Unhappy with their team’s explanations, New England Revolution players refused to practice Tuesday following the resignation of head coach Bruce Arena.
According to The Athletic’s journalists Tom Bogert and Pablo Maurer, the tension within the team would be palpable as only a few members of the dressing room would be in the car with Richie Williams, the interim coach.
• Also read: Samuel Piette, the man with records
• Also read: It is determined that Bruce Arena is resigning
• Also read: Ballon d’Or: The nominees announced
Additionally, he was replaced by Revolution II driver Clint Peay in the MLS Next Pro on Tuesday night. Arena’s former deputies, Shalrie Joseph and Dave van den Bergh, were pushed toward the exit door. The two men had a problematic relationship with Williams and had missed several of his training sessions.
His future with the “Revs” is unknown. Williams took over Saturday when Arena resigned, a month after he was placed on administrative leave. The 71-year-old’s behavior was investigated after allegations of “insensitive and inappropriate comments” were made.
The players had a chance to meet with Williams and athletic director Curt Onalfo on Tuesday morning after another meeting with president Brian Bilello, but did not receive the answers they expected. They therefore decided to end training a few days before Saturday’s game against Colorado Rapids at DSG Park.
Arena is the most productive coach in Major League Soccer history with 262 regular season wins and five MLS Cups. He was also the United States coach and was based in New England since 2019.