I think Ham is just being kind. Clearly it's all Daniel Radford's fault. If he hadn't Dempsey into a corner by applying the LOTG we would still have our silent captain.
I think Donovan was a good player, but he was a distraction JK didn't want or need. I wasn't in the locker room, but based on Donovan's public comments, he was probably voicing disagreement with the training methods.
Because not bringing Donovan totally wasn't a distraction. Like, I can't remember anyone in the media talking about it.
My take is that of the conspiracy theorist: Jurgi has a hard time in Bayern. From the first day. If you think the USSF is a GOB, you should check what goes on with Bayern. Anyway, Jurgi brought Donovan to be a feather in his cap. But he turned into a black eye. Because Landon, being the smart sensitive cookie he is, realized in a New York second that: a) he was on the losing side; b) the nicer Germans are to you, the less they like you. Being the shivering wallflower intellectual he is, not the macho ox-headed brute who will fight through it even if he fails in the end, Landon didn't want to stay in a place where he was guaranteed to eventually rot on some bench, hated by a bunch of people who always smiled to him. And he came back, to try to turn this thing barely alive here, MLS, into something that could give a chance to others like him of not having to endure foreign intrigues.
If only other players (within the NT squad) had stepped to him. maybe he might have showed that Lion-esque behavior and spurred us to Russia.
You keep talking about what you think happened. You also state that you were not in the locker room but you keep talking your theory on what went on as if it were fact. I would suggest you read the ringer story on why we did not qualify. Story written by two writers that were there and interviews with many people that were there and knew exactly what was going on. I cannot imagine anybody spending the time that you spend on this stupid website unless they do not have a life. A thousand posts a year. WOW
Zlatan's comment on that was funny.............. After the game, Zlatan said this about Michael Bradley: "He thinks he’s the philosopher of football. I have more goals than he has games. He should follow my rules." https://t.co/yWRgTILL7Q— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) September 16, 2018
You'd think he'd learn about challenging US players. Didn't Big Gooch leave an impression? https://www.apnaahangout.com/zlatan-ibrahimovic-vs-oguchi-onyewu/
I think MB would scrap if he was in a corner. He's got doggedness rather than nasty. Gooch had the nasty. It wasn't his size that helped him stand up to Z.
So he proved once again hes not soft. But, it does not disprove how poor of a USMNT leader he was over several years.
why again did JK appoint him captain? was it simply because of Dempsey getting all that controversy over the ref back in 2015? I suppose at the time it made sense that Bradley should be captain. But if he was sure Howard was going to return to the fold; i'd have given him the responsibility. Or let it rotate.
So I notice, Wikipedia continues to proudly state Michael Bradley as the USMNT Captain even though his last game was close to a year ago. Im sure Jimmy Conrad's statements were more to the old guard SUM network and the lengths they will take to protect their golden child just as much as they were to expose Bradley's poor leadership.
I tried to but then Klinsmann landed his helicopter in my yard and told me not to mess with his hand-picked captain.
First, props for getting the red instead of the yellow. I hate going at it half heartedly. Second, i agree with most of what you are saying. But the Donovan / JK story is far more complex and uncomplicated (could that be all post Lutheran, we should say Mendelin [but we don't for some reason] German history?) than two monkeys with no cultural or life reference points can understand. I'd write about it, but meh, no one would believe it. Third, it's entirely true. You spend a lifetime getting rich and find yourself surrounded by everything you wanted and you're on your mobile on a yacht with models hanging off you or whatever, and you're posting about this or that USMNT bullshit. It's silly, but there you are. The USMNT is the only exciting US sporting experience precisely because they are so bad. It is literally still run like a community little league operation and as an 8 year old will tell you, it does not get any better than that. I have to say, in general, I am very impressed with CP's recent string of strategic injuries, not only is he more talented than any US player in history, his playing strategy reflects it. BRadley? Meh, never been my cup of over heated, under quality tea.