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Canales Daily: Bradley Doesn't Equal Arena
Those looking to shake up the U.S. national team in revolutionary ways won't find major contrasts between Bob Bradley and Bruce Arena, but there are still differences.
Jan 7, 2009 6:34:32 PM
By Andrea Canales
Despite compiling an impressive unbeaten record as interim coach when he first took over the U.S. national team, one big complaint when Bob Bradley was officially named head coach was simple - more of the same.
It wasn't just that the U.S. had turned aside the possibility of bringing in a heralded foreign coach to hire another American after Bruce Arena's eight years at the helm.
It was also that Arena and Bradley were intertwined so often in their careers, though Bradley always served as the lieutenant to Arena's general. He assisted Arena at the University of Virginia, at DC United and with the U.S. Olympic team. The two shared a similar background even in upbringing, as both are from the New York/New Jersey area. Critics didn't see the point in a new coach with a philosophy and approach that would be close to the former one.
One player who began his national team career under Arena, then was absent from the squad for years due to injury was defender Chad Marshall. Now a member of the latest national team camp in the Bradley era, he couldn't easily think of contrasts between the two.
"I think it's the same," Marshall noted. " Obviously, it's a different coach, but he wants to get the most out of the players, just like before. It's the same fitness coach as last time I was here, so it's relatively the same."
Indeed, Pierre Barrieu, the long-time U.S. fitness coach with Arena, has returned to those duties under Bradley.
Both coaches scout diligently, preach defense and depend on players with a high work rate rather than ones with creative brilliance.
Still, there are other subtle differences. Though the training ground at the Home Depot Center complex in Carson, California, is the same, Bradley has the squad ensconced in a small boutique hotel for the January camp.
It's not quite the much-mocked French castle that Steve Sampson chose for the 1998 World Cup that had the U.S. players climbing the walls, but it's a cozier, more intimate venue than, for example, the name brand hotel with an onsite golf course and hundreds upon hundreds of rooms that Arena favored.
In both the 2002 and 2006 World Cup, Arena went out of his way to base his teams in large, top-grade hotels that were in the center of bustling city sections of Seoul and Hamburg, respectively, saying he wanted his players to experience the excitement of the World Cup. It seemed to work to motivate the players in 2002, when they reached the quarterfinals, but perhaps not so much in 2006, where they didn't advance out of the group stages.
During his long tenure, the media had a somewhat strained relationship with Arena. While his metaphors were colorful and his statements often clever, he was also brusque and impatient with reporters, frequently expressing his disdain for the profession as a whole. However, Arena was unafraid to use the press to call out either players or institutions he wanted to change. Thus, he often provided good copy.
Bradley, perhaps because his brother is a sportswriter, is more respectful with reporters, but also less open in many ways. He chooses his words so carefully that press conferences can slow to a crawl as he seems to weigh the possible ramifications of each statement before voicing it. The Princeton-educated coach has mastered the art of answering a question while saying little of substance. His mantra about the importance of work is so often repeated that it has become a running joke among the press corps.
Such circumspection could actually be a slight threat to Bradley. Arena rarely missed a chance to point out his accomplishments to the media and note how far the squad had come under his leadership. Bradley's tendency to downplay such things could leave him vulnerable if the team begins to struggle.
Arena's teams during training expressed a 'play hard, work hard' style that had players hustling and flying in on tackles lest dallying on defense brought a sharp or sarcastic rebuke from Arena. As the teams would break after training, jokes and jibes would often pass among the players leaving the field to return to the squad hotel.
Practice under Bradley is extremely focused, but quieter. The business-like demeanor of the players is evident both during and after training.
Perhaps the roots of the two coaches give a clue to divergent attitudes. While New York, where Brooklyn-born Arena hails, is considered more flash, yet gritty and combative, nearby New Jersey is noted for its work ethic and family ties. The different mentalities could carry over.
Arena long maintained the theory that if the U.S. players were treated like a big-time team, they would be more inclined play like one. He battled with the Federation to make sure the squad had access to top-of-the-line facilities.
Bradley, however, admitted to being influenced by a former club player of his, Youri Djorkaef, who spoke of how the 1998 World Cup-winning French team used to bond. This had been partly accomplished in smaller training venues and hotels where the team leaders could easily meet for chats about how best to reach their objective.
Just like it was simplistic to say that the two coaches are alike given a few similarities, it's overgeneralizing to describe just a couple of contrasts, but certain ones that are visible could point to how players are affected. Arena had a distinct swagger as the U.S. coach and he imparted that to his players. Bradley's quiet intensity, however, can be effective in its own way. It's a different route, perhaps to the same objective.
One thing both Bradley and Arena seem to share is the idea that an American coach has unique insight to the mentality of American players and that that connection is a vital one to securing the top performances out of the squad.
