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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.
I always thought the U.S. (or at least the U.S. media reports) were aiming too high in some of their targets.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
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