International Football: Bob Bradley to hold talks with U.S.S.F
U.S soccer team manager, Bob Bradley is all set to hold talks with U.S.S.F; talks are believed to be aimed at deciding whether Bob will remain in charge of the U.S national soccer team. Bob Bradley has received mixed reviews by many after U.S.A’s performance at the World Cup.
U.S.A drew their first two games of the World Cup against England and Slovenia respectively. They scored an injury time winner against Algeria in their last group stage match to seal a round of sixteen spot for themselves.
U.S.A played the African nation of Ghana in their round of sixteen knock-out match. America eventually lost the match after Asamoah Gyan scored an extra time winner for Ghana. However, the coach has come under a lot of criticism from the media in U.S.A, whereas he has earned praise from managers and players who are associated with foreign leagues such as the Premier League.
Bob Bradley is a renowned soccer tactician. He started his coaching career with Ohio University’s football team in 1981. He spent two years at Ohio and moved to University of Virginia in 1983, where he became Bruce Arena’s assistant coach. Bradley’s next managerial job was at the Princeton University, where he was appointed the head coach of Princeton University’s soccer team.
He spent eleven years at Princeton, won two Ivy League titles and reached the NCAA final four in 1993. In 1996, Bradley temporarily took over as the assistant coach of U.S.A’s under 23 soccer team. Bradley’s first success in MLS came with Chicago Fire as he led the American club to MLS Cup and U.S Open Cup victories in 1998.
In 2006 after U.S national soccer team’s abysmal performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Bob Bradley was appointed as the national team’s interim coach. Many thought that Bradley will eventually become the U.S national soccer team’s manager for the 2014 World Cup rather than the 2010 World Cup. However, as U.S.S.F’s negotiations with Jurgen Klinsmann fell through, Bradley was appointed as the national team’s permanent full time manager.
Bradley quickly revamped the U.S national soccer team by adding younger players to the squad and also changed the way they conducted their training. He also built a good foundation for the U.S men’s soccer team. In 2007, Bradley won the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the U.S soccer team as they defeated their rivals Mexico by a score of 2-1 in the final.
U.S.A’s performance in the 2007 Copa America was disappointing as they lost their first game of the tournament to Argentina. They also lost their next two group games of the tournament to Columbia and Paraguay. U.S.A failed to make it to the next stage of the tournament as they finished at the bottom of their group, without even scoring a single point.
The 52-year old American has recently been linked to the Premier League club, Fulham’s vacant managerial post. The United States Soccer Federation have stated their intent to hold talks with Bradley as their spokesman said that, U.S soccer officials will be meeting with Bob soon to discuss possible options regarding his future with the team.
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