Amid reports of turmoil inside the club, the New England Revolution named Clint Peay their new interim head coach on Tuesday evening.
Peay replaces Richie Williams, who had served as interim coach for several weeks in the wake of an investigation that led to suspended head coach Bruce Arena resigning Saturday.
The latest leadership change comes after The Athletic and ESPN reported that Revolution players refused to practice Tuesday following unproductive meetings with team staff.
The Revolution also announced they had “parted ways with” assistant coaches Dave van den Bergh and Shalrie Joseph. New England’s press release made no mention of Williams or whether he would remain with the club in any capacity.
Major League Soccer earlier this summer commissioned a law firm to investigate allegations that Arena used “inappropriate and insensitive” remarks with the team, the specifics of which have not surfaced.
During the nearly six-week investigation, Arena was put on administrative leave and Williams stepped up in the interim. The Athletic reported that Williams filed complaints about Arena amid the investigation.
The Athletic and ESPN reported that a meeting Tuesday morning with players, Williams and team president Brian Bilello left players dissatisfied with the amount of information they were given. Bilello and Williams reportedly did not describe the extent to which Williams had been involved with the investigation against Arena.
A second meeting between just the players and staff also led Williams to tell players he could not answer their questions.
The reports also said that Joseph and van den Bergh supported Arena and had walked out of training sessions while Williams was in charge.
Peay, 49, was promoted from his role as head coach of Revolution II, New England’s MLS NEXT Pro development club. Marcelo Santos, an assistant coach of Revolution II, will join Peay’s staff.
Bilello and Revolution technical director Curt Onalfo will address reporters virtually on Wednesday, and Peay and Revs captain Carles Gil will speak to the media on Thursday.
The Revolution sit in second place in the Eastern Conference (13-5-9, 48 points) and are scheduled to play the Colorado Rapids, the worst team in the league, on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
