Toronto FC have appointed Bob Bradley as head coach and sporting director, the club announced Wednesday.
Bradley, who left LAFC after four years in charge last week, takes over as head coach following Toronto's decision not to continue with Javier Perez. Also this week, the club announced a parting of ways with general manager Ali Curtis.
“We are excited for Bob to get to work,” said Toronto FC president Bill Manning in a team release. “We are entering an extremely important offseason and know we have a team that needs a significant makeover. Bob has experience putting teams together and in getting them to perform at a high level. He understands the expectations and standards of TFC and is ready to take on this challenge.”
In Bradley, Toronto have secured one of the most successful coaches in the history of North American soccer. The three-time MLS Coach of the Year and former US men's national team coach ranks third all-time in MLS wins. With LAFC, he led the club to a then-MLS record points haul upon winning the Supporters' Shield in 2019 before guiding them to the Concacaf Champions League final in 2020.
“I want to thank Bill Manning and the board at MLSE for trusting me with this project," said Bradley, who will now have the opportunity to again coach his son Michael in Toronto. "I have seen firsthand the passion that Toronto has for football and the way the club has connected with the city. I look forward to putting a team on the field that will make our fans and supporters proud.”
Prior to his time with LAFC, Bradley was an assistant with D.C. United during the league's first two years before taking charge of Chicago Fire FC in 1998. He also was manager of the New York Red Bulls and Chivas USA before being named USMNT head coach in 2006. After leading the US to knockout stages of the 2010 World Cup, Bradley left the role in 2011 and was subsequently appointed the national team manager of Egypt before becoming the first American to manage a Premier League team in 2016 when he took over at Swansea City.
Toronto endured a bitterly disappointing 2021 season. After reaching MLS Cup in 2019 and finishing second in the Supporters' Shield race last year, the 2017 MLS Cup winners finished 13th in the Eastern Conference standings. Chris Armas was dismissed as head coach after just 11 league games in charge, before Perez was appointed until the end of the year. They never quite found steady ground after Greg Vanney left to lead LA Galaxy.
Bradley's new role is similar to others around MLS, resembling the autonomy Peter Vermes has at Sporting Kansas City and Bruce Arena has at New England Revolution.
