There were times last year when Galaxy coach Bruce Arena appeared ready to swap his career as one of the most successful coaches American soccer has ever seen for a role as a full-time grandfather.

On more than one occasion, a relaxed Arena almost literally proudly bounced his 2-year-old grandson Wade on his knee while fielding media questions at postgame press conferences.

At age 63, with a record five MLS Cup titles and still the most successful national team coach ever, there’s not much left for Arena to accomplish in a storied career he ackowledges is winding down.

In the offseason Arena received U.S. Soccer’s Builder Award — the kind of career-defining honor one is given as its conclusion nears — while also enduring knee replacement surgery 11 weeks ago.

Yet the thought of days filled with golf and playing with his two grandchildren is not something Arena has seriously contemplated.

“I think about (retirement) all the time,” the Manhattan Beach resident said Monday. “What do I do next? Do I decide just to sit on the beach every day?”

That’s something you wouldn’t expect from a coach whose teams have won three of the past four MLS Cups.

And Arena is more than just a coach.

Since arriving at the Galaxy in 2008 with the club at the lowest ebb of its history, Arena the general manager has not only built a team and a roster, but an organization and a lasting legacy.

Surrounding himself with trusted longtime players on and off the field, including Galaxy President Chris Klein and associate head coach Dave Sarachan, Arena showed his strategy is so self-evident and simple, it is perplexing no one else in MLS has managed to come even close to duplicating his template for success.

“I don’t think I have a magical formula no one else has, to be honest with you,” Arena said. “Having players you are familiar with is important, knowing what they can do and having them know you is important. It’s all about having the pieces working together, having trust and confidence in each other. So if you’ve been through it before and you know each other and you’ve tasted success, sometimes it makes things easier.”

A lesson the likes of an impatient franchise like a former Arena employer still hasn’t figured out.

The New York Red Bulls fired Arena in November 2006 about 18 months after hiring him, frustrated, he observed Monday, they hadn’t promptly won a MLS Cup.

Almost a decade later, they still haven’t. Most recently, the organization fired popular Mike Petke, the face of the franchise as player and coach, much to their fans’ displeasure. Arena and the Galaxy, meanwhile, roll on.

“He’s a builder and I feel that together we have the right chemistry,” Sarachan said. “It takes willpower, it takes ingenuity, it takes resources, it takes management.

“We do have a vision of what (success) should look like,” he added, “and we’re pretty pleased where we’re at.”

Arena’s loyalty to players and fellow coaches is unswerving. His reputation as a player’s coach is unmatched, with a willingness to listen to their ideas that’s unusual in a profession known for huge egos.

“It’s something the players appreciate for sure,” former Galaxy midfielder Michael Stephens said. “Guys love to play for him.”

And fellow coaches hate to play against his teams.

“People always ask: who is the best coach this country has ever seen?” former Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said. “It’s Bruce Arena for sure. He is the best at putting a team together, getting the best out of the players he has and he deserves all the accolades he gets.”

MLS’ 20th season represents another new start for the Galaxy and Arena.

Despite that history, Arena is looking forward rather than backward with just one thing left to prove before becoming a full-time grandpa.

“To show that we can do it again,” Arena said. “What else is there?”

For more local soccer news, read the 100 Percent Soccer blog at www.insidesocal.com/soccer.