btw.... i'm actually psyched to have bradley because petke will no play like his former self, jolley will be playing a bit smarter and brad davis will get a fair look for the nats (he's one player who belongs).... so for many players, this may be their only or last chance to make the nats..... and as far as mathis goes, barring injury, he's going to have a great 2003 because: 1. bradley will play him at forward, not midfield. 2. zambrano will not be in charge of tactics, bradley will. 3. zambrano will not be in charge of making subs, bradley will. 4. and finally, zambrano will not play players solely because he's their agent. and JohnR....yes...for all purposes herein, bradley might as well be arena's assistant coach... the teams play similarly.....any position in which skill is a weakness, is a player with twice as much heart or determination.....which seem equally important to both coaches.
I disagree with Ben totally and Bigfoot mildly. Mathis screwed himself. Let's assume that you desparately want the big contract with Bayern or some other European club. Attitude should be (a) play your ass off in all situations or (b) develop a reputation that leaves some doubt (whether or not justified) about your willingness to work hard and your desire to excel. Ben - you're saying that Mathis was justified in pouting and did play all out. How is this helping his career and future European chances? Not a wit. Prediction - Clint Mathis is not on WC 2006 squad.
Mathis VS Donovan I know this is a Mathis thread, but nobody makes a stink about Donovan having a sub-par year because he DIDN'T. If you look at the last 4 games the quakes played, arguably their most important games of the year, he was their offense. 1 goal, 1 assist in 2 playoff games isn't bad. He also drew a PK that was missed in their last regular season game, IIRC. FACT: the kid is clutch; he plays his best when the games matter the most FACT:Mathis, and I am a big Mathis fan, wasn't even on the field when the Metros needed him the most.
Wait a minute, you can't blame Clint solely for not being on the field. True, he wasn't in great shape, and also true, his attitude sucked down teh stretch for whatever reason, but you've got to admit, OZ was a huge factor in how the Metros slid out of contention at the end. Before MLS made us give up Clint in the dispersal draft, Sigi had plans for Clint. You could see him coming along week-by-week. And while Clint wasn't getting as much playing time as he wanted, I'm sure if he stayed he'd be the one hoisting this year's Cup instead of Ruiz. I think that Sigi had a huge impact on Clint while he was here. I think Bradley will bring out the best in Clint as long as Clint is willing to listen and get motivated to work for him. I give it 2 years max before Clint is sluffing off again though.
On the contrary, fellow Tiger fan, Mathis and only Mathis was responsible for his not being on the field that day.
I must not be remembering why Clint wasn't on the field then because I thought it was a game-time decision by OZ to leave hime out of the lineup. Geaux Tigers! [g]
Yes, I think Oz was planning on a Bobby Valentine trick and putting a mustache on Clint and putting Billy Bob on the back of his jersey but at game time decided he would not risk it.
I disagree that Donovan was mediocre last year. He did not have the impact that he did his first year, which I think we all can agree upon. But there are some key variables that affected Donovan's play that are worth keeping in mind. Agoos was injured for a significant amount of time after the World Cup, and his form had already slipped well below his 2001 level. Troy Dayak's form slipped considerably as well, and of course Manny Lagos was a shadow of his 2001 self. This really weakened both SJs defense and its midfield, which quickly affects any forward's ability to produce. Also keep in mind that because of the World Cup, Donovan had very little time to integrate himself into SJs new offense, which centered around Graziani while Donovan was in Korea. The most significant variable was the loss of Richard Mulrooney. Keep in mind that before Mulrooney's injury, San Jose was the top team in MLS, and I believe was the first team to secure a playoff birth. Once Mulrooney went down, the entire Quakes team suffered dearly. Richard was clearly the glue that held the San Jose puzzle together, and it was never more apparent than during the playoffs. When Mulrooney returns, and when the younger prospects like Barclay and Robinson mature into MLS stars, Donovan's play will improve accordingly. The best description of Landon I've ever heard was offered by his father here on BigSoccer while Landon was playing in the U17 championships. Tim described Landon as a player who would not single-handedly take a poor quality team to the top. He said Landon is the type of player who makes good players around him a lot better. I think that is true. Mathis can take a team on his back and carry them. With Bradley as his coach, I think the Metros will strongly contend for the MLS Cup next year. I believe Bradley can and will light a "Fire" under Clint, and Clint will come to MLS next year with a whole new attitude and return to his 2000 form. The rest of the league had better look out.
He doesn't need Bradley's help. He will do it on his own for his own sake. The coaches only need to know how to not run off at the mouth to the media -- something Bruce apparently lacks the self-discipline to accomplish on his own. As for Octavio-he is pondscum, thankfully now unemployed (actually redeployed) pondscum.