LOS ANGELES -- At his introduction as the first head coach of Los Angeles FC on Friday, Bob Bradley said the his decision to join the expansion side came after reflecting upon a question he has repeatedly asked himself:
“Where can I go where I can take my experiences and my vision and find people that have the same ideas?”
Bradley believes he's found that with LAFC and their approach to launching an MLS expansion team, one Bradley notes is based on a value of inclusion and community that is important to the former US national team boss.
That priority showed through in the way the team announced his hiring on Thursday morning, through a GIF distributed exclusively to club members.
And it was present again at Friday's press event unveiling Bradley, where the songs from members of LAFC's 3252 supporters group rang out off the walls of the Natural History Museum rotunda.
"This is going to be so inclusive,” Bradley said. “This is going to bring people in and not say ‘No, it’s just for them.’ That is really important. It speaks to the kind of team you want to have and the kind of connection you want to have with the city.”
Bradley said their were two particularly convincing aspects of the courtship process to bring him to Los Angeles.
First were the meetings with the ownership group, including separate 1-on-1 sessions with Peter Gruber and Larry Berg.
"This group of people gave me such a clear idea of what they want to make happen," Bradley said.
Then just as important for Bradley was for him to visit the immersive LAFC Experience virtual tour, designed to give club members a sense of what to expect from the currently under construction Banc of California Stadium.
“I knew that this is what I’m looking for,” Bradley said.
Having previous coached with expansion sides Chicago Fire and Chivas USA, Bradley knows as well as anyone the challenges ahead of him with LAFC. But he also understands the unique opportunity this time around, with the club linked to numerous well-known targets around the world.
“My mind races with ideas,” Bradley said about the work ahead of him. “Obviously, there are great players in the world that are probably set in their current clubs but there are still plenty of players that will be excited with what we are trying to do.”
