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According to various sources, Bob Bradley will be officially announced as the newest head coach of the U.S. men's national team on Wednesday - a news conference in New York has been scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
Bradley has been in charge of the team since December, leading the team to a 3-0-1 record in 2007, including an impressive victory over rivals Mexico. With the job officially his, Bradley's task now is to prepare the team for two major tournaments coming this summer: CONCACAF Gold Cup (June 6 - 24) and Copa America (June 26 - July 15).
Bradley, two-time MLS coach of the year, will also remain in charge of the U-23 national team that will be looking to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in China.
Known for his stellar one-on-one work with players, Bradley has gotten the seal of approval from Landon Donovan: "He's done a good job with us... Every time I've been out there I've been motivated to play. So from my standpoint, he deserves it."
TJ's take: Absolute right choice. Many people - those expecting nothing less than Juergen Klinsmann - haven't given Bradley the chance he deserves. In his four games this year, the team has shown up ready to play (maybe with a partial exception of the Guatemala game).
The real test will be this summer's tournaments. If Bradley's team doesn't make a strong showing, Sunil Gulati has plenty of time to resume his search for a replacement. It is now, for certain, Bradley's job to lose. Here's hoping BB can do for the national team what he did for the 2006 version of Chivas USA - turn them into winners.
1 comment:
I always thought the U.S. (or at least the U.S. media reports) were aiming too high in some of their targets.
I though Klinsmann would take the job because he has made America his home. But when he dropped out, trying to attract Gerard Houllier and Carlos Quieroz was always a long shot.
Quieroz was unlikely to leave Manchester United for anyone, let alone an average international football team. And Houllier is hot property. He will be snapped up by a biggish European club this summer.
Bradley now has to win the Gold Cup and not get embarassed at the Copa America.
http://copaamerica07.wordpress.com
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