Former Toronto FC skipper Michael Bradley starts ‘dream job’ with Red Bulls II

Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley (4) gestures to the crowd at the end of second half MLS soccer action in Toronto on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. This was Bradley's final game of his MLS career. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Calling it a “huge huge moment” for the franchise, the New York Red Bulls introduced former Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley as coach of its reserve side Thursday.

Bradley, 37, succeeds Ibrahim Sekagya, who was promoted to a full-time assistant coach with the first team after Vedad Ibisevic left the club earlier in the month.

Bradley called the Red Bulls II job “a dream opportunity for a young coach.”

“To be at this club, to be inside the Red Bull family, I couldn’t be more excited,” he told a news conference at the Red Bulls training facility in Whippany, N.J.

RBNY II (9-2-2) currently tops the MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference, eight places and 12 points ahead of TFC 2 (5-5-3).

For Bradley, it’s a return to his roots.

Born in Princeton, N.J., Bradley turned pro at 16 and was selected 36th overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, then coached by his father Bob Bradley. The MetroStars were sold in 2006 and rebranded as the New York Red Bulls.

“Most importantly this is a leader, a leader that we welcome to our Red Bull family,” said Red Bulls sporting director Julian de Guzman, a former Canada captain and TFC player. “Somebody who will definitely bring lots of history based on his career and how it started ... But also the fact that this is someone who is super-ambitious to take this next step in his career.”

Bradley began talks with Mario Gomez, technical director at Red Bull’s football department, in late 2024. That led to discussions with Jochen Schneider, the New York Red Bulls head of sport earlier this year.

He then spent a month in Europe, including 2 1/2 weeks at Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg before spending a few days at Red Bull’s office in Munich.

“As a young coach to be able to learn, to see how they do things, to understand everything that goes into Red Bull, in terms of the club, the organization, it was just awesome,” he said.

Bradley says, as a coach, he will draw on all his experiences as a player.

“I’m lucky, when you grow up in a house with a coach, you understand quickly what it means to work hard,” he said. “You understand quickly what it means to commit yourself to your team and your players.”

Bradley remains in contact with former Toronto coach Greg Vanney, who’s now in charge of the Los Angeles Galaxy. And he also spent some time recently with Juergen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager who is now Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer.

“When you get that opportunity and you hear him talk about the game and you hear the way he speaks and you see his passion and his energy, it’s amazing,” he said,

Bradley called time on his playing career at the end of the 2023 MLS campaign, his 10th with Toronto FC. He subsequently served as a volunteer coach under his father at Norway’s Stabaek and had a brief stint as a guest coach under Jesse Marsch at Canada’s camp in Halifax before the recent Canadian Shield Tournament.

Bradley, noting Marsch had played for his father at Princeton and the Chicago Fire, said the Canada coach had been one of his role models growing up.

“As a young coach, these different experiences and opportunities are so valuable, just in terms of seeing the way other top coaches are doing things and now using that to help your own ideas,” Bradley said. “I really really enjoyed those days with Jesse and with Canada. I think they have a really really interesting group of players. Jesse and his staff have a fantastic way of engaging them every single day.

“Again as young coach it was only a few days but I learned an incredible amount and was really appreciative of the opportunity to be there.”

After one season with the MetroStars, Bradley left for Europe to play for Heerenveen in the Netherlands, Borussia Moenchengladbach in Germany, Aston Villa in England, and Chievo Verona and Roma in Italy before signing with Toronto.

Bradley played 308 games in Toronto colours, signing with England star forward Jermain Defoe ahead of the 2014 season. Bradley led TFC during its glory days, winning four Canadian Championships (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020), the 2017 MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield.

He won 151 caps for the United States from 2006 to 2019, captaining the side 44 times.

Bradley’s first game in charge of New York Red Bulls II is Saturday against Carolina Core FC. He will be back in Toronto to face TFC II on July 11

Bradley, who has not been back to Toronto since January 2024, said he is looking forward to returning.

He noted the Toronto ties in the Red Bulls organization, citing de Guzman and Tiger Fitzpatrick, the club’s head of pro player pathway. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Fitzpatrick was technical director for the Toronto Skillz FC Academy from October 2012 to November 2017.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press