Tweet
<DIV class=pagetitle><H1>Bradley deserving of the chance to lead U.S. team</H1></DIV><DIV class=bylinebox style="MARGIN-TOP: 8px"><DIV class=bylinetext>Ives Galarcep
Archive </DIV><DIV style="FLOAT: left"></DIV></DIV><BR clear=all><DIV class=text11 style="BACKGROUND: rgb(255,255,255) 0% 50%; moz-background-clip: initial; moz-background-origin: initial; moz-background-inline-policy: initial"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
We will never know if Juergen Klinsmann would have been the right man to lead the U.S. national team toward the 2010 World Cup, but in the coming months the American soccer-loving public is going to find out just how ready Bob Bradley is to handle the job few thought he had a realistic chance of getting.<DIV class=phinline>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 205px"><DIV class=photocred2>Juan Miranda/WireImage</DIV><DIV class=photosubtext>Bob Bradley has a strong track record as a winner.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
Sunil Gulati's failure to reach a deal with Klinsmann, and subsequent decision to hire Bradley as the new U.S. national team coach, is going to trigger a tidal wave of criticism, but the reality is Gulati has hired a man who just might make him look like a genius.
No, Bradley is not some big-named foreign coach with World Cups and European glory on his resume. Bradley is simply an American with the track record of a winner, a developer of talent and a builder of teams that play attractive and effective soccer.
Bradley's appointment is being met with considerable skepticism, but much of that is a product of Bradley's one unsuccessful coaching stint, a three-year term with the MetroStars that ended with him being fired. That stint transformed his standing in the public eye from being Bruce Arena's logical successor to just another member of the MLS coaching scrap heap.
Bradley did his part to restore his reputation last year, rebuilding a terrible Chivas USA team using his keen eye for young talent as well as his ability to get the most from players he knows well. He earned MLS Coach of the Year honors for his efforts, but the response to his appointment as the new U.S. coach clearly shows that he has yet to remove all the MetroStars tarnish from his reputation.
The doubts about Bradley's ability to lead also stem from a long-held belief that he is simply a Bruce Arena knockoff, which makes his hiring a nightmare to the critics who blame Arena for the U.S. team's poor showing in this summer's World Cup. Bradley did work for Arena, spending two years as his assistant at the University of Virginia and two as Arena's assistant with D.C. United, winning MLS titles in 1996 and 1997.
That is four years out of a 25-year coaching career. Four years that have earned Bradley the label of "Arena Light," despite having established his own successful career, a career that has included three trophies won at Chicago, two MLS Coach of the Year honors and the most wins in MLS history.
That success has not come by accident. Bradley has been the hardest-working man in American soccer for years, devoting countless hours to the study of the game. He has earned the unyielding loyalty of his players because they see his hard work, they see the sacrifice and they believe in his message.
None of that is enough for the fans who had their hearts broken the moment Klinsmann walked away from the bargaining table. For some, Klinsmann was the only answer and there was no doubting his appeal. The memories of Germany's success in the World Cup won't fade anytime soon, and neither will the way Klinsmann captivated
Archive </DIV><DIV style="FLOAT: left"></DIV></DIV><BR clear=all><DIV class=text11 style="BACKGROUND: rgb(255,255,255) 0% 50%; moz-background-clip: initial; moz-background-origin: initial; moz-background-inline-policy: initial"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
We will never know if Juergen Klinsmann would have been the right man to lead the U.S. national team toward the 2010 World Cup, but in the coming months the American soccer-loving public is going to find out just how ready Bob Bradley is to handle the job few thought he had a realistic chance of getting.<DIV class=phinline>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 205px"><DIV class=photocred2>Juan Miranda/WireImage</DIV><DIV class=photosubtext>Bob Bradley has a strong track record as a winner.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
Sunil Gulati's failure to reach a deal with Klinsmann, and subsequent decision to hire Bradley as the new U.S. national team coach, is going to trigger a tidal wave of criticism, but the reality is Gulati has hired a man who just might make him look like a genius.
No, Bradley is not some big-named foreign coach with World Cups and European glory on his resume. Bradley is simply an American with the track record of a winner, a developer of talent and a builder of teams that play attractive and effective soccer.
Bradley's appointment is being met with considerable skepticism, but much of that is a product of Bradley's one unsuccessful coaching stint, a three-year term with the MetroStars that ended with him being fired. That stint transformed his standing in the public eye from being Bruce Arena's logical successor to just another member of the MLS coaching scrap heap.
Bradley did his part to restore his reputation last year, rebuilding a terrible Chivas USA team using his keen eye for young talent as well as his ability to get the most from players he knows well. He earned MLS Coach of the Year honors for his efforts, but the response to his appointment as the new U.S. coach clearly shows that he has yet to remove all the MetroStars tarnish from his reputation.
The doubts about Bradley's ability to lead also stem from a long-held belief that he is simply a Bruce Arena knockoff, which makes his hiring a nightmare to the critics who blame Arena for the U.S. team's poor showing in this summer's World Cup. Bradley did work for Arena, spending two years as his assistant at the University of Virginia and two as Arena's assistant with D.C. United, winning MLS titles in 1996 and 1997.
That is four years out of a 25-year coaching career. Four years that have earned Bradley the label of "Arena Light," despite having established his own successful career, a career that has included three trophies won at Chicago, two MLS Coach of the Year honors and the most wins in MLS history.
That success has not come by accident. Bradley has been the hardest-working man in American soccer for years, devoting countless hours to the study of the game. He has earned the unyielding loyalty of his players because they see his hard work, they see the sacrifice and they believe in his message.
None of that is enough for the fans who had their hearts broken the moment Klinsmann walked away from the bargaining table. For some, Klinsmann was the only answer and there was no doubting his appeal. The memories of Germany's success in the World Cup won't fade anytime soon, and neither will the way Klinsmann captivated
