ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – American observers of all stripes know quite a bit about new Swansea City manager Bob Bradley, but the folks in England are only set to learn what he's all about.
As such, we've compiled a list of things that both the Swansea locals and EPL foes can expect out of the 58-year-old former US boss.
1) The Obvious
Bradley is the first American appointed as manager in one of Europe's top leagues, a factoid sure to be mentioned about 12,000 times over the coming days and beyond.
The good news for Swansea is that he's a guy who is quite aware of such tags. A very eager flag-carrier, the New Jersey native is comfortable blazing this type of path for his countrymen.
2) Just A Little Patience ... Yeah
To say the least, Bradley has been waiting for this jump a long while. He's been linked to the top jobs at current and former Premier league sides like Aston Villa, Fulham, Hull City and Sunderland in recent years, sometimes as the bookmakers' favorite for a time.
At long last, his big break has arrived. Given the wait, one can be certain he'll appreciate the task. "There's this part of you – on the inside – that wants to show people what you can do," he told the New York Times early this year. "You want to prove yourself. You want a chance."
3) The Mighty Underdog
This Swansea side will not be favored in most of their remaining contests this season, but that will suit Bradley just fine. Aside from his wildly successful stint with the Chicago Fire, he's typically been in charge of teams that enjoyed punching above their weight.
He won a World Cup group over England in 2010, and at Stabæk, his side went from one picked to finish last upon promotion to a Europa League qualifier in just two seasons.
4) Mr. Thrifty
From his years in MLS to the the aforementioned wonder-stint in Norway's Tippeligaen, the new Swans boss is no stranger to working on a budget. His tremendously success at Stabæk came at a time when the club was trying to work itself out of a major financial hole.
Nearly all of his acquisitions during those two years with the Blue Ones came in the form of free transfers and loans. This sort of frugal work will come in handy with Swansea, whose wage bill stands 14th out of 20 EPL teams.
5) Xs & Os
Once considered to be a very conservative coach tactically, Bradley has opened up the game with his teams as the years have rolled by. He usually tends to go with either the "empty bucket" 4-4-2 formation with stacked forwards or its more adventurous cousin, the 4-2-3-1. The Swans are a bit thin up top, so our early money is on the latter.
Either way, the Princeton grad often opts to go with a pair of defensive midfielders to guard the back line and free up the wingbacks for rushes down the flank. While Bradley has loosened up the leashes, he still prefers to keep the game manageable and enjoys making hay with a strong counter.
6) Never Say Die
Simply put, Bradley-led squads do not quit until the final whistle. They will run through walls and over mountains for the coach, a true testament to his leadership. During his four years in charge of the USMNT, they rallied to win a game eight times and scored eight goals to change results in the waning moments.
Most notably, the Yanks clawed back to take the 2007 Gold Cup final over archrivals Mexico and erased a two-goal halftime deficit to post a very important draw against Slovenia at the World Cup three years later.
7) Fitness Club
One of the big challenges awaiting Bradley at Liberty Stadium is the Swans' noticeable tendency to run out of steam. In their last eight league and cup games, Swansea have allowed a dozen second-half goals, and six over the final quarter hour of those contests.
The American is well-known for drilling fitness into his squads, so his new charges best get ready to have their training limits pushed until he's satisfied with their 90-minute engines.
8) Stone Grinder
One way to understand why Bradley's teams toil so persistently is to look at the boss' work habits. He is famous for putting in long, long hours doing player homework and diligent game preparations. Beloved wife Lindsay may need to run some late-night meals up to the training ground for a spell.
9) Fear Not
His piercing blue-eyed gaze probably gives it away, so it should come as no surprise that Bradley is the fearless sort. Pulling Swansea away from the drop zone on his first English foray seems a rather big challenge, but let's remember this is the guy who made a point of it to be very present and visible among the people in the extremely volatile political climate of his Egypt national team tenure.
He won't be scared, which is a very good thing when his first game at the helm arrives with an Oct. 15 visit to streaking Arsenal.
10) Bullish Bob
Bradley often speaks very humbly, but don't let that fool you. He is as confident in his abilities as they come. During a spring interview with SiriusXM radio, he didn't hesitate to presume he could coach with the best.
"When I have a chance to observe different managers, the ones that do good work – I mention Pochettino, Klopp, Tuchel," he said. "We haven't even talked about the Guardiolas and the Ancelottis, but I'll tell you what. Maybe I'm stupid, but I think I'm a manager in and around that level."
And now, Premier League players, pundits and fans will be able to find out if he's right.
