Bob Bradley on Building USMNT Culture, ‘09 Confederations Cup SHOCK & Coaching Abroad| Unfiltered Soccer

Summary

Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan & Tim Howard

Episode: Bob Bradley on Building USMNT Culture, ‘09 Confederations Cup SHOCK & Coaching Abroad
Date: March 17, 2026
Guest: Bob Bradley, Former USMNT Head Coach

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Episode Overview

In this compelling episode, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard welcome former US Men’s National Team (USMNT) coach Bob Bradley. Together, they look back on of the most transformative eras in US Soccer, focusing on team culture, their shocking run at the 2009 Confederations Cup, and Bob’s adventure coaching abroad—most notably with Egypt’s national team. The discussion is personal, peppered with humor, candid stories, deep insights into leadership, coaching philosophies, and evocative behind-the-scenes moments that shaped US Soccer’s identity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Tone: Early USMNT Camp Days

[03:01 - 07:16]

• First Impressions:

  • Bob recalls meeting Landon and working with Tim at the MetroStars, emphasizing the importance of supporting talent as opportunities arise.
  • Bob came in after 2006 World Cup, where he’d heard “things had gotten a little loose.” His priority was reestablishing standards and making the team “hard to play against.”
  • Landon admits the initial transition from Bruce Arena's more relaxed atmosphere to Bob’s stricter standards "felt like boot camp."
    • “It was like your parents allowing you to eat candy for five years and all of a sudden saying, ‘No more candy.’” – Landon ([05:19])

• Leadership Philosophy:

  • Bob stresses understanding his players—talents, personalities, and dynamics—via observation and direct conversations.
  • Emphasis on group bonding activities, e.g., team dinners and sitting at different tables to build relationships.

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2. Building Culture & Instituting Change

[11:03 - 16:31]

• Challenging the Squad:

  • Tim highlights Bob’s decision to “pack your bags” and play hard friendlies in Europe, purposely putting the USMNT in uncomfortable environments to build resilience and earn international respect.
  • “We were gonna play hard games on difficult nights away from home…We were gonna go to Europe, play as many big teams as we could.” – Tim ([11:03])

• Establishing a Core Leadership Group:

  • Bob brought in 12-17 players before the 2007 Brazil friendly in Chicago, making it clear they’d be the group counted on to set standards and help newcomers acclimate.
  • “Leadership as a group was really important…you’re the ones I'm counting on and you're the ones that are going to set standards.” – Bob ([14:39])

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3. 2007 Gold Cup & Player Management

[08:06 - 09:43]

• Defining Moments:
  • Tim recalls Bob telling him directly, “This is your tournament,” transitioning goalkeeping duty from Casey Keller.
  • The 2007 Gold Cup final was pivotal: “To win the Gold Cup was extra special because that’s what earned us the right for the Confederations Cup.” – Bob ([09:43])

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4. 2009 Confederations Cup ‘Miracle’

[22:51 - 39:21]

• Miraculous Qualification:

  • The team started poorly—losing to Italy (a man down) and Brazil (again down a man). Criticism mounted, but Bob praised the remaining players’ “mentality…to keep at it.” ([25:23])
  • Crucial poolside one-to-one talks: Tim admits, “I'm fried…mentally I'm done.” Bob made the tough call to start Brad Guzan vs. Egypt; then reinstalled Tim after the victory, a decision he says “was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.” ([28:41])

• Honest, Direct Confrontations:

  • Bob recounts a charged exchange with Clint Dempsey after confronting him about his form:
    “For 45 minutes, we went after each other. I have no idea what was said, but I'm sure that Clint's ready for the next one.” – Bob ([31:34])

• Felling Spain & Facing Brazil in the Final:

  • Strategic shift: Start Josie Altidore and Charlie Davies to unsettle Spain’s center backs.
  • “We weren’t afraid…there was a real belief in the team, and that was a great win.” – Bob ([33:02])
  • Emotional fallout: Michael Bradley’s controversial red card in the semifinal, and Pam Perkins (staff) accidentally leaving him to stew alone in the locker room, amplifying post-match emotions.
  • Final against Brazil: “We did to Brazil what they had done to us in the previous game…But the pressure…that was not only a great Brazil team, but they were so physical and so athletic.” – Bob ([38:05])

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5. 2010 World Cup: Mentality & Management

[39:21 - 53:55]

• Navigating the Group Stage:

  • Drawing with England, the team was undaunted: “It just felt like, okay, time to move on. Because we had been in these big moments already.” – Landon ([40:13])
  • Key Slovenia halftime—US down 0-2, facing elimination. “[Halftime] was intense, that was screaming. 'We're not done! We're not done!’” – Bob ([42:10])

• Tactical Adjustments & Attacking Philosophy:

  • Subtle use of Landon and Clint as 'midfielders’ to get more attackers on:
    “We knew you two were the most important attackers…but we had to find ways to get you into good positions…give you both the freedom to be outside and inside.” – Bob ([45:54])

• Team Resilience:

  • “In that World Cup, we played from behind or needing a goal, pretty much the whole World Cup… in those situations, look what we came up with.” – Bob ([50:45])
  • Emotional scenes after Algeria: “My best memories are on the field with all you guys after the game, before we even went inside.” – Bob ([51:59])
  • Bob ensured post-match family reunions, orchestrating logistics so players’ families surprised them at the team’s hotel.

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6. Coaching Abroad: Egypt National Team Experience

[54:00 - 63:07]

• Diving into Chaos:
  • Bob describes accepting the Egypt job post-revolution: “This will be total chaos, but it would be an incredible adventure.” ([54:58])
  • Navigating the aftermath of the Port Said stadium massacre:
    “People would say, ‘Why are you still here?’ But I'm not much of a leader if I'm the first one out the door.” – Bob ([57:25])
  • Became a lifeline for Egyptian players during a league shutdown, organizing camps and shepherding through World Cup qualification.
  • Special relationship with Mo Salah (“Still stay in touch, we call each other brother.”).

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7. Coaching Philosophy & Next Steps

[63:07 - 65:21]

• On Continuing Career:

  • Bob: “I miss being on the field…going into a situation, getting to know the people, leading, managing up…what is training and how can we build a good team?…my motivation to find a situation and once again be all in, I hope there's still that opportunity.”

• Legacy & Passing the Baton:

  • “My job…was to take the baton, push this thing as far as I could, and then it’s time to pass it on.” – Landon, paraphrasing Bob ([65:21])
  • “No one can ever take those experiences away from us.” – Bob ([66:40])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[Confederations Cup]…we knew we needed to beat Egypt by three goals. We needed Brazil to smack Italy, which I thought could happen because Brazil was so good.” – Bob Bradley ([25:20])
• "You said, I'm fried. It's been a long season and mentally I'm done...I said, okay, Brad's playing the next game." – Bob to Tim ([27:37])
• “For 45 minutes, we went after each other. And I have no idea what was said, but I’m sure that Clint's ready for the next one.” – Bob, about Dempsey ([31:34])
• “We weren't afraid and that we knew we were playing a big team. But from the experience the previous year, we felt like we could go on the field and really go after it.” – Bob ([33:02])
• "I miss being on the field." – Bob Bradley ([64:21])
• “My job was to take the baton, push this thing as far as I could, and then it’s time to pass it on.” – Landon paraphrasing Bob ([65:21])

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Important Timestamps

• [03:01 – 07:16] – Early camp recollections, standards reset after 2006
• [08:06 – 09:43] – Handing Tim Howard the #1 keeper role for 2007 Gold Cup
• [11:03 – 16:31] – Importance of road games overseas, core leadership group formation
• [22:51 – 39:21] – 2009 Confederations Cup campaign, turning the impossible into a semifinal win over Spain
• [42:10 – 47:55] – World Cup 2010, halftimes, tactical changes, making comebacks
• [54:00 – 63:07] – Coaching Egypt during revolution, bringing up Mo Salah
• [63:07 – 65:21] – On continuing as a coach, pride in legacy, looking for the next challenge

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Tone & Atmosphere

• Warm, candid, and unfiltered—a heady mix of inside jokes, earnest leadership lessons, and gratitude.
• A sense of camaraderie, with the guest and hosts swapping respect, playful ribbing (hair jokes included), and poignant recollections.

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Summary Takeaways

This episode is a masterclass in leadership, resilience, and the behind-the-scenes realities of elite soccer. Bob Bradley’s influence on USMNT culture is explored in depth, with riveting anecdotes about managing stars, restoring standards, and thriving under pressure. The Confederations Cup and World Cup stories showcase moments of adversity transformed into US Soccer legend. Bradley’s personal philosophy—rooted in trust, high standards, and building a family environment—shines, as does his enduring passion for the “day-to-day” of being “on the field” with his team.

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For anyone interested in US Soccer’s rise, coaching methodology, or just great sports storytelling, this is a can’t-miss episode.

Transcript

[Bob Bradley]

Now I go to speak to Clint.

[Tim Howard]

Oh, boy.

[Bob Bradley]

I don't think in the first two games, Clint's played really well. So I say, we need you to play better. And he goes crazy. It's like you pulled a knife on him. And I went back to the staff and they said, how'd it go? And I go, for 45 minutes, we went after each other. And I have no idea what was said, but I'm sure that Clint's ready for the next one.

