Bob Bradley agreed to a contract extension on Monday that will see him remain coach of the US soccer team until after the 2014 World Cup.
US Soccer announced the four-year contract extension late on Monday, ending speculation Bradley was seeking a job in Europe and that the federation wanted to start anew in the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“Bob is honored to be the US coach,” said Ron Waxman, Bradley’s agent. “It’s a job he enjoys very much, and he’s very happy.”
US Soccer president Sunil Gulati and Bradley were to address the extension yesterday.
The US won its group at the World Cup in South Africa before being eliminated in a 2-1 extra time loss to Ghana.
Though many countries addressed their coaching situations soon after the World Cup, Gulati felt no pressure to move quickly because Bradley’s current deal didn’t expire until December. The US team also had a friendly against Brazil earlier last month and will play two more next month.
As the weeks passed, however, it seemed less likely Bradley would be retained. Despite reaching the second round, Gulati has said he thought the US team were capable of more in South Africa. Bradley also expressed interest in jobs overseas, including Fulham and Aston Villa in the English Premier League.
It’s often tough for coaches to replicate success over to a second cycle, too. Bradley replaced Bruce Arena, who led the Americans to the quarter-finals in 2002 only to see them crash out in the first round in 2006.
However, in the end, Bradley and US Soccer decided to stay the course. Bradley is well-respected tactically and players appreciate his even keel and open-mindedness. He selected both Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez for South Africa despite the fact neither was even on the depth chart at the beginning of the year.
Gulati and Bradley met on Thursday last week and finished negotiations on Sunday night.
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