Bob Bradley beats Ryan Giggs and Bayern Munich assistant manager to Swansea job

Bob Bradley has been trying to find an opportunity in a top league for the past few years, and he’s finally got his shot. His connection with Swansea’s American ownership has given him the opportunity to take over at the struggling Premier League club, who announced his hiring on Monday.

After leaving the USMNT job in 2011, Bradley took over as manager of Egypt. Between the Egyptian Revolution, the Port Said stadium riot that caused the Egyptian Premier League to be suspended and a tough qualifying draw against Ghana, Bradley failed to take them to the World Cup. He’s earned excellent reviews since then, guiding Norwegian side Stabaek to a Europa League finish, then nearly guiding Ligue 2 team Le Havre to promotion last season. Still, it seems unlikely he would have been given a shot to manage a Premier League team without American owners.

Bradley appears to have narrowly beaten out former Derby boss and current Bayern Munich assistant manager Paul Clement for the job. Ryan Giggs also interviewed, but did not impress, while the club was concerned about former Villarreal and Sevilla manager Marcelino not speaking English fluently. Swansea’s supporters’ trust, which has part ownership of the club, is unhappy they were not consulted about the decision.

Those unfamiliar with Bradley are likely to look at his resume and conclude that there were much better candidates for the job. Swansea fans have every reason to be skeptical. But results cure all, so if Bradley can start winning games, all of the controversy about Francesco Guidolin’s firing and his appointment will fade quickly.

Mario Balotelii’s winner for Nice. He also got a red card a couple minutes later. (r/soccer)

The USMNT squad is out, and both Brad Guzan and Tim Howard have been left home. (Stars and Stripes FC)

Former Cameroon defender Rigobert Song has suffered a cerebral aneurysm and is in critical condition. (Guardian)

West Ham’s women’s team has accused them of gender discrimination. (BBC)

Lionel Messi is back in training. He should return for Champions League action post-international break. (Sport)

Marco Reus has also returned to full training. (Bild)

Udinese has fired Beppe Iachini, replacing him with Gigi Delneri. (Gazzetta)

The England squad is out, and it includes ... Glen Johnson? (Telegraph)

Cesar Hernandez on what October’s friendlies mean for El Tri. (Vice)

Paolo Bandini on Milan’s comeback win and their future. (Guardian)

Glenn Billingham on the career of one of the sport’s most admired professionals, Javier Zanetti. (These Football Times)

The Spirit and Flash won thrilling semis and will play in the NWSL final next week. (Black and Red United)

Highlights of all this weekend’s MLS games are here. (MLS)

Here’s a recap of everything that happened in the Premier League this weekend.

Real Madrid dropped points against Eibar. (Managing Madrid)

And Barcelona lost to Celta Vigo. (Barca Blaugranes)

That means Atlético Madrid is top of La Liga after an impressive win over Valencia. (Into The Calderon)

Bayern Munich struggled against Köln. (Bavarian Football Works)

But Dortmund couldn’t take advantage, and lost to Bayer Leverkusen. (Fear The Wall)

Juventus crushed Empoli and is threatening to run away with Serie A easily. (Black and White and Read All Over)