The Second Embarrassment of Bob Bradley

(Photo: AP)

Even before the United States was eliminated from South Africa three months ago, many arguments have arisen as to whether Bob Bradley deserves to stay on board as Men's National Team manager for another four years. And that's a perfectly worthwhile topic for debate.

However, what isn't debatable is the way in which Bradley has been treated by Sunil Gulati and the United States Soccer Federation during his tenure. While the oft-criticized Bradley has been second guessed - at times, justifably so - moreso than any other American manager in the Federation's history, he has always aquitted himself with an admirable sense of integrity in the face of it all. Sadly, the same cannot be said for U.S. Soccer.

No, it cannot be said for the Federation because when the debate has boiled and the times have toughened, it has refused stand unconditionally by their man.

The genesis of this disturbing attitude the Federation has shown towards one of its best Men's Team managers in history started when he was initially given the reigns - temporarily, of course - back in 2007.

For five long months in the first part of that year, Bradley guided the program without reservation, all the while the very organization that had just handed him the job was looking for his replacement behind his back. And everyone knew it. The fans, the media, everyone. He knew it, too. But he refused to let it distract him.

Instead, he faced the situation with grace and integrity, and shortly after U.S. Soccer had exhausted its energies trying to corral the wildly-popular Jurgen Klinsmann, he forced the Federation to finally remove the "interim" albatross.

Ironically, the Federation's decision to keep Bradley on board during that summer of '07 proved to be a serendipitous godsend. The Princeton grad guided his charges to a Gold Cup Championship, and earned them a spot at the 2009 Conderations Cup a couple of years later.

Meanwhile, a crop of talented young players - players like Jozy Altidore, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, and even his own son, Michael -emerged under his tenure. Bradley had cultivated an impressive group of guys that quickly restored the country's footballing image after a nightmarish 2006 World Cup.

There were still whispers, though. There were some who still felt that the wrong man had been hired. It should have been Klinsmann. Pekerman. Eriksson. Rongen. Some of those names were even echoed inside the USSF offices. Bradley, ever so stoic, must have privately thought what it would take to actually acquire some job security.

But he remained focused on the task at hand. By mid-cycle, it was clear that the Federation simply had to let things be. Any changes or sudden movements would surely spell disaster for the Nats in South Africa.

Interestingly, when Bradley succeeded at the Confederations Cup, who was there to slap his back in approval? The Federation, of course. It was they who had the wisdom to make such a shrewd choice. It was they who had stuck by their man. And it was surely they who had provided Bradley with the platform to succeed.

Before long, it was time to head back to South Africa for the World Cup and see what Bradley could really do. His squad engineered a trifecta of heart-pounding performances in the Group stage, and in the process, earned enough points to claim king of hill in Group C, besting England to boot.

Then, the Best of 16 arrived. Pitted against Ghana, Bradley made curious move to start Ricardo Clark over Maurice Edu in the central midfield. It was all downhill from there. Clark was awarded a yellow within 20 minutes, was subbed off for Edu, and the U.S. lost in overtime. All the more painful was the fact that had the Nats won, it faced a relatively easy path to a possible semi-final berth. But that was not to be.

With their World Cup over, it was obvious that U.S. Soccer had a decision to make. Should it keep the successful Bradley, or bring in a new hire in the hopes of catapulting its success further in four years?

Regardless of what conclusion it would reach, it was important that one be made quickly. Brazil, France, and Italy all expedited the interview process and secured their new hires shortly after the Cup. Not the U.S., though. No, it wanted time to mull its deicison. And so it did.

They mulled throughout the entire month of July. They mulled in the days leading up to the U.S.-Brazil friendly, the first action the Nats had seen since their defeat to Ghana. And all of sudden, it was deja vu all over again.

To make matters worse, Brazil pummeled Bradley's boys on home soil, which only served to make the voices of doubt scream louder. Naturally, the Federation did what it does best: stayed noncommittal. Privately, Bradley must have seethed.

Finally, with the knowledge that FIFA would be arriving soon to consider the Federation's bid on the 2018/22 World Cup, they scurried to find their man. It was not Bob Bradley. No, it was Jurgen Klinsmann, the man they originally tried to lure before and during those first 100 days of Bob Bradley's tenure.

Whether the reasons were political, personal, or professional, the Federation failed to catch Klinsmann. So, with their only other option in-house, they backtracked and announced long after the nightly news and game shows that Bradley would be their man. Again.

