Occasionally when you are the son of the manager, it can be a double edged sword. Complaints of nepotism abound in soccer, and are often submitted by team troublemakers. Nigel Clough is well acquainted with the difficulties of being the son of a team manager; his father Brian Clough, while managing Nigel at Nottingham Forest, refused to address his son by name, calling Nigel “our number 9”. Contrary to popular belief, fathers who manage their sons might actually treat them more harshly than the rest of the team. Manager fathers, it seems, may be far tougher on their offspring than they are on the majority of the team. Whether trying not to give too much leeway or trying not to crack down too hard, managers face a problematic conundrum.
Bob Bradley and his son are hoping to avoid this kind of problem when they compete in the South African based World Cup Finals this summer.
Bob welcomed his son into the world while working as the coach of the Princeton University soccer team. As a youngster, when Bob moved to Illinois to coach the Chicago Fire in the MLS, Michael was brought up in Palatine and at an early age, grew to love the game in the same way as his father.
The first time the father and son team worked together was when, in 2004, after Junior League fame, Michael signed in the MLS Superdraft to the New York Metrostars, a team coached by his father. Michael’s first professional season didn’t turn out as planned when he suffered an awful foot injury, but his second year kicked off to a fantastic start for both of the Bradleys; Bob succeeded in leading his team to playoffs and Michael played in all but two of the games and headed his first goal to a shocked Chivas USA, securing a spot in the playoffs.
His energetic performances at the heart of midfield as an anchor for Metrostars had caught the eye in foreign climes and in January 2006, New York Metrostars allowed Bradley to leave the club when he was sold to SC Heerenveen of Holland. Bradley’s success continued with Holland as he played well enough to land the team a place in the UEFA Cup and achieving an incredible 20 goals in the 2007-2008 season.
Bigger clubs were soon sniffing around, Birmingham City wanted Bradley in their soccer merchandise, but their relegation from the Premier League scuppered any chance of a deal. Instead , Borussia Moenchengladbach picked up midfielder Bradley, who has proven to be an asset, playing 58 games in the Bundesliga and racking up seven goals.
Because young Bradley has done so well, no one was really surprised when he was promoted to the ranks of the US National Team. Bob Bradley began coaching the team in 2006, leading Michael to become the core of the US midfield, setting up plays so that offensive players such as Landon Donovan can exercise the freedom to get towards the goal.
The family connection will be central to the US team once again this summer and for both members of the Bradley family, it looks like being an African summer to remember, hopefully for the right reasons.
