s going for his fifth championship tomorrow. That’s in addition to his spell at UVa, where he made the Final Four in six of his final seven seasons and won five national titles, and his eight years with the U.S. national team where he made the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup and won a pair of Gold Cups.
Yes, Arena can be arrogant at times but it’s not like his record doesn’t justify some of it.
PLANNING ON THE FLY
The official hotel for league officials and media is the Loews Hollywood Hotel, a few hundred yards from the Walk of Fame, which seems apt because the hotel has given MLS the star treatment and left no doubt who its primary tenant is this week. There are MLS Cup 2014 welcome mats, banners, and signs at every turn inside and outside of the hotel; the room keys sport the MLS Cup logo; and every couch and chair in the hotel’s common areas sports a commemorative MLS Cup throw pillow.
Decorative soccer balls are mixed in alongside the Christmas and Hanukah decorations while the lobby bar is filled with MLS officials, sponsors, and media trading lies and gossip.
In short, it feels like a big event, which is not a coincidence as MLS likes to use this week (as well as the annual all-star game) to remind the world how far it has come. Longtime MLS Cup attendees marvel at how much more of a big-time event this feels like and the amount of media covering the event has grown over the years as well.
This growth isn’t lost on the veteran players who have been in prior MLS Cups. “From my first time at one of these, it’s so much different, such a bigger deal,” said Revolution veteran Andy Dorman, who played in three straight MLS Cups between 2005-07. “We thought it was big time then but this really feels bigger.”
Making the growth more remarkable is that MLS changed the format in 2012 when it went from a pre-designated (and usually neutral) venue to allowing the team with the best regular season record to host MLS Cup. The new format is a logistical nightmare for MLS and limits the amount of events they can host because of the finite amount of lead time between the conference finals and MLS Cup. MLS didn't know until about midnight Sunday where the championship would be played.
Still, MLS is thrilled with the results, despite the headaches.
“You can’t do nearly as much of the events-type stuff because you have such a short turn around and it’s tough to get reservations and things planned properly,” said MLS vice president for communications Dan Courtemanche. “But it’s so worth it because of the atmosphere you get in the stadium. There’s so much more energy and intensity having a home team playing in the cup. That makes all the headaches worthwhile because it lets us put on a better product.”
