Story by
Red Bull New York Coach Michael Bradley Embraces Klopp's Tactical Philosophy
- Story by
- Red Bull New York Coach Michael Bradley Embraces Klopp's Tactical Philosophy
Red Bull New York head coach Michael Bradley seeks to emulate the front-footed, wholehearted playing style that Jurgen Klopp employed to great success at Dortmund and Liverpool .
The 38-year-old has drawn inspiration from the legendary German's tactical style, and he wants to bring excitement to the stands at Sports Illustrated Stadium. With Bradley installed as head coach and the club pivoting to a greater focus on youth , the Red Bulls feel almost like a new club, given all the changes that followed the club slumped to its first playoffless season in 15 years during Sandro Schwarz's final season as head coach.
Advertisement
With Klopp mentoring coaches and influencing playing style across various clubs under the Red Bull umbrella in his role as head of global soccer for Red Bull GmbH, Bradley sees his ideas and Klopp's ideas merging together harmoniously as part of a long-term strategy designed to ensure future success for Red Bull New York.
"There is a reason that I wanted to come to Red Bull," Bradley said during Thursday's media conference. "It's because the foundation of Red Bull football that has always been there, and Jurgen Klopp's ideas of how he wants to take Red Bull football going forward fit to a tee with mine.
"We want to be a team that is as complete as possible. We want to be a team that keeps all of the foundation and all the hallmarks of Red Bull teams. We want to be aggressive. We want to go after the other team. We want to press in a really hard way. We're going to counter-press in every moment that we can. But we also are going to try to really connect that with what we do with the ball. And we're going to try to be a team that, in all ways, has good ideas, tries to put the game on our terms, and makes a game that is fast and dynamic and really challenges the opponent, and play in a way that our fans are excited to watch us every single weekend.
Advertisement
Bradley Looks To Turn Red Bulls Into 'Mentality Monsters'
Michael Bradley, head coach of New York Red Bulls II talks with his team before the penalties against Colorado Rapids 2. (Photo by Ira L. Black/MLS via Getty Images)Ira L. Black/MLS via Getty Images
Klopp famously transformed Liverpool from a team that struggled to crack the Premier League's top four into what he described as "mentality monsters" who slayed European giants, restored Liverpool to the pinnacle of the Premier League, and won the 2019 Champions League final.
Despite being an original 1996 MLS founding club, Red Bull New York has yet to lift the MLS Cup and hasn't captured the MLS Supporters' Shield since 2018.
Advertisement
Bradley believes that success in his new role will come through galvanizing his squad into playing the kind of football that wears down opponents with speed and gegenpressing that Klopp called "heavy metal football" during his time at Dortmund.
It sounds very much that Bradley is a keen disciple of the Klopp school of football and is ready to usher in competitiveness and drive from the team that Red Bulls supporters can get behind.
"Having a team that is aggressive, fearless, steps on the field every single weekend to try to go after the other team," Bradley stated. "A team that plays with intensity, a team that also has intelligence and quality, a team that can play football, a team that can create chances – we're going to try to put all of that together.
Advertisement
"There is always a part of Red Bull teams that when you step on the field, the expectation is that you are competitive, the expectation is that there is not one team that is going to step off of the field having played against us and think that it was an easy game. Within that, we're going to do everything we can to play good football, to play football that our fans enjoy watching, but to play football that allows us to win games. I believe that the best way to do all of that and the best way to win games is by being a complete team. That's the starting point."
Right now, Bradley is putting in place the first few bricks of his long-term construction during Red Bull New York's preseason preparations in Florida. The club will also play friendlies closer to home against Hartford Athletic before departing to Texas for further warm-up matches before their season opener against Orlando City SC on Saturday, February 21.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
