Bob Bradley, an American Coach in Europe

Photo credit: Stabaek

 

To say that Bob Bradley is a visionary American soccer coach might anger some. And yet today, when it was announced that Bradley would become the head coach of Stabaek of the Norwegian Tippeligaen, there was communal applause in American soccer circles. Bradley had become the first American head coach in a top division European league.  

Bob Bradley pushed the boundaries of American coaches abroad when he became head coach of the Egyptian national team in 2011. After a successful couple of years and going undefeated in qualifiers, a date with Ghana brought back memories of 2010 when his Team America failed to get past the Ghanaians in the round of sixteen. The team lost 6-1 abroad and won only by 2-1 at home, eliminating them from the competition.

Bradley was criticized by many for his ultra-defensive stance, his at-times unyielding 4-4-2, and his ill-fated faith on Jonathan Bornstein and Ricardo Clark. And yet, in the end, he brought much success to the national team. From winning the Gold Cup against Mexico in 2007, to booking a place in South Africa, to their unprovable win versus Spain at the Confederations Cup, to his come-from-behind games in the World Cup that brought the team to the round of 16.

Certainly, although his methods seemed odd at times, he had brilliant strategies for facing top teams like Mexico, England and Spain. One of the biggest compliments came at the World Cup in South Africa when the manager for the Swiss national team coach credited him for Switzerland's victory over Spain in the opening game of their group.

So now Bradley embarks on another adventure as a coach in Europe. Sure, he and so many others would have hoped that he would land in England for a Premier League team or a Championship side. But Stabaek is a good fit for him. An up-and-coming squad with potential. Bradley did always coach the underdogs and it fits him well.

Bob Bradley's new appointment in Norway goes a long way in elevating the stature of American soccer. This next step in his career opens up opportunity for other up-and-coming coaches like Jason Kreis, Caleb Porter and Mike Petke, among others, who might one day make the jump overseas. America has its own style of football now and it's making waves abroad. That's why Bob Bradley is a trailblazer and a path to the future.

American Scandinavia

Whether just playing friendlies during the winter break (northern parts of Scandinavia lose sunlight completely) or sharing players, Scandinavian countries have become intimately tied to American soccer. Yesterday's friendly at Los Angeles' HDC between the US and Sweden proved to be an important test for the youngsters and some of the veterans from both domestic leagues. Sacha Kljestan showed how he's one of the top players in the US with a superb hat trick that will undoubtedly catapult him to a transfer to Scotish side Celtic.
Denmark is another country that likes to take winter breaks in the US and play friendlies outside of FIFA. But there is another side to the Scandinavian love affair with US soccer. . .
A good portion of youngsters, be it recent college graduates or standout MLSers, end up in leagues from Denmark to Sweden to Norway. Why is this? Partly because these players will undoubtedly earn more at these modest teams than they would in the MLS. Leagues such as Sweeden's can also act as a window for certain players to begin to make their mark in Europe. One such player is Charlie Davies: he has been playing with Hammarby since 2007, scoring 19 goals. Other players included in this list are former New England defender standout Michael Parkhurst who recently signed with Nordsjaelland, 2009 College draft top pick Marcus Tracy (Aalborg, Denmark), Danny Califf (Midtjylland, Denmark), Troy Perkins (Vålerenga, Norway), Ryan Raybuld (Gefle, Norway), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway) Lee Nguyen and Will John (Randers, Denmark), Tally Hall (Esberg, Denmark), plus a few others throughout Scandinavia.
Many out there argue that Scandinavian leagues turn out to be "black holes" for our players. I can't say I agree. There's more of a chance to grow in Europe than there is in a USL side or MLS bench. In the end, if growing in soccer knowledge isn't enough then it is the financial side that can push our players to these Nordic leagues. Who can argue with that? In the meantime, Scandinavia, send us some of your players this way. Ljungberg is a nice start.