Wouldent you say, his father, the coach from 2006-2011 was not only his biggest supporter but also now his biggest downfall. At 31, Bradley moves very old and slow. Did we really need to have Bradley fly across the world for some of those meaningless games years ago? I say if we had a more even approach with Bradley and garber did not throw a big fat salary at his feet to piss of Klinsmann, we get Pre-2016 Bradley from 2017 (we are in the world cup) and he helps us to 2020 and then retires. Now he is lucky if he ever gets more than 15 minutes in a US game from here on out.
I was actually doing you and your SUM crew a favor. If I just said Bradley got a big- salary because of his family relationship with Garber it would be even more pathetic. BTW, whats the name of Don Garber's dog?
If I had photoshop skills I'd have WTF90 crawling out from the shedded husk of MB90, with Garber in the background like this:
Michael Bradley's biggest asset at his peak was his work rate. He was a tireless runner who covered a ton of ground. When your big strength is your ability to run and your legs stat to go.... well...
Just caps 3-59. Bradley - 57 caps in 4.5 years Klinsmann - 67 caps in 5.5 years Arena - 14 caps in a 1.0 year 4 more caps in 2006 & 2018 The only time Bradley wasnt an auto starter for 2007 through 2017 was the second half of 2011???
Right; 85 or the 142 came other under managers. Blaming Bob for Klinsmann and Arena calling him in to every single camp for 7 years is a bit much.
Yep, they are all to blame and Bob had nothing to do with his 82 caps after the 2011 GC. Klinsmann did make him win the spot and it was tougher argument from 2012 to mid 2017 that there were better options than in 2007 and 2008. I think it was unfortunate that Bob was coach when Michael was still young and going all in on his potential. Many coaches would have made the same decision, same as I hope our next coach relies on Adams and Mckennie unless some huge prospect forces a different decision.
Not necessarily surprising that an aging athlete thinks they've still got it (and apparently are still improving) but I have huge doubts.... “I love to play. I love to train. The way I carry myself, the way I live my life, my best years are still in front of me." https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/la-sp-us-soccer-20190108-story.html
No. Most of us are fully congnizant that our best years are not ahead of us. Michael owns his self-delusions.
I probably could have been clearer there. I didn't mean that we all feel our best years are ahead of us - I don't - but that we are all self-delusional (in some way). I remembered (but didn't bother to find) a promotional blurb some years ago for The Iceman Cometh, with a tag line that has stayed with me. Here it is: "Quotidian Theatre Company opens its 16th season with this rarely performed masterpiece by Nobel laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winner Eugene O'Neill. In a shabby New York hotel saloon in 1912, the down-and-out await their salvation. Hickey, the charismatic salesman, is due for a visit, and he usually provides good cheer, dirty jokes and free drinks for all. When Hickey arrives this time, however, he's a changed man, and he brings with him a sobering truth that his old friends don't want to hear. O'Neill's ambitious ensemble piece wrestles with the necessity of pipe dreams -- the lies we tell ourselves to make it through each day. The New York Times calls it a "tough, loquacious, magnificent play."
Is he just saying these things because saying the opposite (even if it is the truth) would be a huge news story? "Bradley admits to drop in skill!" Maybe it is just dumb for the media person to even ask the question. Of course, he is out of his prime at the least. Only during the steroid era in baseball did pro athletes change the bell curve of athletic performance. If Bradley actually could come to grips with his current place and future role, he might be of help. The fact he has been called in again probably means he has and Stewart and GB and Bradley are all on the same page. If Adams isn't ready or more valuable elsewhere, and Canouse can't make the pass, and Trapp can't defend as well, then it will be Bradley for a time. Or we play a system without that kind of #6.
I read GB comments as respectful but not really guaranteeing anything to MB or acknowledging anything about his play. It will be telling if MB is captain and starts for this squad. If I was GB, I'd rip the bandaid off now and have a frank conversation with MB now about his role.
I'd have to think that conversation was had already. I think Stewart had it with him in October. Bradley was on the bench for the Peru game. I don't think the USMNT needs Bradley. If he has a role going forward will depend on how he contributes to the team culture almost more than if he is a marginally better midfielder than others. One thing I notice is that when USSF tweets out photos of guys having fun, Bradley is never in the picture. You only see him during pictures where the coach is explaining something.
But isn't that standard operating procedure for athletes in general as they age? Even in daily life, age creeps up on us and we often don't notice the effects until after they have been around for some time. Perfect example: my eyesight isn't what it used to be. I didn't really notice at first. I still don't really notice my loss in distance eyesight too much but am at least aware of it. My nearsightedness, however, wasn't really noticed too much until my arms became too short. I would move objects or reading material slightly out to better focus without really noticing that I was compensating for a loss of something that is so common and necessary for daily life. My point: Michael Bradley is past, maybe far past his best years. The fact that he may not recognize this is not something that he should be criticized for any more than every other athlete that has shared his affliction in the past. It is simply the job of the manager to recognize the situation and play the best player. I believe that he isn't the best player at this time but that isn't Bradley's decision. It is now Berhalter's.
I think for some you are correct, others prefer to hand it up when they cannot play at their customary level.