After weeks of waiting, the day finally came for Red Bull New York fans.
In an offseason full of big acquisitions and necessary departures, the biggest headline for New York these past few months was the hiring of Michael Bradley. It’s been a long time coming for the former United States men’s national team (USMNT) midfielder and Red Bull New York II head coach. During Bradley’s playing career, he was considered one of the best players throughout Major League Soccer (MLS), notably with Toronto FC.
Hired as the first-team’s manager on December 15, the wait for his introduction was one that fans wanted to get through. Fans got their wish Monday afternoon when Bradley was introduced to the press at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Aside Head of Sport Julian de Guzman, it was a joyous event for all involved.
Right from the start, de Guzman praised the 38-year old coach for the type of character he is. Bradley through his playing career was a determined leader who got the best out of his teammates. It was evident when de Guzman gave his opening remarks about Bradley on Monday.
“He remains ambitious and he is certainly one of the hardest working individuals I’ve seen with my own two eyes,” de Guzman told the press Monday. “Today, we get to announce and celebrate a fine young American, I think, who will set the example for many more to come in the future of this country when it comes to soccer.”
During the press conference, de Guzman was asked about the process of promoting Bradley to the first-team managerial role. In his answer to the press, de Guzman provided a sense of it and how determined the former Toronto FC star is to helping his squad moving forward.
“For him [Michael Bradley] to be available and ready and hungry for an opportunity like this, it wasn’t a challenge. At the end of the day, he just wants to coach and he wants to be a successful coach just like he was as a player.”
This led to an interesting story from the Head of Sport.
“There’s days where I show up 7:45 in the morning to the office, but he’s already there. You think maybe this just is a one off but it’s everyday he’s there. First one there in the room preparing the sessions, just going through his video, going through the notes and you watch that and you say ‘okay, this is a real dude, this is a real individual that’s serious about his work’… you realize this guy is here to win.”
From Bradley’s standpoint, this was an incredible honor for him to take the reigns of a club he played for early in his MLS days. A club in a state that he was born in. It was a no-brainer.
“The opportunity to come to Red Bull was a no-brainer,” new head coach Michael Bradley said Monday. “I love the game, I’m proud of what I’ve done, I’m proud of the career that I had as a player, but there is a big part of me that wants more. I want to have the best possible career as a coach that I can…when the opportunity was given to me, it was something that I could not have been more excited for.”
In regards to the tactical side of things, Bradley put forth his plan for what he wants to see from his club on the pitch.
“We are going to get to work on day one, building a team,” Bradley said. “A team that can play football, a team that plays with intensity, a team that goes after the opponent every single time we step on the field, the foundations of Red Bull football that have always been there in terms of pressing and intensity and making a game that’s fast, trying to put the game on our terms in every moment. That’s what we’re going to do.”
While the answers that were produced by de Guzman and Bradley were long, they were thoughtful and showed that they both cared. Monday’s press conference highlighted what fans should expect from their new head man at the club moving forward.
While plenty of roster decisions still need to be finalized as the preseason gets closer and closer, Bradley’s promotion might be the club’s best work as of late. Monday’s introduction might be a sign of good things to come for Red Bull.
