Former US national team and Chicago Fire coach Bob Bradley cruelly missed out on a miracle milestone by the very narrowest of margins over the weekend.
Bradley's second-division French club Le Havre fell just one goal short of promotion to Ligue 1, which would've made him the first American coach in one of Europe's major top-flight leagues.
Le Havre needed to make up a large goal differential in their last-chance match on Friday and finished with a stunning 5-0 win over Bourg en Bresse. But perhaps even more stunning was how close the team came to the extra goals that would've secured promotion -- they hit the woodwork four times.
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— Tâlhá (@crwdr17) May 14, 2016
On top of all that, Le Havre had apparently been denied a goal that should've counted earlier in the season, making the end result that much more painful.
In the end, Le Havre finished fourth overall, tied with Metz on points but just short on goal differential -- one painful goal shy of third place and a spot in Ligue 1.
Bradley got his start in coaching in MLS, first as an assistant to Bruce Arena at D.C. United and then as a head coach for the Chicago Fire, the MetroStars and Chivas USA. He won an MLS Cup and two US Open Cups with the Fire.
He took the helm of the US national team in 2006 and led the US to the knockout rounds of the 2010 World Cup. He took charge of Egypt's unlikely bid to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and went unbeaten in their first six qualifiers before falling to Ghana in a two-legged playoff matchup. He then coached Stabaek to unexpected success in Norway before heading to Le Havre.
