I was hoping to see Buddle today. We went into this game with zero goals from our forwards. In the pre-cup friendlies, Buddle was a scoring machine. As well as Edu had been playing, I was pretty surprised to see Ricardo Clark start. I confess up front that I have never been a bit Clark fan. Despite my above noted disagreement with today's choices, I think your post really hits the nail on the head. He has achieved a tremendous amount with a player pool whose talent level per individual is nowhere near that of top tier teams. Personally, I hope he regroups, recommits and starts gearing up for the USMNT's 2014 run.
I was never a fire Bradley guy but it's time for him to go. His lineups were dreadful. You need to play a possession game and you put Clark in there who has been in disastrous form. what did Bradley have against Stuart Holden? Findley shouldn't have even made the squad and Bradley starts him.
Well I've heard rumors that Demerit's agent was getting calls from Premier league teams. I myself am not so sure about that one, but we'll see. Either way, a team is not going to just drop their captain. They couldn't afford him. They are so desperate that Elton John did a charity concert and raised around $700,000 (I'm pretty sure it was dollars and not pounds). We'll see where he goes. Why is Bradley critized for losing to a superior team? Because we could've won.
I agree that Jozy looked really slow and off pace today. So the question is why did Bradley leave him in until overtime? Why not put Buddle or Gomez in earlier in regular time and try to win the match? Jozy had numerous opportunities today and he just muffed every single one. He looked slow and lazy. If he was sick and hid it then he is stupid and let his team and country down as well. I dont think he was sick...I just think he played very badly.
Hmmm, off the top of my head, FIFA has USA ranked 14 or 15. Ghana is in the low thirties, right? That's enough reason right there to hand Bradley's walking papers to him. O.K., FIFA rankings are sh!t. Even so, the United States should not be losing to Ghana, period. We are better than this.
Until you see its not a coaching problem and a grass roots problem then USA will never get past the QFs at a world cup. Jose Mourinhio could have been your manager tonight and you still would have lost. Bradley cant stop two bad goals from a defensivley and goalkeeping point of view. He also cant make bad strikers into good ones. Bradley was let down by the players badly tonight, Bradley and Donovan aside nobody did their country justice tonight.
Rankings mean nothing, compare where the players on both sides play. There lies your answer, Ghanas players a simply better.
I was thinking the same thing about Buddle, and I'm not, have not and cannot see myself ever being a Ricardo Clark fan. Honestly, I think he was a poor pick from the get. I was really, really hoping to see our second half line-up actually start today's match . . . especially after the Algeria game experience. I'll admit that I think Demerit and Howard could've done more to prevent the first goal by Ghana, but I was angry when Clark gave up the ball before knowing it would result in a goal. Honestly the guy is lucky he made the jump to Germany when he did, he better make the most out of it before he returns to MLS. Well, I'm not cheering for anyone else but the USNT, I just hope to see some exciting soccer the rest of the WC. I can't wait to see what players and combos we try for our next World Cup qualifying. Here we come Brazil!!!!!
I agree, it is not a national team coach's job to devolop players. It is his job to pick them and I feel he did very poorly. I have no idea what Findley did to deserve a start let alone a spot in the initial 30 man roster. Could Bradley have stopped the first goal? Yes, the goalkeeping was very poor, but if he starts the in form Edu, does that situation arise?
Findley kept starting, that is the only thing I can fault Bradley on. Findley has scored 2 goals in 2010, Buddle and Gomez have 23 combined.* I think we know now that Findley's speed doesn't make up for Davies at all, more bluntly speed isn't a substitute for talent. And yes, Jozy has only scored for the Nats this year and none for club. But Jozy brought way more to the table than Findley. *I've combined Nats and all league goals. Also credited Findley with a US Open Cup goal.
John Pantsil, plays for a mid tier EPL team, nobody in the USA defense can say that Name the US players that would get in that Ghana team. Bradley, Donovan, Cherundolo and Howard. Thats it.
Come on, I've been in Kenya. I know what the conditions are in East Africa, at least. Did the majority of Ghana players even grow up with indoor plumbing? We were playing a third world country and we totally failed today. The United States should not be losing to countries like Ghana, period.
Just having better players doesn't mean you don't have the better team. I think someone from England would understand this. USA has a better TEAM than Ghana. USA plays above its individual talent level. In this game, today, USA should have won, if we weren't handicapped by two first half players shouldn't have been playing all along, we win. No questions about it.
Unlike England though Ghana played as a TEAM, so no the USA doesnt have a better team than Ghana. Theyve proved it twice in the last two world cups.
Dempsey plays for a mid tier EPL team too. I'd bring up Gooch but we've already discussed him and being on the books but not playing for a super club doesn't mean anything. Stuart Holden plays for a mid tier EPL team and he didn't even play (back to our last discussion) Jonathon Spector plays in the EPL. Gyan plays for Rennes (sound familiar? Bocanegra) Feilhaber plays in Denmark (I don't know anything about that league but I guarantee it's as good as if not better than Egypt (Ayew)) For me, it's not the players, it's Bob.
we are tactically naive and we have not progessed in this way under Bob Bradley. It was a poor decision to start Clark after Edu proved to be clearly the best D-midfielder. When you play with no width, you suffer the consequences. We attack 1v1 towards the help players of the other team. We don't pressue the ball ANYWHERE. We don't run off the ball and I could go on. This is coaching and Bob is not good at it. Bob is not responsible for our late game success, our French coach was. The French coach's title is physical fitness and mental fitness therefore he deserves the credit not Bob.
In 2010 they do. If Bob doesn't have to correct his starting lineup mistakes by halftime, we win that game because we are better. Simple really.
Not as good as Ayew or Asamoah unfortunately Hasnt played a minute has he? Comapre him with Mensah and their CVs arent in the same league Squad player at best, Matt Taylor starts ahead of the lad. For a team nearly relegated Id be amazed if he was there after the WC Ayew is 20 years old, Feihaber is 25. He couldnt start on the worst team in EPL history.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!! AGREE! so sick right now and so furious at Bradley's mistakes....what a downer ending. How can you bench Edu after he played the best game of his career for the US vs Algeria. How can you start a forward who created nothing in two games and when absent your team won without him. (Findley) How can you take out one of your best players Jozy out when he has been challenging the oppositions def all game. Finally, why leave a big body like Buddle on the bench. BRADLEY thanks for getting us there and for choking us out of the last game....time for you go coach FC DALLAS!