http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=653300&sec=us&cc=5901 'Bradley concerned at club inactivity of U.S. players' Article Bob is off by an order of magnitude! If it happens for 3 or 4 weeks, that is one thing, when it happens month after month, then THAT is trouble. Year after FRICKIN YEAR?!?!? WHAT?!?! Except for the exceptions of Altidore and Freddy, who add a lot when they get on the field, NO other player should be called in if they are not playing!!! This is a NATIONAL TEAM, not a club team. Bob, you get to select from a pool of eligible players from all over the world! And you SHOULD be picking the players that are not only playing, but playing WELL!!! What is Bob's confusion about this??? Beasley's mindset is such that he's happy to sit the bench. No drive. No fire. No quality. No games. Then NO USMNT!!! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!! You have it backwards Bob!!! If they haven't been playing, you don't call them in! It might be tough a tough decision ... you might 'hurt their little feelings' ... right, Bob??? These are professional players -- they can take it! So ... EXACTLY WHY is Bradley bringing in players into the national team when they haven't been playing???? Faith in a player? The clubs are supposed to provide the opportunity for a player to shine so that he is selected for the honor of playing for his country. Bob should have faith in the YOUNGER players that HAVE been showing the quality on the field -- like Rogers, Torres, Spector, Bornstein, Davies ... and give them legitimate chances and playing time in meaningful games! Here's an idea Bob ... "Spend" your faith on the up-and-coming players, NOT the old, aging has-been -- hoping against all odds that he will become revitalized and play like they did 7 years ago! It doesn't mean that you always have to call someone in if you called them in once, but the door should be revolving much more than it does now! And neither should the players decide how long they "get" to keep coming in to camp. There are too many players playing abroad and in MLS that have EARNED and DESERVE a roster spot by virtue of their CURRENT FORM. To keep bringing in players that are not in form and not adding value is a slap in the face to all the other potential players. Yeah, right ... The release of the Confederations Cup roster indicates otherwise. Same 'ol, same 'ol. No new ideas. No guts. Just floating down the river... The more I hear from Bob, the more he confirms that he is NOT the man for the job. He thinks he's coaching a club team -- not the National Team. And THIS selection, I blame on Gulati. Bad move -- but it still can be fixed...
Sunil should be fired for making such a bad hire. Why does Sunil get a free pass on BS? What value has he added during his tenure? Where is the technical director?
Bob doesn't make Sunil look like a fool, he does that happily himself. This is why I will always say that the main problem with US Soccer isn't Bob Bradley. It goes well above and beyond him, and Sunil is just one example.
How can we take back US soccer from the clutches of the USSF?????? I am beyond exasperated. We need a coup.
If everyone who sits on their rear and comes here and complains actually got out there in the world and started making a difference while sharing the passion from grass roots level on up, things would change. If the people held a revolution, we could turn US Soccer into a powerhouse in a generation. The problem is, most of the people who have the passion, know the game, know how it is meant to be played, and could start grooming the next generations right, they prefer to sit around and bitch about it. If we took the power out of US Soccers hands and raised a generation of players right, US Soccer would be forced to adapt. People look at that and see it as work, so instead they want to hire and fire managers and the people above them, figuring eventually we will get it right and things will change for the better. Sadly, life doesn't work that way. Unless people take the problem into their own hands and try to make a difference, they are part of the problem.
That's all well and good but I'm talking about the power structure of the USSF. Are there elections? Are these people kept in power until they decide to retire and/or abdicate the throne?
When does Sunil's term as USSF president expire? March 2012? I know he worked at the World Bank, but does he also have a soccer background?
I heard he played soccer in Nebraska from age 5 to 9. Rumor is he scored three goals in one game against a cross town rival, before switching his focus to his true passion, the piano.
Quality stuff. US Soccer is an old boys network. I guess we should be pleased that they laugh in the face of FIFA at every turn, who wouldn't, but US Soccer is an entity unto itself that lives in its own little bubble. Without massive financial backing and years of political butt kissing, it's almost impossible to get a foothold in the organization to the point where you could affect change.
