Facts about Bob Bradley
Bob Bradley Biography
Much-traveled soccer coach Bob Bradley is best known for leading the U.S. men’s national soccer team from 2006 until 2011.
Soccer has been Bob Bradley’s focus since college: he played for four years at Princeton University before graduating in 1980. While getting a graduate degree in sports management at Ohio University, he began coaching that school’s soccer team at the tender age of 22. He returned to Princeton to coach the men’s soccer team from 1984-95, twice winning Ivy League titles.
In 1996 he moved up to the pro ranks as an assistant coach of DC United, then became head coach of the Chicago Fire (1998-2002), the New York Red Bulls (2003-05), and Chivas USA (2006). Bob Bradley was named interim coach of the U.S. national team late in 2006, replacing the struggling Bruce Arena. He was a success and in 2008 the “interim” title was removed.
Bob Bradley led the U.S. team in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but in 2011 he was fired and replaced by Jurgen Klinsmann. Since then he has coached professional teams in Egypt, Norway, France, and (most notably) in the UK, where he took over as manager of the Welsh team Swansea City in 2016, becoming the first American ever to manage a Premiere League team. However, the team struggled and he was fired mid-season a mere three months later.
Extra credit
Bob Bradley’s son, Michael Bradley, is a professional soccer player who has played for (and captained) the U.S. national team… Bob Bradley’s brother, Scott Bradley, was a catcher who played major league baseball for the Yankees, White Sox, Mariners and Reds from 1984-1992; he caught a no-hitter by Randy Johnson in 1990. Scott Bradley became head baseball coach at Princeton in 1997… Another brother, Jeff Bradley, has written about soccer for ESPN the Magazine.