With Bradley out as U.S. coach, could Union's Nowak fit?

When the U.S. men's national team arrives Aug. 10 to play Mexico at Lincoln Financial Field, it will be doing so with a new coach.

Could it be one with Philadelphia ties?

Bob Bradley was relieved of his duties Thursday, and U.S. Soccer said it would have a further announcement Friday.

Union team manager Peter Nowak is the former U.S. under-23 coach and also a former assistant to Bradley with the main national team.

The news broke after Nowak's weekly news conference Thursday, but when asked if he had interest, Nowak texted: "I really have better things to do. Maybe Backe would be interested."

Hans Backe is the coach of the New York Red Bulls, who guided the MLS all-stars in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to Manchester United.

It's hard to imagine better things to do than coaching a national team. But Nowak never likes distractions, and he wants his team to stay focused.

One gets the impression that if the U.S. team came calling, he would at least listen.

Regardless of Nowak's comments, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati, who announced the Bradley news, should at the least reach out to Nowak.

A former professional player, Nowak coached D.C. United to the MLS championship during his first season, in 2004.

In addition he has the Union, in only their second season, as a contender for the MLS Cup in a league with several championship candidates.

The Union are 8-4-7 and share the lead in the Eastern Conference with Columbus, with two games in hand. The Union have already matched their win total from last year, when they were 8-15-7.

Nowak has a strong ability to evaluate talent, and he also brings an edge to any team he coaches. The best trait of the Union is that they always grind it out, regardless of the score or the opponent.

Bradley was named the head coach of the national team in January 2007, and during his five-year tenure he compiled a 43-25-12 record. The U.S. won its World Cup qualifying group and advanced to the round of 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

"During his time as the head coach of our men's national team he led the team to a number of accomplishments, but we felt now was the right time for us to make a change," Gulati said in a statement released by U.S. Soccer. "It is always hard to make these decisions, especially when it involves someone we respect as much as Bob."

But while Bradley won't be on the touchline for the Mexico game at the Linc, it will be interesting to see if the new U.S. coach turns out to be one very familiar to Philadelphia fans.