Bob Bradley Out As US Men's National Team Coach
by Aaron Campeau on Jul 28, 2011 12:18 PM PDT
in US National Team, World Cup and Other International Soccer
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PrintThe US Soccer Federation has just announced that Bob Bradley's tenure as coach of the Men's National Team has ended. To say that this comes as a bit of a surprise would be quite an understatement; though there was a great deal of speculation in the days after the USMNT's loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final that the game might cost Bradley his job, such an announcement would be expected to come within a few days (at most) of the game.
The suddenness of Bradley's firing is beginning to lead to some speculation that the USSF has already selected and agreed to terms with their next coach, and it's difficult to find fault with that logic. To go a step further, for Bradley to be relieved of his duties with such little warning, well after the beginning of the World Cup cycle and an embarrassing loss to the USMNT's greatest rivals, it seems fair to conclude that something fairly major changed within the last few days. Could it be that the USSF has convinced a high-profile candidate to take the position? It's clearly all speculation at this point, but if I had a guess, that would be the one I'd make.
There's certainly going to be more news coming on this, but for now we're left to take a look back at Bradley's time in charge. Opinions of Bradley vary widely, but most agree that he did a respectable job as coach; it's typically a matter of whether or not one believes he's taken the team as far as he can. It will be interesting to see what's next, both for the USMNT and for Bradley. For all his faults, Bob Bradley is one of the better soccer coaches this country has ever produced and I for one wish him all the best in whatever comes next.
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Think Bob likes Montreal?
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
I wish him well on his next venture
But as a USMNT fan I am happy to see him gone.
I miss *REAL* Four Loko
by B-Lot tailgater on Jul 28, 2011 12:21 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
100% agree with you
Although part of me still feels like he’s got a somewhat weak pool of players to work with.
by chrisperry1983 on Jul 28, 2011 12:26 PM PDT up reply actions
This is where I'm at.
I don’t think Bradley did an especially poor job all things considered, but I don’t think the team was going any further with him in place.
by Aaron Campeau on Jul 28, 2011 12:36 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree wholeheartedly with this piece
I’m going to reserve my judgment on the USSF until Friday, but I wish Bob Bradley the best and thank him for his service. He never got the credit he deserved IMO.
by Kenneth Jung on Jul 28, 2011 12:22 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
I’m not really sure why he was rehired then to be honest. If a Gold Cup final loss to a very good Mexico team was enough to get him booted, why did they give him a long contract? I’m going to hope we get someone new and exciting, but this makes me feel like Bradley is being poorly treated here. All that being said, I wish we hadn’t resigned him in the first place, so I guess this works out. But yeah, he did a fine job and it would have made everyone look better if the whole damn thing had been done when his contract expired.
Boo! Tomorrow AM. I want all things now!
pure speculation
but i have a feeling the gold cup loss triggered some kind of out in his contract.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 28, 2011 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Yesterday the US moved down to FIFA 30th
Maybe that was an event? http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2011/07/usa-drop-to-30th-in-latest-fifa-rankings.html
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 28, 2011 1:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Curious as to why he wasn't let go immediately following Gold Cup
Timing then would have made a lot more sense…
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 1:34 PM PDT up reply actions
my guess is that they only wanted to replace him with right guy
Something seems to have happened that suddenly made Klinsmann “gettable”
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 28, 2011 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Like a half season with Toronto
No salary cap on the national team.
I could not have been more wrong with my "it's not Klinsmann" predictions yesterday
I give Gulati more credit than he deserves, I guess. After two overtures were turned-down and a Wahl article that said the two sides were at a permanent impasse, I didn’t think that would change so quickly.
We need the details before we can make educated comments, but if Gulati had to acquiesce on something to land Klinsmann, you’d have to wonder why he didn’t just do it after WC’10? I can’t imagine Klinsmann changed his demands in the interim…
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 29, 2011 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions
Has there been an official announcement yet?
I miss *REAL* Four Loko
by B-Lot tailgater on Jul 29, 2011 9:05 AM PDT up reply actions
@ussoccer tweeted that its Klinsmann
Its up on their website too!
