Bob Bradley, head coach of Norwegian side Stabæk, spoke about his upcoming week in the Portland. His team is in the Rose City for the preseason tournament, Simple Invitational, that is being held at Providence Park. Bradley is in his first season leading Stabaek as the only American coaching in a European league's first division. After his team's training session he spoke with the media.
His team had already played one game in the tournament, a scoreless draw against the Chicago Fire this past weekend. He spoke about how it’s important for his team to be invited to the preseason tournament. "For us, it’s great because preseason in Norway is even longer than it is in MLS; it’s three months,” said Bradley “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.”
Bradley also mentioned they got the opportunity to participate in the tournament when Portland Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson came through Stabæk last year while on a Scandinavian scouting trip. Bradley explained that it offered a "great experience" for his team to play against an MLS team in a raucous environment. “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. So I think for our players, it’s a win-win situation and a great experience.”
In regards to being an American in Europe, this is what Bradley had to say; "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.”
So regardless if it’s a player or coach that goes to work in Europe, they still have to prove they belong. Bradley has coached three teams in MLS, the Fire, the MetroStars and Chivas USA. His most successful stint was as the coach of the Fire when he led them to one MLS Cup and two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups. After he left Chivas USA, he took over as the coach of the U.S. Men's national team. He led them to two World Cups, one Round of 16, and compiled a record of 43-25-12 (win-loss-tie).
After he was released of his duties as the Unites States national team coach, he signed on to lead the Egyptian national team. Even though he has a winning percentage of 66.67 and a record of 24-7-5 as the coach of Egypt, he was released from his contract in 2013 after he failed to get Egypt qualified for the 2014 World Cup.
Bradley was asked about the possibility of a return to coaching in the U.S; “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.”
Stabæk will take the field again on Wednesday, February 25th against the Vancouver Whitecaps. They will finish the tournament on Saturday the 28th against the Portland Timbers.