 Bradley in 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Frank Bradley[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1958-03-03)March 3, 1958 (age 67) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Montclair,New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1982 | Ohio Bobcats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | Virginia Cavaliers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1995 | Princeton Tigers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | United States U23 (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | D.C. United (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2002 | Chicago Fire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | MetroStars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Chivas USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | United States U23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2011 | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Egypt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Stabæk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Le Havre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Swansea City | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2021 | Los Angeles FC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Toronto FC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Stabæk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958)[2] is an Americansoccer coach, who most recently managed Norwegian football teamStabæk.
A native ofNew Jersey and graduate ofPrinceton University, Bradley coached in the Americancollege game andMajor League Soccer (MLS), managing theChicago Fire,MetroStars, andChivas USA over nine seasons. In 2006, he was appointed manager of theUnited States men's team, winning theCONCACAF Gold Cup in2007 and finishing runner-up in2009 and2011 as well as in the2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. His team also reached the last 16 of the2010 FIFA World Cup. He subsequently managed theEgyptian national football team for two years.
He then became the first American to manage a team in a European first division[3] withStabæk of Norway in 2014. He moved on to French clubLe Havre and Welsh sideSwansea City, becoming the first American to manage aPremier League club, but was fired less than three months later. He returned to MLS, managingLos Angeles FC andToronto FC.
Bradley was born and raised inNew Jersey, playing soccer atWest Essex High School andPrinceton University. Following his graduation from Princeton, Bradley briefly worked in theProcter & Gamble executive training program before entering theOhio University sports management graduate school in 1981. While there, Bradley's coaching career began when he was named head coach of theOhio University Bobcats'sNCAA Division I soccer program at the age of 22.[4] After two seasons with Ohio, Bradley worked as an assistant coach and scout forUniversity of Virginia managerBruce Arena for two years before taking the top job at his alma mater, Princeton. Bradley led the Tigers from 1984 to 1995, winning twoIvy League titles and reaching the NCAAFinal Four in 1993.
In 1996, Bradley was hired again as Arena's assistant, this time withD.C. United ofMajor League Soccer, the then newly formed U.S. professional league. After back-to-back championship seasons with DC, he became the first head coach of theChicago Fire, an expansion team that began play in 1998.[5] Bradley steered the newly assembled squad to theMLS Cup andU.S. Open Cup double in its first season and was namedMLS Coach of the Year for his achievements. He won a third trophy in 2000, when the Fire again won the Open Cup.
After the2002 MLS season, Bradley resigned as coach of the Fire to return to New Jersey as head coach of theMetroStars (now theNew York Red Bulls). Bradley began his tenure with the historically underachieving team headed in the right direction as the MetroStars advanced to the U.S. Open Cup final for the first time in club history in2003 as well as earning aplayoff berth. Bradley also gained attention for an infamous incident in a match againstD.C. United that season in which he exploited an MLS rule allowing a 4th substitution for a goalkeeper by switching starting goalkeeperTim Howard into an outfield player so that midfielderEddie Gaven (who would go on to score the winning goal) could enter the game classified as a goalkeeper, before switching positions with Howard after ten seconds of play.[6]
Bradley stayed with the MetroStars for three years before he was fired with three games left in the 2005 regular season. The club had suffered losses in back-to-back fixtures and diminishing playoff prospects prior to Bradley's firing. Shortly after leaving the MetroStars, Bradley was named the coach at Los Angeles clubChivas USA for the 2006 season.[5] Bradley revived a Chivas USA team that had endured a poor inaugural season in 2005, discovering young talents such asSacha Kljestan andJonathan Bornstein and leading the team to a third-place finish in the Western Conference before losing in the playoffs to eventual championsHouston Dynamo.