[Landon Donovan]

Unfiltered soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. soccer for over five years.

[Tim Howard]

Welcome into unfiltered soccer. He's Landon. I'm Tim. Presented by Volkswagen. What's happening, L.D. another huge day. I gotta be honest, I'm nervous about our guest today. He makes me nervous. He always has someone who I love and appreciate and adore and I know you feel the same. How you doing, bud? All good, Landon?

[Landon Donovan]

I'm good, man. I'm also excited for this. I think people are going to love this, and I just personally and selfishly cannot wait to unpack some stories with our guests before we get there. Welcome in. As always, follow us on social media. Unfiltered soccer. Make sure you subscribe. Hit that subscribe button for lots of bonus content and everything we do. And then you can email jordan@feedback unfiltered soccer.com okay, without further ado, this man, former coach of our u. S. Men's national team, coach of an iconic moment and an iconic world cup for us. Three time MLS coach of the year. I was just thinking, are there any other three time MLS coaches of the year? Probably not. And a national soccer hall of famer. None other than Bob Bradley. Bob, welcome in.

[Tim Howard]

Welcome in, Bob.

[Bob Bradley]

What is good to be here.

[Landon Donovan]

It's great to see you, Bob. And I don't know, are you in a dungeon or something?

[Bob Bradley]

We are in an apartment. It's a holding pattern as we figure out our next challenge. So hopefully this works for you.

[Tim Howard]

That's great.

[Landon Donovan]

It's going to work great. You look great to start. You do. It's. I was actually. I was going to say that Tim, when he first popped on the screen, I was like, I feel like we look older and older. Bob just looks the same. He's looked this.

[Tim Howard]

You don't. You got new hair.

[Landon Donovan]

What's this?

[Tim Howard]

Look younger?

[Landon Donovan]

Well, I do, but I took it off so I can have a hat on today. Bob, two things. One, can we get you on my hair plan?

[Tim Howard]

No.

[Landon Donovan]

Any chances of that or.

[Bob Bradley]

No, there's no chance of that.

[Landon Donovan]

Bald is beautiful.

[Bob Bradley]

And, you know, Landon, I told you this already, but you flipped the script, because for Tim and myself, there are all sorts of guys that we played with or knew years ago, and they say things like, I played with Tim when he had hair. Now in your case, there's all sorts of teammates that say, I played with Landon when he. Man, you have flipped.

[Landon Donovan]

Jeez, I'm really turning the world on its head. Bob, we're going to get into a lot of stuff today, and we're really happy to have you. Can you give us your first impressions of our first time coming into camp, if you remember? And I. I'm just curious. I'm actually just curious for me, and I know people would want to hear and what your thoughts were when, you know, you first met in camp or. I first came into camp.

[Bob Bradley]

Well, I knew Tim from Metro Stars, of course.

[Landon Donovan]

Right.

[Bob Bradley]

We had a short time together before Man United came on the scene, which didn't help our team, but was a great moment for him. And I think throughout my career, I've always understood how important it is to support players when big opportunities come. So certainly I remember that part. We had had a really good start to the season, and without Tim, we didn't finish as well. But nonetheless, that was great. As far as the national team, you guys know that I was around the team a little bit in years prior with Bruce. He and I had worked together, and so when I wasn't busy with teams, he'd ask me occasionally to come in. So I had a pretty good sense of how he worked. The successes. The successes, including, of course, everything that happened in 2002, the fact that 2006 didn't go as great. And I think the one thing I had heard from a number of different guys is that in 2006, things had just got a little loose. And so I. I think when we started, I simply said that we needed to reestablish what we were all about. We needed to move the bar a little bit in terms of making sure that the standards of. Of what was expected every time we came into camp were set. And we needed to understand that, that to be successful, we had to be hard to play against. So I. I think really we started with some of those simple ideas.

[Landon Donovan]

And do you remember, Bob, Tim, you wouldn't have been in this first January camp at. Was it Miramar Hotel? Is that what it's called?

[Bob Bradley]

Belar.

[Landon Donovan]

Belar Close. Miramar here, there Belmar. So that first camp, Bob, I absolutely hated you guys because. And you'll remember this because with Bruce, to your point, we had gotten. It wasn't even what Bruce allowed and was about. It was just that that was our normal. And you came in and I don't know how. I'm sure it was very intentional to swing the pendulum back to, okay, it's great to go out to dinners and to have time together, but, like, we have a job here and this is our fault. But at first, it was like your parents allowing you to eat candy for five years and all of a sudden saying, no more candy. And I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And I know you and I, you know, we had. We butted heads a little bit early on. Of course, I grew to understand it and respect it. But do you remember those. Those early moments?

[Bob Bradley]

Every one of them, yeah. You guys thought it was boot camp, and we didn't see it that way. And there had to be a starting point of how we were going to work, how we were going to train. We certainly gave you some days off and some nights where people were free to go out to dinner. But we also thought that there was value in the group having dinner together and sitting at different tables and talking to each other. Things that become really important as you try to build the team. From a coaching standpoint, the first thing you do, I think, in every situation is you try to understand your players, understand the talents, the personalities. You do that in a lot of ways, but certainly observing and then individual talks, talking to the team, how you train. I think all those things come into play. So that was important.

[Tim Howard]

Atlanta, I think, what people don't quite know about this. And Bob talked about the MetroStar days. He's one of the only people in the world that calls me Timmy. And it's. I find it so endearing. It's because he knew me as a kid. And we go back to, like, Region 1 ODP days and, you know, some Bob's coaching career, and I watched. I watched him coach some of the Princeton teams against Rutgers. Rutgers was like my World cup team, for crying out loud. And, you know, the Metro Star days, it reminds me of walking through. My last game was in. In New England and walking through the airport, and Sir Alex Ferguson calls me and says, the deal went through and I don't want you to play the game, because obviously if I can get injured, then. And then he made a phone call to Bob Bradley saying the same thing, didn't he, Bob? And in the end, you Left it up to me and I played. It was a. It was a bit of a surreal.

[Landon Donovan]

Oh, you played.

[Tim Howard]

I did play. I was loyal, man. I was like, not play.

[Bob Bradley]

Wow. Well, there's another part to that and I, I love Sir Alex and I've had a chance to get to know him a little bit. Not great. But when he called and said something about not having you play, I told him that we were on the bus to the game, that we had done everything to prepare the team accordingly and that you needed to play correct and to be fair to him, he said, okay, yes, I understand.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, I mean, it's. That's incredible, Bobby and Bob, I love it. Flexing your muscles, it was good, but it was such an interesting time in my young career. But then when you took over the team, that was shortlanted. You had been in the national team frame, you had been at a World cup, right. And so I had been around the team, but this was my singular moment. Bob, you and I sat down and you basically said, look, this is your tournament. We're going to transition from Casey to you. And Casey's gonna. I think Casey played a couple games, but you made it very clear that this was my time. And I'll never forget that tournament. Obviously, the final was epic in Soldier Field, sort of Chicago year, adopted home. What do you remember about that game, the. The Mexico game? I remember it fond. We all remember it fondly for, for the penalty that we never get against Mexico. And then Benny Fellheimer, brilliant volley. All of us didn't want him to shoot. And then we're like, okay, it's great. What do you remember about that game?

[Bob Bradley]

I remember the whole tournament and certainly it was all laid out ahead of time that we would rotate you and Casey, but when we got to the end, you were going to play and Casey handled that part really well. He understood that it was going to be your time. He still had a place in the national team. I think if I remember correctly, we got him to 100 caps. Certainly deserved for everything he did. And yet as we moved along in the tournament, it was going to be your turn. I think we grew as the tournament went along and we were excited for the final and we knew what it would be all about in terms of the crowd and the atmosphere. And I think we, we, we. We go behind, but. And this ended up being a feature of, of our teams. We weren't phased and we kept going. And so we equalize on a penalty. And then Benny scores a great goal. And it was, it was great. To win the Gold Cup. That was an extra special Gold cup because that's what earned us the right for Confederations cup in 2009. So we all knew that.

[Tim Howard]

Parton, let me follow up. So you talked, Landon, about when Bob and his staff took over and how things changed. Anecdotally, I think, Bob, our audience needs to hear from you why you did certain things. I remember, and I tell this story all the time. You came in and you said to us, pack your bags because we're going on the road. And your point was? We were gonna play hard games on difficult nights away from home. We were going to Europe, we were going to Poland, we were going to all these different places, and it was gonna be uncomfortable. And you did that purposely. What did you see at that time that sort of U.S. soccer needed that the U.S. men's team needed to be in those environments.

