Bob Bradley Takes Shots At U.S. Soccer, Jurgen Klinsmann

Bob Bradley is back. And he is making his presence felt.

Bradley coached the U.S. Men's National Team for five years and reached the Round of 16 in his one World Cup before getting replaced by Jürgen Klinsmann in July 2011. During the next five years, Bradley made stops with the Egyptian national team, Norweigian side Stabæk and French club Le Havre AC. On Oct. 3, Bradley was hired by Swansea City, making the 58-year-old the first American manager in the English Premier League.

On Friday, Bradley had his introductory press conference with Swansea City, a club bought by American businessmen Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan in July. If there was any concern Bradley would not confront his history with the USMNT ... well ... that was answered rather quickly.

"Jürgen Klinsmann gave you a glowing reference," a reporter said. "Firstly, what did that mean to you; and secondly, do you think he would be a good fit for another job going over here, as England manager?"

According to Philly.com, Bradley smiled and gave a candid answer.

"That's the trickiest question I've been asked so far," he said.

"From the day I got fired by the U.S., I have not said one thing publicly about their team, all right? I don't appreciate the way it was done -- I think they made a mistake.

"I'm glad that Jürgen says some nice things now. When he did commentary on the 2010 World Cup, he was already jockeying for the job.

"So I've shut my mouth, and continue to support the team. Because I of course want to see the team do well. Michael's the captain. So if he has said something in a nice way, I appreciate it. And if at some point he chooses to try to work again outside the U.S., I wish him the best."

A couple quick notes here if you are not familiar with Bradley:

-- Klinsmann, who managed the Germany National Team and Bayern Munich before the USMNT, established residency in the U.S. before Bradley even started his job. Rumors then swirled about Klinsmann being Bradley's successor while Klinsmann was an ESPN analyst for the 2010 World Cup.

-- Bradley's son, Michael, has been part of the USMNT since 2006 and is the current captain under Klinsmann. With 122 caps at age 29, Michael is within striking distance of Cobi Jones' USMNT record of 164 caps.

-- Bradley's 43 USMNT wins were second all time at the time of his firing, behind Bruce Arena's 72 wins. Klinsmann has since passed Bradley with 54 wins.

Long story short, Bradley's reputation took a dip after getting fired by the USMNT but he has built it back up. Five years ago, it would have been hard to imagine Bradley could turn his USMNT firing into a career as a Premier League manager, yet here he is.

Klinsmann has denied rumors that he is interested in leaving the U.S. for the more respected international job of coaching England's national team. Bradley said it wouldn't be the right fit anyway.

"My honest opinion is this," he said. "I think you have some very good coaches in England. And I think there are times that it makes sense to go outside the country for a national team coach. But actually, in England, I think you've got to get the right guy from inside. That's my opinion, all right? I think you've got to get someone who absolutely is -- it means more to him than anything to take over as the England manager. And to re-establish the identity and do it in a way that all of the people in England are proud of. So I think you need to stay inside your country. That's my opinion."

This is all juicy stuff. But in a parallel universe where Bradley's son is not the captain of the USMNT, he probably gets even more colorful with his comments.

With Swansea City, the only Welsh club in the Premier League, Bradley replaces Italian Francesco Guiodolin, who started the season with one win, one draw and five losses. Bradley starts his Premier League managerial career Oct. 15 at Arsenal.

-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.