CARSON, Calif. (Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015) – LA Galaxy Head Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena will receive the Spirit of Courage Award during the Courage Campaign Institution Fifth Annual Spirit of Courage Awards on Thursday, Sept. 24 at Union Station in Los Angeles. The award, which recognizes those who exemplify courage in the fight for a more fair and just society, will be presented to Arena by LA Galaxy defender Robbie Rogers.
Arena will be honored for his role in welcoming Rogers to the LA Galaxy roster in 2013, making him the first openly gay athlete in a major professional U.S. sports league. On May 24, 2013, Rogers agreed to terms with the Galaxy following a trade from the Chicago Fire in exchange for forward Mike Magee. Rogers made his debut for the Galaxy on May 26, 2013 in a 3-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC.
Rogers has gone on to make 43 appearances for the Galaxy since 2013, scoring one goal and recording six assists while becoming one of the top defenders in MLS. After making the move to defense full-time with a start against Chivas USA on June 8, 2014, the Galaxy have gone 23-8-12 in all MLS competitions in which Rogers appeared, including MLS Cup Playoffs and the MLS Cup Final.
Arena is one of the most successful coaches in MLS history, earning a record five MLS Cup titles during his coaching career. Bruce Arena is also 112-62-62 all time in MLS regular season games with the LA Galaxy, tied with Dominic Kinnear (Houston Dynamo) and Steve Nicol (New England Revolution) for the most wins all time with one team in MLS history. His 189 wins all time as a head coach in MLS are the second most of any coach in the league’s history.
The event Thursday will begin at 7:30 p.m. PT at Union Station in Los Angeles with a cocktail hour beginning at 6:30 p.m. PT. Music, dancing and games will follow the ceremony. Tickets are available at couragecampaign.org/spirit2015.
