Bob Bradley (left) with assistant coach Mo Johnston when he directed the MetroStars back in the day. (Andy Mead/YCJ Photo)
LOS ANGELES – Bob Bradley can’t wait to get started as coach of the Los Angeles Football Club.
“It is an amazing honor and opportunity to be the first head coach in LAFC history,” he said in a press release Fridayh. “From the top down, this club has shown a willingness and a desire to build things the right way. I am incredibly excited to get going and get down to work.”
LAFC officially announced Friday that the former U.S. national coach had been named the first head coach in its history.
Bradley, who guided the MetroStars from 2003-2005, brings more than 20 years of head coaching experience to LAFC, a Major League Soccer expansion team that begins play next season. He joins LAFC with the fifth-most wins (124) in league history and is one of six active MLS coaches to have won an MLS Cup.
“This is a historic day for LAFC,” LAFC general manager and executive vice president of soccer operations John Thorrington said in a statement. “Bob is a proven winner and his record of success in MLS, the U.S. National Team and abroad make him the ideal coach and leader for LAFC in our inaugural season in 2018 and beyond. We both cannot wait to get started to build a team together that makes our fans and our great city proud.”
A New Jersey native, Bradley is one of the all-time great winners in U.S. Soccer history, owning a 43-12-25 record as U.S. head coach from 2006-2011. Bradley directed the Americans to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup title and a berth in the 2010 World Cup, where they won their group. His 43 wins ranks third all-time among U.S. Soccer men’s head coaches.
Bradley became the first American to coach in the English Premier League in 2016 when he took over at Swansea City. He also coached Stabaek in Norway (2014) and Le Havre AC in the French Second Division (2015). Bradley also served as the head coach for the Egyptian National Team from 2011–2013.
“Bob understands the passion of global football and the power of a supporter-driven club,” LAFC lead managing owner Larry Berg said in statement. “We are excited for him to lead LAFC.”
As the first head coach in Chicago Fire history, Bradley led the expansion team to the 1998 MLS Cup title and Lamar Hunt/U.S. Open Cup title while winning his first MLS coach of the year award. He also guided the Fire to runner-up finishes in the 2000 and 2003 MLS Cup and the 2003 Supporters Shield.
“We live in a city of winners,” executive chairman and owner Peter Guber said. “There is no one better to create a winning culture for our Club than Bob Bradley.”
