USA arrival

Times have changed for U.S. Soccer. After the dalliance with German legend and successful World Cup manager Jurgen Klinsmann in 2006, a dance that end with the Federation switching partners at the last minute to Bob Bradley, Sunil Gulati and company clearly have dreams of hiring a high profile international coach.


That, plus a belief in soccer circles that U.S. Soccer is unlikely to hold on to the same coach through two cycles after the poor ending to the Bruce Arena era, has me certain that the 2010 World Cup will be Bob Bradley's one and only go round. There's a small chance that Bradley could build up enough credit with a fantastic showing and have the option to stay in the job; but Bradley, like his predecessor, has eyes on a job abroad, and he appears to have some level of international respect. If he leads the United States to the quarterfinals or beyond in South Africa, it will be him choosing to leave rather than U.S. Soccer pushing him out of the door.


As focused as we are on the tournament that has yet to happen, and as much of a foregone conclusion as Bradley's tenure ending might seem to be, I'm guessing more than a few of us have simply failed to look beyond this summer (which is understandable). Be it Klinsmann, another high-profile foreign manager, or an American like Kinnear or Schmid, we'll probably be talking about a new boss before the year is out.


A look at the possible scenarios, and the likely fallout from each:


  • U.S. Beat England but fail to advance


  • Defeating the Three Lions might be a single game high water mark in the modern history of the program, and Bradley would bank some good will. But failing to advance after doing so would sweep all those happy feelings away in a flash. Expectations have been set, and advancing is a must.

    Likely Result: Bradley dismissed



  • U.S. draws or loses to England and fail to advance


  • Not much difference with this possibility, just less question over if one game might save Bradley's job. Failing to advance, no matter how close the outcomes, is the worst case scenario for Bradley and Co., and there's no reason to believe the ax wouldn't fall quickly should the Americans be coming home early.

    Likely Result: Bradley dismissed



  • U.S. goes out in the Round of 16


  • Taking the England result out of the equation, be it win, lose, or draw, Bradley falling in the first knockout round might be termed a decent, if ultimately disappointing, showing. It depends on who they face and how it goes, of course, but Bradley doesn't appear to have enough standing to hold on to his job should the Americans come up short of the quarterfinals.

    Likely Result: Bradley dismissed (U.S. Soccer "moves on")



  • U.S. goes out in the quarterfinals


  • This is the first scenario where there's room for question; after Arena took the Americans to the quarterfinal round in 2002 and failed miserably in 2006, it's hard to imagine U.S. Soccer keeping the coach around, something which would involve expectation of lasting another full cycle. Again, it depends a bit on who they play and the margin of the result; if they lose to a traditional power on penalties for example, Bradley might have the cache to stick around if he'd like. But would he? With the right win (England or Germany maybe), Bradley might be able to land himself a chance in a second-tier league in Europe. Either way, the net result would be the same.

    Likely Result: Bradley dismissed/resigns



  • U.S. advances beyond quarterfinals


  • Bradley's foreign aspirations would certainly find an outlet if he can push the Americans to their best ever modern showing. Famous scalps would be a guaranteed along the way, adding to his reputation and making him even more attractive to clubs abroad. U.S. Soccer would be certain make an effort to keep him if he managed to shock the world, but Bradley would have no reason not to head off in search of a new challenge.

    Likely Result: Bradley resigns, headed for "bigger" things


    I can conceive of no outcome that leads to Bob Bradley remaining U.S. National Team head coach post-World Cup, at least for very long. Because Arena lasted as long as he did in the job, American fans may be be conditioned to push aside these possibilities; but whether the Yanks find glory or disaster in South Africa, change is on the horizon.


    World Cup 2010 is the culmination of Bob Bradley's tenure of U.S. National Team coach. It's highly doubtful he'll have a second shot.
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