CARSON, Calif. - Chivas USA announced today that it has hired Bob Bradley, the winningest coach in the history of Major League Soccer, to lead the Red-and-White into the club's second campaign in MLS. The 47-year-old Bradley, an Ivy League graduate, former U.S. national team assistant and MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup champion, replaces Hans Westerhof as Chivas USA's Head Coach.
"Not only is Bob Bradley the most successful coach in MLS history, he has hands-on experience in turning new teams into champions. When I got to know him, and realized his experience, his work ethic, and his passion for the game, I knew he was the right man to make Chivas USA one of the strongest teams in Major League Soccer," said Chivas USA President and Co-Owner Antonio Cué. "In turn, we would like to thank Hans for his time, his professionalism, his dedication, and for the tremendous contributions he has made not just to Chivas USA but to the entire Chivas family. We wish him luck as he moves on to a new phase in his career."
Bradley's résumé is perhaps the most impressive among all pro soccer coaches in the United States. A winner of three MLS Cups and three U.S. Open Cups as either a head coach or an assistant, Bradley served under current U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena during D.C. United's first two title-winning campaigns (1996-1997), capturing back-to-back MLS Cups (1996, 1997) and one U.S. Open Cup (1996) with the charter MLS club. Bradley then made it three in a row in 1998 when, as head coach of expansion side Chicago Fire, he defeated his mentor Arena and D.C. to win the 1998 MLS Cup, while also capturing the 1998 U.S. Open Cup.
Bradley, whose teams have qualified for the playoffs in every season of his eight-year MLS head coaching career, served for five seasons with the Fire (1998-2002) before returning to his native New Jersey to take the helm of the MetroStars (2003-2005). He is the only coach in MLS history to have reached the 100-win plateau, his career total currently standing at 114 regular-season victories.
"I am honored to have been chosen as Head Coach of Chivas USA, in my opinion the most important and challenging coaching job in pro soccer in the U.S.," said Bradley. "Not only does Chivas USA embody the rich history and winning tradition of one of the world's great soccer institutions, it also represents an important opportunity to grow soccer, and passion for our sport in the United States, from the ground up."
A 1980 graduate of Princeton University (where he led the Tigers in scoring his senior year while completing his B.A. in History), Bradley assumed his first head coaching job at age 22, leading the Ohio University men's soccer program (1981) while finishing his M.A. in Sports Administration at the school. Hired in 1983 by Bruce Arena to serve as his assistant at Virginia University (1983-1984), in 1984 Bradley returned to Princeton, where in twelve seasons (1984-1995) he led his alma mater to two Ivy League titles (1988, 1993) and Princeton's only NCAA Final Four berth to date (1993). In 1996, Bradley served as an assistant for the U.S. men's national team during the Atlanta Olympics.
A studious and hardworking coach with a proven eye for spotting young talent, Bradley has overseen the development of such budding stars as Eddie Gaven, Carlos Bocanegra and DaMarcus Beasley, while also coaching such veteran international stars as Youri Djorkaeff, Amado Guevara, Hristo Stoichkov and Jorge Campos.
Born on March 3, 1958 in Montclair, New Jersey, Bradley is married to Lindsay Bradley and has three children: Ryan, 14, Kerry, 16, and Michael, 18, who is currently a midfielder for the MetroStars. Meanwhile, Bob's brother Scott played for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball, while his brother Jeff is a writer for ESPN The Magazine.