I miss *REAL* Four Loko
by B-Lot tailgater on Jul 29, 2011 9:12 AM PDT up reply actions
I’ve thought about it some more and I think that the change was Gulati deciding to give up more control to Klinsmann after the Gold Cup. It makes a ton of sense that the poor performance in the tournament was enough to sway him to giving in on whatever demands of Klinsmann’s were holding back the deal before. I still don’t approve of the treatment of Bradley. If one tournament was going to be enough to change those points they should have just pulled the trigger earlier. This is going to be very interesting though.
Boo! Tomorrow AM. I want all things now!
I have an inclination that you're correct and that's what happened
But I’m irritated that Gulati couldn’t have done that aquiescing after WC’10. I’d argue that our unceremonious exit against Ghana was equally disappointing as our showing versus Mexico in the Gold Cup.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 29, 2011 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions
That certainly seems like a possibility, I have to wonder why they didn’t give him a much smaller initial deal with a pickup after the Gold Cup. I suppose it ends up being the same thing, just less obvious that that was their intent with it playing out as it did.
Boo! Tomorrow AM. I want all things now!
Tough timing for Bradley
MLS is mid-season and the Euro leagues have already made their coaching decisions. USSF should have made the decision sooner.
by Dizzo on Jul 28, 2011 12:30 PM PDT reply actions 4 recs
He is an automatic front runner for Montreal
Vancouver too probably.
I miss *REAL* Four Loko
by B-Lot tailgater on Jul 28, 2011 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions
And the Chicago job is technically open now, correct?
No reason that he couldn’t start next week and have Flopas go back to being the Technical Director only.
Exactly.
USSF showing poor form here.
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 28, 2011 12:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Not surprised about that
Gulati was never one for timing. On that note, I think he needs to go as well. If we’re talking culpability here, he’s the one who extended Bradley…
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 12:57 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
The Board of Directors of the US Soccer Federation elects Gulati and renewed his presidency in 2010
Mike Edwards is the current, Vice President and the decision of whether I new VP will be elected is next in 2012 and Gulati’s term runs until 2014. Unless the board fires Gulati…
Nos audietis in somniis, Nos audietis in altum: You will hear us!
Turtles all the way down?
So, call me Mr. uninformed, but how is the USSF board of directors determined?
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 28, 2011 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Here I got all excited
Then I saw you spelled combat without a “K”.
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 28, 2011 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
The Board of Directors for US Soccer
President: Sunil K. Gulati
Executive Vice President: Mike Edwards
Immediate Past President (non-voting): Dr. S. Robert Contiguglia
Athlete Representatives: Jeff Agoos, Danielle Fotopoulos, Jon McCullough
Pro Council Representatives: Tonya Antonucci, Don Garber
Adult Council Representatives: Richard Groff, Bill Bosgraaf
Youth Council Representatives: Bob Palmeiro, John Sutter
At Large Representative: Burton Haimes
Independent Directors: Carlos Cordeiro, Fabian Núñez, Donna E. Shalala
CEO/Secretary General (non-voting): Dan Flynn
Most of these positions are nominated by current board members.
Nos audietis in somniis, Nos audietis in altum: You will hear us!
Gulati and Flynn are the only ones that actually carry all the power
Goff said Flynn was actually the grand poobah. Gulati isn’t even paid by USSF – he’s a Columbia economics professor.
Flynn made ~$650k last year – more than Bob Bradley according to Wahl.
Before anyone raises their pitchforks for Flynn though, understand he took USSF from struggling in 2000 to being very profitable today. He’s a great $$ guy.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 29, 2011 9:04 AM PDT up reply actions
Sooner than when?
Even if they had canned him the day after the Gold Cup, it would have been tough sledding to get a job in Europe.
You will hear us on Brougham, you will hear us on Occidental, you will hear us on King. We are all around you, there is no escape.
I was thinking post World Cup
They really shouldn’t have extended him if they weren’t confident in his abilities. I personally don’t think the Gold Cup was enough to fire him over. One bad game really and that happens in soccer quite a bit.
One really bad game?
They played pretty mediocre soccer over the course of that whole tournament.
I miss *REAL* Four Loko
by B-Lot tailgater on Jul 28, 2011 1:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Okay that makes sense
He’ll be fine though. I’d be shocked if he’s not in MLS next year.
You will hear us on Brougham, you will hear us on Occidental, you will hear us on King. We are all around you, there is no escape.
