Got this in my inbox a bit earlier today. Looks like either Bob Bradley is going to get the gig full time or someone else will swoop in on the job at the 11th hour. My money's on the former.
* * * PRESS CONFERENCE ADVISORY * * *
U.S. SOCCER FEDERATION PRESIDENT SUNIL GULATI
TO MAKE MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT AT NEW YORK CITY
PRESS CONFERENCE ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 16 AT 1 P.M. ET
Press Conference Broadcast Available Live on ussoccer.com MatchACCESS Web Streaming
National Teleconference Call at 2:30 p.m. ET to Follow Press Conference
CHICAGO (May 14, 2007) — U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati will make a major announcement at a press conference to be held Wednesday, May 16 at 1 p.m. ET in New York City. The press conference will be broadcast live for fans and media on ussoccer.com's popular MatchACCESS web streaming.
Following the press conference, U.S. Soccer will host a national media teleconference call. Members of the media wishing to participate should call 866-IS-IT-BOB or 212-555-BOB-1 a few minutes before 2:30 p.m. ET.
(I edited some things from above in case you hadn't figured it out)
7 comments:
LA Times has its money on Bradley: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-soccer15may15,0,4083853.story?coll=la-home-sports
Yawn.
What are your thoughts on this move?
I think ESPN is also reporting that it is going to be Bradley.
I think it is an OK development in that the team is actually going to get an "official" coach. I am disappointed that they could not get Klinsmann to take the job. I don't know that Klinsmann could have guaranteed a marked improvement, but exposure to a quality European coach could not have hurt the team.
Also, I think Gulati mismanaged the process. It seems like other than Klinsmann and Bradley, he did not have any candidate who would have likely taken the job if offered. So, when Klinsmann did not take it, why not give it to Bradley?
I don't buy the "Bob earned it through results" routine. Those results were in meaningless friendlies. The overall play was uneven -- better in 2nd halfs of Ecuador and Mexico games, and so-so in the Guatemala and Denmark games. I don't think those games were a knock on Bradley's coaching skills, but I could hardly call them edifying.
Also, if Donovan doesn't absolutely tear it up against Ecuador and Mexico, how good of a coach does Bradley actually look like?
One more thought on this subject, the guy who Gulati should have gone after is Reading's coach.
That guy (don't even know his name) has done an incredible job with less talented players. And their style of play would translate to the US very well. Whoever that is, is a manager on the rise.
I think the choice of Bradley as coach, if true, is another signal of a broader syndrome: the American brand of soccer is "hardnosed", based more on tireless effort (aka "running up and down the field") than on technical excellence -- a bit more like English soccer than like Latin American or European soccer. English soccer is still superior to its American counterpart because of the heavy influx of players from around the world, and the competitions against European teams.
Until the top technical management changes, this is bound to continue. A Klinsmann or Hiddink or Queiroz could have instituted development programs that could have had a long-term impact in the development of soccer in this country. Unfortunately, if the present reports are true, we'd have to wait another five years before reform *begins*.
I agree with commenter Gene that the "results" routine is bogus: two of the teams were decidedly weaker on paper, one barely even (Ecuador), and thank goodness the counterattacks worked in the Mexico game (though Mexico played arguably better quality soccer that day).
We don't know how many top candidates Gulati seriously went after, and how they all panned out. It's hard to believe that Australia and Russia can manage to recruit top-flight coaches but the U.S. can't.
Word now is that Juventus will be dumping Deschamps - perhaps we should get someone like that at the youth (u20, u17) level...
Bradley as the new coach is like watching a NASCAR race. The same thing happens over and over: We win a few notable games, get a little overhyped, and eventually we choke.
US soccer is not upgrading the HC position, just settling because Gulati has cranal rectosis and has no idea to how to sell US soccer to a world-class coach.
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