Bob Bradley Out as US Soccer Coach

The U.S. Soccer Federation has announced that Bob Bradley “has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team.”

U.S. Soccer said it will have a further announcement on Friday.

Federation president Sunil Gulati said in a press release Thursday that it is always hard to make these decisions but they felt it was the right time to make a change.

U.S. Soccer had rehired Bradley to a second four-year contract only last August, less than two months after the team lost its second round match to Ghana at the World Cup in South Africa.

The Americans struggled as hosts in last month’s Gold Cup regional tournament. They lost to Panama for the first time ever, beat tiny Guadeloupe by only 1-0, and gave up a 2-0 lead in losing to rival Mexico in the final, 4-2.

Bradley completes his five-year tenure as head coach with a record of 45 wins, 25 losses and 12 draws. Among his accomplishments were leading the team to the 2007 Gold Cup title and a second place finish in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.