There's no doubt that the success that Arena enjoyed for so long paved to some extent the path for Bradley to follow. With continued positive results, the head position could stay safely in American hands, but if the team falls on hard times, the call may come for big change.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com
Discuss the US national team and coach Bradley in the Goal.com Forums.
Despite compiling an impressive unbeaten record as interim coach when he first took over the U.S. national team, one big complaint when Bob Bradley was officially named head coach was simple - more of the same.
It wasn't just that the U.S. had turned aside the possibility of bringing in a heralded foreign coach to hire another American after Bruce Arena's eight years at the helm.
It was also that Arena and Bradley were intertwined so often in their careers, though Bradley always served as the lieutenant to Arena's general. He assisted Arena at the University of Virginia, at DC United and with the U.S. Olympic team. The two shared a similar background even in upbringing, as both are from the New York/New Jersey area. Critics didn't see the point in a new coach with a philosophy and approach that would be close to the former one.
One player who began his national team career under Arena, then was absent from the squad for years due to injury was defender Chad Marshall. Now a member of the latest national team camp in the Bradley era, he couldn't easily think of contrasts between the two.
"I think it's the same," Marshall noted. " Obviously, it's a different coach, but he wants to get the most out of the players, just like before. It's the same fitness coach as last time I was here, so it's relatively the same."
Indeed, Pierre Barrieu, the long-time U.S. fitness coach with Arena, has returned to those duties under Bradley.
Both coaches scout diligently, preach defense and depend on players with a high work rate rather than ones with creative brilliance.
Still, there are other subtle differences. Though the training ground at the Home Depot Center complex in Carson, California, is the same, Bradley has the squad ensconced in a small boutique hotel for the January camp.
It's not quite the much-mocked French castle that Steve Sampson chose for the 1998 World Cup that had the U.S. players climbing the walls, but it's a cozier, more intimate venue than, for example, the name brand hotel with an onsite golf course and hundreds upon hundreds of rooms that Arena favored.
In both the 2002 and 2006 World Cup, Arena went out of his way to base his teams in large, top-grade hotels that were in the center of bustling city sections of Seoul and Hamburg, respectively, saying he wanted his players to experience the excitement of the World Cup. It seemed to work to motivate the players in 2002, when they reached the quarterfinals, but perhaps not so much in 2006, where they didn't advance out of the group stages.
During his long tenure, the media had a somewhat strained relationship with Arena. While his metaphors were colorful and his statements often clever, he was also brusque and impatient with reporters, frequently expressing his disdain for the profession as a whole. However, Arena was unafraid to use the press to call out either players or institutions he wanted to change. Thus, he often provided good copy.
Bradley, perhaps because his brother is a sportswriter, is more respectful with reporters, but also less open in many ways. He chooses his words so carefully that press conferences can slow to a crawl as he seems to weigh the possible ramifications of each statement before voicing it. The Princeton-educated coach has mastered the art of answering a question while saying little of substance. His mantra about the importance of work is so often repeated that it has become a running joke among the press corps.
Such circumspection could actually be a slight threat to Bradley. Arena rarely missed a chance to point out his accomplishments to the media and note how far the squad had come under his leadership. Bradley's tendency to downplay such things could leave him vulnerable if the team begins to struggle.
Arena's teams during training expressed a 'play hard, work hard' style that had players hustling and flying in on tackles lest dallying on defense brought a sharp or sarcastic rebuke from Arena. As the teams would break after training, jokes and jibes would often pass among the players leaving the field to return to the squad hotel.
Practice under Bradley is extremely focused, but quieter. The business-like demeanor of the players is evident both during and after training.
Perhaps the roots of the two coaches give a clue to divergent attitudes. While New York, where Brooklyn-born Arena hails, is considered more flash, yet gritty and combative, nearby New Jersey is noted for its work ethic and family ties. The different mentalities could carry over.
Arena long maintained the theory that if the U.S. players were treated like a big-time team, they would be more inclined play like one. He battled with the Federation to make sure the squad had access to top-of-the-line facilities.
Bradley, however, admitted to being influenced by a former club player of his, Youri Djorkaef, who spoke of how the 1998 World Cup-winning French team used to bond. This had been partly accomplished in smaller training venues and hotels where the team leaders could easily meet for chats about how best to reach their objective.
Just like it was simplistic to say that the two coaches are alike given a few similarities, it's overgeneralizing to describe just a couple of contrasts, but certain ones that are visible could point to how players are affected. Arena had a distinct swagger as the U.S. coach and he imparted that to his players. Bradley's quiet intensity, however, can be effective in its own way. It's a different route, perhaps to the same objective.
One thing both Bradley and Arena seem to share is the idea that an American coach has unique insight to the mentality of American players and that that connection is a vital one to securing the top performances out of the squad.
There's no doubt that the success that Arena enjoyed for so long paved to some extent the path for Bradley to follow. With continued positive results, the head position could stay safely in American hands, but if the team falls on hard times, the call may come for big change.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com
Discuss the US national team and coach Bradley in the Goal.com Forums.
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