Bradley Q&A on USSoccer.com

[CDM76]

There's a podCast up on ussoccer.com called One-on-One with Bob Bradley (http://podcast.ussoccer.com/12-08-2006_Bradley_Reax.mp3).

Nothing revelatory but nice.

The questions are pretty much softballs and Bradley's answers are very politically correct.

Players
Camp will start in early Jan
Players will be primarily MLS
Veterans and Youth
Need more tough games (contra Arena? lobbying to coach through GC & CA?)
WC 2006 - Team lacked focus (he was willing to say it)
Must have a goal of becoming great (LD?)

Staff
Unstable - Temp Hires (here's the real negative to the interim tag)
Olympic Asst - Only Perm Hire (who?)

He gets kind of passionate toward the end when he tells a story about talking soccer with Mooch last fall.

I like what he did with Chivas and, after listening to the interview, I think he'll be a solid Nats coach.

Looking forward to the list of players he calls to camp. That'll be some serious BS fodder.

[Bruce S]

I have a feeling he will do well. He is very smart, and a little more open-minded than Arena. Bruce did well initially, but then he started to really feel like he knew it all. He was arrogant to start with but it really hurt him by the end.

[ETSC]

Unstable - Temp Hires (here's the real negative to the interim tag)
Olympic Asst - Only Perm Hire (who?)

Good news soccer fans: April Heinrichs is available.

Frank Klopas would be a real good guess.

[Geneva]

How about Youri Djorkaeff for assistant?

[TxFan]

I have a feeling he will do well. He is very smart, and a little more open-minded than Arena. Bruce did well initially, but then he started to really feel like he knew it all. He was arrogant to start with but it really hurt him by the end.

My thoughts as well.

Bradley isn't Arena. If things aren't working out, Bradley will change plans and try something different. That alone is a huge step forward.

[sidefootsitter]

Good news soccer fans: April Heinrichs is available.

Frank Klopas would be a real good guess.
April Heinrichs can beat up Frank Klopas.

But Bob should bring in JOB.

As a coach.

[asdf2]

I have a feeling he will do well. He is very smart, and a little more open-minded than Arena. Bruce did well initially, but then he started to really feel like he knew it all. He was arrogant to start with but it really hurt him by the end.

I agree that Arena did well at the beginning of his tenure but as time went on his knowledge of the MLS players slipped. He did well for us thru 2002 and even qualifying and put together an as-expected roster for 2006. But he was clearly running on fumes at this point. I actually don't blame him fully for our performance vs Czech. Heck if the players aren't psyched up for the world cup that's probably not something a coach can solve. I totally blame him for the awful way he handled the Ghana game though. Lewis over Convey, DMB on the field, McBride's 3rd game in 9 days up top alone instead of Ching, subbing in Olsen down a goal, playing a 451 in a must win game. He just royally botched that game.

[Adam Zebrowski]

this notion that arena thought he knew it all is ludicrous..

sure, he has a contempt for those who lack real understanding, but to take the next leap of logic to view himself as jahweh incarnate isn't based in any fact...

explain winning the hex.......

the june 2006 is the sour taste, one where a handful of injured guys created holes...

and them we have the team, NOT really playing as a true team....

no forwards, and the ever present 2-3 critical defensive lapses per match..

i do agree, arena's message was lost, perhaps itr was repeated too often, guys ceased to listen...

or guys did NOT play well enough...notably beasley and donovan in attack...

usa is still fragile at the top level, and when your big guys suck, it's gonna be tough....

arena tried roasting them to motivate, but that didn't work...

hold their hands???

[asdf2]

this notion that arena thought he knew it all is ludicrous..

sure, he has a contempt for those who lack real understanding, but to take the next leap of logic to view himself as jahweh incarnate isn't based in any fact...

explain winning the hex.......

the june 2006 is the sour taste, one where a handful of injured guys created holes...

and them we have the team, NOT really playing as a true team....

no forwards, and the ever present 2-3 critical defensive lapses per match..

i do agree, arena's message was lost, perhaps itr was repeated too often, guys ceased to listen...

or guys did NOT play well enough...notably beasley and donovan in attack...

usa is still fragile at the top level, and when your big guys suck, it's gonna be tough....

arena tried roasting them to motivate, but that didn't work...

hold their hands???


I just wish Arena found a way to blend a defense together instead of putting his 4 best (or at least close to best) guys out there even though they hadn't really played together that much.

Injuries hurt us a lot more that people seem to realize. Our team seemed to be one of young (Dempsey, LD, DMB, Gooch, Convey) and old (Keller, Reyna, McB, etc.).

We have few players in their prime at full capacity due to injuries:

Gibbs - should have started at CB over Pope but was hurt.
JOB - our most talented player (?) essentially out hurt.
Wolff - speed and career hampered by injuries to the point he's a marginal player at international level.
Olsen - See Wolff.
Mathis - partied his way out of soccer.

These are our best players in age 26-29 or whatever. Also Maestro got redcarded and although slightly older Hejduk was hurt too.

[swedust]

He gets kind of passionate toward the end when he tells a story about talking soccer with Mooch last fall.

If like many on this board (myself included), you like to try to read between the lines, this section of the interview is the most pertinent. He recalls talking with Mooch "about the World Cup and the passion players have to bring every time they take the field in order to succeed" or words more or less to that effect.

For those looking for signs of is this or is this not a real change, you'd have to count this as a fairly public forum (USSF website) for the new coach, interim or not, to basically say players better come with the fire in their bellies, and I won't accept less.

[CDM76]

If like many on this board (myself included), you like to try to read between the lines, this section of the interview is the most pertinent. He recalls talking with Mooch "about the World Cup and the passion players have to bring every time they take the field in order to succeed" or words more or less to that effect.

For those looking for signs of is this or is this not a real change, you'd have to count this as a fairly public forum (USSF website) for the new coach, interim or not, to basically say players better come with the fire in their bellies, and I won't accept less.My thoughts exactly. He was being interviewed essentially in his bosses' office a couple of hours after hiring. Hard to be particularly controversial but there's a lot of steel in his voice.

That emphasis on players bringing passion and his desire to schedule tougher friendlies really made the non-signing of Klinsmann a lot easier to take. Those were two areas I expected Klinsmann to address immediately.

Now I want to see him sign a former World-Class striker as an assistant, consultant or special advisor.:D











No, the former striker's initials don't have to be JK but I wouldn't be sorry if they were.