There was probably an understanding between USSF and Bradley when he extended
It could just as well have been the case that USSF told Bradley they were leaning towards going in another direction but if he wanted, they’d be willing to give him a shot at bowling them over in the Gold Cup. (He did play with some different tactics than he’d used in the past.) While he did get to the final, I wouldn’t say that the team was at all impressive on their way to the final.
That's a reasonable assumption
I was thinking something similar:
That Gulati wanted someone else after the WC, but for whatever reason couldn’t get a deal done. Plan ‘B’ was to keep Bradley around until Gulati could line up the proper manager he wanted.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Even if there was an understanding...
handing someone a 4 year contract when you are probably going to fire him after a year is just plain disrespectful. If this is what they were planning on in the first place, 1 year (or through the Gold Cup) with a possibility for extension is what should have happened.
Two big questions that I have
Will US Soccer finally consummate their long-running flirtation with Jurgen Klinsmann, or does his contribution to the ongoing mess in Toronto make him less attractive?
If they don’t, how serious of a candidate is Sigi Schmid? If US Soccer moves in that direction, it would have an obvious, massive impact on the remainder of the Sounders season.
You will hear us on Brougham, you will hear us on Occidental, you will hear us on King. We are all around you, there is no escape.
Klinsmann highly unlikey at this point
I would think, anyway. Twice now he’s declined overtures from Gulati – what would change now? I’m guessing there’s a sticking point that neither side will budge on.
But I will say I think he’s overrated by USMNT fans. He hasn’t done too much to help Toronto, and Germany has arguably been better after he left.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions
I think Klinsmann is very likely
But I totally agree with your second paragraph.
You will hear us on Brougham, you will hear us on Occidental, you will hear us on King. We are all around you, there is no escape.
I think a lot of the fuss around Klinsmann is fan-generated
But that said, he’s still an upgrade over Bradley. If nothing else, his tactics might be fresher, more innovative. He also won’t have those unexplainable allegiances to certain players we’ve seen Bob display.
I wouldn’t be upset of Jurgen gets the job. It’s just hard to overlook the fact that if he was to be the guy, the deal could/would/should have gotten done either the first or second time. If Klinsmann ends up being announced as the new manager, you’d have to think Gulati gets some heat for not getting it done post-WC.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions
One reason i'm not totally against Klinsmann.
He was the head coach of a German team during a pretty agressive revamping of their youth system. I’m not saying he came up with or invented the system they use now, but he was there and was involved to some degree.
Germany is producing some of the best young talent in the world right now and I would like to see how his experience in the building process of that would translate to here.
"The fans are excited. And the stadium, well, it ignites with explosion."
by DarthGreedo on Jul 28, 2011 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
If only we had the pipeline that Germany has...
We need more servicemen marrying German women! :D
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions
absolutely.
if you read interviews with anyone in german football, whether it’s klinsmann lovers like oliver bierhoff, or people who aren’t so thrilled with him like current manager loew, everyone will tell you: klinsmann’s work with youth in germany was inpeccable. you don’t see great young talent like poldi, trochowski, oezil, khedira, badstuber, marin, and boateng because they just pop out of the ground in germany. it’s because their youth sytem is fanstatic. and it owes a lot of its current stature to klinsmann.
by Kyle Ritter on Jul 28, 2011 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
So his trick of integrating Turks will be repeated here how?
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
If a coach can do a better job of integrating our Latino population I think we would have similar success.
THats one reason I think Hyndman might make an interesting choice. He’s done a good job finding young latino talent in Dallas.
"The fans are excited. And the stadium, well, it ignites with explosion."
by DarthGreedo on Jul 28, 2011 8:45 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
If Nowak, Kreis, and Sigi are in the conversation
of MLS coaches mentioned for the USMNT job, I think Hyndman needs to be in the conversation too. He’s done an excellent job in Dallas.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 29, 2011 9:07 AM PDT up reply actions
If Klinsmann's "plus" is how he deals with youth
Why not make him coach of the U-23s or U-20s?
I’m not voting against him here, just playing devils advocate…
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 29, 2011 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions
Scratch the fan-generated comment
It was until Grant, Ives, and others have now been saying Klinsmann most likely.
