I'd like to present an equation, with the solution to be determined as we move along through this little discussion; if you'd like to guess what the answer might be, be my guest. I'm willing to bet that more than a few of you already know where we're headed.


Poor US performance in European friendlies + Russia's failing to qualify for the World Cup = ?


If you guessed "US fans calling for replacing Bob Bradley with Guus Hiddink", consider yourself a winner. I don't have any prizes, but that little bit of joy you get from being right just might hold you over till the weekend.


Yes, Guus Hiddink will probably be available now that his Russian side has bombed out of UEFA qualifying, and no, Bob Bradley hasn't instilled as much confidence as one would like as head man for the United States, the most recent friendly results being only one bit of evidence against him. However, there's no logical reason to believe that replacing Bradley with Hiddink would improve the United States or increase their chances of succeeding at World Cup 2010.


Another equation, posed as a question;


Is HIDDINK > BRADLEY?


On the surface, yes, absolutely. Whether or not Hiddink is one of the great coaches in the game is irrelevant, though many people will tell you he is. What is relevant is Hiddink's resume; the man has succeeded at the club and international level and took two different national sides to top four finishes at the World Cup. Bob Bradley (obviously) cannot compete with that. So, in the most simplest way possible, Hiddink is indeed greater than Bradley.


But reputation/resume/quality are not the only factors at play; when put in the context of November 2009, with the US already qualified and key players out with injury, Hiddink is most certainly not greater than Bradley.


I'm a believer in things like consistency, continuity, and familiarity, especially when it comes to coaching. Six months as an international manager is a blink of the eye, with full team time severely limited, and it's all Hiddink would have with the Americans before the World Cup kicks off in June. Even if Hiddink enough of a genius that he wouldn't need camps to flesh out the team, there's the added problem of a significant portion of the talent pool not playing; MLSers don't start till March, meaning Hiddink's ability to see them play before June would be severely limited. With the holes in both the front and back lines that the US now has, that lack of familiarity with the squad would be crippling.


To Bob's credit, it's not all about the small window for Hiddink to learn the team. It's also about Bob and his proven ability to get the best out of the US. Not every result has been good, and Bradley's certainly lost games (and by wider margins) than he should have; but on many occasions during the team's roller coaster 2009, Bradley has deftly manipulated his team to a position of strength. He's shown the ability to get the most out of his boys, and though things remain entirely too inconsistent, there's all the reason in the world to believe that he can do it again.


I admit it's a romantic notion and out of step with the harsh realities of international football, but I put stock in the rapport Bradley has built with his team. He's taken them through the fire, and they've come out on the other side tougher for it; though some of the players have changed over time, the core group of first-choice Americans have formed a bond of solidarity, in part thanks to their coach. Bringing in an outsider, foreigner or not, could destroy all of that.


The bottom line, anytime a coaching change is made, is whether or not the change will lead to better results. I have no reason to think that hiring anyone, much less Guus Hiddink, would improve American performances, or give them a better chance of advancing at the World Cup.


A final equation:


BRADLEY + POTENTIAL + CONTINUITY > HIDDINK - TIME - FAMILIARITY


Logically speaking, hiring Hiddink now would be a terrible move, even though I know that some of you will still be drinking the orange kool-aid no matter how the equations work out.


Even I'll admit that the intoxicating flavor of Hiddink's resume is tough to ignore.