Bob Bradley's lifelong ambition has been to manage at the game's highest levels. After a lengthy apprenticeship, he'll get that opportunity now with Premier League side Swansea City.
In the process, Bradley, 58, will continue his role as an American trailblazer. He was one of the first U.S. coaches to manage a national team squad outside of his region when he took over Egypt in 2011. He then became the first American to manage a top-flight squad in Europe, leading Norwegian side Stabaek away from the relegation struggles predicted for it to a third-place finish in 2015, a performance that resulted in Stabaek qualifying for the Europa League. Bradley then moved on to the French second division with Le Havre, narrowly missing out on promotion last season.
Bradley first forged his reputation in the U.S. with the Chicago Fire, the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, Chivas USA and ultimately the U.S. national team. He led the U.S. to a spot in the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup -- edging out England for top spot in the group -- though his signature result was a 2-0 victory over reigning European champions Spain at the 2009 Confederations Cup. Now he will be the first U.S. manager to lead a club in one of Europe's major leagues, and it is an appointment that is resonating throughout the U.S. soccer community.
"I'm pretty excited for him personally because obviously I think he set a goal for himself to reach one of the big leagues in Europe, and he's accomplished that," said U.S. international midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who played for Bradley both with the U.S. and Chivas USA.
"Knowing him, this is probably only just the start for him. Obviously he's facing a big challenge now with a team that hasn't started the season well. We've talked about it as American players going to Europe that we have to fight for respect and I think it's the exact same for him being a manager. He's set a challenge for himself and I think he's met that so I think we're all pretty proud of his accomplishment."
When Bradley took over Stabaek, he insisted he wasn't thinking of such things, and it's likely that will be the case here. Bradley knows full well that such sentiments will count for little once he arrives at his new club, and it's likely that much will be made of his modest coaching pedigree -- at least by Premier League standards -- and the fact that the club's American owners helped give him this opportunity.
To that end, there has been talk about how the pressure Bradley will face in the Premier League will be nothing like he's ever experienced. In some ways that is true, given the scrutiny the league gets worldwide. But it's more accurate to say it will be a different kind of pressure. Bradley's time in Egypt saw him deal with an astounding number of obstacles, including the Egyptian revolution of 2011, as well as the Port Said stadium disaster, which resulted in the suspension of the Egyptian Premier League.
He deftly navigated those difficulties, and impressed fans by continuing to live in Egypt despite the political turmoil. And though his time with the Pharaohs ended in disappointment -- Egypt fell at the final hurdle in its bid to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, losing to Ghana over two legs -- he left his post with the respect of an entire nation intact. So after that experience, it's unlikely that he'll find the pressure of managing in the Premier League that daunting.
So what can Swansea fans expect? Bradley is an intense, focused manager who is all about the work. While he isn't as guarded as he used to be, you will not see him engage in Jose Mourinho-like banter with the press or opposing managers. He is prone to long pauses between journalists' questions and his answers. That shouldn't be interpreted as a lack of confidence.
"When I have a chance to observe different managers, the ones that do good work, I mention [Mauricio] Pochettino, [Jurgen] Klopp, [Thomas] Tuchel that took over for Klopp at Dortmund, he's a fantastic young manager," Bradley told SiriusXM earlier this year. "We haven't even talked about the [Pep] Guardiolas and the [Carlo] Ancelottis. But I'll tell you what, maybe I'm stupid, but I think I'm a manager in and around that level.
"I'm not saying I'm better than these guys -- I haven't had those types of opportunities -- but I think people that have played for me have always felt that the experience in the team was different, that training was challenging, that there were a lot of things done to help them become better players and better people."
Under Bradley's management, Swansea will be hyper-organised and he will maximise the abilities of the players at his disposal. Bradley has shown a penchant for identifying and nurturing talent, like he did at Stabaek as well as his stints with the U.S. and Egypt. He also has experience managing players with an international pedigree, having coached the likes of World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff.
"There are some very good players on [Swansea] already," noted Kljestan. "I think he'll be able to unleash their attacking capabilities, and prove to be a great fit for the club."
Without question, the appointment of Bradley will be met with heavy skepticism. That is nothing new for the Montclair, New Jersey, native. But so far, he has met nearly every challenge that has been put in front of him. If he does so this time, he'll no doubt strike a blow for American players and coaches everywhere.