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LONDON — Bob Bradley persevered in Egypt through a violent uprising, excelled in Norway with limited resources and dropped into France’s second tier league to further prove his coaching credentials.

Throughout the arduous journey after leading the United States at the 2010 World Cup, Bradley remained fixed on the ultimate goal — a job in a top European league.

Now, after years of setbacks and rejections, the 58-year-old Bradley has arrived in the richest football league of all after landing a job with Swansea City on Monday.

The Premier League has had 21 different nationalities managing its teams, but Bradley is the first American after replacing the fired Francesco Guidolin in south Wales.

“Bob is extraordinarily intelligent about the game, his work ethic is second to none, and the way he manages teams and deals with people are all outstanding,” US Football Federation President Sunil Gulati told The Associated Press on Monday.

“You need a number of things to go right to get an opportunity like this [in the Premier League] and to break through if you are not in the regular circle of coaches that are considered for such opportunities.”

As the years rolled by, Bradley grew frustrated that he was interviewed for such opportunities in elite leagues but then overlooked for more established European names.

“In many cases decisionmakers play it safe,” Bradley told the AP last year while completing his second season with Norwegian club Stabaek. “There’s certainly a network. There are still a lot of good managers. There are also a lot of bad managers. It’s not to say that sometimes you don’t shake your head at how certain guys keep popping up in jobs.”

Bradley’s early career developed out of the limelight. Never a professional player, the New Jersey native gained his early managerial experience in college football. He coached Princeton University, became an assistant with Major League Football’s DC United in 1996, then led the Chicago Fire, MetroStars and Chivas USA teams before landing the US national team job in 2006.

The world was soon taking notice, particularly at the 2009 Confederations Cup where the Americans ended then-European champion Spain’s 35-match winning streak en route to the final.

Bradley’s reputation grew and the US won a 2010 World Cup group, which included England, before going out in the second round.

After being fired by US Football’s Gulati in 2011, Bradley sought a new challenge. It was one of the most daunting in world football, taking charge of Egypt in the midst of the Arab Spring uprising.

The “American Pharaoh” — as he became known — gained admiration there by sticking with the job even as Egypt was being shaken by deadly fan disorder, part of the wider anarchy in a nation going through violent street protests and bloody security crackdowns.

Bradley left Egypt after failing to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and moved to Stabaek, which he departed after securing qualification for the Europa League last year. He impressed in his next job too, in France, where Le Havre only missed out on promotion to the top division in May on goal difference.

Bradley called the Swansea job “a unique opportunity” in a parting message on Le Havre’s website.

“I know it’s the exposure I’ve enjoyed at the club that has given me the opportunity to coach a Premier League team,” he said.

Bradley is swapping one for small port city for another. Like at Le Havre, Bradley will be working under American ownership in Swansea, a former industrial city with a population of less than 250,000. Steve Kaplan, a minority owner and executive vice chairman of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, and Jason Levien, a part-owner of DC United, took control of Swansea in July.

With Swansea winning only one of its opening seven league matches, the owners felt compelled to act. Guidolin, who has only been at the south Wales club since January, became the first manager to be fired in the Premier League this season — and on his 61st birthday.

Bradley faces a daunting first game in charge: a trip to Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal on October 15.

LONDON — Formula One champions Mercedes could enter the Formula E electric motor racing series in 2018-19 after taking an option to be one of two new teams, they said on Tuesday.

“Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd. (GP) and Formula E Operations Ltd. have signed an agreement by which Mercedes takes an option to enter the FIA Formula E Championship in Season Five,” they said in a statement.

“According to the option agreement, Mercedes may choose to be one of the maximum of 12 entries to be proposed by the championship promoter to the FIA to enter the 2018-19 Formula E Championship.”

The series has 10 teams at present, who are all expected to continue, with the two new entries to be allocated for 2018-19 subject to the approval of the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA).

The fifth season is set to be a milestone for the world’s first all-electric championship with battery development expected to allow drivers to complete races in one car rather than having to switch to a second one mid-race as at present.

Car manufacturers Renault, Citroen’s DS brand, Audi, BMW, Jaguar and India’s Mahindra are all involved in Formula E, whose 2016-17 season starts in Hong Kong this weekend.

“We have been watching the growth of Formula E with great interest,” said Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff in a statement.

“At the current time, we are looking at all the options available in the future of motor racing, and we are very pleased with an agreement that secures us an opportunity to enter the series in season five.

“Electrification will play a major role in the future of the automotive industry — racing has always been a technology R&D platform for the motor industry, and this will make Formula E very relevant in the future.”

