Bob Bradley: Klinsmann was 'jockeying' for my U.S. job in 2010

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At his official unveiling as Swansea City manager, Bob Bradley wasted no time slamming his successor in the United States’ national team job.

Bradley claims Jurgen Klinsmann’s barbed comments when working on TV during the U.S. team’s 2010 World Cup Round of 16 run set the wheels in motion for the German to take over Bradley’s role a year later.

The new Swans boss made the assertion after a member of Friday’s assembled media in Wales told him Klinsmann said it was “fantastic” his predecessor had landed a Premier League job.

Bradley insists he’s remained a supporter of his country’s football representatives, particularly because his son Michael Bradley is captain.

“I’m glad that Jurgen said some nice things now,” the elder Bradley said. “When he did commentary on the 2010 World Cup, he was already jockeying for the job, so I shut my mouth, continued to support the team because I of course want to see the team do well – Michael is the captain.

“So if (Klinsmann) said something in a nice way I appreciate it and if at some point he chooses to try to work outside the U.S., I wish him the best.”

The 58-year-old remains rankled by the way he was kicked from his old job.

“From the day I got fired from the U.S., I’ve not said one thing publicly about that team. I don’t appreciate the way it was done; I think they made a mistake,” Bradley said of his firing.

The dismissal came a month after the U.S. was 2-0 up against Mexico in the 2011 Gold Cup final, but then fell victim to a huge comeback from El Tri and lost a thrilling encounter 4-2. Klinsmann was drafted in a day following Bradley’s sacking.

“At some point some people didn’t realise that it was a great game,” Bradley said of that final. “When Bayern (Munich) was down and came back and beat Juventus 4-2 (in the Champions League Round of 16 in March), I think everybody around Juventus was proud of the effort but, still, in the U.S. at that moment maybe we didn’t see through all that.”

Bradley is set to oversee 17th-place Swansea for the first time in a tricky visit to Arsenal on Oct. 15.