Yanks-Abroad does a “23 Tickets to South Africa” article every 6-9 months to predict what the US roster will look like at the World Cup throughout the qualification process (beginning right after the previous WC); as it obviously evolves greatly over the 4 years as certain players fall off the radar and others burst onto the scene…
This one was published in December and I think it would change meaningfully even in just the three months since then; but is still fairly accurate. To be clear, this list is who they think Bradley will select and not necessarily who should be selected.
This one was published in December and I think it would change meaningfully even in just the three months since then; but is still fairly accurate. To be clear, this list is who they think Bradley will select and not necessarily who should be selected.
Regardless, I love this debate because it’s a balance of who’s “in-form” now and who’s potential is going to be “realized” in the next 16 months leading into South Africa. You don’t put someone on the World Cup roster because they have potential, potential doesn’t do you any good on the field. This is what makes Bradley’s job so much more difficult than people realize. There is a significant “monitoring/grooming/development” role to his job that accompanies the pressure-filled primary objective of “getting results”, a la qualifying for the World Cup. That’s how a National Team coaching gig varies greatly from a year-in year-out club coach; while its important to win in 2008 and 2009 (you obviously have to get to the WC) its much more important to be in a position to win in 2010. It’s not always as simple as “put the best 11 on the field”. It becomes a balance of putting the young stars in environments where they can mature and learn to handle the bright lights and pressure of international matches but also having enough experience on the field to get points in a hostile foreign country. And further, while “grooming and developing” is a critical part of your job, its also one that you don’t have complete control over, as so much of your player’s development is dependent on their individual situation with their club-team where they play (or don’t) more consistently. So your job then becomes how can I supplement that development or expedite it. But as so many American soccer fans know, sometimes its simply out of your control (see Benny Feilhaber, Freddy Adu, and sadly even Jozy Altidore – as they are all not seeing the field nearly enough to be fulfilling that “potential” we’re always hearing about). As all soccer fans know, if you aren’t logging time on a regular basis with your club its hard to keep a spot on the starting 11 for your country.
For that matter, I think Bradley’s done a lot better job than anyone expected and in my opinion was the right choice for the position once Klinnsman turned us down.
For that matter, I think Bradley’s done a lot better job than anyone expected and in my opinion was the right choice for the position once Klinnsman turned us down.
Updated 3/1/2009: http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=4431