[Bob Bradley]

It was a different era, and we were lucky that we had the opportunity to schedule all sorts of opponents with Nations League. That's all changed. It's a lot harder. And I just thought that grow in the course of that cycle, the opportunity to go to Europe, play as many big teams as we could, was really important. And we didn't make a big deal of it publicly, but I think we always understood that we were trying to still earn respect. I would tell you guys that the day after the game in Europe, everybody was going to look at the scores, and if we had a good result, that was going to account for something. And so it was never something that we. We wanted to advertise. But I think on the inside, it was just, let's test ourselves, let's play against big teams, big players. Let's find out what that's all about, and that's going to help us grow as a team. And when you're going through a cycle, you're trying to, first and foremost, you have to qualify. So we'll get to that probably in a few minutes. But you've got to grow from the beginning to the end. Every camp has to mean something. And I certainly believed the idea that first and foremost, the national team has to be important to everybody. It's bigger than any one player, and that you've got to set standards early, that when you come in, here's how we're going to work, here's how we're going to talk. We're still going to enjoy ourselves and laugh and have fun. But you have to understand, this is about the national team. And I think we tried to make sure that that was established from the beginning. And every one of those games in Europe, every time we had a chance to play a big team, I think it helped the process.

[Landon Donovan]

Bob, you also did something that is, you know, we are now, whatever, 15, almost 20 years later, that has not been as common with. Certainly wasn't with Jurgen, and it hasn't been with Pochettino as well, which is you brought a group of us in, and I don't know how much you'll remember this, too, but 12, 15, 17 of us. And you basically said, without saying, you are the group that's going to be together. Right? Like, you. You've. You didn't pick every player ahead of time, but you knew this was the core group. And we're in an era now where it's sort of. It's more vogue to have people on their toes, not sure if they're coming in. But you at that time said, this is the group, and I want us to grow together as we go forward. What. Why was that? What about that was important to you?

[Bob Bradley]

I've coached one player who won the World cup, and that's Yuri Jorkayev. And I don't know if you guys know Yuri. He's a really smart guy, and at times he can be aloof, but he's an excellent guy. And as I got to know him, he told me a story about Ame Jacquet. And he said that Ame Jacquet, at a certain point had had Zidane and Yuri, and he said to the two of them, you must be the sunshine. You must be the sunshine for the group. And I always remember that the story that you're bringing up, it was before we played Brazil in the friendly in Chicago in September of 2007, and we had already gotten to know each other a little bit. And when I looked at all of you, I thought leadership as a group was really important. As much as Carlos became the captain, I thought it was going to be more group leadership and that you needed to help each other. And I thought that it would be good to get a group of you into a room. And I think I said that I can't guarantee all of you that when we get to the World cup, you're going to be there. But I can tell you that you're the ones I'm counting on, and you're the ones that are going to set the standards all the time, and you're the ones that are going to help young guys see what. What's expected and how we need to work. So for me, it was a way to, on one hand, make sure everybody knew that, that I cared about you and believed in you, but also that I was. I was counting on all of you. So, yeah, that was a. That was important meeting.

[Tim Howard]

It's time for the unfiltered refresh sponsored by Coors Light. Choose Chill. Get Coors Light delivered. Go to Coors Light.com UFS all right, LD, this one's an easy one. Who or what chose chill?

[Landon Donovan]

This week, 13 years ago was that famous Snow Classico game against Costa Rica at Dick's Sporting Good park in Colorado. Neither of us were there. I was on sabbatical. Where were you?

[Tim Howard]

I don't know.

[Landon Donovan]

Just didn't get called. I don't know where.

[Tim Howard]

I'm trying to. I'm trying to rack my brain where I was, but I can't remember.

[Landon Donovan]

Well, the game literally chose chill. The game was a snow fest. White snow everywhere on the field. Costa Rica, not surprisingly, did not want the game to happen. Clint Dempsey scored in the 16th minute. The US won 1 0. Costa Rica were outraged by the fact that the match was allowed to happen. And the Costa Rican manager called it an embarrassment to soccer. But I loved it. I loved watching. I just, I love sports. I used to watch the NFL growing up and you see snow on the field and this I love. I was actually jealous I couldn't play in it.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, Costa Rica, do me a favor, just play the game. Just that I will say, though, and I played in a couple of snow games in my. A couple years later, I signed with, with Colorado Rapids and I played in a couple snow games. And it's brutal. It's brutal. I just remember, like, I remember visuals of like, Jermaine Jones had like a snow fro. Do you remember? He had. I think he was wearing his hair out at one point. And it's like, there's snow on it. Yeah. Some of the images are crazy from that game, but, yeah, obviously you and I weren't there, but I'm the same. Even going back to when I was a kid, like rec league soccer, when it snowed and you're on the field, it was magical. Like, I don't know what made it so fun, but it's like, it's snowing. This is great. Didn't you and I play in a game together? Were you at Arsenal when it was snowing?

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah, that's right. My first game at Everton.

[Tim Howard]

That's right. It was snowing.

[Bob Bradley]

So much fun.

[Tim Howard]

Snow Classic was awesome. It was chill. It was very, very chill.

[Landon Donovan]

That's for sure. It was quite chill. And by the way, Costa Rica never complained when it was 104 degrees on their turf. And, you know, there was bats like the size of my hand flying around.

[Tim Howard]

What was the name of that club?

[Landon Donovan]

Sapresa. Oh, it was the worst. So anyway, congrats to the game for choosing chill and congrats to the US for winning the chill game. The Snow Classico. It's stoppage time. Sponsored by FanDuel. New to FanDuel Sportsbook, new customers can score up to $300 back in bonus bets every day for 10 days from bets that don't win. Download the FanDuel Sportsbook app to get started. All right, really good matchup this Week in MLS. NYCFC vs Inter Miami. Inter Miami. Rounding into form, NYCFC have scored a lot of goals this year and they are a good team as well. I believe Miami wins the game. Nycfc tough to beat at home, but Miami is starting to look better and they feel like they have a little bit of a edge about them again. So I think Miami wins the game. Of course our guy Leo Messi is going to score, have an assist. I do think both teams are going to score in this game and I think it could be a high score. It could be a 3 1, 32 type of game. So our unfiltered soccer MLS same game parlay this week is Inter Miami to win the game, Messi to score or have an assistant. They will go over two and a half goals and both teams will score in the game. Don't forget to check out the full list of unfiltered soccer's same game parlays on our socials later this week. All right, we're going to take a quick break. Bob, thank you and stay right there. When we come back, we will continue our conversation with Bob Bradley right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen.

[Tim Howard]

Foreign.

[Landon Donovan]

The Unfiltered soccer podcast is brought to you by Volkswagen. It's really easy to become a passenger in life, to sit back and watch life go by day after day.

[Tim Howard]

Of course, it's hard to do your own thing when everyone is following everyone else. But this is a call from me and ld, from Volkswagen and from all the other drivers out there. Make the most of every day.

[Landon Donovan]

Choose a different path, take control, grab the wheel and get in the driver's seat of life. Because honestly, what are you waiting for?

[Tim Howard]

Live life in the driver's seat. Learn [e-mail] LD MLS is back.

[Landon Donovan]

Yes, it is. And you know what that means. Saturdays are once again all about soccer.

[Tim Howard]

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[Bob Bradley]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

Walmart and MLS bring every emotion of the beautiful game to Saturdays. Joy, nerves, excitement and unforgettable golassos.

[Tim Howard]

Walmart plays on Saturdays.

[Bob Bradley]

Who knew?

[Landon Donovan]

Unfiltered soccer is brought to you by FanDuel soccer fans, the beautiful game is reaching new heights of excitement. And FanDuel is matching that excitement with a beautiful offer for new customers. Sign up now and score up to $300 back in bonus bets every day for 10 days from soccer bets that don't win. It's like a free kick to try again every day. FanDuel is the best place to bet your favorite players. Build a same game parlay for a chance at a bigger payout or try live betting and join the action after the match starts. Visit FanDuel.com to get your first token and get up to $300 back in bonus bets every day for 10 days from bets that don't win. Everyone deserves a second shot at greatness with FanDuel. Play your game. All right, let's move to Confederations Cup. So again we have a lot of new listeners, but if not, go do your research. Watch the games. So 09 we, because we won the Gold cup in 07 we go to confederations cup in South Africa, which is where the World cup is going to be the next year. And can you, you do a good job of this, will you? Just from your standpoint, you know you can be as brief or as detailed as you want. Walk us through the tournament and how we, we told this story recently and it was a minor miracle that we were actually in the semi when then we beat Spain who had been unbeaten for 35 or six games. So can you just walk through the tournament and how it unfolded from your eyes?

[Bob Bradley]

First game was Italy and we started out okay and then at a certain point Ricardo gets sent off for a hard tackle on Gattuso. It's ironic that Gattuso of all people is laying on the ground like he got killed because it was a hard tackle by Ricardo. But nonetheless we were down to 10 men and then we, we score a goal. I think you score a penalty, Landon, and we go up 10 and we're doing a decent job and they, they get a couple of long range goals. Also ironic that, that the first one is Giuseppe Rossi. And I had actually had conversations with Giuseppe and his father about switching to play for the US and he was pretty set on the fact that he was going to play for Italy, so it didn't happen. And so we end up losing a 31 game. And we play a good part of that game. Down a man. And now in the next game, we have to play Brazil and we give up a goal early. And now we are trying to get back into the game and we get a corner, and Landon, you run to take the corner. And DeMarcus looks around and sees that there's nobody close to him, so he moves to get a short corner from you. Not a planned play, but a fair decision given that now Brazil isn't set up well, and you play a quick pass to him. And as demarcus looks up to see exactly what's in the box, the ball gets past them. And Brazil in two passes in like five seconds, scores an amazing goal. So we are down 20 at halftime. So halftime. Come on, we gotta find a way to get back into the game. And now the second half starts and Sasha Kluston gets sent off. So, yeah, with the biggest spotlight imaginable on playing against Brazil, we are down a man and two goals. Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

Doesn't look good in a game we feel we have to win if we want any chance of advancing.

