While I certainly do agree that Bradley was/is very underrated, midfiled has always been one of our relative strengths and I'm not so sure where he would rank. A partial and incomplete list that comes to mind is Mathis, O'Brian, Ramos, Reyna, Harkes, Jones, Donovan, Dempsey. Does he start from that group? I'm not so sure.
To take it one step further, I will never hold it against ANY player that does not retire before their sell by date (from club OR country). If you get sick from eating some meat, or sushi etc that was sold after the sell by date, do you blame the meat or the store manager?
In a 3 man mid he prob makes in it, he had euro success, mls success, long career with big moments for USMNT, captain, etc. Jones should just on talent, it was short lived but dude was likely our best ever CM. I’ll take heat for that but dude was incredible. He had some meh moments for sure and wasn’t the same in his old age but on his day he was immense. Donovan and Dempsey would fall into the wing or striker space.
This is kind of funny and sad to think about in some ways. A lot of the '94 WC heroes went out in a hail storm of mutual recrimination and hate following '98, Reyna and McBride went out with a whimper, torn ACL on the one hand, humiliating Olympic disaster on the other (not McBride's fault, but still), Donovan was kicked in the cojones by Klinsy, then given a fake goodbye, Dempsey hit the post and then moved on to go fishing after heroically and somewhat insanely, playing after major heart issues, no reason we can't have Bradley's career end in a similarly obtuse or sad fashion as the rest. Otoh, if people are bound and determined to get a farewell in the way Donovan kind of did, you can always throw him on the '22 Cupcake roster so he can limp around for a half hour against Panama's C team. I have no issue with that, especially since it's a Winter World Cup instead of a summer one, so the necessity of getting the most of those roster spots isn't as critical as it might normally be, of course there will be more qualifiers to be played, so it might not be the best idea. I honestly don't care.
I wouldn't give Bradley or anyone a farewell half hour against Saint Pierre and Miquelon's D team. The national team is business. And if our dreams are realized, all of our players will someday be big splash farewell-worthy; the team would never get anything done because it would always have to accommodate clowns desperate for a sentimental send-off. Give Bradley a Dunkin Donuts gift card at halftime, shake his hand, and tell him to get back to his seat. That goes for everyone. My response is, of course, directed to the "bound and determined."
See, I actually would have zero issue with someone like Bradley or Dempsey or Jones receiving a token start and 20 min during a Camp Cupcake game as like a good-bye send off. It kind of sucks that Dempsey's last NT game was Couva, and while I stand by my opinion of late-career NT Bradley, doing sendoffs like that is a nice way to say thank you for a body of work and allow the fans a chance to say goodbye properly.
Sure. If Bradley doesn't mind not getting called; but being asked during every interview whether he will be, then more power to him. But I don't believe it always the player's choice. I think managers have the conversation with the player and they give them the chance to retire.
National teams already have too few opportunities to develop, why waste an opportunity to trot out somebody for a standing ovation? As the previous poster said, give him a plaque at halftime or something. Nobody cares to see anyone on the field playing. What does that matter, versus getting a chance at halftime for some applause? You're basically wasting a 90 minute match, of which you have how many, maybe 10, a year? No thx. Focus on improving the team in the few chances available. The old guys can get a video, a handshake, a trophy, whatever they want, at halftime.
Theoretically fine, but Bradley, and for that matter, Altidore, can't have a nice goodbye because too many fans hate them. There's no point. At best it will be a mixture of boos and cheers. I can't blame Bradley for not retiring; he gets bashed for not quitting and yet not being enough of a competitor. But this is why other sports have functioning hall of fames -- give time and space and a day for just the fans of the player to recognize.
Jozy is a weird one who some actually hate. People just don't want Bradley in the NT anymore. That is why I think if he formally retired, his "approval rating" would skyrocket. Right now he is a symbol of failure, nepotism, and MLS favoritism. If he is retired, he is just a former great player still fighting the fight in MLS.
I also don't want to see a hierarchy of former players formed. "Joe got the send-off, but John didn't." We don't need that.
I'm actually curious now, have we ever done that sort of testimonial match for anyone other than Donovan? I mean a USMNT friendly where the main draw is that a player is officially retiring and this will be his last appearance?
I feel like Mathis got one? I have vague memories of him getting like a framed jersey or something when he was subbed out?
See I think it would be comedy gold to have like Gyasi Zardes piss and moan that Altidore got a testimonial.
Not from 2008... But Berhalter was Bradley Sr.'s disciple. Whether true or not, the perception is there and is fueled by the Jay Berhalter hiring his brother and such. If you don't see any of that as fueling some of the Bradley hate, then you are hopeless just like me.
I feel like if it were announced as a testimonial, or made clear that it was, there'd be very little chance of negativity. I think people would be able to separate frustrations from respect and give guys a proper send off. I'm not sure about Jozy, really, but Dempsey should have had one and Bradley should probably have one. It's a nice tradition to start.
Especially since we have a non-FIFA camp every year that would be a perfect place to do it. I wonder if it was offered to Dempsey and he didn't care. Howard got a little ceremony during the USWNT send off game at Red Bull Arena. So, someone thinks of these things. If we are worried about people feeling left out, set some arbitrary limit, like 100 caps.
It’s difficult enough to get international squads together these days then to complicate with a send off. “ What’s your goal during these friendlies coach?” “Well, I’ve got a couple retirees I gotta play and then we’ll see what happens from there.”
There is one thing I care about with the US team, and it's succeeding in the World Cup. Getting to the quarters, semis, final, eventually winning it. All of those things. Anything that doesn't help with that, I simply don't care about. I don't care about the history of the program, I don't care about the caps record or goal scoring record, I don't care about the former players. I care about succeeding at the World Cup. Wasting a match to celebrate some old guy doesn't help in that quest, and therefore, I think it's useless. Some might disagree I realize (good for morale, good for the fans, whatever), but I could not care any less.
Of course, but any Camp Cupcake game going forward is not going to mean much. Never has really. If Bradley had subbed in against T&T as the 6th sub in the 87', that would have put the program back? Even if he started and subbed out at 20', hard to believe that sets the program back. I do think continuity in the program is important. I don't think they need past it players on the pitch, but watching these players be celebrated has to be motivating and inspiring. Nobody wins more World Cups lately than the USWNT. They have done this numerous times in the past 20 years.