Wahl reported the person of interest won’t be a surprise to anyone. That screams Klinsmann to me.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Klinsmann would almost seem surprising to me at this point
given that twice now he and Gulati could not put a deal on paper as far as how much control over the team he has.
by chrisperry1983 on Jul 29, 2011 7:14 AM PDT up reply actions
I wonder if it has something to do with how many coaches are gone now
Alexi Lalas mentioned on ESPN how many coaching positions in the pyramid need to be filled right now, not just the top one. u-20’s u17’s i think were mentioned? I can’t remember them all.
I think that could possibly be the reason he would finally agree. Supposedly, one reason Klinsmann turned down the post in the past was that he was not allowed to pick his own coaches under past deals. With all the coaching positions open he might be given that chance now.
"The fans are excited. And the stadium, well, it ignites with explosion."
That's why I was initially saying it couldn't be Klinsmann
After the last WC, the reports had said the two sides seemed to have irreconcilable differences in how to handle US Soccer. That didn’t sound optimistic.
If they were able to work it out, good for them!
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 29, 2011 9:09 AM PDT up reply actions
Well now it appears I am eating my words.
by chrisperry1983 on Jul 29, 2011 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Nomnomnom?
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 29, 2011 1:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Is there a possibility at all that they'll poach Sigi for the job?
If so, could we see Bradley managing the Rave Green? =P
He hasn't been contacted about it
I’m guessing no. Especially not at this point, unless they hire him after putting someone in place for the interim.
I'm 100% scared about who is going to replace him
While there is certainly some room for improvement over what Bradley accomplished, there is a lot more room for doing worse than Bradley.
I think the USMNT job is a lot harder than many people give it credit for being. If you are, say, coaching the German national team, when you’re looking for talent you have to basically look at the Bundesliga, their academies, German second division, etc. If you want to see a player, you can get there overnight on a train.
But consider even this last Gold Cup. Many were (rightly in my mind) skeptical of Freddy Adu when Bradley brought him in, but he turned out to be an impact player for the team. Bradley didn’t get the advantage of flying out to watch some Turkish second division games in person to evaluate Freddy, he probably had some grainy internet stream to evaluate him. So even just finding the best 30 guys to call into camp at any given time is a constant struggle to compare apples to oranges (or Adus to Torreses, if you will), which is a big reason that an improved MLS could have a huge impact on the quality of the USMNT.
by ubelmann on Jul 28, 2011 12:39 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Come on man
You think Bob Bradley is using justin.tv to look at videos of players? Teams film their own games and copies of game film can be obtained. If my D3 football team could get tape of opposing teams I’m pretty sure the head coach of the USMNT can get tapes of professional soccer teams around the world.
by TheTank123 on Jul 28, 2011 12:46 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
He only has so much time and limited resources available to him
I read a report at one point, the point of which was Bradley would do just about anything to find video of players including watching internet streams. I think you might be surprised at the culture regarding film analysis in other leagues and countries, but even supposing a coach can get any game film he wants, he can’t just drop by to watch a player practice if he’s not getting much playing time the way you can if 95% of your talent is within a few hours by train.
Apropos nothing in particular
A few weeks before the team selection for the last world cup, I saw Bradley hanging out in tiny Buck Shaw stadium up in the stands watching the Earthquakes play. Low profile. Kinda cool.
by AliasDictusTyrant on Jul 28, 2011 10:22 PM PDT up reply actions
These are some really good points
Bradley didn’t do any worse than Bruce Arena really, he was certainly a hell of a lot better than Steve Sampson. At some point you can only do so much with the available talent.
You will hear us on Brougham, you will hear us on Occidental, you will hear us on King. We are all around you, there is no escape.
I was also worried who we would hire
At this point in the year there is little in the way of quality, available managers.
I think Aaron’s point in the post is great, though – considering the timing of this, you’d have to think they already have someone lined up. Frankly I was also in the “benefit of the doubt” group with regards to Bradley – he did well with what he had to work with.
I’m confident that years from now we’ll look back on his record as one of the better ones this country has had. He wasn’t perfect, but he did a good job most of the time.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions
This timely interleaves with Dave's earlier comments about MLS 3.0
Now we are on US 6.0 to me in view of US soccer resurgence in 1994 WC. I think what is causing this is a bottom up demand for better, i.e. Youth pushed MLS, which is now a huge interesting party pushing the Nats to perform. Look at the changes in structure MLS has had to do to get where it is. Now US Soccer is going to have to do the same thing. Onward and upward.