[Bob Bradley]

Yes.

[Landon Donovan]

Or at least get something out of.

[Tim Howard]

And the.

[Bob Bradley]

The responsibility of playing in these games. Very few people understand what that's like. But as it turns out, the group on the field works incredibly hard to hang in for the rest of the game. And we actually hit. I think Connor Casey hit a crossbar. We had some chances, and then at some point they get another goal. And in the second half, with all that pressure, I don't think we made many subs. And so, you know, we were getting criticized really heavily after both games. Fair enough. And one of the criticisms after the second game is, well, why didn't you sub? And I remember telling you guys when we got to Bakubong, and that became an important place for us, right the lodge right by the game park because it was quiet and we had our time together. But I remember telling you guys, here's why I didn't sub, because I appreciate so much the group that was on the field and how down a man and down goals, you guys kept at it and kept at it and kept at it, and that's not easy. And I said to the rest of the players, it's no disrespect that I. That we didn't bring you on, but that mentality is going to pay off for us. And then, you know, that that led to A series of really important one on one conversations. When we were at Bakuba and we were all, we believed that we had been unlucky in those two games that we had played big teams. We knew we needed to beat Egypt by three goals. We knew that we needed Brazil to smack Italy, which I thought could happen because Brazil was so good. But those individual conversations, I mean, Timmy, I'll ask you, Timmy, there you go. When I spoke to you, do you remember by the pool at Bakugan, you remember what you said?

[Tim Howard]

No, but. And I want to dig into that. Tell me what I said.

[Bob Bradley]

You said, I'm fried. It's been a long season and mentally I'm done. And we talked and I said, okay, Brad's playing the next game.

[Tim Howard]

So and so let me go ahead, let me ask you this. So it's really just the, the coaching side of this I always find so interesting. Right. So we get touched up for whatever, for whatever reason. Red cards, you know, I concede six goals, Brad comes in. Obviously I never liked being dropped, but you and I are having an honest conversation at the time there. And Brad comes in and we win. So naturally I would think, I'm thinking back now. I'm a bit worried because I have an ego. I'm the number one. I want to play. But you'd be well within your right to not play me against Spain. But you do. So what's that, what's that sort of couple days like in that, I mean he had a lot of decisions to make, but in regards to the goalkeeper,

[Bob Bradley]

that was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.

[Landon Donovan]

Wow.

[Bob Bradley]

And in fact, I did a session for the pro license for the coaches in the US and the session was on reflection and I said to them, okay, I'm going to give you guys a situation and you can reflect and tell me what you would do. And I explained everything and I went around the room and said, who would you play? And I got a mixed set of answers. And again, Tim, I remember the first part of you saying I'm fried. And then I'll never forget now, the day after the game, we've advanced. It's incredible. Now I'm refreshed. Coach out for training. And you know those, the day after games when it's a small group of players, those are not fun training sessions. You came out like, like with so much enthusiasm. I'm like, oh my God, I thought he was done.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, that's all it took.

[Bob Bradley]

But at that point in the discussions, behind the scenes, here's why it ended up going in your favor. We were in the semifinal level, huge tournament.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

And the only thing that I cared about was the team and the group. As a coach, that's first. Everything you do, don't do. It's about what's best for the team. And ultimately with the staff, I. And. And within the staff, there was disagreement, but ultimately I said, there's a reason Tim was number one. He's played more games than Brad. And we came into this tournament and I think we owe it to the group in a lot of ways. It would have been. It would have made sense to say Brad played. He played well. And I remember the conversation with Brad, and to this day, I know I said, I made a tough decision that went against you. And again, that's all part of coaching. You try to establish with players that sometimes decisions go your way, sometimes they don't. Sometimes you deserve a lot, and you don't get it, but that just is part of what we're doing together. And so that was a tough one, but ultimately we felt like you were. You were the number one keeper. And now going into a semifinal with Spain, you needed to play.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, well.

[Bob Bradley]

And then I give you guys one other quick story of those one on ones. Now I go to speak to Clint.

[Tim Howard]

Oh, boy.

[Bob Bradley]

I don't think in the first two games, Clint's played really well. So I say, we need you to play better. And he goes crazy. It's like to pull the knife on.

[Landon Donovan]

What a shock.

[Bob Bradley]

Yeah. And now we are going back and forth, and at some point in the second half, when we are running our balls off in the middle of the field, Clint tries a Rabona pass and it doesn't work. And we run like hell to put out the fire. So now I say to him, like, and what was that pass all about? And Clint says to me, with everything that's going on, you really think that pass was such a big deal? And I said to him, no, you're right, it wasn't. But we still need you to play better. And we were done. And I went back to the staff and they said, how'd it go? And I go, for 45 minutes we went after each other. And I have no idea what was said, but I'm sure that Clint's ready for the next.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, well, listen, that's. That's what we talk about. There's a bunch of alpha males that want to play that you had to sort of manage. And, you know, I certainly. The Golden Glove trophy on. On my mantle is. Is sort of validation for your decision. So I certainly appreciate even the insight. I mean, those are tough, hard decisions.

[Bob Bradley]

Sure. So, anyway, Spain, and we had played them in Santander the year before, in their last game, before they went and won the Euros. That was when Aragonis was the coach. We lost 1 0, played okay. And now, as we were getting ready, I remember a few basic things I said to the group. Huyol and PK have had such an easy time in this tournament. Every team plays one striker. When they have the ball, everybody backs up. We need to make the game harder on them. And so now I turn to Josie and Charlie and say, these guys don't know much about you. They may not even know who you are. Now, again, Josie was playing in Spain, so they actually knew him. But at the beginning of the game, if you show them that you're fast, if you go to run by them, if you put them on your heels, like that's going to set a tone for the game. You need to make sure those guys know from the beginning that they are going to be in for a game. And early in the game, we started well. And remember, Clint put a ball across. Charlie tried a bicycle kick. It went wide, but it was like, guess what? We're not afraid. So there was that element, and then there was a sense of how to make the game, how to be compact, how to be narrow. And I think we did a good job that whenever Xavi got the ball, somebody, Michael, Ricardo, whatever, somebody stepped up so that Xavi had to play the ball square and backwards a lot. But the thing for me is that we weren't afraid and that we knew we were playing a big team. But from the experience the previous year, we felt like we could go on the field and really go after it. And again, we know that if we play that game 10 times, we may not win another one. But on that night, we went after it, and there was a real belief in the team, and that was a great win. And then, look, let's be honest, that that was also a wild moment after the game, because here was this great win, and yet, as we're going down the tunnel, there's Michael getting it in, getting into it with the rest. In the 88th minute, Michael got sent off. It shouldn't have been a red card. I love Joby Alonzo as a player, but I'll hold them to the fact that he knows that wasn't a hard foul. And Pam Perkins, for all the incredible things she did for all of us, walked Michael into the locker room and Then left him there and she didn't realize that there was a caged lion in there and that when the game ended he was going to lose. And so, yeah, there he is. And he's letting the ref know that you cheated me out of a final. And, and so there's the, the joy of winning this incredible game. And I'm pissed at Michael and I'm pissed at Pam and pissed at everybody. St. Cough's in the locker room saying we deserve to win. So, I mean, what a, what a set of emotions after the game. But nonetheless, we were in a big

[Tim Howard]

final, which is an especially.

[Landon Donovan]

It's your son too. That's such a, what a wild moment.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, there's, there's a lot of emotion. It's football, which is, which is also crazy because there's so many things going on in that, I don't know, five, ten minute period.

[Bob Bradley]

Yeah.

[Tim Howard]

And.

[Bob Bradley]

But look, we were in a final.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

And obviously now it's Brazil again without Michael. We. We have to start Benny. So Benny starts in the midfield with Ricardo. Yeah. And we have a really good first half. And. And of course Clint scores a great goal off Specter's cross the counter. Landon, you and Charlie, we did to Brazil what they had done to us in the previous game. We countered up the field in a couple of passes. And then I remember the halftime and we say that expect them to come out flying. But here's the same things. And Luis Fabiano's goal is a minute. I know it's a minute in Maycon comes up the field and it goes. Luis Fabiano shoots. It goes through Jay's legs. And now in the second half, as they put pressure on, we hang in there. We have a little period where we create a couple of small chances. But the pressure. And that was not only a great Brazil team, but they were so physical and so athletic, strong. They were so good on set pieces.

[Tim Howard]

The goal after halftime sort of was straw that broke the camel's back.

[Bob Bradley]

It was.

[Tim Howard]

Had. Had we been able to sort of push that another 10 or 15 minutes, I always remember thinking we, we. We would have hung on. We would have it just that, that that initial goal came so fast. So fast. Yeah, yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

And, and I think then we hung on for a number of minutes at 2:1, that's where we might have had a couple of chances. But then when it got to 2:2, I think Lucio scored the winner on a header on a set piece of.

