Paul Bravo (born June 19, 1968) is an American former soccer player who was most recently head coach of NISA side Oakland Roots SC. He played six seasons in Major League Soccer, two in the American Professional Soccer League and two in the USISL. He also earned four caps, scoring one goal, with the United States men's national soccer team. After he retired from playing, Bravo served for several years as an assistant coach in both Major League Soccer and the NCAA and was most recently Technical Director for the Colorado Rapids.
Early life and education
Bravo was a student-athlete at Santa Teresa High School in San Jose, California. He then played two years of college soccer at Foothill Community College and winning State Championships and while at Santa Clara University and helped his team to the NCAA co-championship in 1989.
National team
Bravo earned four caps for the United States national team. His first cap came in a December 11, 1994 tie with Honduras. He did not play again until April 22, 1995, a 1–0 loss to Belgium. In 1999, Bruce Arena called up Bravo for the 1999 Confederations Cup. He started the July 30, 1999 game against Germany, then earned his last cap in the third-place 2–0 victory against Saudi Arabia. The U.S. won that game on the strength of goals from both Bravo and Brian McBride.
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Bravo went into coaching. He began as an assistant with the Colorado Rapids in 2002. In 2004, UCLA hired Bravo as an assistant to its men's soccer team. On June 15, 2006, he became an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS. On August 24, 2007, he became the Galaxy's Director of Soccer.
On January 10, 2009, he was named the Technical Director for the Colorado Rapids. He signed a three-year contract extension with Colorado on February 1, 2012.
In May 2019, Bravo was announced as the first head coach of Oakland Roots SC of the new National Independent Soccer Association. On October 31, 2019, the club announced that it and Bravo had mutually agreed to part ways.
Awards and honors
Individual
- MLS All-Star: 1996, 1998, 1999