Write On Sports LLC - "Behaving Bradley" by Gareth Sleger

Behaving Bradley

2007-02-16 19:24:40 | By: Gareth Sleger

Remember Jurgen Klinsmann?

After the U.S. and interim head coach Bob Bradley recently shut out Mexico in a hard fought 2-0 victory, the name of the German icon, who was favorably linked to the vacant U.S. coaching position just months ago, might finally lift from the conscious of U.S. soccer fans.

And now that Bradley has won his first two matches, one might think that it might be enough to convince U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati to erase the interim tag. But Gulati stated after the Feb. 7 win that any result was not going be a decision maker.

So, here’s a question that has to be asked: if a win over a full-strength Mexico in a pro-Mexican environment isn’t enough for Bradley to seal the position, why would likely friendly-wins over Ecuador and Guatemala next month be enough? Because after those two late March matches, nothing is scheduled until this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup and Copa America, where the U.S. has already been grouped with Argentina, Columbia and Paraguay and faces the possibility to play Brazil.

These two tournaments are important to mapping out a strategy for 2010 World Cup qualifiers. And with the U.S. Men’s National Team in a vital transition period, it would certainly be a setback to drop Bradley of his USMNT duties to bring in a “more qualified” vision.

It’s obvious that Gulati is waiting to make a final decision in May when the European club season wraps up. Among other candidates, Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz has been heavily rumored to be top on the coaching list—and to no surprise.

Queiroz (who is fluent in five languages, opposed to other U.S. coaching candidate Jose Pekerman who can’t speak English) has long shown great interest in the future of U.S. soccer. In 1996, the MLS inaugural season, his short stint as New York/New Jersey MetroStars head coach lead him, two years later, to writing The Q-Report, a blueprint for U.S. soccer and a spring board for Project 2010.

What makes Queiroz’s report so credible is the fact he has a proven knack for developing young talent. As coach of Portugal’s U-20 team, he won back-to-back World Youth Championships in 1989 and 1991, which sparked the Portuguese “Golden Generation” with the likes of superstars Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Joao Pinto.

While Queiroz’s services would indeed be tempting with the 2010 World Cup less than three years way and all, Bradley still comes at a much cheaper price with even more knowledge of homegrown talent. And with so many Americans playing in Europe’s top-flight leagues—not mention his own son, Michael, playing for Holland’s SC Heerenveen—he certainly keeps a close eye on the specifics of the international game.

However, some experts say that the cheap price comes at being a clone of Bruce Arena.

Sure, Bradley was an assistant under Arena at the University of Virginia and then at D.C. United, but it’s been almost 10 years since the two have coached together. And since then, the Princeton grad has proved he can handle difficult situations. In any case, being labeled an Arena clone could be worse if Arena wasn’t the most successful coach in USMNT history.

In Bradley’s first year as an MLS head coach, he lead expansion team Chicago Fire to winning the 1998 MLS Cup and U.S. Cup, the first of two with the club. Then last season, he took second-year Chivas USA to the quarterfinals of the playoffs, a season after it tied the worst record in MLS history.

It might be untoward to compare MLS coaching success to potential international fruition, but one can’t complain about what Bradley has done so far without full team of first-choice players; his U.S. B-team beating Denmark’s young, but still tactical B-minus-team and then U.S. B-plus-team shutting out Mexico’s offensive A-plus-team.

But if Gulati still wants Queiroz, here’s a suggestion: Given that Queiroz is such a great engineer of young talent, offer him Bradley’s U-23 head coaching position and award Bradley as the official USMNT head coach.

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