[Tim Howard]

But we, but there's such a sense of accomplishment though, Bob coming out of that tournament wasn't there with that group like we. We had. We had sort of. Because of all the things we've talked about, of challenging players, of bringing the group together, of going away from home in Europe on big nights, we sort of came away from that. You know, obviously, now I'm going to transition to 2010. We. We came away from that thing, and that wasn't lucky. That was sort of a culmination of where we're supposed to be. Oh, were we supposed to beat Spain and be in a final? Okay. We don't know about that, but we're not surprised by it because of the fight and the grit and the ability to play good football in certain moments. So we come out of that tournament feeling high, because we should. But then we know that that was sort of a litmus test for what was to come the following year.

[Bob Bradley]

Yeah, 100%. And could we take all of that? I know. As we were getting ready for the World cup, we felt that there was a lot there, that we could do some big things. One of the areas that we always focused was to understand how to navigate a group that it wasn't one game, it was three games. Certainly that became very true in 2010. The feeling of England. I mean, what do you guys remember about the England game? Timmy, you got smacked right. On a 50. 50 play.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah. Emma Husky. I. You know that.

[Bob Bradley]

Do you remember much about that game that didn't seem.

[Tim Howard]

I mean, you tell me. It didn't seem like there was a lot in it. Right.

[Bob Bradley]

There was a. There was a.

[Landon Donovan]

It didn't feel like there was a lot in. Obviously, they go up early and then Clint's goal.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

But says a lot about that team. I think, actually that we had played big teams and played in big moments that it was kind of like, okay, we gotta draw out of the game. It's fine. It didn't feel desperate. It didn't feel lucky. It didn't feel. It just felt like, okay, time to move on. And because we had been in these big moments already.

[Bob Bradley]

Yeah, that's true. It was a very hard, physical game. It's interesting. And again, the 20 World cup was a colder weather in a bunch of cities in South Africa, so. So the game against England to kick off the World cup, that was an intense, physical game.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

And there were a lot of hard battles. I think, physically, we caused them some trouble at times, big time. And. And we had some opportunities where. Whether it was on a set piece or a cross, where we had guys crashing in the box. Robert Green Led in the famous howler. And then in the second half, he made a great save on Josie.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

But to your point, one one first game feels good. But quickly, given the results of the other games, you knew what. What was happening when we had to play Slovenia and we needed to come away with something.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

So, Bob. Yeah. So take us into halftime. I'm most curious about this. So we're down 20 at halftime against Slovenia, and basically now if we lose this game, it's over. And what people don't understand, and I said this on the podcast, being down 20 in a world cup is virtually impossible to come back from. It's not like a random friendly or random club game during the season where you throw caution to the wind and you say it's basically impossible to come back from. So take us into halftime. And what that was like, halftime was intense.

[Bob Bradley]

That was screaming. And I remember screaming, we're not done. We're not done. You know, we're. We've been here before. I remember different guys screaming. So it was an intense halftime. Whenever I speak to Jesse or Mike about 2010 World cup, what was sort of a key moment, everybody agrees. Halftime of Slovenia. And again, we made two subs at halftime. So that's in an era where you get three for the game.

[Landon Donovan]

Right.

[Bob Bradley]

And we took off. Jose Torres brought on Mo because we knew the game would open up and Mo would do. Then his understanding with Michael, and then he could cover more ground. And then we made the change with Robbie Finley coming off and Benny coming on and Clint going up. And then we get Landon. You score a great goal. Stevie gives you a little bit of a ball behind, and from no angle, you. You roof one in the near upper corner. And then I know that. That as the game goes on and we have to push that now, we had prepared ourselves to be able to play with three in the back and push it even more. So at a certain point in the game, now Hercules comes on. Clint is playing underneath Hercules. It's only three in the back. But our understanding from the different games along the way of how the expression we used a lot was playing on the edge.

[Tim Howard]

That's right.

[Bob Bradley]

And how to really go for it. And then we get the second goal on the long wall. Josie does great. Hercules is running in the box, and Michael comes flying in and scores a really important good goal.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

And then Mo deserved the winner.

[Tim Howard]

I mean, there's never been a foul in that play.

[Bob Bradley]

No, there was only fouls by them against us. It's incredible, you know, so so sure that was to your point, Landon, to come from two down feeling we should have won. And then that sets up the fact that we know that we've got to. We've got to win against Algeria. And so that's another open game. Early on, they hit the crossbar. But as the game goes on, one of the things in that World cup that I think we felt good about was we. We were able to create chances in every game, always.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

And Slovenia had an amazing record in the qualifying in. In the playoff to get into the World Cup. They beat Russia when Gus Hidden was the coach, and defensively they were so strong, but when we needed to be a little bit more vertical, when we needed to play forward and run forward and run back and. And. And make a game go fast, you. You guys were able to do that. And the guys in the back weren't phased when we had to play like that, so.

[Landon Donovan]

And Bob, part of the reason that I want to touch on this, part of the reason that was the case is because you played the two most prolific goal scorers in our nation's history as midfielders most of the time, so you could get two strikers on the field, too, a lot.

[Bob Bradley]

A lot of times, sure. Right.

[Landon Donovan]

And so what was that? How did you. I'm curious, how did you. It was probably easier for me to convince me to do it, but how do you then convince Clint, too, to play as wide midfielders? Not wide, but play as midfielders so that you can get more attacking pieces on the field.

[Bob Bradley]

We knew that you two were the most important attackers on the team, but we had to find ways to get you into good positions where you could receive balls, where there were attackers in front of you, hopefully an outside back giving you something out wide and give you both the. The freedom to be outside and inside. Neither one of you were traditional wingers.

[Landon Donovan]

Right.

[Bob Bradley]

Both of you were creative, attacking players that needed to have the freedom. And then for me, it was just to challenge both of you to understand that for us to play top teams, we needed everybody to work hard for each other, that we couldn't be a top team playing against Spain or England if we had guys on the field that were just cheating and doing whatever they wanted. And so I think those were standards that we established. And certainly as a coach, you know what your team's all about. And you asked me right at the beginning those first meetings, and we started to establish that to play against big teams, here's. Here's what we needed to be about. We needed to work hard. We needed to run for each other. We wanted to improve our football, but we also understood that our defenders, under pressure at times, were going to play balls forward. And yet those defenders, Gooch, Carlos, Jay, whenever we played against big attackers, they weren't afraid. I. I can remember Jay before certain games, when I would give everybody a hug and Jay would give me a wink, like, no problem, man, like Wayne Rooney. It's going to be easy.

[Landon Donovan]

It's true.

[Bob Bradley]

Everybody wants to have defenders that can play, and everybody wants to play from the back and look like Man City and look like Barcelona. And you want to establish ideas on how to do that. I think we worked at that and we improved. But you also need defenders who can defend. And when you think back to games that we played along the way to get there again, you play Sweden in Gothenburg and you're playing against Zlatan and Elmender and these games with Luis Fabiano, and you realize our defenders need to be ready for these kind of battles. And so you want to get the best out of the group, and so you try to establish ideas that fit the group and the mentality and it all works together. And I think in those ways there was a fearless mentality that when we stepped on the field against big players, against big teams, we weren't afraid. And that's something. As a coach, no matter what level you want that, you want to see a team that goes on the field and goes for it. I think that's, to this day, no matter what level I'm watching, if I see a team and they just have a mentality where they're not afraid and everybody's into it and they work for each other, that means that something's being done, right?

[Tim Howard]

Yeah. And you talk about teams that go for it. So when I think about the Algeria game, I don't. Maybe this is just selective memory. I don't remember much of the game until it opened up at the end. Not like the last 10 minutes, but the second half of the second half felt like it was just a tennis match. Like we needed to go for it, and it was just wide open. Like, at what point, Bob, do you remember it? Sort of like, do you have a. Do you have an idea in your head about, like, what. You know, at some point after halftime, not right away, but the game just. The game just becomes open again.

[Bob Bradley]

We went to three in the back at a certain point and pushed the game in those ways. We had chances before that, but you're looking at the clock and you know, we need a goal.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

And you're hoping that we can push and push and push. And as we've said a few times, we were comfortable playing in games like that. I think that. That it was an advantage for us when the game did open up because. Because we were used to playing in those kind of situations. And. And when you think of that World cup, we played from behind.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

Or needing a goal, pretty much the whole World cup. And. And that the fact that we were able to respond in those moments is still something that. Yeah. When we have moments like this and we're talking about those games, I think we all deep down feel good about. About the fact that in those situations, look what we came up with.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

So what was your. So two things. One, just your perspective when the goal happens.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

And what you're thinking and whatever. And then. Can you take us inside the locker room too, after? Because that has become.

[Bob Bradley]

Yes. Well, when the goal was scored, the exact same situation as Slovenia is now. We were going to switch from three back to four. And so there was yelling on the. You know, we're celebrating, I think against Slovenia. I'm saying four, I think against Algeria, as we're celebrating. Mike's reminded me, no, we got to go to 4. Demarcus moving to the back. And then. Yes. I. Before we even get into the locker room. I still. My best memories are on the field with all you guys after the game.

