Red Bull New York head coach Michael Bradley reacted to the sudden departure of Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano.
“His impact has been huge,” Bradley said during Tuesday’s press conference. “Obviously, he did an incredible job with Miami. He was able to lead them to their first MLS Cup. So I think that part is there for everybody to see, and nobody can ever take that away from him.
The news of Mascherano stepping down from his role came days after Red Bull New York and Inter Miami played out to a spirited 2-2 draw on Saturday at Miami’s Nu Stadium.
“Obviously, without being there on the inside of things, it’s impossible to understand the situation,” Bradley said. “In the last little bit, I saw things about personal reasons. Again, without being on the inside, you never know exactly what the situation is.
“As a colleague, I wish him all the best for his future. With his qualities as a coach, with his experience in football, with his personality, he’s going to continue to do great things in the game. So I wish him all the best.”
Mascherano Steps Down Not Long After Delivering Inter Miami’s MLS Cup Championship
On Tuesday, Mascherano stated that his decision to resign months after leading Inter Miami to the 2025 MLS Cup championship was due to “personal reasons.” Guillermo Hoyos will assume the role of Inter Miami’s first team head coach for its upcoming matches.
Bradley Reflects on His Deep Respect for Mascherano
Following Saturday’s match, Bradley spoke of his reverence for Mascherano as a former player and as a fellow promising young coach. He reflected on a moment where he and Mascherano exchanged jerseys after an international match between the United States and Argentina.
At the time, Bradley was captain of the United States, and Mascherano was wearing Argentina’s armband.
“I have a huge amount of respect for Javier,” Bradley stated. “I always did as a player and now as a coach. He won’t remember this, but one of the proudest moments of my career was after a game with Argentina. He sent somebody into the locker room because he wanted to trade jerseys with me.”
Bradley has kept Mascherano’s jersey in his collection at his home.
“So I have one of his Argentina jerseys at home,” he said. “I was never a guy who went out of my way to trade jerseys. But when somebody like Javier Mascherano went out of his way to ask for mine, then you can be sure that I kept his.
“He was an incredible player, had a huge career at some top, top clubs. Now, as a young coach, he’s done a really good job. Obviously, led Miami to the MLS Cup last year. For me, the experience of coaching against other really, really good coaches, really good managers. That part is exciting.”
Bradley and the Red Bulls will turn their attention to Wednesday’s meeting with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32. The match will be played at Sports Illustrated Stadium before the Red Bulls travel north of the border to face CF Montréal in MLS action on Saturday.
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