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz and Smart brands plan to launch more than 10 electric cars by 2025 and zero-emission vehicles will make up between 15-25 per cent of overall Mercedes sales by then, Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche told reporters in Paris last week.

Zetsche said the carmaker was preparing a major push in pure electric vehicles thanks to advances in battery technology and greater consumer acceptance of zero-emissions vehicles.

Rival German carmaker BMW, which is working with the US-based Andretti team to gain knowledge about the series, said last month that a works Formula E involvement was “conceivable” from 2018.

British-based Mercedes GP have won the Formula One drivers’ and constructors’ titles for the past two seasons and are set to take both again this year with Germany’s Nico Rosberg and Britain’s triple champion Lewis Hamilton.

Formula One changed ownership last month, with US cable TV mogul John Malone’s Liberty Media taking control, and the sport is also due to undergo major rule changes next season.

MADRID — Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane goes into the long international break with a lot of thinking to do.

While the hiatus leaves fans having to mull over the team's struggles a little longer, Zidane will be able to use the extra time off to find ways to get his squad back on track after four straight draws.

"It's my responsibility to look for solutions because we've got to change things. We can't carry on like this," Zidane said. "I'm not happy, that much is clear."

Madrid was held to a 1-1 draw by Eibar at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Sunday, leaving the field jeered by fans. The team had already failed to beat Las Palmas and Villarreal in the Spanish league, as well as Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Their last win was at Espanyol on September 18.

"We need to look for ways to improve and we'll do that after the international break by working hard. I believe in the work and the quality of this team. I don't think attitude is the problem but something is wrong," Zidane said. 

"We've got 10 days without the players and when they come back we'll have to start working at 100 per cent, not only physically but tactically as well. We need to work together."

Zidane said it's too early in the season to talk about a crisis, but admitted the team has to turn things around when it resumes playing in two weeks.

"After the start we had to the season, this is tough to take," he said. "I'm not going to lose my head but it's tough. We need to work harder and show more intensity at the beginning of games like we've done very often, but we're struggling to replicate that lately."

Madrid lost the league lead to Atletico Madrid after Sunday's draw. Atletico, who won 2-0 at Valencia, also has 15 points, but lead Madrid on goal difference. Sevilla are third with 14 points, one more than Barcelona, who lost at Celta Vigo 4-3.

Zidane said he may have to "bring more intensity to the training sessions" to get his players playing hard from the start.

Zidane has not been able to count on some players during the winless stretch, including left back Marcelo and defensive midfielder Casemiro, who are injured.

To add to Zidane's problems, playmaker James Rodriguez sustained a muscle injury while warming up for Sunday's game against Eibar, and midfielder Luka Modric will be out for a while after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Madrid's next chance to snap its winless streak is October 15 at Real Betis, a team who have yet to lose at home. Madrid then host sixth-place Athletic Bilbao.

SEPANG, Malaysia — Daniel Ricciardo claimed an elusive maiden win of the season at a dramatic Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, the Australian handed victory when a race-leading Lewis Hamilton retired with a blown engine.

Ricciardo was shadowed across the line by his 19-year-old Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, a result that gave the former champion team a first one-two finish since the 2013 season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix in their dominant heyday.

Nico Rosberg finished third for Mercedes, fighting back from 21st after being spun around by Sebastian Vettel at the start and also collecting a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Kimi Raikkonen in the other Ferrari.

The result prevented Mercedes from wrapping up a third straight constructors’ title at the home race for title sponsor Petronas but allowed Rosberg to extend his championship lead over teammate Hamilton to 23 points with five races remaining.

The Briton, who kept clear of the chaos unfolding behind him to build on a dominant pole, was comfortably on course to score a 50th career win when his engine exploded in a burst flames, with 16 circuits of the 56-lap race to run.

“I just can’t believe that there are eight Mercedes cars and only my engines are the ones that have been going this year,” the 31-year-old triple world champion, who also suffered a series of reliability woes earlier this season, told reporters.

“Something just doesn’t feel right but there’s nothing I can do about it.

“These next five races, I know me and my mechanics have got it in us but who knows what those next engines that I have are going to do,” the visibly disappointed Briton added.

‘Shoey’ celebration

Ricciardo, who lost a certain victory to his Mercedes rival at the Monaco Grand Prix in May due to a bungled pitstop, was more than happy to accept his good fortune in Malaysia.

“It obviously went the other way at Monaco, so I’ll take this today,” Ricciardo said after marking his fourth career win by drinking champagne from his boot in his now famous “shoey” celebration.

“No hard feelings to Lewis but I’ll definitely take the win,” added the Australian, who last won at the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix and had claimed four podiums in the last five races.

