Bob gambled alot. Not sure they worked. My take is that he burnished his reputation as a world class man manager, but as a tactician, he's a world class man manager. The Benny sub worked.
Bob Bradley is a f-ing legend Seriously, he made all the right moves. And you want to talk about heart??? He has to get some credit for the team chemestry and incredible fight that this team has.
Bob is a hero. I wasn't sure about Benny coming on since Edu looked to be having a decent game. But Feilhaber was great, he's one of those players whose international form is much better than his club form. Benny actually looked like he was a class above the Algerian midfield. Gomez was decent, I dont think Buddle had the same impact, he looked a bit lost but you can see why he threw him on. When you look at how Algeria played against England, to how they played today, Bob got the tactics on the money. I don't know how he could face criticism after this game.
I normally pan Bradley's tactics and especially his substitutions, but today I gotta say he was mostly spot on. Edu starting was the right choice, and sitting Gooch took balls. I would have preferred Spector over Bornstein, but whatever. The subs were reasonable, and most importantly, not late as usual. We won in a must-win against a team that held England to a scoreless tie and only lost to Slovenia on a fluke. Overall, well done!
Let's not go Big Soccer on this one. Bob has delivered the best World Cup group result in the modern era for us. So in the end we have to say that Bob actually gets an A+ for his tenure (1 Gold Cup win, 1 Gold Cup 2nd with scrubs, Confed Cup 2nd, Qualifying 1st, WCG stage 1st). He exceeded expectations on the Confed Cup and World Cup Group stage for sure. This game I'd give him a B-. I think he had Buddle and Hercules playing the wrong roles and I'm not sure that his starting line up changes worked. Feilhaber played pretty good today and was a decent move to make things more offensive. I hate the fact that late in a game needing a goal the best move Bob could make was DMB on for Bornstein. I'm not sure that move worked at all either. What did work was the fitness of the US players...while they were definitely running out of legs towards the end somehow Altirore (remember when he would be gassed at 60 minutes? Donovan, Cherundolo, and Dempsey were still going...Bradley was going to but mostly offensively and being lazy getting back on defense).
Bob did awesome...screw the Bradley haters. He sits Gooch and plays frickin' Bornstein and Bornstein shows up and plays ok. He does the best he can with a lousy defense. You can't blame the coach for poor finishing/refereeing like we had.
Actually, this was a tremendous sub. For two reasons. First, Edu was incredibly inconsistent I thought. Great on the ball and taking up space sometimes, and then completely lazy at other times. In one sequence in the first half, he did the ole on his mark, and then stood there and watched the guy run at the defense. The sequence led to a shot for ALG. Second, we needed ball control on the attack. Edu wasn't going to provide that.
Frankly, even if we HADN'T won this game, it is indisputable Bob pulled all the right stings here. Every sub was telling. It was a win we deserved, and he helped orchestrate it.
Yes, this. Every US soccer fan needs to understand this. We have never accomplished as much over a cycle. The Bradley hating, irrational as it once was, has nothing to stand on now. But on the DMB sub, given that Feilhaber, Gomez, and Buddle where already used, and Findley was out, who else was there? DMB isn't great, but he was our best option at that point.
The substitutions were: Benny for Hercules (pushing clint up) Buddle for Edu (pulling clint back) Beasley for Bornstein
Right...in the excitement of the moment I couldn't keep it straight!! But I do think Edu was inconsistent.
I think he had some options...one interesting one would have been to bring Holden on at some point for better service. Another would have been to have Hercules available to come in at the end if we needed a goal. Findley being suspended did tie his hands some, but this game was never cut out for him anyway (very little transition, mostly attacking a set defense). I thought this game was crying out for a target forward at times and better wing service. Feilhaber really addressed some of the issues lacking in the first half though that move worked.
Buddle should've started. That's my only complaint and will continue to be if he doesn't start next game.
For trhe second game in a row, Bob was ballsy and made subs that worked. He has built a team that beleives in itself AND NEVER, EVER QUITS. You think France or England wish they had heart like this? Managing men is the most under rated aspect of soccer, where we tend to get lost in tactics. In my opinion, Bob has now eclipsed Bruce as the best Nats coach in our history. The win against Spain, our first FIFA final last year and now winning our group for the first time - he's the man. Whatever we do next game, he;s our best
I thought the RunDMB sub was brilliant. A player who can get up pitch and threaten, but who also has experience at LB to track back on the counter.
Solid A effort for Bob, well done and nice gambles man! Keep up the excellent tactical work and let's get to the semis!!
I thought about this as well, but it wasn't the service into the box that was lacking, it was the final touch. Holden wouldn't have helped as much. As for the Beasley sub, here's my take: You've got a player who's been there and knows what to do, both offensively and defensively. He's not likely to commit a stupid foul and he knows how to get free. And if the ref didn't whistle for a dubious handball, there was a goal right there for the taking.
I saw once that the US had a numerical advantage against Algeria in attack and they got a goal. Other than that Algeria was often sitting back, playing slow, getting people back. I mean if you consider run and gun Jose Altidore running alone against 3 players while we have 1 player who is 1v1 out wide hoping he'll pass then I guess you are right. And while we were not getting numerical advantages...we had Dempsey, Bradley, Donovan, Altidore, and Buddle ALL often not going back on defense. Now if you meant Algeria were getting to run against the US in transition sure...but the US was having 5 players not go back on defense and still when they got the ball not having any sort 3 on 3 or 2 on 2 or anything.
Through the 4 year cycle, BOB tried a lot of combinations and ran out a lot of players. He found out their strengths and weaknesses. He has made the most out of the hand the country has given him. Bravo!
My grades for Bob this game: Starting Bornstein: 7 - Gutsy call. It worked out on the defensive end, though Bornstein bogged down our attack in a game where we needed goals. Starting Edu: 9 - Many have been calling for this, and the Bradley/Edu pairing looks to be a keeper. Starting Gomez instead of Buddle: 3 - I disagree with this one. Buddle hadn't played yet this Cup, and it obviously took him a bit to get used to the level of play. I would have liked to have seen Buddle for 60 minutes. Would have been better off starting Buddle and keeping Gomez in your back pocket because you know Herc can operate well in the super sub role and quickly adjust to the flow of the game. Feilhaber on/Taking Edu off (not at same time, I know): 7 - Good sub within the flow of the game, needing to push the offense. Surprising not to see Holden at all, though. Beasley on a the end: 5 - OK move, but would have preferred to bring on Holden and go with three-man backline of Boca, Demerit, and Dolo. Team mental preparedness/intangibles: 10 - What a team! All in all, Bob pulled most of the correct strings today, and has done a heck of a job instilling a fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude to this team. On to the knockout stage!