The former USA and Egypt coach’s trailblazing
career took him to Norway, France and the Premier
League before a successful return to MLS
“I’m not afraid of any
challenge. I’ve gone
places that other people
wouldn’t have gone near”
BOB BRADLEY
have come from outside and the way American
players have continued to develop. They all go
together in a good way so we’re excited to see
the way the league continues to develop. But it
has to continue to be challenged the right way.
Every league needs more teams that play with
an identity. Every team needs more really good
games where teams go on the field and go after
each other.Have you noticed a marked improvement
in the standard of play?
The standard has improved but it would be unfair
to look back on certain teams. We had a great
team in Chicago and we played really good
football, and Chicago is a great sports city.
The league has grown in numbers and that,
of course, tests quality. I do go back to the fact
that it’s important to see more and more teams
have an identity, to have an idea of how they
want to play football, have a connection with
their supporters. I don’t think that was always
the case in the early years of MLS. And, being
honest, I don’t think that’s true with all teams in
MLS at the moment. But I do think that there’s
more of that going on and I think that’s the only
way that you can really grow the game. I think
in the best leagues in the world different teams
have different strategies, different ideas. I love
that in a league like La Liga you’ve got big teams
and then you still have a club like Athletic Bilbao
that is so committed to its Basque traditions and
has an incredible stadium in the heart of the city.
When I visited there they talked about the fact
that their philosophy is an advantage becauseany kid that comes through their system knows
he’s going to have a chance to play for the first
team. So, rather than complaining that other
teams have big budgets, they take great pride in
what they are and they try to build on that. And
I think that’s the kind of example that we need
throughout MLS so that every team can figure
things out for itself.What does this mean in terms of LAFC?
LA is a very diverse city. The idea from the
beginning was to try to be a diverse team,
a diverse club, to have this idea that it was
inclusive. And, for me, everything started with
that. And then the challenge when I arrived was
to make sure that we had put together a team- of course, to do that you need the right staff
and then the right people around you – to
represent all that, and one that could go on the
field and make the supporters proud with the
way we play football, with the commitment that
we have to them. And so we’re early in all this
but it’s been exciting to be part of it. And the
feeling that the coaches and the players have,
every time we have a home game, every time
we go into Banc of California Stadium, every time
we see the faces of the men, women, boys, girls,
brothers, sisters, grandfathers, grandmothers –
that part of our crowd tells us everything.
How does the atmosphere in MLS compare
to other countries in which you’ve worked?
The atmosphere of LAFC is up there with the
best. I’ve been fortunate not only to travel as
a coach but to also go to some incredibleLos Angeles have won the
Supporters’ Shield for the
team with the best overall
record in this year’s regularMLS season, shattering a host of records
in the process. It must be a lot of fun...
It’s been great, every part of LAFC: the stadium,
the fans. There were a group of people that were
on board before there was a team that created
incredible momentum and energy in the city.
And we are so excited to feel like we’re part
of something special.
Last season was the team’s first and you got
to the play-offs. How did you step things up
this year?
The first season we played a lot of good football
but I think we were a team that wasn’t always
consistent over 90 minutes. There were times
when we conceded too easily, where we could
have won a game and instead took only a point.
But I think the overall way that we go about it –
our ideas, to try to push up the field, to press, to
win the ball high, to create chances – I think we
continue to grow in all those ways. I think the
players love the way we play. We know that our
supporters appreciate that kind of football.
You won the MLS Cup with Chicago Fire in
1998 when the competition was still in its
infancy. How has MLS changed?
MLS has certainly changed in the fact that
there’s so many more teams. I think we see
teams that have identities, incredible new
stadiums. The way a lot of different players