U.S. national soccer team player Landon Donovan (R) listens as head coach Bob Bradley answers a question from a reporter during a news conference in Irene June 9, 2010.  REUTERS/Brian Snyder  (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: SPORT SOCCER WORLD CUP)

Bob Bradley told Dan Patrick that Jozy Altidore will start against England tomorrow. This is a curious thing for a number of reasons; most notably that Bradley appears to be tipping his hand a full day ahead of a crucial World Cup match where surprise would seem to be an advantage.


Why would he do that? Bradley's usual tact is to play things close to the vest, to let nothing slip outside of his inner circle, and to wait until the last possible moment to play his hand. It's been noted in more than one story over the course of the World Cup buildup that Bradley is among the more secretive coaches around and has a mantra for his effort to avoid leaks: "On the inside".


The coach takes the internal team dynamic seriously and rarely shares with the press more than he has to. So why drop that Altidore will start? Why give Capello and England the benefit of twenty-four hours plus of prep time to strategically plan for the young striker?


Two options: Either Bradley doesn't think it will matter, or he's intentionally planting a seed of doubt for England. It's not certain, but it's very possible that someone on Capello' staff is familiar enough with the U.S. operation to know that Bradley's statements this morning were uncharacteristic. If that's the case, and because information flows so freely in the digital world, someone in England's camp has heard the "news", passed it along and now the camp is wondering: "Did he really mean it?"


Even if England's portfolio on the Americans doesn't include a book on Bob Bradley, the statements could work in a "mind games" manner; England assumes Bradley is telling the truth, but Bradley is actually preparing to start someone else, possible someone with a very different set of skills than Altidore. Bradley now has an advantage, having thrown England off the trail.


Or not. Again, this is so out of character for Bradley that it's difficult to decipher. On the one hand, his usual bluntness would appear to indicate he's simply telling the truth. But since it is unusual, it's impossible to dismiss the possibility the Bradley is playing a game. This is the World Cup, after all. Every advantage should be pressed.


More than likely, I'm just wasting time until the game starts by over-analyzing something that has about as much depth as a kiddie pool.


HT to @brianmorse on Twitter for wondering out loud if it might be a ruse.
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