There are naturally tons of people around the country thrilled to see Bob Bradley break down a barrier and become the first American hired as a manager of an English Premier League team.
But it’s probably fair to say that no one is more elated than US national team and Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley — who also happens to be his son.
As he prepares for the USMNT’s friendly at Cuba on Friday(4 pm ET; ESPN2), the younger Bradley took a moment to discuss his father’s move to Swansea City, noting that he was “very, very proud” of the historic hiring.
“It’s a dream that he's had for a very long time to be able to coach a big club in a big league,” Bradley told reporters from Miami. “I’ve never seen somebody more fearless in the path and the choices that he made along the way. He’s somebody I’m obviously very close with, I’ve looked up to him in every way, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Bradley, whose hiring was announced by Swansea on Monday, moves to the EPL after roughly a year with French Ligue 2 side Le Havre, who he took over after two seasons with Norwegian club Stabaek.
Previously, Bradley managed in MLS with the Chicago Fire, MetroStars and Chivas USA. He led the US national team from 2006-2011, when he was replaced by Jurgen Klinsmann.
Klinsmann was asked about Bradley’s move to Swansea on Tuesday, with the German praising his USMNT predecessor for reaching the game’s highest levels despite having to take a somewhat circuitous path to the top.
“I think it’s fantastic. I really think it’s fantastic that there’s finally an ownership group in the Premier League giving trust into an American coach,” Klinsmann said. “There are plenty of very, very good American coaches that can coach overseas – there’s absolutely no doubt about it. In Bob’s case, he’s so experienced, he went the tough route. The places where he went after he coached, obviously, the national team has been impressive. He didn’t shy away from different cultures, different places, different languages, different approaches and he deserves that chance.
“I hope that they give him all the support in the world. In the Premier League you need to be backed up by your owners, you need to have their trust, you need to have people around you that are with you also when things go wrong because things aren’t going always the right way,” continued Klinsmann, who played in the EPL with Tottenham. “Hopefully they give him that trust. You need time and you need to have the backup from the people around you to make changes the way you want them. I think it’s fantastic that we have the first American coach coaching in the Premier League and it’s a huge privilege. I think it’s big for Bob and he deserves it.”