It doesn't matter whether you like him or not because Bob Bradley, if anything else besides a legitimate national team manager, is a man of dignity. A man of respect. A man who had every reason to falter under the enormous doubt that fell on his shoulders. A man who achieved much, but clearly lacked the respect of his superiors.

Over the past three-plus years, the Federation embarrassed one of its brightest men. And because of it, many of the doubters are now doubting someone else: Sunil Gulati.

Meet the New Boss; Same as the Old Boss!

US Soccer announced that the interim label affixed to Bob Bradley has been ceremoniously removed on Wednesday, as it appears that the rumored hush-hush negotiations with other candidates (i.e. Juergen Klinsmann and...Juergen Klinsmann) have apparently reached an impasse, thus granting Bradley more permanent control of the US Men’s National Team managerial reins.

In an exercise of near comic futility, US Soccer President Sunil Gulati successfully demonstrated how far away soccer is from ever getting its act together here in the States by conducting a ten-month long process of determining the "winner" of the US MNT coaching competition.

What does this exercise in futility showcase? First and foremost, it displays complete ineptitude to fill one of the most important vacancies in American sports. Could you imagine any other professional North American sports team spending ten months to determine its manager or head coach? The talking heads at US Soccer preoccupied themselves with Klinsmann for so long that when he ultimately replied nein, the heads scrambled to find a quick-fix replacement. Enter: Bob Bradley, fully equipped with the insufferable interim tag.

Secondly, granting the job on a temporary basis to Bradley only instilled the idea among anyone with a pair of functioning brains cells that this was merely a front to buy more time for Gulati & Friends to try and sweeten the deal for Klinnsman, or to find the next best alternative. Note to readers: the next best choice was not Bradley.

Of course, all the while US Soccer was attempting to get its act together, Bradley admirably conducted himself in the very manner his bosses had miserably failed to do, by displaying leadership and integrity all while the guillotine hovered above. Bradley guided his charges to a 3-0-1 record with the scarlet letter "I" placed on his chest. By posting an undefeated record at the helm, Bradley saved US Soccer immeasurable face in the wake of the circus that became trying to find his replacement.

After the Germany ‘06 debacle, and Bruce Arena's accompanying unceremonious exit, Gulati needed to make a firm statement that its priorities were to address the deficiencies uncovered during the summer. Arena's removal was the first step. The second one should have been to hire a reputable manager to steer the squad back toward the success it experienced back in 2002. It was absolutely critical that the situation be handled with the utmost precision and care.

What did they do instead? They embarrassingly stumbled before the press days before Christmas, after failing to deliver the toy at the top of nearly every American soccer fan’s Christmas list, and hastily packaged the best available option in Bradley, with the caveat that he was merely the handed the job on the interim basis.

What’s the matter, Sunil, Bora Milutinovic wasn’t available?

Did US Soccer make the right move to hire Bradley on a full-time basis? Yes. In essence, it was the only move Gulati & Friends could make, after leaping through circus hoops and rings of fire to find themselves a manager. In the process, they came out looking like the laughing stock of international soccer. Of all the things the world's lone superpower can accomplish, hiring a manager to lead its national soccer team seems to be its Achilles heel.

In little over a year, US Soccer went from the sanctioning body overseeing one of the world's rising soccer squads to the present-day joke that no respectable international coach, like Klinsmann or Jose Pekerman, would even take, despite the allure of taking a over a squad that will more than likely qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

By vanquishing Bradley's "interim" label, Gulati did what any nearsighted bigwig would do: maintain the status quo. Sadly, this move is, quite frankly, the only decision it could make after months of continued mismanagement. After all, which self-respecting coach would throw his hat into this kind of three-ring circus?

Where else in professional sports has such a spectacle occurred? It took four months to name an interim, and another six to fill the vacancy permanently with the very same gentleman who carried the interim label. Talk about "meet the new boss; same as the old boss."

How the hell is soccer ever going to win over American fans when the shot callers at US Soccer continue to undermine the efforts of its own national team?

It's quite sad really, that after years of progress on the field, the suits and ties that probably haven't kicked a soccer ball since the Carter Administration have undermined its own players by running a program with the kind of misguided direction that Britney Spears would be envious of. Nothing gives the air of stability like bungled negotiations with your first, second, and maybe even third choice, for a managerial vacancy.

