Wednesday, May 19, 2010

World Cup is a family affair for the Bradley's


Kelly Whiteside of USA Today writes of the relationship between Bob and Michael Bradley-

For Bradley, training at Princeton University is just as ideal. After all, this is where he learned to play the game, where his father, Bob, coached the Tigers from 1984 to 1995. "I have a lot of memories, watching practices, chasing after balls," says Michael, now 22. "It's still considered home."

Being the coach's son then certainly didn't have the same significance as it does today. The father is now the national team coach, and the son is a fixture at center midfield. Though they are very close, publicly they would prefer to talk about anything other than their relationship.


Is navigating the situation tricky?

Michael: "He's the coach, he's my dad. I'm a player, I'm his son. There's not much else to it."

At this stage, any suggestion of nepotism seems absurd since Michael, who plays in the German Bundesliga, has more than earned a spot in the starting lineup. Still, both are guarded.

"They're fairly similar," midfielder Landon Donovan says with wry understatement. "I think we all realize as we get older that for better or for worse we're a lot more like our parents. They see the game the same way, certainly their intensity and how much they care. Their passion is very evident."

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