Former Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley introduced as Red Bulls head coach

Calling it an "incredible opportunity," former Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley was officially introduced as head coach of the New York Red Bulls on Monday.

Bradley succeeds Sandro Schwarz, who was dismissed Oct. 27 after two seasons on the job.

New York missed the playoffs this year, ending a run of 15 straight trips to the post-season after finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference at 12-15-7. The Red Bulls finished seventh in the East in 2024 and made it all the way to the MLS Cup final, where they lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The 38-year-old Bradley has moved fast since retiring as a player in 2023 after 10 seasons with Toronto. After spending 2024 as an assistant coach at Norway's Stabaek under his father Bob Bradley, he was named coach of the Red Bulls reserve team in June.

Bradley led the Red Bulls II, who were second in the MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference at 8-2-2 when he took over, to the MLS Next Pro Cup title in November with a penalty shootout win over the Colorado Rapids 2 following a 3-3 draw in extra time.

He was appointed coach of the Red Bulls first team on Dec. 15, joining New York sporting director Julian de Guzman, a former TFC player and Canada captain.

"When I came to the club six months ago, it was in the back of my mind for sure. It was something that I hoped with time to to earn, work for," Bradley told a news conference Monday at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. "I didn't think it was something that was going to come necessarily this quickly."

"Like anything in life, you could ask yourself a million questions," he added. "Is it the right time? Am I ready? What about this? What about that? But certain things come and you've got to go for it. This one took me like a half-a-second