(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Galaxy announced on Monday that former U.S. national team head coach Bruce Arena has been named general manager and head coach of the Galaxy. Arena, who becomes the seventh coach in club history, will oversee all of the club's soccer operations, including the first team, reserve and academy teams and youth development.

"While it has been a very difficult week, I believe the end result is a very positive step forward for the Galaxy," said team president and CEO Timothy Leiweke. "Bruce is the best coach for the Galaxy and certainly one of the best coaches in the history of the league. I am impressed with his passion, desire and focus and believe that his recent experiences with the U.S. national team and Red Bulls have prepared and motivated him for this next challenge."

The all-time winningest coach in U.S. national team history, Arena led the U.S. to the FIFA World Cup twice, including a historic quarterfinal berth in 2002. Arena took over as head coach in November 1998 and was in charge for nearly eight years, collecting a 71-30-29 all-time record, while leading the U.S. to the CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2002 and 2003, the 2000 Nike U.S. Cup championship, as well as a third-place finish in the 1999 Confederations Cup in Mexico.

"I am very excited to assume this position with the Los Angeles Galaxy," said Arena. "I realize we have a lot of work ahead of us and I am optimistic that with the support of management, our coaching staff and the players, we will move forward to positioning this team to qualify for this season's MLS playoffs. My ultimate goal is to win championships and build a club that all of our fans will be proud of," Arena added.

Arena is a two-time MLS Cup winning coach, and is one of just three coaches ever to win the MLS Cup on more than one occasion and the only one of those coaches to have also won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Arena was the first coach in D.C. United history, joining the club for its inaugural season in 1996. He would spend three seasons with United, reaching the MLS Cup three times, winning it twice, in addition to reaching the U.S. Open Cup final twice, winning one. He also helped United become the first MLS team ever to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the Interamerican Cup, winning each in 1998.

The 57-year-old Arena has a career regular season record of 77-51-10 in MLS and a postseason mark of 14-5-2. He has the ninth most wins in MLS history and needs nine more wins to become the third coach in MLS history to have 100 or more wins combined in regular season and postseason play.













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