U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter has said Bruce Arena is a “great person” following the New England Revolution manager’s resignation over the weekend.
Amid a MLS investigation into “insensitive and inappropriate remarks,” Arena stepped down on Saturday, admitting in a statement that he “made some mistakes.”
MLS said that its investigation confirmed some elements of the allegations, though it wouldn’t go into further detail.
Berhalter and Arena have a long history, with the latter coaching the former on both the USMNT and LA Galaxy, before Berhalter became an assistant coach under Arena with the Galaxy following his retirement.
With details of what Arena actually said still not available, Berhalter was careful not to opine on the specifics of the situation on Monday, but did offer a backing of Arena as a person.
“I’m not entirely informed with the ins and outs of that whole thing,” Berhalter told reporters ahead of the USMNT’s match against Oman on Tuesday. “What I’d say is that I know Bruce, I know he’s a great person, I know he’s a great coach. I know he’s a very successful coach. He has a strong family. That’s all I can really say about that. I know Bruce has a great character.”
Arena, who coached the USMNT at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup, has the most wins (262) and most MLS Cup titles (five) of any coach in MLS history.
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