Sports

Bradley leads US Soccer Hall of Fame class

The National Soccer Hall of Fame elected three new members Monday, with New Jersey-bred coach Bob Bradley joining former US National Team striker Brian McBride and ex-US Women’s National Team midfielder Kristine Lilly in the Class of 2014.

The 55-year-old Bradley — who was born in Montclair, N.J., and graduated from West Essex High School — enters the Hall of Fame on the Builder Ballot. As coach of the US, he led the squad the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup title, the FIFA Confederations Cup final two years later and a first-place finish in Group C at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

“The game has grown tremendously in the United States through the efforts of a great number of people, and I have always respected those who have given so much to move the sport forward,” Bradley said. “Many of them have been recognized in the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and I am honored to be included.”

Bradley coached Princeton to the NCAA Final Four, and after a stint as an assistant at DC United — winning MLS Cup — he took over the expansion Chicago Fire in 1998 and led them to the MLS Cup in their inaugural season and the US Open Cup twice. He also coached the MetroStars from 2003-05, where he drafted and coached his son Michael, now the star of the US team.

Always a trailblazer, Bradley coached the Egyptian National Team — where his and his team’s exploits were the subject of several films — and is currently the manager of Norwegian club Stabaek, making him the first American to manage in the premier division of a European nation.

McBride earned 95 caps with the US from 1993 to ’95, and his 30 international goals helped the team win the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup and reach the 2002 FIFA World Cup quarters. He played 11 seasons in MLS, and seven with three English teams, including five with Fulham, where he was captain in his last year.

“It’s such an honor to be part of this select group. My first reaction after hearing about this was I got chills,” said McBride, now an analyst for FOX Soccer. “For me, it’s not something you think about while playing. I’m just honored to be thought of in this light by my peers and the press.”

Lilly is the sport’s all-time international caps leader at 352 between 1987 and 2010. She played in five FIFA Women’s World Cups, winning two along with a pair of Olympic gold medals.

“One of the most humbling parts of this is being inducted with so many of the greats that came before me,” Lilly said. “It’s always an honor to be recognized for something you’ve done, especially for something we did for so long on the US team. It was amazing to wear that US jersey for so long, and I’m forever grateful for the time I was able to play and really grateful for this honor.”