CARSON, Calif. - When Bob Bradley left Chivas USA for the United States national team in December, the move seemed to leave a large hole behind in the club.
However, it jarred some memories of life without Bradley in some of his former players.
"I've been in this situation before with Bob," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said. "In 2002, he left [the Chicago Fire] and he went to the MetroStars and in 2003 we went to the MLS Cup Final."
With Bradley gone, players and coaches will continue the work he started upon arriving in late 2005. Though he's off running the U.S. national team, Bradley's absence might not necessarily be a bad thing.
"The sign of a good coach is not just what he does when he's there but what happens when he leaves," Marsch said. "He used to say to me in college that (with) the best captains and best leaders, the team would actually be better when they left because instead of there being one guy who would lead the pack, now when he leaves there are six guys who want to fill that void."
Preki has filled the coaching absence and is setting off his own career anew. On the field, though, Marsch is one of several veterans on the club that should help fill the leadership void. Ante Razov and Orlando Perez, both of whom started MLS Cup 2003 alongside Marsch, could also help bridge the gap on the field.
For Perez, the situation already played out. When Bradley left Chicago, Dave Sarachan took over. With veterans like Marsch and Chris Armas to go along with youngsters Carlos Bocanegra and DaMarcus Beasley, Perez said that Fire club reached deep within itself to forge a good squad.
"That year, we had a good team, a lot of veterans who helped all the young guys. It was a good mix," Perez said. "No disrespect to the coaching staff, but I think it was more of the players sticking up for one another."
Sarachan took over a club that already had learned a great deal under Bradley, Marsch said.
"I don't know if that many people realized that the reason why that team was so good is because Bob left that team in such good shape, that all the players had the right habits, the right ideas, fought for each other, played for each other."
When Perez compared the post-Bradley Fire squad to the post-Bradley Chivas USA side, he saw some parallels between the two.
"This year we have a very strong similarity to the (Fire) team," Perez said. "We have a strong locker room. Guys get along. We're out there fighting for one another. A lot of us know what it takes. We have a lot of good young guys out there and with the depth we've got this year I think we're going to make a push for the cup."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
