Contract Extended, but Don’t Expect Bob Bradley To Coach in the 2014 World Cup

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: August 31, 2010

commentComment        

Sunil Gulati, the president of U.S. Soccer, has given head coach Bob Bradley a four-year extension on his contract, which will now run through 2014.

Bradley did relatively well in his four years as coach of the men's national team.  

The U.S. won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007, and reached the finals in 2009 (though the 5-0 loss to Mexico in the final was a bit embarrassing).  Reaching the finals of the 2009 Confederations Cup (and beating Spain along the way) was certainly impressive. Pre-tournament expectations were met at the 2010 World Cup by surviving group play and reaching the second round.  

What Bradley did not do was exceed expectations. He also did not give any indication that he has the creativity or vision necessary to take this team to the next level.  

Going out in the second round in 2014, or, even worse, getting knocked out in group play, will erase much of the significant but tenuous support the men's team worked so hard to get over the last two years.  

There is certainly a sizable group of die-hard USMNT supporters, but the sport is still trying to increase its footprint in this country. The "bandwagoners" need to be converted into full-time fans. This happens through winning. It happens through playing exciting soccer—consistently coming from behind is not the "exciting" we're looking for here. Gulati clearly wasn't happy after the U.S. showing in the World Cup. The team advanced out of the group, but the play was uninspiring.  

A gift-goal against England in the first match was responsible for one point. The Yanks came from two goals down to earn a tie against Slovenia. Another point. Three points for scoring the only goal of the match in stoppage time against Algeria. Good results, but not impressive. Falling 2-1 to Ghana in the second round was just plain bad.  

In three of the four WC matches the U.S...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!