Smell Ya Later Bob Bradley, Don't Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out

You know how you wake up some days and you have no idea that it will be a great day? Then other times, days you look forward to for weeks fail to meet lofty expectations.

I've stumbled onto one of the former cases today as I found out on Twitter this afternoon-while I watched the Red Sox game-that U.S. men's soccer had fired head coach Bob Bradley.

Being currently unemployed, I can't gloat too much about Bradley's departure even though Shimer and I (along with most knowledgeable fans) have been clamoring for it for a while now. It has felt like the team needed a change since they got bounced by Ghana last summer in the 2010 World Cup, played listlessly in friendlies and most recently, lost to Mexico 4-2 in the Gold Cup Final (after leading 2-0).

It seemed like Bradley's time in charge had run its course and rather than getting better the team was at best spinning its wheels and at worst, falling behind the form they had been showing they were capable of the last few years.

As boring as he is (I can tell you first-hand, I've sat through a couple of his press conferences), my bigger gripe with Bradley is that he lacked any imagination or creativity in terms of picking a roster, filling out a lineup and making in-game substitutions. Bigger picture, U.S. soccer needs to bring in a European (cough Juergen Klinsmann) that can help rebuild our cultural identity from the youth program up to the national team.

Yes, it's a lot to ask of one guy but the U.S. has a chance to hit a home run here if they hire the right person. The U.S. men are good but they will never make a jump to great and one of the top teams in the world without some drastic changes. That might sound crazy but think about it; with the right program, who's to say how good the U.S. could be in a few World Cup cycles.

In his 4.5 years (Jan. 2007) on the job, highlights of Bradley's regime included winning the 2007 Gold Cup, beating Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup then losing to Brazil in the final 3-2 and winning their group in last summer's World Cup. On paper, his resume looks pretty damn good. Especially when you consider that he had the second-most wins as a U.S. head coach.

However, this was long overdue. Goodbye Bob, thanks for your hard work and best of luck in your future endeavors.

Follow @RichSlate


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