December 08, 2006 | Men's Soccer
Bob Bradley '80, the head men's soccer coach at Princeton from 1984-95 and the winningest coach in the history of Major League Soccer, was named the Interim Head Coach of the U.S. Men's National Team and Head Coach of the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team on Friday.
Bradley, 48, will begin his national team duties immediately. The team's 2007 schedule includes an initial training camp in January and appearances this summer in both the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the CONMEBOL Copa America. As head coach of the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team, Bradley will be responsible for preparing that U.S. team for Olympic Qualifying for the 2008 Beijing games.
"Bob Bradley's record of success in MLS and in the development of American players gives us great confidence in his ability to begin the process of preparing the U.S. National Team for its next four-year programming cycle,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati in a press release. “Those unique traits will also serve him extraordinarily well in our Olympic Team effort as we build towards China in 2008.”
"Obviously to be chosen to lead this team at this time is a great honor," said Bradley in a press release. "So many people in this country put their heart and soul into this game at every level of the sport, whether it be coaching or playing or administratively or as a fan; people that would give up a lot to have an opportunity like this one. I am very proud to have a chance to lead the U.S. National Team."
In 12 seasons at Princeton, Bradley led the Tigers to 92 wins, two Ivy League titles and three NCAA tournament appearances, including the program's only NCAA final four appearance in 1993. The brother of Scott Bradley, the Robert H.B. Baldwin '42 Head Coach of Baseball at Princeton, he also played soccer for the Tigers as an undergraduate, leading the Tigers in scoring in 1979 and helping Princeton to the NCAA second round that year.
Bradley, a New Jersey native, left Princeton after the 1995 season to become an assistant coach for MLS's D.C. United. He first became an MLS head coach with the Chicago Fire in 1998 and later was the head coach for the NY/NJ Metrostars in 2004 and 2005.
With 124 career victories, Bradley is the winningest coach in the history of MLS, winning one MLS Cup and two U.S. Open Cup titles with the Fire, including both titles in 1998 during the club's inaugural season. During his 11-year MLS career as a head or an assistant coach, Bradley's team's qualified for the playoffs every year.
Bradley spent 2006 as head coach of Chivas USA, where he was honored as the league's Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. During his one season at Chivas USA, Bradley turned around a team with the worst record in the league in 2005, leading them into the playoffs as the third-place finisher in the Western Conference.
Bradley has previously been on the U.S. National Team coaching staff as an assistant with the Under-23 Men's National Team at the 1996 Olympics and also assisted at several winter training camps and games during Bruce Arena's tenure as manager of the U.S. team.
Bradley will serve as the 34th coach for the U.S. Men's National Team, which began play in 1916. Bradley is the second head coach of the U.S. team to begin his professional coaching career in Major League Soccer.
The U.S. Men's National Team's upcoming schedule includes the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup beginning June 6 and Copa America beginning June 26. The year begins in early January with a training camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., with the first international match of the year scheduled for January 20, 2007, against Denmark at The Home Depot Center live on ESPN2 at 4:50 p.m. ET.
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