It almost feels like destiny that U.S. Men’s National Team great Michael Bradley would begin his coaching career with the New York Red Bulls organization.
It was the organization he first played professional soccer for — back when they were still the MetroStars — and now it’s where he will get his first crack at being a head coach, after he was appointed this week to the role for the MLS Next Pro side New York Red Bulls II, the development team for the MLS club.
And Bradley couldn’t be happier that all of this is happening in the place he’s always considered “home.”
“Home has always been New Jersey,” Bradley told The Post in a phone interview. “I was born here, lived here for the first 9 or 10 years of my life. And moved, obviously, then moved back later. Got my start as a professional for this organization. I met my wife here. … It’s the part of being back here and having the chance to start my head-coaching career in this area, that part is special.”
Bradley is bringing a wealth of experience to the Red Bulls II after a lengthy soccer career that included 151 appearances for the National Team — the third most of any USMNT player — captaining the squad for 44 of them and making eight appearances in World Cup matches.
He famously scored the tying goal in a 2-2 draw with Slovenia in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup.
His club experience spanned 20 years with stints in the MLS, Bundesliga in Germany, the Premier League and Serie A in Italy. Bradley retired in 2023 after 10 seasons with Toronto FC.
Nevertheless, the experience on the pitch doesn’t necessarily mean automatic success as a coach. Bradley was the first to bring that up during a lengthy conversation with The Post — while explaining that having played, he has “lived the ups and the downs and all of the moments along the way that they are in their careers.”
“But to be clear, just because you played, or just because you had a long career as a player, that doesn’t guarantee you anything as a coach,” Bradley said. “As a young coach, now you have to be ready to start over. You have to be ready to work from the bottom again in terms of your commitment, your motivation, your willingness to just put in the time, and develop yourself and your qualities.”
For any American soccer fan worth their salt, the name Bradley sounds familiar, not only because of his extensive career as a player. His father, Bob Bradley, coached the USMNT from 2006-11, as well as served as a Princeton University’s head coach from 1984-95 and later became head coach of the MetroStars from 2002-05. Bob Bradley was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2014.
Michael Bradley already has tested out his coaching chops under his father as an assistant in 2023 at Norwegian club Stabæk. Earlier this month, he was invited to be a guest coach on Jesse Marsch’s staff for the Canadian national team ahead of a pair of international friendlies.
Though coaching wasn’t something that had been top of Bradley’s mind earlier in his career, the American soccer star started to think about what would come next after his playing days were done.
“I love the game, and I love the part of being on the field every day,” he said. “I love the part of being in a group that’s trying to do something special. I love the part of trying to bring out the best in people. And so for me, it was clear that I wanted to coach.”
Asked about any nerves about turning to coaching with the last name Bradley and trying to match up with the résumé of his father, the new RB2 coach put it simply.
“If I was fazed by any of that, then I wouldn’t have gotten real far in the game,” he said.
Bradley did say that while working under his father at Stabæk, he noticed all the “little details” in how Bob prepared everything from training and video sessions to how he organized things in the lead-up to matches.
“The experience working for him on his staff allowed me to see it all in an even better way,” Michael said.
Bradley is taking over an RB2 team that already has eight wins this season. He’s taking over as head coach after the previous head coach, Ibrahim Sekagya, was promoted to an assistant role on the first team.
The first match with Bradley at the helm will come on June 21 at Carolina Core FC.