Following theU.S. men's national team's disappointing showing at the2006 FIFA World Cup,U.S. Soccer appointed Bradley the interim coach of the team, succeeding Arena in December 2006.[7] On his debut on January 20, his team defeatedDenmark 3–1 in a friendly in Los Angeles.[8] In May, having won three out of four games, he was appointed permanently.[9] His team won the2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup in June, with a 2–1 final win overMexico.[10] Weeks later at the2007 Copa América in Venezuela, the team lost all three games, his first defeats in charge.[11]
Bradley led the U.S. team to an unlikely second-place finish in the2009 Confederations Cup, including a 2–0 semi-final victory over European championsSpain, ending the Spaniards' 35-game unbeaten streak and 15-game winning streak.[12] In the final, Bradley's U.S. team opened up a 2–0 lead onBrazil before losing 3–2.[13] With the2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup taking place immediately following the Confederations Cup, Bradley selected a largely second-tier squad, which advanced tothe final before losing 5–0 to Mexico.[14] With a 3–2 away win againstHonduras on October 10, the team secured qualification for the2010 FIFA World Cup.[15]
At the World Cup finals in South Africa, the U.S. finished on top ofGroup C after a 1–1 draw withEngland, a 2–2 draw withSlovenia, and a 1–0 victory overAlgeria through a dramatic late goal byLandon Donovan. In the knockout round, Bradley and the U.S. facedGhana, who eliminated the Americans for the second consecutive World Cup with a 2–1 victory in extra time following a 1–1 draw.[16]
Following the World Cup, Bradley signed a contract extension in August 2010 to remain as the U.S. coach until the2014 World Cup after a reported approach from English clubAston Villa.[17] In June 2011 he led the U.S. to the final of the2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but an early 2–0 lead in the final was overturned by Mexico, who eventually won 4–2. On July 28, 2011, he was relieved of his duties by the United States Soccer Federation to be replaced by formerGermany national team managerJürgen Klinsmann.[18]
On September 14, 2011, Bradley reached a deal to take over as manager of theEgypt national team beginning October 15, 2011. He made his debut on November 14, in a friendly againstBrazil, losing 2–0.[19] Bradley was praised for choosing to live in Egypt despite the unrest following theEgyptian Revolution of 2011[20] and continuing to guide the Pharaohs despite the suspension of theEgyptian Premier League following thePort Said Stadium riot.[21]
Egypt was perfect in itsfirst six matches of qualifying for the2014 FIFA World Cup, but fell decisively to Ghana in thethird round playoffs. Bradley was not retained following Egypt's elimination.[22]American Pharaoh, a documentary by Hossam Aboul-Magd about Bradley's tenure in Egypt, aired onPBS on June 16, 2014.[23]
It was reported on January 2, 2014, that Bradley had agreed to manageStabæk Fotball in Norway, making him the first American to manage a club in a European top flight.[3] His competitive debut came on March 30, in a 3–0 home win overSogndal. During this tenure the club reached the qualifying phase of the Europa League, also a first for an American coach. On November 5, 2015, Stabæk announced that Bradley would be leaving the club at the end of theseason to pursue other jobs.[24]
On November 10, 2015, Bradley was officially named as the new manager of FrenchLigue 2 sideLe Havre AC, signing a two-year contract.[25] He recorded his first win at the club on December 1 againstEvian TG in a 3–2 victory at home. Bradley led the team to a tie on points withFC Metz for third place in the league and the final promotion place, but the team was left in fourth based on the goals scored tiebreaker.
Bradley managed his final match on October 3, 2016, a league home game againstSochaux, which Le Havre won 2–1.[26]
On October 3, 2016, Bradley was appointed as the newSwansea City manager afterFrancesco Guidolin's dismissal.[27] The Swansea supporters trust – who own a 21% stake in the club – issued a statement saying they were 'disappointed' in the new appointment given Bradley had been appointed without them being consulted.[28][29] With the appointment, Bradley became the first American to manage a Premier League club.[30] Many fans and pundits criticized the appointment, suggesting that he had been given the job by the club's new American owners by virtue of being American.[31][32][33][34][35]
On December 27, 2016, following a 1–4 defeat byWest Ham United, Bradley was sacked by Swansea after only 85 days and 11 games in charge of the club,[36] the fourth shortest reign of any manager in the history of the Premier League.[37] He left with a2–7–2 record, conceding 29 goals – the most goals conceded by any Premier League club in the same time period, with Swansea gaining only 8 (24.2%) out of a maximum 33 points available for the 11 game period – an average of 0.73 points per game.[38] In a club statement,Huw Jenkins, the Swansea chairman, said: "We are sorry to lose Bob after such a short period of time. Unfortunately things haven't worked out as planned and we felt we had to make the change with half the Premier League season remaining. Personally, I have nothing but praise for Bob. He is a good man; a good person who gave everything to the job. His work-rate is phenomenal and we wish him well for the future."[39]
Following his sacking, Bradley said that the club's ownersSteve Kaplan andJason Levien were swayed by a "negative atmosphere" at the club and failed to realize this was a project and that they needed to stick to the plan. He also said: "You can look at even top managers and recognize that in a league as competitive as the Premier League, anyone can go through a stretch of 10 or 11 games where you don't get the results you should.''[40]
At Swansea, Bradley had been criticized for using American soccer vocabulary such as "PK" for a penalty kick and "road game" for what the British call an away game. He defended himself by saying that the vocabulary for the game varies in every country.[41]Sky Sports programSoccer AM parodied him as the character "Brad Bobley", an American coach who uses exaggeratedly American words.[42] Analysis byThe Wall Street Journal found that Bradley in fact used British terms such as training, supporters and clean sheet far more frequently than their American equivalents practice, fans and shutout, and had never once called the sport soccer in a British interview.[43]
On July 27, 2017, Bradley was announced as the team's first head coach for the inaugural season ofLos Angeles FC, an expansion MLS team that started playing in the2018 season. On March 4, 2018, Los Angeles FC won 1–0 against the Seattle Sounders in the team's first ever game.[44] It was Bradley's first domestic club job since leaving Chivas USA for the USMNT in 2006.
