The next USMNT manager

I want Bob to stay, but wouldn't mind if he left, if it was so that he could pursue a coaching opportunity for a European club.

<ducks rotten fruit>

Why you ask? ( after you run out of things to throw)

He capped 92 players over the last 4 years. NINETY-TWO. That is HUGE and sent the message to American players globally that they'll get looked at, they'll be given a chance to prove their worth. In doing so he wasn't just thinking about WC2010, but also WC2014 and WC2018. The US player pool is far stronger because of his management.

As part of that effort, he capped three players eligible to play for Mexico, two of whom are top performers on their teams.

Under Bob, we won the Gold Cup in 2007, earning a birth to the Confederation Cup 2009, in which we went to the Final, a first for the USMNT. Our team made a decent showing in the 2007 Copa America, considering the team we brought (which was controlled by Gulati, not Bradley, and is why Klinny turned us down). He took a team full of mostly ranked 24-46 players to the final of the 2009 Gold Cup.

We freakin' beat Spain, one of only 2 losses for the team since 15-Nov-2006.

We won our group in this world cup, something we haven't done sine 1930.

Who else are we going to get who could even match those results with the players we have, let alone exceed them? And who else is going to do more to help his successor, focused at least as much on the future of US Soccer than his own record?

Sorry, but you want to fire the guy because we didn't get past a good Ghana team only to likely lose to an even better Uruguay team? Let's be realistic here.

 

Thanks, Andy!
IN RETROSPECT, what we saw from BB in the MAJOR Cups shows his quality.

We might have carped about his player selection on the way to WC 2010 but from a 'Monday Morning' POV, what he was doing was testing all his options. When it came time to make a statement, the US team did just that and his player selection cannot be faulted in the larger scheme of things.

Circumstances dealt him a poor hand but he certainly played it well. Really... how many people can fault him for the poor first 25 defense. Those guys on the pitch were looking at lasting 90', and the results bit 'em in the asses over and over.

You can make a point that a healthy Gooch and an in-form Hejduk would have inspired the Back Players to a better result.
Problem being that Cherundolo was a far better DEFENSIVE fit than an aged Frankie, and Gooch was NOT up to it yet. Get it? Sorry to disabuse some but Carlos is not and never has been an inspirational LEADER. Boca made a great anchor at CB, but with neither Frankie, or Gooch, it was all up to Tim.

None of that is BB's fault.

OTOH, suppose we'd got Klinnsman. I think it's now becoming apparent that JK's focus is NOT on immediate results, but on the total US program.
Fair dinkum to him... but if what he wants is a NEW US Soccer paradigm then that's what he should focus on.
Let someone else manage the resources we have available, no matter where they come from. Just to make it perfectly clear we DONT need players on the pitch who arent ready just to prove Klinnsman's points. And you KNOW we would have had at least ONE. Maybe even Adu.

 

Which segues nicely into....23 Tickets and Starting XI 2014!

Go ahead Andy, and anyone else, put your best efforts out there for us all to point and laugh at!!

 

After you oh great Carnac!

Half of them arent but glimmers of profile, as of yet. That's what I predict.

 

I agree with Don, great post AnyP. The only thing that I would add is that Bob Bradley has class and makes his players behave with class (with a few exceptions). He could have whined about the bad calls, he could have blamed them for taking too much out of the team to get throught the Ghana match-up, but he didnt. Unlike some other managers I know. I dont know about the rest of you, but that stuff matters to me; it is a game after all. The day our managers and players start behaving like Fabio, Mexico, or Fabiano, is the day, I'm not a fan anymore. I want to do the whining and bitching about the calls, I dont want the team doing it.

Also, I dont buy into the one cycle arguments. A lot of the former examples given for two cycles being too long are with managers that were very successful in their first world cup. In addition, Bob Bradley is an intense perfectionist; I think that he will only get better. I hope he stays but sadly Gulati has already claimed that the US fell short of expectations - something that confounds me since I am certain six months ago he would have said winning the group ahead of England would exceed expectations.

 

Point to Ponder:

Gulati - USSF
Jack Warner - ConCaCaf
Blatter - FIFA

Says all needs be said. It's politics and PR. Gulati SHOULD have kept his mouth shut for a few days.
Like you said... it's OUR business to do the griping. It's why we pay those guys the big bucks... to keep a cooler head.

Note that only Jack Warner really doesnt give a shit what's said. He's a pure autocrat. Not a good thing but at least he's consistent.

 

As a rehabilitated BB-hater I support him staying on unless they find a replacement that is un-arguably head and shoulders above BB. The next WC is far away (while the Gold Cup should warrant attention) and who knows what options may present themselves in the next couple of years...