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 28, 2011 12:48 PM PDT reply actions
I'm becoming convinced more and more that USSF is holding us back
I think we need to get rid of Gulati/USSF staff before anything gets better. Whoever we get as a coach is not going to fix the problem. I don’t think whoever it is has been making very good decisions while in charge. Gulati’s support of Blatter is just one nail in the coffin.
Firing Bob Bradley now is silly. I’ve never really liked Bradley as the coach, but to hand him a 4 year contract and then getting rid of him now is disrespectful. If the Gold Cup is the reason it’s a bad one Mexico is the only team that will be us consistently. We can’t be too mad at that.
by majora999 on Jul 28, 2011 12:50 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Great post
I think the stink starts from the top and trickles down. Gulati is the man pulling the strings – why is he not accountable, same as Bradley? He’s the guy who gave Bradley the extension!
Also agree that it’s in poor form to fire Bradley right after giving him that extension. If Bradley only had one more “strike” left with Gulati, why did he offer an extension to Bob?
When can we call for the sacking of Gulati?
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions
I think it's a bottom up issue
We only have so many good players in the country right now. It’s not as though our roster is brimming with UEFA Champions League-level talent and we fall on our face despite the talent. One thing we could really use is a much stronger USSF Div. 2 league to catch more not-quite-MLS players who might turn into the next big thing (like a Jay DeMerit, say), but I’m of the mind that it isn’t the USSF’s place to finance and own entire franchises.
We might drop a game here or there to a team that’s worse on paper than we are, but we’ve also gotten results against teams with more talent than we have. We need better talent more than we need better management.
Actually agree with everything you said
But still think Bradley was losing his team. They were underperforming what we know them to be capable of. Perhaps his message was starting to fall on deaf ears as the players lost confidence in him?
We do have a talent issue, but that talent should still be beating Paraguay in friendlies. We should have scored more than one goal against Guadeloupe. And we had no business losing to Panama. If only one of those things happened by themselves, it probably wouldn’t have been such a big deal – you lose games sometimes. But the pattern of underperformance (including losing a group stage match for the first time in history) probably set the wheels in motion for his departure. Simply too many instances of the team underperforming its talent level.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
It should be noted that
Paraguay was a quarterfinalist in last years World Cup and they made the final of this years Copa America
I miss *REAL* Four Loko
by B-Lot tailgater on Jul 29, 2011 7:44 AM PDT up reply actions
You're right
They are better now than I remember them being in the past.
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 29, 2011 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions
On a side note
Their head coach resigned yesterday.
I miss *REAL* Four Loko
by B-Lot tailgater on Jul 29, 2011 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions
I'd say Chicago
Klopas wants to go back to being the Technical Director and not be the head coach.
The twitterverse rumor mill is saying Klinsman's is the guy
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 28, 2011 12:54 PM PDT reply actions
Wrong
It’s Pain Machine all the way.
You will hear us on Brougham, you will hear us on Occidental, you will hear us on King. We are all around you, there is no escape.
by 108Ultra on Jul 28, 2011 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
Klinsmann has been practically the only name in circulation for years now
Of course word on the street is going to be that it’s Klinsmann.
A few are saying potentially Marcello Lippi, former Italian coach
by Brougham Hooligan on Jul 28, 2011 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Not a bad choice really
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 28, 2011 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions
and Ives tweeted a rumor of Marcello Lippi
There will probably be dozens of names floating around until Friday.
Silly season!
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 28, 2011 1:08 PM PDT up reply actions
I liked it better as it was
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 28, 2011 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
That's the best soccer analysis I've seen on ESPN
I totally missed that during the World Cup. I’ve heard the sticking point between Jurgen and Gulati has been control over the youth development system. If it is Jurgen, I hope he gets greater influence over development than previous USMNT coaches.
by Dizzo on Jul 28, 2011 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
My favorite part of that segment
… was that as I recall, the other analysts had been doing the standard ESPN “ten-word question / ten-second sound bite answer” routine for two minutes, and then they switched gears to Klinsmann’s monologue and let him go on like that for as long as he wanted. I definitely remember thinking “wow, they’re trying to introduce Jurgen as the next coach” when it happened.
by Kenneth Jung on Jul 28, 2011 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
My favorite part of the editing
was cutting out as soon as Lalas opened his mouth.