There was no evidence of the misfortune that would befall Hamilton at the start when the Briton pulled clear from pole, keeping the lead off the line ahead of his teammate and through the first corner.

Behind him, though, there was a tremendous battle for position with Verstappen and Vettel fighting for the same piece of road only for the Ferrari to tag the back of Rosberg’s Mercedes that pushed the championship leader into a spin.

The damage from the collision broke Vettel’s suspension, ending his race immediately, and prompting the first of several virtual safety car periods.

From that point on the race was finely poised strategically with Verstappen initially gambling on a two-stop strategy as Hamilton and Ricciardo opted for one less tyre change.

The Red Bull pair engaged in a lively tussle of their own in the second half of the Grand Prix, racing side-by-side before Ricciardo gained an advantage, until they both pitted one last time after Hamilton’s retirement.

Raikkonen finished fourth for Ferrari after battling Rosberg for the final podium spot, the Finn unable to take advantage of the penalty handed to his rival after the German clattered into him while overtaking.

The first statement of the NBA preseason was made by the Toronto Raptors, one that came even before Kevin Durant made his unofficial debut with the Golden State Warriors.

The Raptors’ players and coaches linked arms during the playing of the American and Canadian national anthems Saturday night, their statement serving as the latest entry in a widespread series of protests across sports in recent weeks designed to raise awareness of racial injustice and other social problems.

“Guys were real, guys had sincere feelings, sincere thoughts, sincere things to talk about and concerns,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said before the game. “That’s what all this should be about — to induce conversation.”

It’s an issue that has been addressed by high school, college and pro teams in the US often since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first refused to stand for the national anthem in August. The Raptors’ linking arms may be considered more than symbolic — they’re the only Canadian-based team in the NBA, and their game against the Warriors was played in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Warriors’ players and coaches who were on the floor in Vancouver all stood for the anthems as per usual. In Bossier City, Louisiana, so did the members of the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, some with their hands over their hearts.

Durant took the first shot of the preseason, a step-back jumper from the right side that was well short. The former Oklahoma City star’s first basket with the Warriors was a dunk with about a minute left in the opening quarter, one that drew a loud reaction from the sellout crowd of 19,000.

“Felt good to play and play against someone else,” Durant said. “We can start building for the season and what we want to be. So it’s a good first step.”

Durant heard some boos during the game, though said afterward he felt there were more cheers.

“Once the ball was tipped, it was just another game for me,” Durant said.

Raptors 97, Warriors 93

Kevin Durant had nine points on 2 for 9 shooting in his preseason debut with Golden State, while Klay Thompson had 16 points and two-time reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry added eight. None of them played after half-time.

DeMar DeRozan scored 11 points and Kyle Lowry had six for Toronto. DeRozan and Lowry, the All-Star guards who led Toronto to the Eastern Conference finals last season, were taken out midway through the third quarter.

— Warriors: Thompson made 4 of 11 shots from 3-point range. Curry was 1 for 5 from beyond the arc.

— Raptors: DeMarre Carroll, who’s still working his way back from knee surgery performed last year, started for Toronto. He led the Raptors with 14 points, making 6 of 9 shots. Terrence Ross scored 11 for the Raptors and Jared Sullinger grabbed 10 rebounds.

Pelicans 116, Mavericks 102

First-round draft pick Buddy Hield scored 19 points off the bench for the Pelicans, who also got 19 from E’Twaun Moore and 13 from Anthony Davis.

Terrence Jones added 17 for New Orleans. Justin Anderson led the Mavericks with 14 points.

— Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki got the night off to rest, as did Wesley Matthews, Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams and Devin Harris.

— Pelicans: Bossier City is about 520km northwest of New Orleans, and Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said playing the game there was significant. “We want to be Louisiana’s team,” Gentry said.

MADABA — Khaled Juma’s reign continued on Friday as he was crowned champion of the fourth round of the National Rally Championship “La Storia Museum Rally” with the participation of nine drivers.

With this win, Juma’ became the undisputed winner of the National Rally Championship for the 2016 season for the second year in a row with 112.5 points followed by Salameh Qamaz in the second place with 69 points and Ihab Shurafa in the third place with 52.5 points.

Qamaz and Shurafa will still have a chance to battle it for the second and third place at the fifth round as Sharafa still has an opportunity to advance to second place if he wins the fifth round or Qamaz retires.

Juma’ told The Jordan Times that this is a great season.

“This is the moment I have been waiting for in this challenging season and I did it. Last year, it was also tough but winning two season in a row is truly great and I am happy,” he said.

“The rally was tough as it was on asphalt roads and although you have freedom to go fast it is still not easy and you worry more about the tyres especially when it is hot, but it was cool,” he added.

