Been reading the [fire/nuke/bench/deport] Bradley and player accountability threads, etc., but have no sense right now of who is the real leader of this team among the players. For example, who's the one to get in others' faces, to motivate them, to get in BB's face to say his stuff ain't working (or not...). If it's Boca, that's a shame and it says a lot that the players look up to a guy who appeared to relish a cheap shot that almost put the squad at risk. Timmy seems like the best leader, from my perspective, but could a GK really wear the band? Any insights are most welcome. If I've missed a 53-page thread somewheres, please set me straight.
I think that is part of the problem. A lot of the top players that should be leaders have played for some of the best coaches in the business. I am not sure they agree with Bob and may be overall disinterested themselves. When the game starts Howard and Boca are the most vocal. But, the team has looked disorganized for at least a year (if not longer), so the play shouldn't be a big surprise to anyone. Overall, I don't think we have much leadership from the manager or the players right now.
Well, maybe I've framed the question poorly, but what I'm really looking for is the player (or set of players) who sets a tone of professionalism, effort, and honor of playing on the nats squad. It might not be loud, or in someone's face, but persuasive, demonstrated leadership. I fear that right now, we have no real player leader on this team. MB might even be the best candidate, due to his spirit, but his dad's position would put a damper on that. Lando's clearly checked out. Dempsey's too much of a loner (I think...). Timmy's not a field player. Boca... eh... that card was not class. Everyone else seems too junior or new to the team to me. Except... Dolo. Not sure why he isn't playing the same role with the Nats he has with Hannover, but we'll probably never find out. At the end of the day, it seems the team feels like it's under attack from the press and its fans, and there's an insular culture built up. See Gooch's comments that others have cited, MB's where are the critics now, and Landon's response to the Panama game.
Donovan has to be the captain. I don't like that Bocanegra wears the armband and it should have been switched after 2010.
To be honest I think Boca or Tim would be the best captain and thats why Boca is the captan. I dont know why exactly but Donovan shouldnt be the captain, I just dont see him being a productive USMNT captain. In terms of vocals and really being loud on the pitch, Howard is without a doubt the loudest. When our D arent playing good,(often unfotuantely) he has no problem telling it to their face and giving them tips during the game. But yeah I certainly think theres a good reason for Bocanegra being our captain and everyone makes mistakes so you cant really fault him on one of his. Certaily one of our better defenders
Not to say that a keeper coudnt be a very good captain(since there are many good ones) but perhaps it is easier to have a captain that is actually on the field and moving around the other players? Thats really the only good reason a keeper couldnt be a captain and its not even a good reason haha.
I've always felt that captainship is pretty much unassailable from a fan's perspective. It's their locker room, not ours, it's their captain. Only they can possibly know what works for them, and who their leader is. And that's Boca, and what could I possibly know about it to call for a change?