Red Bulls Coach Bradley Has Some Young Ideas, Just Like His Father
HARRISON, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 27: Julian Hall #16 (L) of the New York Red Bulls celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal during the first half against New York City FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium on September 27, 2025 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Howard Smith/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
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History may not repeat itself, but it has a way of rhyming.
Which brings us to the subject of the Bradley family, as son Michael has taken a page out of his father Bob’s playbook.
When he was head coach of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 2003, Bob Bradley chose three exceptional teenagers in the MLS SuperDraft.
He selected midfielder Ricardo Clark, 19, out of Furman University as the second overall choice, forward Mike Magee, 18, from the Project 40 team as the fourth overall pick and then Magee’s teammate, 16-year-ld Eddie Gaven as 12h overall.
On June 14 of that year, due to injuries and U.S. Men’s National Team call-ups, the MetroStars were forced to start Magee and Gaven.
That trio, eventually dubbed “The Three Amigos” by this writer, went on to have productive Major League Soccer careers.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 15: New York Red Bulls II head coach Michael Bradley during a game between New York Red Bulls II and New England Revolution II at Gillette Stadium on August 15, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
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A record-breaking night
On Saturday night, Michael Bradley, in his first game as New York Red Bulls head coach (the MetroStars were the Red Bulls’ forerunners), did his father one better. The Red Bulls made MLS history by becoming the first team to use three players under the age of 18 in its Starting XI.
The trio included 16-year-old midfielder Adri Mehmeti, 17-year-old left back Matthew Dos Santos, and 17-year-old forward Julian Hall.
Hall got the most attention headlines because he scored both goals in the Red Bulls’ 2-1 victory over Orlando City SC at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday. He scored all of three goals last season.
“Julian is a really talented young player,” Bradley said. “I think sometimes it’s easy to forget how young he still is because he’s been a professional for a few years, but he has really, really big qualities. We’ve got to keep pushing him so that he can take the next step. Tonight was a really good start for him. He had a really good preseason. We were all really excited for him, that he could take the good preseason and turn it into really strong performance right away.”
The other two acquitted themselves well, not just as rookies making their MLS debuts, but as veterans.
Interestingly, prior to the match, the Red Bulls announced that Red Bulls II had loaned Dos Santos to the first team.
“Mattie is a is another really, really talented young player,” Bradley said. “We know how good he is, what a good kid he is. I got to see all of that up close when I came into the second team last year.”
Bradley, who guided New York Red Bulls II to the MLS NEXT Pro championship last year, said that Dos Santos didn’t train with the first team for Bradenton, Fla. part of preseason but showed his improvement in the latter stages.
“When we got back, we wanted to bring him in with us and start to get him a good stretch of days with the first team,” he added. “From day one, he showed that he needed to stay with us.”
SWANSEA, WALES – NOVEMBER 26: Bob Bradley, Manager of Swansea City celebrates his team’s fourth goal during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Crystal Palace at Liberty Stadium on November 26, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
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A great mentor
Bradley should know something about starting young. As a 16-year-old in 2004, he was selected by his father in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft as the 36th pick. A foot injury shelved him for the 2004 season, but he became a regular in 2005. Many fans claimed it was nepotism, but the younger Bradley had talent and soccer smarts before embarking on a career in Europe and then as an important part of the U.S. Men’s National Team.
If you didn’t know any better and closed your eyes during a Red Bulls press conference, you would swear you were hearing Bob Bradley talking. Bradley had quite a career as a coach for club and country. His impressive resume included stints with the Chicago Fire (winning the 1998 MLS Cup and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup), earning MLS coach of the year honors three times. Bradley also directed the USMNT in the 2010 World Cup and guided the Egypt national side and club teams Chivas USA, Los Angeles FC and Toronto FC (MLS), and Stabaek (Norway), Le Havre (France) and Swansea City (England).
The Three Amigos
And about “The Three Amigos” teenagers who took their first professional kicks a generation ago. Just how did they fare in their careers?
RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 26: Ricardo Clark of the United States during the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Round of Sixteen match between USA and Ghana at Royal Bafokeng Stadium on June 26, 2010 in Rustenburg, South Africa. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)
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Clark played 384 times and scored 36 times in MLS. He also played for the San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, and Columbus Crew in MLS, and Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. Clark scored an important goal for the U.S. men’s national team during World Cup qualifying and appeared in the 2010 World Cup. Clark retired after the 2019 MLS season.
CARSON, CA – DECEMBER 01: David Beckham #23 and Mike Magee #18 of Los Angeles Galaxy celebrate in the second half against the Houston Dynamo in the 2012 MLS Cup at The Home Depot Center on December 1, 2012 in Carson, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
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Magee was named the 2013 MLS MVP and to the league’s Best XI. He scored 70 goals in 317 appearances with the MetroStars and Red Bulls, LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire. Magee retired after the 2016 season.
COLUMBUS, OH – MAY 15: Eddie Gaven #12 of the Columbus Crew controls the ball against Chivas USA on May 15, 2010 at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
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Gaven went on to play 278 MLS matches with the MetroStars and Columbus Crew and was capped eight times by the USMNT. He retired after the 2013 campaign.
A player getting his or her feet wet in the deep end of the pool as a teenager doesn’t necessarily mean he or she will become a star or have a decent career.
It will be interesting to see how Saturday night’s trio progresses and see if they can enjoy and forge similar productive careers as “The Three Amigos” did.
With someone like Michael Bradley as their mentor and coach, they certainly have a good start.
Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter. His 10th soccer book, Around the World Cup in 40 Years: An American sportswriter’s perspective, will be published this spring.
