Just what is Bruce up to?

Just as I'm thinking to myself that it'd be interesting to ponder about what Arena plans to do up in Red Bull land, I come across a piece by Ian Plenderleith on the very same. It looks like Arena is bringing in some DC United (and UVA) alumni to his staff at his new club. One of the complaints heard about him in the wake of the World Cup was that he had a preference for surrounding himself with yes-men. On the face of it, it seems he could be doing the same up in New Jersey. I agree with Ian that how much latitude his Austrian bosses give him, and whether Arena's vision for success matches theirs, will be a bigger factor in determinig his success.

The MLS fan in me hopes he can turn the herd in his charge around, since a succesful New York club would be good for the league. Right? That's the conventional wisdom and there's no reason to challenge that line of thinking. The Red Bulls are so below mediocre that its not really a rivalry anymore, despite them paying for their fans to come down to RFK on opening day.

Whatever Bruce concocts, Nowak and the team are up to the challenge.