The Bruce takes over New York; Clavijo extends contract with the Rapids

The era of Bruce Arena has begun for New York as he took official control of their practice yesterday.

The Bruce feels that there are good elements to this team. He points to Youri Djorkaeff, Amado Guevara and soon-to-be-signed Dema Kovalenko as the players that could take this team up the table and bring fans into the stadium.

"I don't know if people realize it, we have a player with a fantastic background," Arena said. "We have a player who has won a World Cup here and he's worth watching. Hopefully, as Youri finishes out his season here, people locally will come out. He's an excellent player. Amado Guevara is one of the best midfielders in the league. There are players on this team that people should come out and see."

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"Dema's obviously a proven player in this league," Arena said. "We made a bid for his services and we anticipate in the next day or two we'll announce that Dema will be part of the New York Red Bulls."

Arena will try to shape this team into something, but he does have some obstacles to overcome such as a training ground. After 11 years, the club does not have a permanent place where it can train day after day.

Arena's first game as coach will be Saturday against Barcelona. His first MLS match will be next Wednesday night against his former team and current MLS juggernaut DC United (tickets).

In non-Bruce Arena news, the Colorado Rapids have extended Fernando Clavijo's coaching contract through 2008. Clavijo took over last season and reshaped the club. He brought in players like Jeff Cunningham, Terry Cooke, and David "Dedi" Ben Dayan. These additions allowed them advance to the semifinals of the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Colorado is set to move into a new soccer specific stadium next season.