Bruce being Bruce.
New England Revolution head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena was none too pleased about his side's 3-2 loss to struggling Toronto FC on Wednesday night, their first defeat of the 2021 season at home. He didn't hide his frustrations in the post-game press conference.
"What role? Shakespeare," Arena deadpanned when asked about the positioning of midfielder Tommy McNamara, a halftime substitute.
Toronto seized a 3-0 lead early in the first half. The start was all the more frustrating for the Eastern Conference-leading Revolution, given Toronto just lost 7-1 to D.C. United over the weekend.
"What do you mean by slow? That's fast," Arena said. "That's fast to go down three goals."
Yeferson Soteldo, Kemar Lawrence and Tsubasa Endoh each scored within the first 24 minutes. Carles Gil and Adam Buksa clawed back second-half tallies, but it was too little too late.
The legendary American manager, who had two stints in charge of the US men's national team and won five MLS Cups as he built dynasties with both D.C. United and the LA Galaxy, is known for his directness and dry sense of humor when fulfilling media responsibilities.
"We didn't go to a 4-2-3-1," Arena said. "So you don't even need to worry about becoming a tactical genius because that's not what we were doing."
Arena took over the Revolution during the 2019 season and has led them to back-to-back playoff runs, including a trip to the Eastern Conference final in 2020. New England are currently atop the East with 24 points after 13 matches, trailing only the Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City and the Galaxy in the Supporters' Shield race.
After a brief break for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, New England return with a July 17 trip to face Atlanta United (5 pm ET | ESPN, ESPN Deportes).
