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Bradley fired as USA coach

Bob Bradley 1 (Getty Images)

Bob Bradley signed on for a second cycle as U.S. national team head coach a little less than a year ago, but that term has prematurely come to a close.

Bradley has been relieved of his duties, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced on Thursday. The decision to let Bradley go comes after a meeting at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., between Bradley, federation president Sunil Gulati, and U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn.

"We want to thank Bob Bradley for his service and dedication to U.S. Soccer during the past five years,” said Gulati in a press release. “During his time as the head coach of our Men’s National Team he led the team to a number of accomplishments, but we felt now was the right time for us to make a change. It is always hard to make these decisions, especially when it involves someone we respect as much as Bob. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

U.S. Soccer said it will have a further announcement on Friday.

Names already being linked to the vacant position are Juergen Klinsmann and World Cup-winning former Italian national team manager Marcelo Lippi.

Since last year's World Cup, the U.S. team has struggled under Bradley, posting a 5-4-4 record and falling in this year's Gold Cup final to Mexico. The decision to let Bradley go comes 13 days from the U.S. team's friendly against Mexico in Philadelphia.

Bradley's tenure as head coach ends with him posting a 43-25-13 record, winning a Gold Cup title, finishing in second place at the Confederations Cup and in the final 16 at the World Cup.

What do you think of this development?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Where are all the Klinsman haters?? At least now people can get off MB90’s back about him only playing because daddy is coaching.

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  2. Adam, you suffer from the same lack of vision that Bob did, that’s why he’s gone. You apparently can only define good strikers based on the shallow pool of players that Bob has called up. Do I need to give you the Milk Cup Roster and the rosters of half the teams in the MLS? There are plenty of options up top and until we find one that works, we should not stop trying.

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  3. You are right in terms of the one game where Jones and Edu partnered, they didn’t look that great together. What I would like to see is a Holden, Torres, or Feilhaber partner with a Jones or Edu. Then throw Bradley Jr’s name with Jones and Edu once he gets some minutes with his club.

    Do you remember Torres in the game against Turkey last year? He looked really good. After that he had one subpar game and since that game against Slovenia he never got another call up. That’s what bothered me most about Bob, even more than the Bornstein decision.

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  4. I did see the Argentina game. He certainly wasn’t the worst US player on the field but I also wasn’t that impressed. You could tell he hadn’t gotten many minutes with his club recently. Although he covered a lot of ground, his passes were off the mark.

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  5. Lets hope this is really the beginning of a new era. I’ve been unhappy with Bradley for years and Im hopeful that we’ll get someone that will make every player on the field earn his spot every game. Also, a coach that goes into games trying to win, not bunker and counter attack

    The part Im really going to find interesting is the roll that Mikey plays in the upcoming friendlies. Is he still an automatic starter and 90 minute player or will the new coach go another direction? I think he’s in the mix but I also think his days as an automatic are over. That may be the best case

    Bornstein I think has suited up for the last time for the Nats and I think Rodgers and Sacha are also gonna fall off the radar screen

    Lets hope the new guy is not afraid to make changes and takes us forward and out of the darkness we’ve been in for the last 5 years

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  6. I can buy MB as no longer an automatic. But in terms of combinations, I think Edu-Bradley and Bradley-Jones work better than Edu-Jones. I think Bradley offers a bit more in the attack than Edu, and assuming we’re going to keep trying the Jermaine Jones thing, I think we’re more likely to be successful with Bradley partnering with him. Now, if Holden comes back healthy and playing well, or if say Diskerud takes the attacking midfield reins, then maybe things change significantly. I could see Edu successfully partnering with them. But who knows. Edu just turned 25, Bradley is about to turn 24. Their games may continue to develop for the next year or two and then we’ll see. No idea where Bradley is going though. Apparently he just turned down Spartak Moscow and is getting interest from other Bundesliga and Ligue 1 clubs, plus Napoli, Bologna, Roma, Genoa… or maybe he’ll just stay at Gladbach since they seem to be asking for a lot for him. Regardless, he just needs to start. I don’t really care where – any place in the Bundesliga, Serie A, or Ligue 1 would be great.

    I don’t think it was a matter of Bob not giving anyone a fair shot. I think it was a lack of options. Who is out there who could be a quality attacking central midfield player for this team? Maybe Holden, but he’s been hurt, and while I like him a lot, I’m not sure he’s the answer in that role. Adu is not really ideal in any position that has any defensive responsibilities at all. Diskerud has the touch and the vision, but he’s still got some developing to do. Torres likes to play a little deeper so I don’t know if that role is really for him. I would like to give Benny Feilhaber another shot there. Aside from those options, I don’t see who else there is.

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  7. …and Trinidad & Tobago, and Juventus, and River Plate, and Peru, and Man City, and the Portland Trailblazers…

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  8. Well, maybe you don’t like them, but sashes have been on soccer jerseys since at least the 1930’s.

    I happen to like the look.

    But the US logo SUCKS (I can’t even call it a “crest”).

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  9. I guess you did not see the Argentina game. Bradley is certainly not the player Messi is, but he did have a better game.

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  10. Yeah, that’s why the U.S. beat Uruguay in the under U20WC with relatively the same players both national teams have now.

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  11. My replacement pick is easy. The man who has led a country with only 3.5 million people to both a South American Copa America championship last week and a 4th place finish at the World Cup… Óscar W. Tabárez, manager of Uruguay. Let’s pony up some money for him!!! If he doens’t know English get him a copy of Rosetta Stone for heaven’s sake. Let’s make this happen.

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  12. I feel like Bradley Jr’s only strong performances since last years World Cup were against Paraguay in March and against Canada in the Gold Cup. That combined with his playing time/ club form isn’t enough for an automatic selection. A year ago I would agree, Bradley was better than Edu. I can’t see that being true anymore. Just out of curiosity, where do you see Bradley ending up this summer?

    In terms of Bunker, you are right that dual d-mids does not equal bunkering but it does contribute to it. When you said “We’re not going to stop playing 2 d-mids until a more attacking central midfielder can establish himself.” That was my biggest problem with Bob, I don’t think he gave anyone a fair shot at the position.

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  13. It would never happen, but I want David Moyes to coach the USMNT. With everton he gas created a solid quality club of smart and disciplined played who every now and then punch way above their weight. He has a track record of getting the most out of his players without taking lot of crap…

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