Juma’ and co-driver Imad Juma clocked 42m49s in their Mitsubishi Evo 10 followed by Shurafa and co-driver Hazem Ateyat with 45m58s in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 in the second place while Qamaz and co driver Ahmed Zeidan settled in the third place with 46m14s in their Mitsubishi Evo 5.

The rally witnessed the retirement of Fares Tell, Ahmed Shaban and Thaer Taimeh due to mechanical problems. 

Drivers had to go through Bahra (9.76km), Kroum (5.46km) and Ghernata (6.03km) three times each with a total distance of 184.57km including 63.9km of special stages.

The rally takes its name from the famous La Storia Museum Complex in Madaba which is a combination of folk, history and handicrafts centre.

AMMAN — Jordanians are eagerly anticipating Friday’s kick-off of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2016 in their capital regardless of how tough the Jordan versus Spain match could be. 

Hosting a FIFA World Cup event is a success for the Kingdom and women’s sports in the region. The mere fact that this competition, the first of its kind to take place in the Middle East, is being held in Jordan is a great source of pride for fans and citizens in general after Jordan beat bids from Uruguay, South Africa, Ireland and Bahrain. 

Jordan will be competing at this level for the first time, and many anticipate a series of heavy defeats await as the squad has only played in the national league or during the qualifying campaign for the AFC U-16 Women’s Asian Cup. Now they will be coming head-to-head with some of the best teams in the world and it’s no easy task. But their coach Briton Robbie Johnson is stressing the historic nature of their upcoming U-17 Women’s World Cup debut with his line-up joining the world’s top 15 teams playing for the title in the competition running until October 21. 

Johnson was quoted by FIFA.com underlining that the opening match will be “momentous for the girls”. He added: “We’ve prepared extremely well and played Venezuela and Brazil in similar conditions to those we’ll experience at this World Cup. We lost those two matches, but that doesn’t really concern me. The girls have learnt a lot from taking on big teams that are also going to be taking part in the competition.” 

Jordan will face Spain September 30 in the opener at the Amman International Stadium. The Kingdom will also play Mexico on October 3 and New Zealand on October 7 in the first round.

“They shouldn’t be afraid of playing at this level. They’re going to put into practice what they’ve been learning for the last few months at our training camps. I’ve got confidence in them and I know that they have the necessary fighting spirit to achieve what some say is impossible,” coach Johnson added.

The 32 matches over the course of 22 days will be hosted at four stadia: The Amman International Stadium, King Abdullah II Stadium in Qweismeh, Al Hassan Stadium in Irbid and Prince Mohammad Stadium in Zarqa. Jordan will be playing its matches in different governorates on Fridays with the match slated against Mexico in Irbid and the one against New Zealand in Zarqa. 

Jordan will be the only Arab team at the U-17 World Cup after Egypt and Morocco were eliminated in the qualifiers. The 16 teams were divided into four groups with the top two teams from each group moving on to Round 2. Round 1 ends October 8 following which the quarters will be played on October 12-13, the semis on October 17 and the final on October 21. In addition to Group A, competing teams are Group B: Venezuela, Germany, Cameron and Canada, Group C: Nigeria, Brazil, England and North Korea, Group D: US, Paraguay, Ghana and titleholders Japan.

None of the hosts of the U-17 Women’s World Cup have managed to advance past the first round of the competition so far. Azerbaijan and Costa Rica lost all three of their matches in the last two editions respectively. Similarly, Jordan’s line-up has a tough challenge but some observers think there might be surprises. 

“In football, you can’t promise anything when it comes to results,” explained Johnson. “You plan everything out, and then it all unravels on the pitch. I am sure, though, that the girls will give 100 per cent. They’re keen to get going with the tournament and have shown great commitment. They’ve got the right mindset to forget about past mistakes and the determination to show what they’re capable of.”

Women’s teams have been competing in all age divisions in the Asian zone. In 2007, Jordan qualified to the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship as the only Arab team but in 2014, was eliminated from Group A qualifiers for the 2015 championship. 

The U-16 team qualified to the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship in 2013 but failed to qualify to the 2015 championship. This year, the U-16 team failed to qualify to the AFC U-16 Championship.

FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP RECORD

Year    Venue                    Winner (Runner-up)

2008    New Zealand            North Korea (USA)

2010    Trinidad & Tobago    South Korea (Japan)

2012    Azerbaijan               France (North Korea)

2014    Costa Rica               Japan (Spain) 

AMMAN — It goes without saying that Jordan has had its best ever summer of sports in 2016 with Olympic and Paralympic success followed by this week’s medal-strewn Asian Beach Games, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) News Service.