[Tim Howard]

Mm.

[Bob Bradley]

Before we even went inside.

[Landon Donovan]

Oh, that's interesting. I don't actually.

[Bob Bradley]

That's the culmination of the one on one talks. The challenges, the work. Now we've won the group and we can all share that moment. That was incredible. And we get in the locker room and then obviously we've got Sunil and people from US Soccer and we've got Bill Clinton and there's a lot going on. And yes, very quickly I go looking for Tom King and I'm already thinking about how are we going to handle the post game. And our families are staying 25 minutes from Irene Lodge where we stayed. And I know that there's a real. It's really important that everybody can share that moment with their families. And I knew the next game could possibly come up within a couple of days based upon schedule. And who. Who else won? And I wanted to make sure that we could enjoy the moment but have control. And so I say to Tom, I want to get all the families to Irene and surprise the players so that by the time we get back there, the families are waiting and we can all be together. And then at a certain Point, the families leave, they go back where they're staying. We can have a meeting. By that time, we'll know who we're playing, and we can lay out the schedule. And my man Tom pulled it all off because with all the security needs, that wasn't easy. But I'll always appreciate when I went to him, in the midst of everything that was going on in the locker room, the only thing I was thinking about is how are we going to get ourselves ready for the next game. And Tom pulled it off for me.

[Landon Donovan]

Thank God for Tom. What a day. We talk about him all the time here and how valuable he is.

[Bob Bradley]

Special guy.

[Landon Donovan]

What a special guy, Bob. Before, I mean, we could do this for hours. A few other things I think people would like to hear about. So after the. After the US Team, you went to coach Egypt. What was that like? I mean. Cause we were all blown away. It didn't surprise us, really, because we know you like challenges, but, man, that was crazy.

[Tim Howard]

The Egyptian revolution began when you were there, right? You brought Mo Salah through. I mean, these are huge moments in sort of that country's history, and you jumped at the opportunity.

[Bob Bradley]

The revolution was early in 2011. In fact, we were supposed to play a friendly in Cairo that got called off because of the revolution. And in the revolution, Mubarak had been the president of Egypt, and he was out.

[Landon Donovan]

And

[Bob Bradley]

as we discussed, we. We beat Egypt in Confederations Cup. And then they reached out after I got let go by the US after the Gold cup final to see if I'd have an interest. And I flew over the first time Zacky went with me. Zach Abdel, legendary goalkeeper coach and guy. And when we got back on the plane and headed home, I said, this will be total chaos, but it would be an incredible adventure. And so then I get a call, like, two weeks later. They want me to come back and talk about the job. But you can't bring Zach. And so I say, all right, I'm coming. And I tell Zach, they don't want you. He's like, what do you mean you can't go by yourself? I go, no, I'll be fine. So I get there and.

[Tim Howard]

Wait, wait. What did you tell your wife? Hang on, back up. What did you tell your wife when you said this? Most importantly, I'm gonna go take this interview. She probably rolled her eyes.

[Bob Bradley]

This will be the adventure of a lifetime. And she didn't completely understand that she's amazing. Just for that reason alone, she's amazing. I mean, we've lived on. We've lived in all sorts of places, and you live on streets that have typical US names and then spend two years living on Mohammed Mazar Street. But the second time, now there's a key moment. Are you going to take it or not? And I speak to Lindsay on the phone and, okay, we're going to go for it. And so look, I go over the beginning of October 2011,

[Landon Donovan]

and

[Bob Bradley]

the first thing is I'm just trying to get to know the players. I'm going to games all over the place. I'm trying to figure out the pool because we have a friendly against Brazil in November and in Doha, and without a president, the country was. If you ask people what's going on, they would say there's more lawlessness because there's no security, there's no the police.

[Landon Donovan]

There's a vacuum of leadership. Chaos ensues.

[Bob Bradley]

Yes, and, and so there was a little of that. But honestly, I never felt unsafe. People knew who I was. And you could walk on the street. And so that part was, okay, we call ourselves.

[Tim Howard]

I call myself a man of the people, but you are truly a man of the people for, for that move.

[Bob Bradley]

Sure. And, and, and look, Egypt isn't incredible country. They're really proud people. They're proud of their culture, they're proud of their food, they're proud of their football. When I was there in October by myself, they took me, they said, you want to go to the children's cancer hospital? Absolutely. So I go, and it's in the middle of Cairo, and I'm blown away by the care and the kids. And so Lindsay got there later in October, and I said to them, I want to go back with Lindsay. And I said, I want to just go, the two of us. I want to make a contribution and I want it to be quiet. There's no way it can be quiet. You get there and there's just media everywhere, but we do it. And then at some point, the two of us are walking from where we live to the market, and a taxi stops and a lady gets out and she comes up to us and she says, I want to thank you both for what you do for Egypt. So, like the, the. The. They're incredible people. Fast forward. February 1, 2012, in Port Said. There's a massacre in the stadium. It's the result of everything that went on in the revolution. 74 young fans lose their lives. The next morning, we were in a game in Cairo, and the game that we were at got abandoned at halftime. And the next morning, I'm up all night with news reports. And the next morning I said, zachy, there was a protest in Sphinx Square. And I said, we need to go. And so Zach, Lindsay and I go to this protest and we're out because people are gone crazy about what happened to these young people. To this day, many, many questions have never been answered. The league shut down and now we have a World cup qualifier in June. And most people at that point media would say, why are you still here? Why don't you just leave? And you're like, well, wait, I'm not much of a leader if I'm the first one out the door. So we started to organize camps. And a really important guy for me in Egypt was Dia El Said. He had been the coach for the U20s. He had had Salah and El Nene and Hagazi with him. We started to bring in the young players. He helped us organize a hotel that would take us. I don't even know if we paid. And we would train outside Cairo Stadium and for matches we had to go outside Egypt, they wouldn't okay any matches, security wise in Egypt. So we went to Tripoli, Lebanon, we went to Khartoum, Sudan, we went to Abu Dhabi, we went to Dubai, we went to Doha. And then we started qualifying in June. And in the first part of qualifying there were six games. We were the only team in Egypt to win all six. And then now is going to be the draw for who you play in the final round was we hadn't had enough official matches with what was going on in Egypt. We ended up in pot two and we deserved to be in pot one. And we drew Ghana. And the first game is in Kumasi. And the only game I could compare it to is when Brazil lost to Germany in Brazil in the world.

[Landon Donovan]

Oh, wow.

[Bob Bradley]

Where that day there was so much pressure on the players. They, they just weren't themselves. The two that that handled it were Abu Trika, who was the captain, an incredible guy, and then Salah, who was our young star. And then, you know, on the way back to the hotel, I knew that if I had just left it alone, the players would just go to their rooms. That's it. And I said to Dion, Zach, we need to talk to him. And so there we were on some floor in some hotel in Kamasi. And I'm saying like, I love you guys and the pressure on you was incredible. And if I have, I'm going to find every way to be here for the second game. And I managed to get to the second game. We win 2:1. It's not enough, but those players and what it meant to them at that time in their country when the league stopped and they didn't know what was going on in their careers. That was incredible. And then when you see a guy like Salah take off and to this day I hear from him, he's a really special guy. I still stay in touch with the call, my brother. So Egypt was incredible. Again, my wife is special for, for, for putting up with it. But the experiences that we shared together there and then my two daughters, Carrie and Ryan, both were able to come and visit a few times. Michael, because he was so busy, never made it. But Egypt will always have a special place in my heart.

[Tim Howard]

So wow. Incredible Bob. I mean we got to get you out of here. But there's. You've overseen some of the most iconic moments in U.S. soccer history. You just talked about Egypt and some of the cultural things that you went through forget on the pitch, which is obviously incredible. I think about your coaching tree, I think about Jesse Marsh and Chris Armis. Michael now and sort of what's next for you

[Bob Bradley]

gotta find the right next challenge. Still incredible.

[Landon Donovan]

You still want to be on the grass and like you still want to

[Bob Bradley]

do that every day. Landon.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Tim Howard]

And by the way, let me say first, first American to coach in the Premier League which is no small feat and I don't know, I don't know when we're going to see that again. And so it's really special, you know, some what, what you've done and I, and I would imagine you want to be on the grass. Is that something that, that's still sort of prevalent with you and, and in front of mind.

[Bob Bradley]

I can tell both you guys played in UK because you both say on the grass based upon certain things I try to refrain from using.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, fair enough.

[Bob Bradley]

I say that I, I miss being on the field.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

And I still the part of going into a situation, getting to know the people, engaging players, staff, leading, managing up. Yeah. Working with the equipment people at the day to day part I have always enjoyed and I take great pride in all the people that I've worked with trying to value people and what they're all about. And then of course the part of getting on the field and what is training and how can we build a good team. And so yes, I hope that there's the right next challenge. You never know because that's football. But certainly my motivation to find a situation and once again be all in. I hope there's still that opportunity out there.

