Plenty has been written on this site and others about whether Bob should have been brought back. And there will be plenty of places to spew bile over this decision - one may even pop up on this site - but now that the job is officially Bob's it's probably worth a look at how the next four years lay out and what Bradley might do with them. The focus is on the 10 months between now and the end of the Gold Cup, but I've outlined the entire likely schedule below.
2010
October 9 - Poland friendly
October 12 - Colombia friendly
November 17 - FIFA friendly date
With the playoff push on for MLS teams, it seems unlikely many MLSers will be called in for the October games. But with some actual time in camp, I would expect a few uncapped European based players to get called in. I would expect Mikkel Diskerud, Eric Lichaj, and Jermaine Jones to all get callups for the October matches.
The November friendly date is currently open. Because of the short time off, if it were to be filled, it would likely be played in Europe with a mix of players from eliminated MLS teams and Europe based players. Most of the major European countries have already announced friendlies for that date, but one country that does not that would provide a good matchup is Belgium.
The rest of this year gives Bradley a chance to scout and test European talent that has not yet been evaluated.
2011
January camp
Friendly against some Scandinavian country
February 9 - FIFA friendly date
March 26-30 - FIFA international dates
June 5-25 - Gold Cup
July - open for friendlies
August 17 - friendly date
September 3-7 - international dates
October 8-12 - international dates
November 12-16 - international dates
While the end of 2010 should be an excellent chance to evaluate the European talent, the beginning of 2011 should give that chance the domestic players. There's no reason to believe that Bob will stop holding the January camp culminating in a friendly against a country whose professional league takes an extended winter break.
If a 2010 November friendly does not happen in Europe, the February friendly date would likely be utilized that way.
The March dates should be a dress rehearsal for the team that Bob will take to the Gold Cup. I anticipate that team consisting mainly of players who went to South Africa and using a similar set of tactics. Evaluations of players will likely lean toward problem areas; center back, defensive midfield, and striker.
Post Gold Cup should be the biggest time of experimentation for Bob during the next cycle. If the proposed qualifying plan goes into effect (there's no reason to believe it will not be approved because it nearly replicates the current AFC model), the US should have about 15 consecutive matches that are friendlies or where the US is a heavy favorite between July 2011 and October 2012. It's at this point that guys like Bocanegra and Cherundolo will likely be worked out of the rotation and younger players given more than cameo appearances in preparation for World Cup qualifying.
2012
January camp
January Scandinavian friendly
February 29 - friendly date
June - 4 WC Qualifiers
July - open for friendlies
September 8-12 - 2 WC Qualifiers
October 13-17 - 2 WC Qualifiers
November 14 - WC Qualifier
2012 may provide the US a chance to do a friendly tour against teams tuning up for Euro 2012. I would expect scheduling a wide array of opponents in terms of style as a good test for the lineup and tactic experimentation that should be occurring during this time.
2013
January camp
January - Scandinavian friendly
February 6 - WC Qualifier
March 23-27 - 2 WC Qualifiers
June 8-12 - 2 WC Qualifiers
June - Confederations Cup
July - Gold Cup
August 21 - Friendly Date
September 7-11 - 2 WC Qualifiers
October 12-16 - 2 WC Qualifiers
November 16-20 - International dates
If the US again qualifies for the Confederations Cup, 2013 looks to be a very busy year, and should mark the point of solidifying contributors and tactics.
2014
January camp
January - Scandinavian friendly
March 5 - Friendly date
May/June - Pre-WC camp and friendlies
June/July - World Cup
As with any World Cup year, everything is about final preparations.
Bradley follows a pretty strict pattern for introducing new players into the fold, a process that generally takes a full year. With only a handful of matches between now and the Gold Cup, it's unlikely large scale changes will occur. But the call ups, the late subs, and surprise starts should give us an idea of who might slide into the Gold Cup squad ahead of those featured in South Africa.
