Bob Bradley Out as U.S. Soccer Coach

U.S. Men's soccer coach Bob Bradley has been relieved of his duties on Thursday, after calls for his demise have increased in recent weeks.

"We want to thank Bob Bradley for his service and dedication to U.S. Soccer during the past five years," said Gulati. "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. It is always hard to make these decisions, especially when it involves someone we respect as much as Bob. We wish him the best in his future endeavors."

Bradley, who coached the team to the 2^nd round of the 2010 World Cup, recently faced a string of criticism over the team's slump. The team struggled through the CONCAAF Gold Cup before finally losing to Mexico in the final 4-2, despite at one having a two goal advantage.

After rumors that Bradley's demise could be imminent, veteran players like Clint Dempsey were quick to support the beleaguered coach.

"It is important that people have to remember that Bob has done a good job," Dempsey told Yahoo! Sports. "Since he took over we have won one Gold Cup and made the final of another, we got to the final of the Confederations Cup and won our group at the World Cup."

"He is the right guy and I hope people can start to appreciate that."

Dempsey would later go on to say that a lot of the positive things that Bradley has done aren't always seen by the public.

The decision was made after a meeting between Bradley, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati and U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn. U.S. Soccer will make a full announcement on Friday.