And totally agree with Klinsmann that youth development is upside down and until that is fixed USA will always be a second tier power at best. My guess is USSF doesn’t want to fix it because youth soccer is where they get their profit from.
by look4wrd on Jul 28, 2011 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
yes yes yes
He is right. This is exactly why we need an outside perspective and get a European to change the culture. No MLS coaches. No Americans. We have proven that we can’t do it. This is chess not checkers!
by Kevin McLaren on Jul 28, 2011 5:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Just remember
that no nation has ever won a World Cup with a foreign coach.
You will hear us on Brougham, you will hear us on Occidental, you will hear us on King. We are all around you, there is no escape.
Nations have, however, shown great improvement under foreigners
I don’t really put much stock into that little fun fact.
"The fans are excited. And the stadium, well, it ignites with explosion."
by DarthGreedo on Jul 28, 2011 8:43 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
There's an important opportunity here
If USSF found someone with a real vision and gave them broad authority to direct not only the senior team, but the entire philosophy of the USSF down to all levels, then the US could take some serious strides forward. Most importantly, if they found someone who would emphasize skill over brute athleticism, it would change the kind of player the US develops for the better.
Go to a Development Academy game
the oversized/underskilled player is going the way of the dodo and fast.
Capitalism is the answer
It’s always been weird to me that Americans are so willing to accept socialism in sports.
In other soccer leagues, it’s a dog-eat-dog, every man for himself world. Teams put huge resources into developing players because it’s crucial to their survival. Top clubs do it because they need a steady pipeline of top talent. Smaller clubs do it because finding that gem of a player can mean big bucks to keep the team afloat. In either case, self-interest and survival are the primary motivators and it leads to big investments and serious thinking about what a quality player is.
Soccer in the US would improve 100% if a more capitalistic model of player development were adopted.
I'm confused here by what you want.
You want one head coach who will impose his philosophy throughout the USSF system, essentially a soccer-philosophy dictator, but also want a capitalist system that encourages innovation and creative techniques for training the developing players?
Don't go to Argentina then
too soon?
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 29, 2011 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions
Too soon
Except for RP.
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 29, 2011 9:25 AM PDT up reply actions
Agreed
Need a change in the culture from top to bottome: recruitment, development, tactics, training and motivation.
by Kevin McLaren on Jul 28, 2011 5:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Per Grant Wahl,
“You’re not going to be surprised” by the identity of the new coach. Klinsmann it is?
http://twitter.com/#!/GrantWahl/status/96683287828889600
I'd be surprised by Klinsmann
given all the trouble we’ve had trying to get him in the past, pleasantly surprised though
Klinsmann is a class act
Via a strange SoCal friend-of-a-friend connection I had the opportunity to meet Klinnsmann and his family at a BBQ a couple years ago and he is a class act. Honestly I can see why he would have a hard time seeing eye-to-eye with Gulati, and I can only think better of him for it. If he is indeed the man, one can only hope it is the beginning of a very new and differrent era of soccer in this country from the very bottom on up.
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 28, 2011 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions
not to name drop or anything ....
:)
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 28, 2011 4:47 PM PDT up reply actions
I also
Almost got Jeremiah’s autograph at an Open Cup game. No joke.
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 28, 2011 5:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I totally big-timed you
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 28, 2011 5:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Well at least you haven't banned me yet
For wishing you a near-head ache experience.
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 28, 2011 6:37 PM PDT up reply actions
what i find strange is that bradley was apparently blindsided by this
he apparently was calling players yesterday about being called up to the mexico game
European
All due respect to Sigi, but the USMNT needs a European to come in and change the culture top to bottom. In every category we are out-matched, recruitment, development, tactics, motivation. Klinsmann or Hiddink would be my choice. But it can NOT be an MLS coach! This is chess not checkers and MLS coaches just don’t have the experience or know-how to compete against the best in the world. The MLS is improving but it has a long way to go.
International football, in terms of talent and sophistication, isn't at a level all that higher than MLS
by Aaron Campeau on Jul 28, 2011 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Not really, no.
There’s a huge gulf between top and botto obviously, but in general the level of play in international football isn’t that high.
by Aaron Campeau on Jul 28, 2011 11:36 PM PDT up reply actions
How much hate would fill the interwebs
If it was announced to be Backe?
