Former USMNT star Michael Bradley gets his big MLS coaching shot, but don't discount his USMNT chances

There's a new Bradley taking up a Major League Soccer coaching gig as Michael Bradley will lead the next era of the New York Red Bulls after winning the MLS Next Pro title in 2025 with their youth squad, RBNY II. Bradley has been on the fast track, rising through the coaching ranks with this appointment coming only six months after he began his tenure with Next Pro side.

The son of legendary American coach Bob Bradley, Michael isn't far removed from his playing career, which ended in 2023 with Toronto FC. He followed that by joining his dad as an assistant with Stabaek in Norway before coming back stateside to join the Red Bulls system. For a team that has been set for years in the Red Bull global playing style, Bradley will offer a breath of fresh air to a system that needs it after seeing a 15-year streak of consecutive appearances in the MLS postseason come to an end, one year removed from losing in the 2024 MLS Cup to the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"I am excited for the opportunity to be head coach of the club that I started my professional career with and also in the state that I call home," Bradley said. "I'm looking forward to working alongside everyone here and doing my part to help this club achieve the success our fans deserve."

The team that Bradley began his playing career with, the New York MetroStars, may not exist in name, but becoming the head coach of the club long after its change to Red Bulls is a significant step in Bradley's coaching career after a 20-year playing career. It may be early on in his coaching journey, but with him taking charge in MLS, it's also hard not to think about what could be next if Bradley does well with the Red Bulls.

Due to the global system of the Red Bulls, success here could see Bradley end up at RB Salzburg in Austria to continue to grow as a coach in the European Leagues in a similar path that led to Jesse Marsch eventually moving to the Premier League, but there's also another path that even one successful season in MLS could open for the American.

Mauricio Pochettino is out of contract with the United States men's national team following the 2026 World Cup, and if he ends up going back to Europe to coach a club team, there's no reason why Bradley wouldn't enter the conversation. Jim Curtin and Steve Cherundolo are both experienced American coaches who are free agents at the moment, but with each having personal reasons for not taking certain jobs, it's unknown if they would be in a position to take the role if it were to open.

If U.S. Soccer wanted to take a look at an American to undergo a long-term role, there would be worse places to look than with someone who has 151 caps for the national team, the third most in history, while also representing the USMNT at two World Cups in 2010 and 2014. 

Before any of this can be considered, what Bradley does with the Red Bulls in 2026 will be critical, but there's no reason why his coaching star won't continue to rise if he's able to oversee a rebuild with the squad and lead them back to the MLS Cup Playoffs. Coaching is in Bradley's blood, and now, with a new MLS season upcoming, it'll be a chance to see what he can do under pressure with the stakes even higher.