Here is what US Soccer has to say about Sunil... With nearly 30 years of experience at all levels of soccer in the United States, Sunil Gulati has helped the sport rise to new heights across four decades of hands on involvement. Elected as U.S. Soccer's President in Las Vegas on March 11, 2006, Gulati currently serves as the President of Kraft Soccer Properties, taking the position after serving as Major League Soccer's Deputy Commissioner from its launch until 1999 and teaches in the economics department at Columbia University The native of Allahabad, India, has played a role in the development of U.S. Soccer since the early 1980's and has been intimately involved in the rise of the U.S. National Teams to prominence. He served as U.S. Soccer’s Executive Vice President from 2000 to 2006 before stepping into his role as President. He has served in numerous other positions for U.S. Soccer, including Managing Director of National Teams, Chairman of the International Games Committee and Chairman of the Technical Committee. He was also the original Managing Director of U.S. Soccer's Project 2010 and served as Chairman of both U.S. Cup '92 and U.S. Cup '93, two events that helped showcase U.S. Soccer’s rise and prepare the federation for the upcoming 1994 FIFA World Cup. At the highly successful FIFA World Cup USA 1994, Gulati served as Executive Vice President and Chief International Officer, helping to guide the sport to heights never before seen in the United States. Gulati was also on the original U.S. World Cup bid committee from 1986 to 1988 that helped bring the event to the United States for the first time. The 1994 World Cup was a spring board to a prominent presence on the international soccer scene for Gulati in representing the United States. He currently represents U.S. Soccer on the CONCACAF National Team Competitions Committee and serves on the FIFA World Club Championship Committee, as well as the FIFA Task Force for Clubs. Additionally, Gulati served on the Board of Directors of FIFA Women's World Cup USA 1999 and 2003 and is currently a member of the Board for the U.S. Soccer Foundation and National Soccer Hall of Fame. Gulati graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bucknell University and earned his M.A. and M. Phil. in Economics at Columbia University. He served on the Columbia Economics Faculty from 1986 to1990 before joining the World Bank through its Young Professionals Program in 1991 and serving as country economist for the emerging country of Moldova. The board has such luminaries as Don Garber and Donna Shalala on it. They have a meeting every year. (Plus monthly teleconferences) The board is elected by other US Soccer officials. Here is a copy of the minutes of their last "meeting"... http://69.16.133.83/v7c5x3f7/cds/Do...00652&dopsig=4ca91521d0dd669d142073c9b1c1af58 I'm sure looking at what was discussed, you will feel safe in the hands of these people.
For one second I thought i was on the Mexican NT boards, since it seems that you guys are reacting as if we were in the next to last post in the hex. Oh wait, this IS "BS" after all.
Have you seen us play lately? We look horrible. Blown off the pitch against CR, and struggle mightily at home to Honduras before being saved by a Boca header. I am sure you can find plenty of threads in here that don't focus on reality.
I have a reputation? What the hell does that mean? Should I have read the directions before joining this place? I think a good point was made about us not being at the bottom of the HEX or being Mexico. People act as if a better manager would turn water into wine. What did Mexico do? They went out and hired a name, a club and international manager, and fell on their face. The people who long for Klinnsman or a name should look around before coming out with this stuff.
Back up there a little Bucky ... ... I grew up in Brasil and played at Clemson many years ago. More recently I was the Attacking Midfielder and Captain of my company team in Switzerland, which had mainly players in their mid-to-late 20s to early 30s from Spain, Holland, England, Switzerland, Germany, and mostly other European nations. Even though I was 15 to 20 years older than my teammates on the company team, (modesty aside -- pardon) I was high scorer and assist provider on the team, so I have learned to appreciate both the Brasilian and European flavor of the game - especially attacking. I learned the game by being a fan and playing and it has worked for me. I've seen a lot of soccer, scored some goals, and enjoy the game passionately. I learned the importance of touch and fundamentals early and that tactics and winning championships shouldn't be emphasized at all until the 12-year-old level. Until that time the players need to foster their creativity, hone their technical skills, develop anticipation and vision, and develop the passion for the game. I coached my daughters' teams when they were growing up, and when we moved back from Europe a few years back and they were grown, I became a volunteer coach for a non-profit organization (not all the players can afford to pay a coach like they do at some clubs.) This time I wanted to coach boys because that's the future of the sport in the US. We have tryouts for my U19 Boys Select team beginning tomorrow (just moving up from a good U17 season) and we'll start the cycle all over again. No doubt like many others, I put in hundreds of hours of my own time each year and try to do what needs to be done. It's just my way of giving back to the game that has given me so much joy. So ... there are some good people out there with a lot of experience that ARE giving back and contributing to the improvement of the game. I'm just one of many. My emphasis is, and always has been, to develop the player, and as the players improve, so will the team. An extra win here or there means nothing to me as long as the players and team are evolving. There are so many things that you have to consider when you evaluate the players, build the team, and manage the games. You don't get it all in books. It's never perfect, but you learn and improve as you go along ... and try to come up with the best system. I've learned a lot in the process, but still have a lot to learn. And that is my basis for being critical about Bradley - or anyone else. I have learned what it takes as a player and coach to succeed and what gives the biggest bang for the buck in a short time frame. I know the hard work that needs to be done by the coaching staff and the players. I know how being an objective fan helps the whole process so that the end product is better. And there's no way you can fix the entire system at once - nor should you even try. You improve the system one team at a time. And you should do it BEST with the highest profile team -- the USMNT -- and be the example to show everyone how it should be done. The problem is, there are SO MANY mistakes being made ... SO MANY bad decisions regarding fundamentals, alignments, shape, patience, personnel (including massive demotivation to players by using a non-performance-based selection system), that if coaches use this model to build their own teams, it will be a true disaster and it will take years to undo that damage! So, right or wrong, I believe that I've put in the time to earn the privilege to rant about Bob's shortcomings. (Actually, everyone has just by being a fan -- no credentials required.) Unfortunately, right now there is way too much wrong, so I'm more vocal right now. I call it like I see it and I try to be objective. And believe me, I will rant when I feel it is warranted ... as I have in the past. The problem here is the way the USMNT is being managed, plain and simple -- and it needs to be fixed immediately. Sunil hired him, but BOB is the problem. So, please ... go gently with your comments ... some of us out there ARE trying to make a difference at the grassroots level. Are YOU doing the same?