[Landon Donovan]

We'll See, Bob, you said something just last thing for me, you said something that I thought was really powerful. And I don't know if you said it both publicly and privately, but when you took the national team job and then when it came to an end, you said my job, and I'm paraphrasing, was to take the baton, push this thing as far as I could, and then it's time to pass it on to the next person when it's time. And that, like, there's a selflessness in that that I think is so powerful, and people could do a lot worse than bringing you in to help do that for whatever, club, organization, whatever. And I genuinely just. I wish you the very best. I know you're anxious, but you're also at peace in life. You have beautiful grandkids now, and your kids are flourishing, and so you have an amazing life. But I do hope that for you, and I hope it comes very soon.

[Bob Bradley]

I appreciate that. Thanks.

[Tim Howard]

We certainly hope that we see back coaching soon. I for a fact, know we will. And obviously you and I talk often, but for what you've meant to, you know, sort of my life, both on and off the field, I could never thank you enough. And so we appreciate you being on the show and sharing this. Our fans absolutely adore you.

[Bob Bradley]

Well, we've shared some great experiences, guys. So as I always told you, no one can ever take those experiences away from us. So thanks.

[Landon Donovan]

Amen.

[Tim Howard]

Thanks, Bob.

[Landon Donovan]

Bob, thank you. Thanks again so much, Bob. What a pleasure in wishing you success going forward. All right, let's take a break. When we come back, we'll get into your Questions in the AT&T fan Connection right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen.

[Tim Howard]

This episode is brought to you by Airbnb.

[Landon Donovan]

Timmy. We both played for the national team. We played in different places all over the world. And we know the value of an away fan. Away fans providing energy, excitement, especially at the end of the game, is so crucial.

[Tim Howard]

Hosting your home on Airbnb provides visiting sports fans the ability to stay close to the action in a neighborhood location. Big sporting events brings fans from around the world. Hosting your home on Airbnb lets you be a part of the excitement. And your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] host LD things are about to get really hectic. End of the Premier League season, summer soccer tournament coming up. It is just like all soccer all the time, tons of travel. I feel like now is a time where it's important to relax and choose chill.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah, this might not make sense, but for me, choosing chill, I talked to my wife about this all the time. Is not like sitting on the couch, relax. For me, choosing chill is actually choosing chill by going to play hockey, which is cold and freezing and like exerting a lot of energy. But by the end, it's so relaxing. It feels so good. It's a connection to my Canadian roots, to my dad. I love it. And that's when I choose chill.

[Tim Howard]

Choose chill and then reach for Coors Light. Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door. Visit Coors Light.com UFS or you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells beer.

[Landon Donovan]

Yes, sir. As always, celebrate responsibly. Coors Brewing Co. Golden, Colorado Beer there's

[Tim Howard]

nothing better than feeling like someone has your back and that things are going to get done even without you having to ask. Like your crisp new jersey waiting for you in the locker room or a perfectly set up wall for a free kick.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah. As we unfiltered soccer get ready for next summer, we know that very little in the beautiful game is guaranteed. But as we prepare to bring our unfiltered brand of non stop soccer coverage, it's good to know AT&T has your back. With the AT&T guarantee, staying connected matters.

[Tim Howard]

That's why in the rare event of a network outage, AT&T will proactively credit

[Landon Donovan]

you for a full day of Service.

[Tim Howard]

That's the AT&T guarantee.

[Landon Donovan]

Learn more at att.com guarantee AT&T connecting changes everything.

[Tim Howard]

Credit for fiber downtime lasting 20 minutes or more or a wireless downtime lasting 60 minutes or more caused by a single incident impacting 10 or more towers must be connected to impacted towers at onset of outage. Restrictions and exclusions apply. See att.com guarantee for full details. It's time for the Fan connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions at. @&t. Connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game. All right, we're back with the AT&T fan connection, everyone's favorite time of the week. And that means we get to hang out with Jordan. What's happening, Jordan?

[Landon Donovan]

Hi, Junior.

[Jordan]

Okay. Hello. I just got a package in the mail delivered to you.

[Tim Howard]

Must be nice.

[Jordan]

I would like to present to you what was in this package. May. May I do that very quickly?

[Tim Howard]

Let's see.

[Bob Bradley]

Maybe.

[Tim Howard]

Let's go. That better be at my house.

[Landon Donovan]

For those listening. What is that who are not watching.

[Jordan]

This is Landon A Memoir by Landon Donovan. It's not signed, though, L.D. so you're gonna have to fix that.

[Tim Howard]

I hope mine's signed.

[Landon Donovan]

Oh, that's cool. How they have the landing across both pages.

[Jordan]

Yeah. This is great. Does it have pictures in it?

[Landon Donovan]

It does.

[Jordan]

Oh, it does have.

[Landon Donovan]

Pictures are the best, aren't they? When you get to go through and, like, decide what you want.

[Tim Howard]

Oh, my God, bro. My copy better be signed. If not, when you come to New York, you're signing it.

[Landon Donovan]

That's fine.

[Jordan]

I'm excited.

[Bob Bradley]

I'm.

[Tim Howard]

No, you sent a reason.

[Landon Donovan]

You can pre order now.

[Tim Howard]

You've definitely sent me one.

[Jordan]

Landon, what date does the book actually come out?

[Landon Donovan]

March 24th.

[Tim Howard]

Nice.

[Jordan]

Okay, so I have time. I, I read very quickly. I will read this and I will have a full review for our audience.

[Landon Donovan]

You know what? Give me your, like. Yeah, like, your top three takeaways next week. It's gonna surprise you. It's gonna surprise you a bit.

[Tim Howard]

Not being funny. I, I, I'm looking forward to getting mine because I don't. I've been not sleeping great. So I'm about 10:30, about 10:30 every night. Next week I'm gonna start reading it. Put me straight to sleep. No, I'm excited. Congratulations on the book. I'm super excited for you. It is an undertaking. People often, People often ask, like, what was it like writing a book? It's a labor of love, isn't it? You're going deep. You're going into some places. I remember being so on edge writing the book. LD My book, because I would do it, and I had a fantastic ghostwriter in Allie Benjamin, and she would then, like, the, the juicy bits. She'd then, like, ask me to recount them again. And I'm like, no, no, we've already been over this. It really hurts. I don't feel like talking about it. And you have to keep going over it, which, anyway, fascinating stuff.

[Landon Donovan]

It's a fun process.

[Tim Howard]

I'm so sorry. It's hard.

[Jordan]

Baby Land in pictures.

[Tim Howard]

This is amazing.

[Jordan]

I can't wait to read this. Thanks, L.D. thanks for reading that.

[Landon Donovan]

Enjoy it.

[Tim Howard]

You doing a book tour?

[Landon Donovan]

I actually did a first signing last year. Week at. I did an event and part of it was they bought books. And so it was, it was pretty cool to actually sign your book for the first time and give it to people. Yeah, I'll be. Well, it's during the national team break. I'll be in Atlanta and then la, and it's, you know, how it is. Actually, I'm going on the Today Show. Are you next week?

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

That's why I'll be in New York. And I'm doing Kelly Clarkson in a few.

[Tim Howard]

Yo, I love Kelly Clarkson show.

[Landon Donovan]

I know, she's amazing. You know she has a SiriusXM channel, too. I was like, this girl's everywhere, bro.

[Jordan]

You have to promise me. You don't have to do it on television, but when you have, like, a moment with Kelly, you have to tell her how much karaoke you do behind the scenes on the show. Because Kelly karaoke.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, Kelly karaoke.

[Landon Donovan]

She, like, does be embarrassed to sing in front of her.

[Tim Howard]

I won't.

[Jordan]

Well, you don't have to sing in front of her, but you should just tell her that you love to sing Kelly Larson songs behind the scenes.

[Tim Howard]

Wait, I know it's your book. This is our show. We're like kind of.

[Landon Donovan]

Okay, let's get into the questions.

[Tim Howard]

We're a pair. I want to go on the show.

[Landon Donovan]

Okay, you can.

[Bob Bradley]

Come on.

[Jordan]

All right, here is a question from Leo via email, and Leo says, how did Landon Donovan first find out about his transfer from the San Jose Earthquakes to the LA Galaxy? And what was his initial reaction? Also, how did Tim find out about his transfer to Manchester United? And what was that moment like for him?

[Landon Donovan]

These were probably very different stories, and this is going to open some wounds for San Jose fans. So I was in San Jose for four years. In 2004, I went 2005, beginning of 05, I went back to Leverkusen, who still owned my. My contract and my rights. After three months, it became clear that I was not part of that coach's plans. So I called my agent and said, rich, like, this is not working. I want to go back home. And at the time, the league was still floundering. It's not the MLS we know today. So between me wanting to go home to la, the league wanting me in a big market, the LA Galaxy wanting me, we talked to the commissioner and said, how do we make this work? Is there a way that we can. The Galaxy can trade something to San Jose for Landon's rights? In the end, it worked out.

[Tim Howard]

Where?

[Landon Donovan]

I think Carlos Ruiz went to Dallas maybe is part of it. Maybe there was some three way trade or something, but they. We all made it work out amazing. Not the same as your United stuff.

