What’s Next For Bob Bradley?
United States Men's National Team Coach Bob Bradley
Bob Bradley has completed a full cycle as head coach of the US Men’s National Team. By most any metric or standard, he has achieved great success and advanced the program. Here is a partial list of his achievements in the last four years:
- He has a higher winning percentage than any coach in US Men’s National Team history: .644 (38-19-9)
- He won the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- He took the US Men to their first FIFA final at the 2009 Confederations Cup
- He won the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Hexagonal
- He won the 2010 World Cup Group C
- He brought more players into camp in one World Cup cycle than any other coach in US history
- He scheduled more games against European nations than any other US coach
- He helped with the development and maturation of Landon Donovan into the United States first world class attacking player
- Selected, coached and galvanized a group of mostly modestly talented (relative to the world stage) individuals into a unified team that fought for each other and the common good
But now I wonder what Bob does next. While staying on in his current role is a possibility and by reviewing his accomplishments above would make sense, extensions beyond one World Cup cycle are rare and shouldn’t be counted on. As a certain coach told me when he resigned from the Chicago Fire, “we could have achieved more, but we had a real good run and change is often best for everyone.” So, if this is indeed the close of a chapter for Bob, what will the next chapter be?
There are already rumors linking him with two prominent jobs that are not yet even open in London and D.C.:
- Fulham
This would be an intriguing opportunity for the Princeton grad. He would be the first American born head coach in the Premiership. Fulham is a club that has reached out for American players in recent years including current US National Teamers Clint Dempsey and Carlos Bocanegra. In many ways, this would be a better opportunity for Bob than continuing into the next cycle with the US Men. While Fulham currently has popular Roy Hodgson in the skipper’s post, he is likely to bolt for Liverpool in the coming days.
- DC United
Returning to his MLS roots where he served as Bruce Arena’s top assistant and earning MLS Cup rings in each of the League’s first two seasons. Curt Onalfo is in the seat now in his first season as United coach. Bob still has a close relationship with DC United President Kevin Payne and Onalfo’s team has posted a substandard record of 3-9-1, for ten points which is tied with two other teams for fewest in the 16-team MLS.
- Chivas USA
Perhaps he could take over his former club that is struggling under new coach Martin Vasquez at 3-9-1, which matches DC United’s ten points at the bottom of the MLS standings. This would allow Bob to remain in southern California, close to his daughters who attend college in the area.
- Youth Development with US Soccer
Keeping one of the country’s smartest soccer brains in US Soccer, but redirecting his focus to the sport’s overall development would bear fruit down the road.
Perhaps he will take a less predictable step.
- Major League Soccer
While I wouldn’t expect Bob to take any position that would keep him off the sidelines and training fields, his experience, knowledge and intensity would serve America’s top professional league well in many areas. While his professional career has been on the competition side of soccer, his intelligence and perspective would also be beneficial on the business side. Few people realize that Bob has a graduate degree in sports administration from Ohio University, one of the nation’s most respected programs of its kind.
- Collegiate Coaching
Bob isn’t one to make decisions based on popular expectations and coaching out of the public spotlight would allow him the opportunity to focus on what’s important to him – his family, his players and the sport of soccer. A southern California school position would allow him the chance to stay near his daughters and an Eastern school would bring him back to his roots and nearer other family members.
- Author
Again this is unlikely, because it would keep Bob away from his passion of being on the sidelines, in the locker room and in the editing room working to develop a group of athletes into a successful team. However, a Bob Bradley book describing his ideas and practices to assemble, develop and prepare a team wold serve as a great resource for coaches in any sport and offer invaluable life lessons to all.
- Broadcasting
Just kidding. Wanted to see if you were paying attention. While I think Bob would be the best soccer analyst this side of Wigan coach Roberto Martinez, I can’t imagine him ever wanting to do this.
Whatever path Bob chooses to take, I am certain he will do so with integrity, hard work, intelligence and considerable thought and he will be successful again.
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I would love to see Bob Bradley take a head coaching position in Europe. Fulham would be fitting given their reputation with American talent. But I wonder how likely an English club would be to pull the trigger on an American coach. I was wondering if a club in the Championship would be more inclined to take a gamble on an American coah. Regardless, I’d be happy for the man. I think he’s earned the right. He did so much with little. It showed in the end but I doubt anyone else could have done much better.
His style of detailed coaching and lots of tactics is something that would be more of a club manager than a national manager. A national manager needs you only to win 5-7 games over a month requiring the abilitiy to refuel more emotions than tactics. while a club manager tries to win 15+ each year with time to tactically adjust.
I think Bob Bradley’s a great coach and I would love to see him coach in Europe. However, there is nothing on his resume that would look attractive to a top division European club. I’m sure that coaching success in the US means nothing to clubs in Europe. I doubt that the good run at the Confederations Cup is enough to convince a European club that he is worthy of coaching there.
@Derek
I think that’s a stretch. Perhaps EPL, Serie A and Bundesliga won’t come calling but I doubt all of Europe would the door on Bradley. He has more of a resume than some European coaches when they get their first big break.
Regarding the level of respect Bob has in Europe, there are certainly many who dismiss him simply because he is American, but there are also many who respect him greatly – including legendary Bayern Munich and current Swiss National Team coach Ottmar Hitzfeld who studied Bob’s strategy against Spain to similarly upset the European giants in group play two weeks ago. Here’s a Washington Post article about it: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2010/06/swiss_strategy_vs_spain_was_ma.html
@PW
Thanks for the link. I’m diggin’ the Coach Bradley love.