In every way I can, yes. From coaching to getting friends who loved the game to do the same, to running my own world football site and a new MLS and World Football Podcast, I am trying to preach the good word. Thank you for your service, if more people were like you the game would be better off. For every person like you or a few friends I have who coach, there are countless soccer moms and dads who are coaching out of Soccer Coaching for Dummies, who have no concept of the game or how it should really be played. Even if I accpeted that Bob was a problem, which I don't, to discount every other issue including people like Sunil and Garber seems rather unrealistic.
You're welcome to your opinion, like we all are -- and maybe Sunil and Garber are part of the problem, but the MAIN problem right now is the guy who actually is making poor game and team-related decisions and putting a flawed product on the field. That is where the rubber hits the road and that is where the accountability is -- plain and simple. You don't see Bob as a problem, but it's quite obvious if you look objectively. If you look at the Costa Rica game -- just the goals conceded -- the one glaring issue is that on ALL three goals, we had no shape and someone overcommitted in trying to win the ball and caused the defense to break down. First it was Mastro diving in and missing when all he had to do was contain because there was plenty of cover around him to cause the attacker to have to retreat. The second goal was because, for some reason, Gooch was way over at the sideline -- overcommitting again (at the sideline? why was he over there when there were two other players defending?!) -- it again totally unbalanced the defense and we got beaten for a really easy goal. The third goal was Michael overcommiting, getting beaten quite easily when the attacker just rounded him, and then giving up on the play. So, if we have three separate incidents when different players are diving in, overcommitting and getting beaten for goals, I have to conclude that somewhere, someone is emphasizing "going hard and winning the ball" at all costs and that leaves us vulnerable. And that points to Bob. The odds that three intelligent players would make the same mistake on three separate occasions in the same game without those kind of instructions just doesn't add up. It doesn't make sense. The answer to that issue is intelligence, shape, cover, and patience ... To muddy the water and introduce every possible issue in order to deflect criticism from the real problem is not objective at all. You must take each problem, analyze it individually and objectively on its own merits -- in this case, the team play -- and you determine where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there. Sometimes you have to think outside the box to determine a creative approach to be successful. It might not be easy, but you take that one variable and you dissect it -- independent of the rest of the infrastructure because, at the end of the day, we're really talking about ONE TEAM ... not the whole of US Soccer. Once you resolve the most critical issue, you move on to the next. And continue ... one bite at a time ...
I think I agree with you in all things except that Bob is not a problem. Clearly he is not the biggest problem, if there weren't bigger problems he never would have been hired. But how can the fact that we have at best a 5th or so tier coach NOT be a problem? There are so many level of play above the MLS and to get a guy who wasn't even a head and shoulders standout in MLS as our national team coach really is a travesty of the "good old boy" system we have in the USSF. How is this not a problem? Not that Bob isn't a decent coach for the MLS, or the college ranks, but what do you think is his ceiling in terms of getting hired overseas? Even pretending he wasn't an american, what level would he be coaching? B2? League One? I'm not sure I'd even go that high. And he's our Nats coach. I think this is a problem, maybe not the biggest one, but a problem nonetheless.
I disagree. You can't sugar-coat the fact that the team is playing some really poor soccer tactically and that the manager's limitations seem enormous. We will lose in Azteca and possibly in Honduras too. We should beat CR @ home but don't be surprised if we draw or even stumble. ES @ home and T&T on the road should be wins. 16-19 points out of a possible 30 in this group really is a huge underachievement. We would get smoked if we had to qualify out of Europe or South America the way we're playing and being managed right now. The point? We are on pace to qualify unimpressively and go three & out next summer when we will have to face better managed teams. We are probably inferior to them in talent- We HAVE TO make up for the discrepancy with sound tactics and good managing. Bob is not capable of that.
I'll agree that the USSF is guilty of inbreeding and that they royaly f*cked up the hiring of a manager this cycle. However, Bradley WAS a "head & shoulders" standout in MLS. He has more wins than any MLS coach in the history of the league and a pretty decent trophy case. In his first MLS head coaching job he managed the EXPANSION Fire and lead them to the US Open Cup and MLS Cup. He also completely turned around a terrible Chivas squad in 06. He was an assistant to Bruce Arena (arguably the best american soccer coach in history) countless times. For these reasons it probably made sense for the USSF to hire him because they needed a coach to quickly turn around a team that was in a rebuilding stage. In addition, they were probably comfortable with him knowing that he had worked with Arena, but would bring a fresher take to the roster and the overall game. Would I have hired him? No. Yes, he's an MLS coach and a product of the USSF and all the baggage that comes with that when you compare internationally. However, the fact remains he was a pretty good MLS coach.