[Tim Howard]

No, but I mean, there was a big story actually, that's in the book

[Landon Donovan]

now that I realized that. Yeah, because it's weird because the whole thing was happening behind the scenes.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

And we were playing Guatemala in Birmingham, a qualifier, if you remember that game. Eddie Johnson scored early. So behind the scenes, I'm like, on the phone literally the day of the game, trying to figure this out. We play Guatemala with Carlos Ruiz on his. On their team, and he's getting traded. For me, it's this whole thing. And then the next morning, I'm in LA after the game, doing a press conference.

[Tim Howard]

What year was that? Guatemala. What year was that?

[Landon Donovan]

That was 05. So, yeah.

[Bob Bradley]

Anyway,

[Tim Howard]

what are they. What does he want to know? United.

[Landon Donovan]

How did it happen?

[Jordan]

What was the transfer to United States?

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, I think it was. It was vague because I wasn't in the driver's seat. I wasn't. I wasn't facilitating any of it. I was playing for the Metro Stars. The initial conversation, I got a phone call. We were in national team camp. You would have been there at Landon.

[Bob Bradley]

What year was that?

[Jordan]

How old were you?

[Tim Howard]

I was 22. So, Elena, we were at. We were in Tampa. I want to say maybe we're at img, but we weren't staying at img. We were staying at, like, a. Like a condo complex.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Tim Howard]

And so that year was.

[Landon Donovan]

Oh, yeah, I remember. Yeah. Yeah.

[Tim Howard]

So that would have been. That would have been January of 20 of January of 2003. So you'd have been in that camp. I don't know who played. Anyway, I got a phone call from Tony Coton, who is the goalkeeper coach, literally, on my hotel phone or condominium phone, I don't know how they get the number, and just said, you know, I've told the story a thousand times. Said, like, we're interested in you. Like, we, you know, just wanted to say, like, hey, this is who I am, and, like, make connection. Look, we'll. We'll get back to you. You know, we'll. We'll follow you and we'll chat. I'm like, all right, sweet. That was it. I didn't really say much. And then. And then fast forward. I just played MLS stuff and games and. Because that's. Obviously, we were January camp and preseason, and then in that May. So I just played the season. I don't think I heard much. Maybe my agent had contact with them and it was slow drip. And then that May we played. You might have played this game, Landon. We played Mexico in Houston at the old Reliance Stadium. It was in May anyway. And he had. Tony Cotton phoned me and said, I'm going to come over and see. I'm flying over to Houston, Want to see you live. We've seen all the other stuff. We're taking it forward, saw me live. We played well. I think it was a clean sheet. And then after that, they're just like, you know, we got to get your work permit. You obviously won't pass the work permit, so we have to go to an appeal. Had had at that point. I sort of got involved with my agent and, you know, we had different people signing were permit letters for me and then went to an appeal, which basically means sir Alex Ferguson shows up and the person goes, all right, rubber stamp, you know, and that was it.

[Jordan]

Okay, this one is a little bit of a national team kind of question. This one's from Steve via email. Can you guys talk a little bit About Edson Buttle's 2010 World cup run, how he went from not on the radar to making the squad in the final days before the Cup? What was it like for the squad and morale? Do these late roster additions get everyone fired up or is it a distraction? As a Galaxy fan, I loved Buttle. Getting it added to the squad and enjoyed watching him and Donovan play together.

[Landon Donovan]

Wasn't a. It wasn't a distraction for me. I mean, I knew Edson and love Edson, but it depends on if the players liked.

[Tim Howard]

Right.

[Landon Donovan]

I mean, has more to do with that. And everyone loved Edson. He's such a sweetheart.

[Tim Howard]

So.

[Landon Donovan]

So it, it just goes to the point, though.

[Tim Howard]

What.

[Landon Donovan]

Talk about a bigger point and, and why I'm so hellbent on players playing leading up to a World cup. Because his life, whole life changed because he was playing and playing well. And so when people are making moves or doing these things, it's always a. It's always a risky time to like putting your career in flux. And so if, if you go to a new place and you don't play, it doesn't mean necessarily you're not going to make it. But there are many, many cases of players playing and playing well six months leading into a World cup and ending up on a World cup roster. Many, many. And Edson was one of those and he deserved it and he earned it.

[Tim Howard]

You're not sort of, to Landon's point, a guy who makes the roster like last, last minute, right? So you're talking about, you know, you're talking about, I don't know, guys 20 through 23. I don't know, whoever, you know, your last two or three guys added to the roster normally to like, sort of speak to what Lane was saying. Those guys, it would be impossible for those guys to be bad guys, right? Because they're, they're naturally. They're naturally on the roster for bigger intangibles than on field talent. Right. There's no disrespect. This is how it works, right?

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Tim Howard]

So. So when you get that far, the coaches are evaluating. Why should we put him on here? We put him on here because he carries the bags. He's good at. He's good in training, he shows up, he supports the team. Can he score a goal? Sure, maybe. But the likelihood is that's not going to happen. So that would never be like, all of those things and go, this guy's a bad guy. Most of the team hates this guy. Let's put him on anyway. That would never happen. And so I think based on that mentality, you're usually really excited for the. The guy. Like, if you're a senior player, you're a captain or you're a guy who plays every game, like Landon and I were, you're usually pretty, like, stoked for that guy. You're like, yo, you made it. That's crazy. That's super dope. You know, like, you get super excited for him because they were probably more out than they were in.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Tim Howard]

And then they get go.

[Bob Bradley]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

And by the way, that player knows that they're not going to play much or they're not. Like, so there's no ambiguity. Usually the tensions caused when a player's like, I should be starting. He should, you know, those. The 11 versus 12 player is way different than the 22nd or 23rd player. So that player is just stoked to be there because he wasn't expecting to be there, but now he's stoked to be there.

[Tim Howard]

That's right. That's right.

[Jordan]

So sorry, I'm. I'm trying to sort of think about, like, roster building in my head now in a new way. So then, like, you're probably not going to fill one of those spots with one of those other guys, Landon, that you were talking about. Like, I should be playing. That should be me out there. Because that's not a vibe that you

[Landon Donovan]

want in those headaches you want as a coach.

[Bob Bradley]

Right.

[Landon Donovan]

And the good example was in. In 2002, probably the. Well, he wasn't the last guy. He, like, he was. He was a guy who could have been starting whatever David Reggie was on the team and he ended up not starting. And he was a nightmare. I mean, like, sat in the back of the bus, didn't talk to anybody, was miserable, and that's the last thing she. You want. So you need to have those conversations with the 11 vs 12 guy way ahead of time and just say, look, you can't be a nightmare or else I'm not bringing you.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

And there was, you know, a very high profile situation in 2022 where like a guy who wasn't playing was, was, was not good behind the scene. You do not want that. So you can't even, it's not even a consideration if that guy's a jerk. Consideration.

[Tim Howard]

That's right. As and as roster building goes, one of the things Land and I have talked about, we as fans sense this a little bit, but when you're in the team, when you're in a team or you're the coach, that four weeks of a World cup isn't four weeks. It's not days. It's just one. It's just this long period of time that goes by like that, right? It is. It's just one little bit of time. And coaches, because it goes by so fast, have so many decisions to make, so many headaches, so many, so many sort of roadblocks to anticipate. The one thing they do not need is, is some guy who ain't even going to see the pitch causing a headache like that. Like, there's so many things, who's going to get yellow card, who's going to get injured, what formation is this team going to play? We got to look ahead like there's so many things and it goes by so fast. The last thing they need.

[Landon Donovan]

And conversely, if the guy's the opposite, where he's amazing and he helps drive culture and he's going to be easy and bring other guys along, that's a huge, huge benefit.

[Jordan]

So your attitude is a big part of, like, it could potentially get you chosen for a World cup roster.

[Landon Donovan]

Well, it's in any walk of life, right? I mean, in any job or whatever that, you know, people can help drive culture and they're very valuable. And that's why I always say, like, when you have someone in any walk of life who helps drive culture and build and you do whatever you have to do to retain them, you keep them around because they are so valuable and the replacement cost is so high. And in a team where, in a sport where like, everything is so emotional and so magnified over these three games, those people are priceless.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Jordan]

Well, that's. I feel like I learned a lot today. That's all I have for you. If you are listening and you have a question, you can write into the AT T fan connection@feedbackunfiltered soccer.com thanks guys.

[Landon Donovan]

Thank you JR.

[Tim Howard]

Thanks Joe.

[Landon Donovan]

All right, Timmy. Another great show. Thank you all for being with us. Just enjoy this every week. It's so much fun. Remember, as always, Please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere else you get your podcast. Follow the show across all social media platforms at Unfiltered Soccer for lots of bonus content. Thank you to our friends at VW, our Fan Connection sponsor AT&T, and our stoppage time sponsor, FanDuel.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah. What?

[Landon Donovan]

What?

[Tim Howard]

What an episode. What a day. That was fun. Thanks to our unfiltered refresh sponsor, Coors Light, and our additional sponsors Airbnb and Walmart. Have a great week. We'll be back next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.

[Bob Bradley]

Shot clocks, big shots, upsets, aces tgl playoffs are here. First atlanta drive starts their repeat run against los angeles golf club. Then rory's boston common golf and tigers jupiter links face off in their playoff debuts. Who will advance? Keep up its playoffs. Tune in Tuesday, march 17 at 6:30pm and 9pm only on espn and the espn app.