CHICAGO (February 11, 2015)—Two distinguished alumni of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club -- inaugural head coach Bob Bradley and forward Brian McBride -- are set to be honored Saturday (February 14) when they are formally inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Bradley and McBride join U.S. Women’s National Team legend Kristine Lilly in the Hall of Fame’s 2014 induction class.
The ceremony will be held Saturday evening in conjunction with the U.S. Soccer Annual General Meeting in San Francisco.
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“Bob Bradley and Brian McBride have left an everlasting mark on U.S. soccer and our Club, and are deserving inductees to the Federation's Hall of Fame," said Chicago Fire Soccer Club Owner and Chairman Andrew Hauptman. "On behalf of the club and Fire fans everywhere, I congratulate both for this prestigious honor.”
Bradley led the Fire into its memorable expansion season of 1998 when the club captured both the MLS Cup and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. He went on to add a second U.S. Open Cup to the Fire’s trophy case in 2000, the same year in which he led the squad back to the MLS Cup final.
After further MLS stints at the helm of the MetroStars and Chivas USA, Bradley assumed the leading role with the U.S. Men’s National Team, coaching the side in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and, four years later, leading his squad into the knockout stages of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He then embarked on a quest to lead the Egyptian National Team to the 2014 event, ultimately falling just short in the qualifying stages.
Bradley, a 2007 inductee to the club’s Ring of Fire, now plies his trade with Norwegian side Stabaek, whom the Chicago Fire will face on Sunday, Feb. 22, in a preseason friendly at the Simple Invitational in Portland.
McBride closed his world-class playing career with two-and-a-half seasons in the kit of his hometown Fire, scoring 18 goals in 59 matches between 2008 and 2010. McBride helped launch Major League Soccer with eight stellar seasons playing for the Columbus Crew (1996-2003) before signing with Fulham FC in 2004. He went on to become a prolific scorer and fan favorite at Craven Cottage and captained the side in 2007.
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Internationally, McBride was a lethal striker for the U.S. Men’s National Team -- scoring 30 goals in 95 appearances -- and in 2013 was named to U.S. Soccer’s All-Time Best XI. He also owns the distinction of being the first American to score goals in multiple World Cups (1998, 2002).
For more on the career achievements of Bradley, McBride and Kristine Lilly, visit USSoccer.com.
