June 15, 2006

Santa Clara, Calif. - Former Santa Clara University soccer star Paul Bravo was named the assistant coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer today. Bravo joins newly hired head coach Frank Yallop in leading the defending MLS Cup Champions. Bravo, who helped Santa Clara win a share of the 1989 NCAA Championship, left the staff of the UCLA soccer program to join the Galaxy.

During his career as a Bronco, Bravo scored 26 goals and notched 13 assists for 65 points in just two seasons on the Mission Campus, numbers that place him near the top of the university's all-time scoring leaders. His 40 points in 1989 still top the school's all-time list for points in a season. Playing alongside current Santa Clara coaches Cameron Rast and Eric Yamamoto, Bravo helped the Broncos capture their only national championship in 1989. He earned his degree in Political Science in 1993.

As a player, Bravo had a standout career that included stops with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks (APSL), San Jose Clash (MLS) and the Colorado Rapids (MLS). A three-time MLS All-Star, he finished his six-year MLS career with 131 points on 52 goals and 27 assists. He helped lead the Rapids to their only MLS Cup appearance in 1997. Internationally, he earned two caps with the United States senior national team and has been nominated for the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame.

After retiring as a player in 2001, Bravo served as an assistant coach for the Rapids in 2002 and 2003, helping them to back-to-back playoff appearances under head coach Tim Hankinson. He served as the Director of Coaching for the Colorado Rush soccer club and was an assistant coach for the Region IV 88s in 2003 and the 89s in 2004. He has an USSF "A" Coaching License. As an assistant coach at UCLA, Bravo worked closely with head coach Jorge Salcedo, a former Galaxy defender, helping the program to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.