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Counterattack: Can Bradley Do More Than Arena With A Second Term?
Will 2014 be a repeat of 2006?
Sep 2, 2010 11:10:00 AM
By Allen Ramsey & Luis Bueno
Luis Bueno: Now that the uncertainty of the U.S. coaching position is over and Bob Bradley has been retained as head coach, the U.S. national team can continue its long process towards the 2014 World Cup. I don't know that U.S. Soccer learned its lesson from 2002, when Bruce Arena was brought back. I can't help but feel that Bradley's second tenure will be filled with land mines that may not have been there had U.S. Soccer gone in a different direction, and in fact I see Bradley doing worse with the U.S. than Arena did in his second four-year stint.
Allen Ramsey: I'm with you on a couple of things. First, I'm not sure bringing Bradley back was the right thing to do. It was the easy road, and not the type of progressive thinking in the USA needs. However, as far as him being better than Bruce, I don't see why he wouldn't be. The team Arena took to Germany was, for the most part, on the downside of some very good careers. The team Bradley has right now is set to be in its prime four years from now. Aside from replacing a defense that was already soft, the 2014 USA squad will be pretty much the same as the 2010 team, and they should be four years better.
Bueno: I don't think the team Arena took to 2006 was very strong, even though it included some of today's top players like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. But that's the thing, I don't think he foresaw just how old the team got, with Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna and Eddie Pope logging key minutes throughout qualifying and in the World Cup. Those were the guys he relied on, and that's why the team suffered. Bradley will rely on some guys now because they are the ones who have been the best so far under his tenure but that's only going to stifle the growth and development of this team.
Ramsey: Maybe, but it's not like Bradley doesn't pass out chances left and right. Look at how many young guys have already been in camps and played in international games. The reality is that Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan are pretty much the 'old guys' on the squad as far as attacking players go, and they'll be 31 and 32 respectively for 2014 World Cup. Aside from the defense, there really aren't too many holes that can't be filled with a talented young player that is already familiar with the USA setup.
Bueno: It does help having those two players each in the prime of his career, and Tim Howard as well, but I still think we'll see the same team with a few younger guys pushing for time. It's going to be a very similar team instead of the drastic change a new set of eyes would have brought. The team will have a tough go at it in the Gold Cup next year, which will be a huge challenge for Bradley. Arena flopped in his first post-2002 tournament and I see Bradley's U.S. team having a similar fate.
Ramsey: Fair enough. I understand why people are upset with the decision to bring Bradley back, but its done now, and I just think it's not as bad as was when they did the same thing in 2002. Bradley, while having plenty of faults, has this team set up to be pretty good in four years as long as the players keep improving individually at the club level. In other words, if this group of young players can become a group of solid players in their prime, many of the mistakes that people perceive as tactical flaws will be eliminated.
Bueno: I just see this as more of an issue for national teams in general. There is a reason the international scene is filled with managerial turnover. You can't have one person in charge of a national team for eight, 10, 12 years like you can with a club. It doesn't work that way. Bradley's team will not be able to match the success from 2007-2010 (Gold Cup 07 win, Confed Cup semis).
Ramsey: Saying that eight or ten years is too long is something I have a hard time arguing against. Saying that 2011 to 2014 can't be as good as 2007-2010, or 2003-2006 was is a different matter. Bradley will make mistakes, as does every coach at every level. But if the talent level keeps rising, the players keep getting more confident in their own abilities, and the USA can find a defender or four, then there is no reason to think this group will completely fall apart.
Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Allen Ramsey: I'm with you on a couple of things. First, I'm not sure bringing Bradley back was the right thing to do. It was the easy road, and not the type of progressive thinking in the USA needs. However, as far as him being better than Bruce, I don't see why he wouldn't be. The team Arena took to Germany was, for the most part, on the downside of some very good careers. The team Bradley has right now is set to be in its prime four years from now. Aside from replacing a defense that was already soft, the 2014 USA squad will be pretty much the same as the 2010 team, and they should be four years better.
Bueno: I don't think the team Arena took to 2006 was very strong, even though it included some of today's top players like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. But that's the thing, I don't think he foresaw just how old the team got, with Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna and Eddie Pope logging key minutes throughout qualifying and in the World Cup. Those were the guys he relied on, and that's why the team suffered. Bradley will rely on some guys now because they are the ones who have been the best so far under his tenure but that's only going to stifle the growth and development of this team.
Ramsey: Maybe, but it's not like Bradley doesn't pass out chances left and right. Look at how many young guys have already been in camps and played in international games. The reality is that Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan are pretty much the 'old guys' on the squad as far as attacking players go, and they'll be 31 and 32 respectively for 2014 World Cup. Aside from the defense, there really aren't too many holes that can't be filled with a talented young player that is already familiar with the USA setup.
Bueno: It does help having those two players each in the prime of his career, and Tim Howard as well, but I still think we'll see the same team with a few younger guys pushing for time. It's going to be a very similar team instead of the drastic change a new set of eyes would have brought. The team will have a tough go at it in the Gold Cup next year, which will be a huge challenge for Bradley. Arena flopped in his first post-2002 tournament and I see Bradley's U.S. team having a similar fate.
Ramsey: Fair enough. I understand why people are upset with the decision to bring Bradley back, but its done now, and I just think it's not as bad as was when they did the same thing in 2002. Bradley, while having plenty of faults, has this team set up to be pretty good in four years as long as the players keep improving individually at the club level. In other words, if this group of young players can become a group of solid players in their prime, many of the mistakes that people perceive as tactical flaws will be eliminated.
Bueno: I just see this as more of an issue for national teams in general. There is a reason the international scene is filled with managerial turnover. You can't have one person in charge of a national team for eight, 10, 12 years like you can with a club. It doesn't work that way. Bradley's team will not be able to match the success from 2007-2010 (Gold Cup 07 win, Confed Cup semis).
Ramsey: Saying that eight or ten years is too long is something I have a hard time arguing against. Saying that 2011 to 2014 can't be as good as 2007-2010, or 2003-2006 was is a different matter. Bradley will make mistakes, as does every coach at every level. But if the talent level keeps rising, the players keep getting more confident in their own abilities, and the USA can find a defender or four, then there is no reason to think this group will completely fall apart.
Visit the U.S. national team page on Goal.com for more and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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