The New England Revolution's coaching situation is far from usual. The upheaval continued in New England following Bruce Arena's resignation as players reportedly refused to train on Tuesday in response to what exactly led to Arena's resignation as manager. On Wednesday, the club held a press conference in response to the lack of details surrounding Arena's resignation, including why assistant Richie Williams was first named as interim head coach and then not. Questions, however, remain.
Here's what to know:
How did this situation begin?
Arena was suspended in July by Major League Soccer for reports of "inappropriate and insensitive remarks" as the league launched a six-week investigation into the allegations. While Arena was away, the team was managed on an interim basis by assistant coach Richie Williams. Initially, it was determined that Williams would continue to serve as the head coach as they prepared to close out the 2023 season.
However, according to a report from The Athletic, players refused to train under Williams and are seeking more clarity over the circumstances that led to Arena's resignation on Saturday. Club president Brian Biello clarified that Williams was never guaranteed to be the interim head coach until the end of the season despite what the previous statement insinuated. He also stated that Onalfo isn't guaranteed to be the interim sporting director until the end of the season as well.
Also on Tuesday, the club announced that Clint Peay, who was head coach of the New England Revolution II in MLS Next Pro, will now lead the team until the end of the season, meaning they went back on their original plan of Williams coaching. Marcelo Santos, who was his assistant in Next Pro, will continue to do so with the Revolution. As part of these changes, the club has also mutually parted ways with assistant coaches Dave van den Bergh and Shalrie Joseph.
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Joseph was one of the first members of the staff to acknowledge Arena's situation on social media while van den Bergh also posted a message of support for Arena.
Williams was notably absent from the statement released by the Revolution, bringing his future into question. The Revolution did confirm that Williams is still with the club but that they aren't able to disclose his role yet until details are finalized.
What was the concern with Williams?
Revolution staff reportedly held meetings with players concerned about Williams leading the team through the end of the season. Williams was reported as part of the initial Arena investigation, as players were kept in the dark about what was happening. Some, like Omar Gonzalez, expressed support for Arena before his resignation.
Arena and Williams have a lengthy history as Arena coached Williams at the University of Virginia. Williams also played for Arena and won an MLS title with D.C. United before he served as Arena's assistant coach for the U.S. men's national team and in New England.
Williams and Joseph also had their differences needing to be physically separated last season, per The Athletic. This change under Peay will now provide a bit of a fresh start to a club that has undergone a lot of change this season, also selling goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic to Chelsea.
"I've been doing this for a long time, I have a lot of experience in Major League Soccer and a lot of experience with group dynamics, team dynamics and it became very clear to me that the best path to move forward for our group to be successful was to make changes and have a fresh start and that's what we did," Onalfo said when asked about what changed over the weekend to see the club move away from Williams being the interim head coach.
The behind-the-scenes of those changes are where things get murky because while reports state that the team refused to train, the Revolution state that it was a mutual decision not to train on Tuesday which is where it may take time for additional details to surface. Due to the investigation, the Revolution aren't able to disclose everything but there has been a lack of transparency around the process from Arena's departure to where things have gotten now.
What's next
While Williams' future needs to be determined, the Revolution have upcoming matches to deal with as well. Currently second in the Eastern Conference, the Revs will travel to face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, Sept. 16. It's a match that's hard to focus on with all the noise off the pitch, but the top half of the Eastern Conference is tight, so the Revolution will need to pick up as many points as possible before the end of the season.