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
that would kinda make my day
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jul 28, 2011 5:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Writers and stand up soccer comedians
would have all kinds of material to work with
Tim Ream would be the new captain
Hilarity ensues.
by chrisperry1983 on Jul 29, 2011 7:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Red Bull fans would cheer, that's for sure
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 29, 2011 9:15 AM PDT up reply actions
I see that all US fans are in favor of a foreign coach. (I am as well)
But we should also look to bring in our PLAYERS in a similar way. Look at Germany in this past World Cup. Tremendous run they had and most of their star players are still young. However, as everyone knows they have a lot of Turks and Poles on their team (Khedira, Podolski,Ozil). Why doesn’t the US do more of this? Hell, we need to be bringing in more skilled foreign transplants and getting them citizenship.
Well for one, it's not simply a matter of convincing talented young players to move to the US an become citizens.
For two, to qualify to play for as an international you have to meet FIFA’s requirements. There simply aren’t all that many people that qualify to play for the US living in other countries. And for three, (and this ties into that last one) players have to want to play for the US. If you lived in, say, France and qualified to play for both your home country and the US, would you choose the US? The chances are that you wouldn’t, because playing for the French national team is held in higher esteem than playing for the US.
A more realistic goal would be to prevent Americans that qualify for other countries to play for the US; how much better would the future look if Giuseppe Rossi had chosen to play for the US instead of Italy? Hanging onto players of that caliber should be the absolute #1 priority where player development is concerned.
by Aaron Campeau on Jul 28, 2011 7:03 PM PDT up reply actions
What we need to do is subsidize a new program to have U.S. Servicemen start having many babies with German women
I fully expect Klinsmann to make this happen :thumbup:
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 29, 2011 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions
As the depressingly unathletic child of a former Army military policeman and a German woman, it's not about who's making the kids.
I write for Stumptown Footy, SB Nation's Portland Timbers blog.
by thehemogoblin on Jul 29, 2011 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Hey, we can't all be astronauts
SSFC | What I do for fun: Sometimes-Interesting
by ABTsportsline on Jul 30, 2011 1:39 AM PDT up reply actions
Not sure about the last part.
Ozil was born in germany to a German/Turkish family. Podolski was born in Poland but moved to Germany when he was 2. Khedira was born in Germany but has a Tunisian father.
We don’t need to learn how to steal players from other countries. We can learn from Germany how to bring in players from immigrant neighborhoods and families though. This is a huge part of our talent pool that we are missing. Klinsmann acknowledged this fact in the monologue linked earlier.
"The fans are excited. And the stadium, well, it ignites with explosion."
by DarthGreedo on Jul 28, 2011 7:05 PM PDT up reply actions 4 recs
Yeah, the Ozil situation is actually a reflection of the change in Germany over the past few decades. There is a very large Turkish population that has historically been denied a path to citizenship. This despite many of them being Turkish in name only. The slow shift towards opening up their citizenship laws has made a big difference in the country and Ozil is an example of the type of player that likely would have played for Turkey in the past. The brothers Altintop are the counter example. Ozil is a 3rd generation German-Turk a player like him in the US would likely not even consider playing for anyone but the U.S. The big difference here is that we have a wide variety of immigrant groups that likely don’t think of themselves as part of the U.S. and that is where we might be able to find those types of players.
Boo! Tomorrow AM. I want all things now!
jermaine jones
Jose Torres, Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu
These players are not of the same caliber of Ozil or Podolski, but just the beginning of a VERY long list of player who had eligibility with other countries, but instead chose the United States.
Neven Subotic
Oh wait
I write for Stumptown Footy, SB Nation's Portland Timbers blog.
by thehemogoblin on Jul 29, 2011 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Ouch.
Why the cheap shot?
"But who would listen to Little Old Me anyway?"
-by -Dave Clark
and -thehemogoblin
by Little old me on Jul 29, 2011 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm just saying it goes both ways.
I write for Stumptown Footy, SB Nation's Portland Timbers blog.
by thehemogoblin on Jul 30, 2011 1:42 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm a fan of hiring a good coach
Domestic or foreign. I’m not really convinced a foreign coach is the ticket, but I’m not convinced it’d be obviously bad, either.
by ubelmann on Jul 28, 2011 10:51 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
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