US Soccer: Hard Workin Bob be The Man.
So the worst kept secret for the last few days is that today, Sunil Gulati will announce that Bob Bradley will become the official US Men's National Soccer Team Head Coach. No more is his title 'Interim," but he is full time. He can officially move into the big man's office. I say about damn time.
I was a little taken back when the whole Klinsi saga fell apart and Bradley was dropped on us. I think the biggest reason is that Gulati took so long to select any type of head coach that we all assumed that the waiting period was just to allow Jurgen time to unwind from the 2006 World Cup. Well, when Gulati evidently balked at some of Jurgen's demands, we got Bob.
I have to say, over the last four matches that Bob has been running the show, I do like what I see, but I want see something better. The Denmark match was really a USA-Lite vs. Denmark-Lite and really should be tossed when you talk about performances. The Mexico match, with it's all too familiar scoreline was different. Bob sent out a relatively soft side made up of guys who normally just play against each other in MLS and took down one of the strongest sides in teh Western Hemisphere. That Mexican side ran the USMNT guys up and down the field, but never cracked the back line and left Arizona with more displays of unsportsmanship behaivor.
The Ecuador match was again a great display, but this time Bob had just about every US pool player that he could have wanted. He followed it up with a much different looking side against a much weaker side in Guatemala and failed to win for the first time. That had more to do with the fact that Guatemala decided before the game to try and not win or lose as opposed to the USA failing to win. However, this is the game that I point to as why I want to see something better.
Guatemala showed the rest of CONCACAF how to avoid getting lit up by Donovan & Co., just bunker the midfield and don't allow anything. With the Gold Cup right around the corner, Bob and his staff are going to have to figure out a way to plan and prepare for every CONCACAF side to come out with teh same exact game plan, only this time, I want to see Bob and his boys beat the bunker and still take the victory.
In anycase, Bob Bradley will become the official Head Coach today. He deserves it. He is a soldier who took his orders and did his duty. Now without the interim tag, lets see how he really drives.
On an other note, with Bob no longer being the U-23 coach, I believe that makes Peter Nowak the U-23 coach. all I have to say to the U-23 guys is, get ready to run boys, he is gonna work you something good.
I was a little taken back when the whole Klinsi saga fell apart and Bradley was dropped on us. I think the biggest reason is that Gulati took so long to select any type of head coach that we all assumed that the waiting period was just to allow Jurgen time to unwind from the 2006 World Cup. Well, when Gulati evidently balked at some of Jurgen's demands, we got Bob.
I have to say, over the last four matches that Bob has been running the show, I do like what I see, but I want see something better. The Denmark match was really a USA-Lite vs. Denmark-Lite and really should be tossed when you talk about performances. The Mexico match, with it's all too familiar scoreline was different. Bob sent out a relatively soft side made up of guys who normally just play against each other in MLS and took down one of the strongest sides in teh Western Hemisphere. That Mexican side ran the USMNT guys up and down the field, but never cracked the back line and left Arizona with more displays of unsportsmanship behaivor.
The Ecuador match was again a great display, but this time Bob had just about every US pool player that he could have wanted. He followed it up with a much different looking side against a much weaker side in Guatemala and failed to win for the first time. That had more to do with the fact that Guatemala decided before the game to try and not win or lose as opposed to the USA failing to win. However, this is the game that I point to as why I want to see something better.
Guatemala showed the rest of CONCACAF how to avoid getting lit up by Donovan & Co., just bunker the midfield and don't allow anything. With the Gold Cup right around the corner, Bob and his staff are going to have to figure out a way to plan and prepare for every CONCACAF side to come out with teh same exact game plan, only this time, I want to see Bob and his boys beat the bunker and still take the victory.
In anycase, Bob Bradley will become the official Head Coach today. He deserves it. He is a soldier who took his orders and did his duty. Now without the interim tag, lets see how he really drives.
On an other note, with Bob no longer being the U-23 coach, I believe that makes Peter Nowak the U-23 coach. all I have to say to the U-23 guys is, get ready to run boys, he is gonna work you something good.
Labels: US Soccer
posted by Brian at 7:18 AM
1 Comments:
I agree with everything you've said about Bradley's performance.
A part of me wants to see Novak run USA, but Bradley is doing the right thing, and I agree the Guatemala match is the measure of how we can or cannot win in North America.
I don't remember if I wrote it in your blog; I think Landon almost has the 'total football' (see Cruyff if you don't understand) game down, but USA must have at least two others, preferably four in all, to stand a chance on the world stage. Watch some match footage and think about it.
Good piece.
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