Kelly Whiteside checked in with the USA’s father-son combo: Coach Bob Bradley and midfielder Michael Bradley, who says, “He’sthe coach, he’s my dad. I’m a player, I’m his son. There’s not much else to it. … It’s not something I think about a whole lot, not something he thinks about a whole lot. It is what it is.”
“They’re fairly similar,” says Landon Donovan. “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 thesame way, certainly their intensity and how much they care. Their passion is very evident.”
Says Bob Bradley, “Any player worth his salt knows that to be successful you have to earn therespect of the guys you play with every day. I’ve been a coach a long time. He’s grown up in the environment and he understands those things. That’s that. …
“Look, I’m lucky. I have threechildren,” Bob says, referring to daughters Ryan and Kerry. “I’m proud of all of them. Michael and I have always had a strong relationship, but again …” And then he explains how it’s all aboutthe team, and soon he’s talking about anything other than his son.