Last week’s meeting between the New York Red Bulls and LAFC was the first for the two teams, but for some at Red Bull Arena it was a reunion. LAFC coach Bob Bradley and the Red Bulls coach Chris Armas were on the touchline in Harrison, New Jersey, in matching outfits no less, along with several other members of the inaugural Chicago Fire team that Bradley assembled in 1998.



It isn’t unusual for Bradley, now in his fourth MLS head coaching job in 20 years, to run into coaches who used to be his players. After all, more than 20 members of technical staffs around the league have either played under Bradley in a club or national team setting, or worked with him in some other capacity, but the meeting at Red Bull Arena was unique. During his four-year tenure in Chicago from 1998 to 2002, Bradley had Armas on his roster, in addition to Red Bulls assistant coach C.J. Brown, LAFC assistant Ante Razov, and LAFC director of soccer operations Mike Sorber, while Red Bulls...