Asian and world glory is being achieved regularly now in other sports proving that there is every reason to be optimistic for a prosperous sporting future.

It is, of course, the result of hard work from the athletes and coaches, but credit should also be given to the back rooms of federations and the JOC where plans are hatched, supported and funded to provide the best support possible on the meagre resources available.

More can always be done, but it has to start somewhere and if 2016 is the key to the ignition that we have been looking for, then hop on board for a fun ride ahead.

And that ride is about to take Jordan into the relative unknown this weekend.

The Kingdom, which has hosted world championships in triathlon, fencing, snooker, rallying and cross-country running before, is gearing up for FIFA to bring its U-17 Women’s World Cup to town.

In fact, make that three “towns” to be precise with the capital Amman joined by Zarqa and Irbid in hosting the sporting world on a scale we haven’t seen before.

We caught up with two of the key stars of the show – Jordan captain Luna Sahloul, 17, and Leen Al Btoush, 15, the charismatic striker described as the team’s livewire.

The girls have battled against the tired old cultural stigmas associated with young girls playing sport, particularly football, in the Arab World to take their place at the very top table — a World Cup representing their country.

It is the stuff of dreams and the girls are well aware that their role extends much further than just a few football matches.

“It is the highest honour for any footballer to participate in a World Cup, so I am proud to be leading my country in a tournament being played in my own country,” said Sahloul, a defender who exudes huge confidence, making it easy to see why she has been selected as the team’s leader.

“We are all well aware of our responsibilities, not just as footballers but as young Jordanian women and girls trying to make a difference here.

“This event will hopefully capture the imagination of the whole country. By holding it here, we have the opportunity to show Jordan that girls are no different to boys and we can show parents that there is nothing wrong with their daughters playing football, or indeed any sport.

“No matter what our results are as a team, if we have changed the Jordanian mindset at the end of this tournament that we will be the winners.”

The organisers have pulled off a stunning job. Two stadiums in Amman and the ones in Irbid and Zarqa have been “saved” with an injection of JD25 million to be good enough to meet strict FIFA standards.

Some will say Jordan should have this sort of money spent elsewhere but local observers are quick to point out that without this tournament, the stadiums were close to being condemned as unsafe so when FIFA look for sustainable examples, they need look no further than Jordan this month.

Btoush, waiting for her leader to finish her impressive response to probing questions, replicates the same sort of passion that one hopes is running throughout the team as they prepare to meet European heavyweights Spain in Friday’s opener.

“This tournament is huge for the Arab world, and not just Jordan,” she said. “I really hope lots of families come to watch, not only the Jordan game but also the other matches to show that girls from everywhere in the world are succeeding.

“Football has instilled my self-confidence. I started playing when I was five and it has been with me throughout my life. I was playing with the children in the neighbourhood but was spotted through a programme named ‘Steps’ which included football, so I moved to the national U-14 team when I was 10 and have stepped up now to the U-17 side.”

The skipper’s love affair with football started from the day she registered with the sports club she was living next door to. She was spotted early and has spent her teenage years as a national team player at various age levels since. 

The sporting landscape changed forever in Jordan on August 18 when taekwondo star Ahmad Abu Ghaush, 20, secured gold — Jordan’s first ever medal — at the Rio Olympics.

It has stirred a nation and the girls are using his achievement as a source of inspiration ahead of the biggest moments of their lives.

“Ahmad is a hero to every Jordanian and showed that we are good enough to be the best in the world at whatever we do,” said Sahloul. “He is someone we can all call our idol now whereas before everyone was looking to overseas athletes. He has changed the way we all look at sport and we want to play our part now in inspiring the next generation.”

News from the ticket office is encouraging too. Understandably some of the group games are slow sellers but this Friday’s Jordan match is expected to be a sell-out with 20,000 fans cramming into the Amman International Stadium.

Expectations have to be realistic. Despite training hard for months the girls will be up against it from their more illustrious opposition. But there is one thing that this summer has taught us, never underestimate the Jordanians!

AMMAN — Olympic taekwondo gold medallist Ahmad Abu Ghaush on Wednesday paid a surprise visit to the Jordan U-17 football team preparing to take on the world’s best at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

The girls will be playing Spain in Friday’s opener and were delivered some words of advice and encouragement from the history maker.

“I received incredible support from Jordan during the Olympics so I was only too willing to show my support to the girls when the Jordan Olympic Committee asked me.”

Abu Ghaush just returned to light training following his gold medal winning performance in Rio de Janeiro on August 18.

“I told them that we are all right behind them and that all they can do is try their very best. Win or lose they are already our heroes,” he said.