During Bradley's time in Los Angeles, he established LAFC as a leading club in the league, guiding the club to the post-season in their first three seasons of existence. In2019, the Black and Gold amassed the most points at that time in MLS history with 72, winning theSupporters' Shield in the process. The club lost to theSeattle Sounders in that year's conference final, 2–1.
On November 18, 2021, 11 days after LAFC failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time, Bradley and Los Angeles FC parted ways.[45]
On November 24, 2021, Bradley was announced as head coach and sporting director ofToronto FC, reuniting with his sonMichael, who has been the club's captain since 2015.[46] He tied 1–1 atFC Dallas on his debut the following February 26,[47] concluding his first season in second-from-bottom in the Eastern Conference; the team signedItalian international trioDomenico Criscito,Lorenzo Insigne andFederico Bernardeschi in July 2022.[48]
Bradley's Toronto FC won the delayed2020 Canadian Championship on June 5, 2022, with a penalty shootout win overForge FC inHamilton, Ontario.[49] The following month, they lost the2022 edition toVancouver Whitecaps FC on the same method.[50]
On June 26, 2023, Toronto FC announced that it had parted ways with Bradley after a 3W-10D-4L record to start the season.[51]
In September 2023, Bradley returned to Stabæk on a deal until the end of the2023 Eliteserien season, with the option for a further year. His new team was in second-last place with 11 games remaining.[52] He was unable to prevent the team from relegation to theNorwegian First Division, but his contract was renewed, with his son Michael joining him as a volunteer coach.[53] In September 2024, he departed the club, agreeing to a mutual termination of his contract, with the club sitting in seventh place in the second tier.[54]
Bob Bradley is the eldest of three brothers. The middle sibling,Scott, played for theSeattle Mariners and three otherMajor League Baseball teams in the 1980s and 1990s, and is the current baseball coach atPrinceton University.[55] The youngest, Jeff, was a sports journalist who has worked forESPN and theNew York Daily News.[56]
Bradley is married to Lindsay (née Sheehan), a former University of Virginialacrosse player. Their son,Michael, was drafted by the MetroStars in the2004 MLS SuperDraft, and played in theEredivisie,Bundesliga,Premier League andSerie A before transferring toToronto FC in January 2014.[57] Bob also has a daughter named Ryan, who is married toAndy Rose, a former professional soccer player for Vancouver Whitecaps FC and current assistant coach for Seattle Sounders.[58]
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||||
| Chicago Fire |  | October 30, 1997 | October 5, 2002 | 197 | 103 | 33 | 61 | 052.28 | |||
| MetroStars | | October 22, 2002 | October 4, 2005 | 100 | 36 | 27 | 37 | 036.00 | |||
| Chivas USA | | November 23, 2005 | December 8, 2006 | 35 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 031.43 | |||
| United States | | December 8, 2006 | July 28, 2011 | 80 | 43 | 12 | 25 | 053.75 | |||
| Egypt |  | September 14, 2011 | November 20, 2013 | 36 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 061.11 | |||
| Stabæk |  | January 3, 2014 | November 8, 2015 | 72 | 38 | 11 | 23 | 052.78 | |||
| Le Havre |  | November 10, 2015 | October 3, 2016 | 37 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 045.95 | |||
| Swansea City |  | October 3, 2016 | December 27, 2016 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 018.18 | |||
| Los Angeles FC | | July 27, 2017 | November 18, 2021 | 142 | 68 | 34 | 40 | 047.89 | |||
| Toronto FC |  | November 24, 2021 | June 26, 2023 | 59 | 14 | 19 | 26 | 023.73 | |||
| Stabæk | | September 10, 2023 | September 22, 2024 | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 042.11 | |||
| Total | 807 | 370 | 179 | 258 | 045.85 | ||||||
Individual
United States squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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