TORONTO – History was made in the Premier League earlier this week when Swansea City hired Bob Bradley as its new manager.
It was a bold and somewhat surprising move by Swansea, as Bradley, a two-time coach of the year in Major League Soccer, becomes the first American to take charge of a Premier League club.
Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney believes that Bradley’s previous experience, including tenures in charge of the U.S. and Egyptian national teams, will serve him well as Swansea gears up for a relegation battle. He also thinks that if Bradley is successful at the Welsh club that it could open the door for other American coaches into the Premier League now that the glass ceiling has been shattered.
“I think it’s fantastic. What I do know about Bob is that he’s incredible organized, he’s thorough, he’s a guy who is not afraid of any challenge at any time, and he’s always been trying to gain knowledge and advance himself in the game,” Vanney told Sportsnet.
“He’s taken on some difficult roles. Coaching Egypt is not an easy task, and he’s always put himself in positions to take steps forward and he’s been successful in the places he’s been. This is a great opportunity for him, and hopefully he can pave the way for some more American coaches down the road who can get similar opportunities.”
For the 58-year-old Bradley, who is also the father of Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley, this historic hiring was a long time coming.
Aside from his success in MLS (which included winning MLS Cup in 1998 with the Chicago Fire), he enjoyed a successful five-year stint in charge of the U.S. national team, helping the Americans reach the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup and qualify for the knockout stages of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
From there he took charge of Egypt’s national team in the middle of the Arab Spring uprising. Egypt fell just short of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, but Bradley won plaudits for his work with the team while the country was in a state of chaos and anarchy due to ongoing violent street protests. Stabaek was his next port of call, departing after two seasons, but not before he helped the Norwegian club qualify for the UEFA Europa League. He then moved on to France, where Le Havre only missed out on promotion to Ligue 1 this past May on goal difference.
Along the way, Bradley was interviewed by clubs in Europe’s top leagues, but he grew frustrated as he felt he was being overlooked because of his nationality in favour of European managers with bigger reputations and name value.
“In many cases decision-makers play it safe,” Bradley told the Associated Press last year while still at Stabaek. “There’s certainly a network. There are still a lot of good managers. There are also a lot of bad managers. It’s not to say that sometimes you don’t shake your head at how certain guys keep popping up in jobs.”
Now, he’s been given a chance to prove himself in the most famous and popular domestic league in world soccer. The task at hand is not an easy one, though. Swansea currently sits 17th in the Premier League table, just one spot and one point above the drop zone after collecting only four points through their first seven matches of the season.
Vanney, a native of Virginia, knows what it’s like to be an American in a foreign league. TFC’s coach was once a defender for French club Bastia from 2002 to 2005 at a time when not many Americans played abroad in Europe’s top domestic divisions.
Bradley will have his work cut out in terms of proving that an American coach can cut it at the highest level if it’s anything like Vanney experienced playing in Europe.
“Speaking on a personal level, going over as [an American] player you don’t get immediate [respect]. You gotta work and you gotta prove yourself, and you gotta to do that more than probably the [European player] who has come up through that system and been around it for a long time,” Vanney said.
“You have to be able to prove yourself and so I think it’s the same for Bob. This sport is still young [in the United States], and in terms of proven coaches we are still breeding them like we are players. It’s taken Bob some time to get this opportunity but he’s taken some real steps to do that.”
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