LAFC are set to enter the 2022 MLS season with a new manager after the club parted ways with Bob Bradley on Thursday. Bradley is leaving following a four-year spell that saw him lead the LA team to a Supporters’ Shield trophy in 2019 and CONCACAF Champions League finals last year.
The news was confirmed on LAFC’s social media.
“It’s been incredible to have played a part in the early history of LAFC,” Bradley said in a club-released statement. “From the beginning there was a real commitment to connect to the city and the fans, and we shared some amazing experiences.”
LAFC had a disappointing season in 2021, missing the playoffs for the first time since they entered the league in 2019. The team picked up just 45 points from 34 games and finished ninth in the Eastern Conference standings. However, this doesn’t seem to be the main reason for Bradley’s departure.
According to multiple reports, Bradley is a favorite for the Toronto FC’s managerial vacancy. It is believed that the job is attractive to him for multiple reasons, including the ability to reunite with his son and USMNT international Michael Bradley, who has played for the club as a midfielder since 2014.
LAFC, on the other hand, are expected to start with the search for a new manager right away. The club is planning to have a new face on the sidelines by early 2022.
“I think that there will be great options in different categories,” LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said. “So whether that’s a domestic coach, whether that’s a foreign coach, I think we have a very tight list of characteristics that are important to LAFC.”
