Gordon Bradley, one of the North American Soccer League’s pioneers, heads a group of three men who have been chosen by U.S. Soccer for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y., June 15.
Also selected were Nicholas Kropfelder, an outstanding player for Baltimore area teams in the ’40s and ’50s, and Len Oliver, who made the U.S. national team at age 29 in 1963, 11 years after attending his first national team tryout camp.
Bradley was the first coach the New York Cosmos ever had. Through his tireless efforts to promote soccer in the New York area in the early 1970s, he laid the groundwork for the Cosmos’ great success later on.
He holds the distinction of being the only man to have coached Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff. He coached Pele and Beckenbauer briefly in 1977 before being replaced by Eddie Firmani, and he coached Cruyff with the Washington Diplomats in 1980.
Bradley, who coached teams to NASL and U.S. National Open Cup titles and served as interim U.S. national team coach in 1973, coaches George Mason and serves as a color commentator on Washington D.C. United’s local telecasts.