I’d like to pick your brain about our next coach (assuming US Soccer and Bradley part ways). Who would you like to fill the vacancy? Should we opt for a foreign coach or stay domestic. I heard Dominic Kinnear’s name come up last year though I don’t recall where. Hiddink is likely the dream of most USA supporters but it does not seem too likely as he likes to bounce around. Could we keep him settled for 4 years?
Micah, in spite of any inference above, my real preference is to retain Bob….if that doesn’t work out, i have a strong preference for a coach with strong domestic experience and good knowledge of the US player pool. Dom would certainly be a great candidate as would Mike Sorber, Sigi Schmid, Piotr Nowak and i’m sure several others….but remember, i’m an Amerisnob
Ps: Though i consider them all “domestic”, three of the four named above were born in Europe.
“One of the country’s smartest soccer brains” should have realized that Ricardo Clark had no business being on the field after the England match and that Donovan played his best when Findley was on the bench, which also should have been more often.
Player development aside, Bradley was unfortunately found sadly wanting at the World Cup. You simply can’t play favorites in such a circumstance and Bradley certainly did. You cannot convince me that the eleven who finished the Algeria match couldn’t also have beaten Ghana. Changing the winning eleven was a catastrophic error and there has to be some accountability for that.
America was the nation at the World Cup most in need of an experienced foreign manager with some tactical nous. It is also the nation that most steadfastly refuses to go out and find one. Perhaps he can go to Europe and refine his game against the best but against them now, I am far from sold on him. Sorry.
“One of the country’s smartest soccer brains”
Bob Bradley would be perfect for an African team. The African game needs someone like him with organizational skills to bring some order to the chaotic organizational mess that plagues African football. Bob’s credentials would be a perfect fit for the likes of Ivory Coast, and Nigeria to name a couple. Bob is really better suited for Africa than the US where organization is not such a problem. By the way, my country, Ghana’s success at the World Cup can be attributed to Serbian coach Rajevacs superb organizational skills, which is perhaps more important in that environment than his coaching pedigree. Bob come to Africa. We’d love to have you.
Ok, so Hodgson to Liverpool is done…. Let’s just say Bob pulls a fast one on the bookies and ends up at Fulham.
The most intriguing question, for me, is then: If Bradley turns out to be an abject failure and is sacked after 4 months, does that then set the glass wall for American coaches in Europe even thicker than it is now?
Bahns, it would certainly color future EPL hiring decisions of American coaches, but no more so than if any other American coach besides Bob fails. Someone has to be first and i’d predict success for Bob before most/all others in this situation.
Bulk, “sadly wanting at the World Cup” does not compute with “1st place in Group C ahead of England”. Regarding changing the starting 11 and Rico in particular in the Ghana match, adding a couple players who were more rested than the other options makes some sense and we don’t know what Bob saw in training that may have influenced his decisions. Also, all players occasionally make physical errors. Sometimes it happens at very bad times on the world stage – see Claudio Reyna 2006.
Making lineup decisions that don’t mesh with public opinion can take courage. Sometimes it pans out – Conor Casey vs. Honduras in the decisive WCQ match – and sometimes it doesn’t – Ghana.
As much I did not agree with playing Clark against Ghana I assume Bradley had reasons for his lineup. He obviously is not afraid to make a tough decision if he thinks it needs to be made: see Bornstein playing over Gooch. Playing Clark also had nothing to do with the early OT goal. That was a lapse in the back. For my money he didn’t make any mistakes as bad as Arena leaving a sub on the bench against Italy in ’06.
I’m glad to see most responses here are pro BB. I personally love the guy. His record speaks for itself. I cringed when I saw Clark and Findley in the Ghana line-up (I cringe every time I see Findley…pure trash) but BB sees things we don’t we aren’t there in training. All I can say is I have enjoyed the success we have seen under BB and the fact that our pool has grown under his tutelage. I would love to see BB at the helm again for the USMNT but if not I know he will be successful wherever he goes. He has been successful everywhere else.
As a Fulham supporter, I have to say I honestly I don’t know if he’s the right fit for Craven Cottage. I think he is a quality manager and I agree he would do well to take take a Championship post (Leeds?) and “earn” his place in the EPL.
As a USMNT supporter, I’d like to see him installed at Fulham just to rile up the “true fans” that hate him. The idea of those insufferable fools scrambling to further justify their irrational hatred of BB in the light of international recognition skid be, to put it mildly, delicious.
It would be great for Bob Bradley to get a chance in Europe and I think he definitely deserves a shot. He brought American soccer to something that Americans actually pay attention to which says something.
Just saw this article http://ssrn.com/abstract=1646855 on the magic formula to win the world cup. Its a statistical analysis that shows that a host country gets an extra 2.5 points in the group stage (that’s practically an extra win!). Not only that, it says that the nationality of the coach makes no difference to a teams’ success.
Check it out: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1646855
I just saw this article http://ssrn.com/abstract=1646855 on the magic formula to win the world cup. Its a statistical analysis that shows that a host country gets an extra 2.5 points in the group stage (that’s practically an extra win!). Not only that, it says that the nationality of the coach makes no difference to a teams’ success.
Check it out: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1646855
the United States Men’s National Team Coach Bob Bradley is good.