US-Ecuador Post Game Thoughts

Quick thoughts after yesterday's US-Ecuador friendly:

Although the US got on board right after the rooster crowed with Landon Donovan's twine kisser less than a minute in, the squad really wasn't clicking on all cylinders until the end of the first half. There was much confusion between defenders Oguchi Onyewu and Jimmy Conrad, who looked about as stumped as Nicole Ritchie and Paris Hilton on an episode of Jeopardy! The Ecuadoreans acquitted themselves well as they kept the US defenders flat-footed until the Gold and Blue ultimately ran out of 93 octane around the 50th minute. Give Ecuadorean forwards Caicedo and Carlos Tenoriouch credit for really giving the Americans a formidable test, and quite honestly, forcing Bob Bradley's boys to drop it into fifth gear a few times.

The most impressive aspect of the game besides the Landon Donovan hat trick was the string of one-touch passing in the midfield. Playing refined and rather beautifully at times, this appeared to be a different look for the squad, perhaps due to the newbies (Benny Feilhaber and Michael Bradley). A preview of coming attractions? I certainly hope so.

Along the same lines, the one touch passing and more attack-minded soccer on display has changed my opinion of the US Men's National Team coaching situation. Before yesterday, I held the opinion that Bob Bradley wasn't the man for the job. I stand corrected. If yesterday’s game was indicative of how the team will be playing during the upcoming Gold Cup and Copa America tournaments, then Bradley has shown that the dreaded "interim" tag is no longer deserved. Give the man the job already, Sunil. Bradley has yet to lose, and has beaten two pretty good teams. Too much has been invested to turn back and start from scratch. And I don't care if Jurgen Klinsmann has a sudden change of heart...Bradley has already shown he is capable. What's the phrase I'm thinking of? Oh yeah...one in the hand is better than two in the bush. Give Bradley the job already, and be done with it. I haven't seen this kind of indecision since Colie kept waffling between her boyfriend and Alex on the Real World Denver.

Landon, Landon, Landon (one for each goal)...where was this little goal-scoring streak of yours last summer? Dude, you go off on a goal scoring heist (5 goals in 3 games in 2007) and you have alot of people wondering "What's with this guy?" Please, rip that damn "Hello, My Name Is: Inconsistent" label of your chest and continue your brilliant play throughout the summer. Please Landycakes, do this when it really counts!

Along with the great flashes of brilliance, there were some unfortunate lowlights. You could see Clint Dempsey wanted to open it up a bit, but just couldn't find his rhythm. Same thing for his buddy Eddie Johnson. Both of them are much better than what they’ve showed during the past two games.

Welcome back, DeMarcus Beasly. Glad you could join us this time around.

If you want to know what I thought about those Orlando Magic-like pinstriped jerseys, refer to my previous post on this very topic. And yes, I still feel the same way, even after watching them in action under the warm sunny Tampa sun. They still suck. I just hope the team doesn't feel that these sweatshop specials are somehow lucky and wear them again and again.

How about that Raymond James Stadium pitch? It looked like Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia had a chip-shot competition there the day before. Some of the passes uncomfortably took lives of their own, causing more missed connections than a Jet Blue flight. As I was watching the US-El Salvador U-17 game (which also took place at RJS) on ussoccer.com over my Corn Flakes and OJ before the US-Ecuador lunchtime tilt, there were more than a few instances where many passes were bouncing and diverting from their intended destinations. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the primary tenant of Raymond James, haven't played a snap there since December. And even though there were a handful of college bowl games played there in January, one would have to believe that there would still be plenty of time to prepare the pitch for soccer. There's no excuse for these sub-par field conditions.

Speaking of the Bucs...how annoyed was Bruce Arena at Dave O'Brien's comparison of Oguchi Onyewu to a football player (namely Bucs receiver Michael Clayton)? Yes, Bruce, we know you're fed up with the mundane comparison, but do us a favor and just suck it up, please. We soccer fans were all newbies at one point, and if a simple (albeit, exhausted) comparison of Gooch's stature to that of a football player induces some tangible insight for some newcomers, please, remove yourself from the booth. Go back to the Meadowlands and coach that fine senior squad you've assembled there. Thanks.

No one asked me what I thought of Eric Wynalda's inaugural red card/yellow card/game ball halftime feature. I liked it...especially when he called out US Soccer President Sunil Gulati to make up his damn mind about the coaching issue. However, the yellow card for Alexi Lalas warning him not to get wrapped up in the David Beckham hype was weird, although his point for doing it was admirable. Wynalda asserted that, despite the deserved attention Becks will receive when he touches down in LA, Lalas should not forget about making sure Cobi Jones, who will call it a career after 2007, gets his fair share of attention as well. Kudos, Mr. Wynalda.

For more uninspired analysis, check back Wednesday night after the US-Guatemala game. Until then, Death to the Pinstripes and Long Live Landycakes!