PORTLAND, Ore. – As Bob Bradley ran Stabaek through drills in the fading winter light Saturday afternoon at Providence Park, rather notable spectators began finding their way into the stands.
First, Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson – who is in the Rose City with his team for the four-team Simple Invitational preseason tournament being hosted by the Portland Timbers – took a seat in the front row with one of his assistants. Former Timbers goalkeeper Adin Brown, who remains in Portland as a broadcast soccer analyst, watched on as well.
It was an understandable show of respect for one of America’s greatest soccer coaches, one who previously took the US national team to the 2010 World Cup and won an MLS Cup and two US Open Cups with the Chicago Fire.
Following the training session, Bradley spoke about his upcoming week in the Rose City, his first season leading Stabaek as the only American coaching in a European league's first division and his future in the game.
“For us, it’s great because preseason in Norway is even longer than it is in MLS; it’s three months,” said Bradley, whose Stabaek side played the Chicago Fire to a scoreless draw in the tournament opener on Sunday. “So the chance to get outside Oslo for our team helps a lot, breaks things up, and for many of our guys it’s the first time in the US. In all ways, when you have a small club like Stabaek and a lot of young players, the experience to be here is great.”
He said the opportunity to participate in the tournament came about when Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson came through Stabaek on a Scandinavian scouting trip last year. Bradley said the chance for his team to play against MLS competition in the famously raucous Providence Park – even for preseason, crowds frequently exceed 10,000 – offered a “great experience.”
“I’m still tuned in enough to know what goes on in MLS to know that the passion here is incredible and they’ve done a great job just in terms of building a fan base and what this place is like during games,” Bradley said. “So I think for our players, it’s a win-win situation and a great experience.”
Recently-promoted Stabaek has a lot of work to do this preseason, Bradley said, as is their reality as a “selling club.” He said they’re still building their roster ahead of the April regular-season opening.
He said MLS players are on their scouting radar but only in specific situations such as out-of-contract players or in loan situations. Former Seattle Sounders forward David Estrada is currently with Stabaek on trial, and former Real Salt Lake midfielder Cole Grossman also is signed with the club. Last year Bradley carried former LA Galaxy Michael Stephens, who is with the Chicago Fire this season, and Andrew Jacobson on loan from New York City FC.
“But we’re not in position to come in and say that’s a player that we want and take a player away from an MLS team,” Bradley said. “We have to do our business in a smart way, and we are still limited financially in what type of players we can go after.”
The veteran coach also downplayed the idea of his first year in Europe being a kind of learning experience. From the college game to three stops in MLS to the US national team and then coaching the Egyptian national team from 2011-13, there’s nothing new under the sun he explained.
“You go in, you roll up you sleeves, you start to establish how you do things, what training is going to be like, how we’re going to communicate,” Bradley said. “You start to make sure they understand what it takes to become a good team. And when they start to have moments when maybe things don’t come easy, you say nothing is for free. So you have all the ways that you develop over the years, and you go into every group and try to figure out what’s going to make this group click.”
He did underscore the fact that an American in Europe, whether it’s as a player or coach, isn’t going to be easy. He said it was gratifying to demonstrate his style of coaching to a new country and league, as was the success that followed with Stabaek expected by many prognosticators to finish at the bottom of the table.
Could it pave the way for more American coaches in Europe?
“We’ve all had to fight like crazy for respect, coaches, players,” Bradley said. “It also comes down to whether there are the individuals who are committed to going and trying and that part of thing. It’s the same when a player goes; it’s not going to be easy. And sometimes it’s easier where you’re more comfortable, but everybody is different. But if it does help, great, but you never know how those things work.”
Bradley’s return to the US also begs the question, could the next stop be back in the league that gave him his professional coaching start?
“I’m sure it’s possible,” he said. “In the moment, when I got done coaching the US, I wanted to get back to coaching club soccer, but before things really developed I had the chance to go to Egypt, and that was an incredible experience. When that finished, I was pretty set again, I wanted to go back into club soccer. And I thought it was the right time to decide to work in Europe and show people the way I do things, the kind of work that I do. And I’ve enjoyed that experience. … So we’ll see what comes next.”
