A undeniably true fact: If Charlie Davies hadn't been injured in that terrible car crash last October, Robbie Findley is not only not in the U.S. World Cup squad, he might not have even landed in Bob Bradley's fairly wide American talent net.
The loss of Davies created a speedy striker-sized hole in the American team, and Bradley decided early on that Findley was the best approximation of Davies available. Findley has shown flashes at the MLS level of turning into something special, and hell, Davies burst onto the scene as if our of nowhere in 2009, why couldn't Findley do the same?
But Findley struggled in his USMNT appearances for the most part, always seemingly in over his head in the international game. His speed is only useful if knows what he's doing with it; bad touches and bad decisions appeared to doom him and his World Cup chances. Few (if any) gave him a shot of "making the plane", as they say.
Shock of all shocks then when Findley made the World Cup squad over veteran Brian Ching. Bradley's desperate need for a speed option was truly in evidence now, with Findley not even playing in the warm up friendly against the Czech Republic's "B" team and yet somehow showing up on the final 23-man roster. Was Bradley grasping at straws, or did he see something that the rest of us were simply weren't seeing? How could he view Robbie Findley as anything more than an nice MLS player? Robbie Findley at the World Cup? Really?
Alright, but there was no way Findley would see the field in South Africa. Despite a thin and inexperienced striker pool, Bradley has options; Buddle or Gomez might not be the answer, but Clint Dempsey or Landon Donovan can slide up if needed. Findley will have a nice little vacation, get the experience the pomp and drama of the World Cup, and replicate Brian Ching's playing record from 2006: zero appearances.
Then Saturday changed everything, again. This time the change came from Findley himself, on the field against Turkey, showing the 55,000 in attendance and those watching on television what he could do and why Bradley exhibited so much faith in him. Sure, it was only a half, but at least Findley showed he belonged; in the right circumstance in South Africa, his hellish wheels might be enough to make a difference against a worn down opponent. Either Bradley really knew what he was doing, no matter the doubters (remember when "Findley" was trending on Twitter? - it wasn't because people were happy to see his name), or he got lucky. Flash in the Turkey frying pan or not, Robbie Findley leaped up the perceived depth chart.
And this is where it ends, for now. Robbie Findley the choice of some to be first off the bench at striker, the guy coming into a game against a tired defense, perhaps pressuring them into a critical error or providing the American midfield with additional options they lacked before. Give the opponent a new look at minute sixty-five, see how they cope. A change of pace. Findley showed he's capable, so that level of responsibility seems about right. Speedy supersub.
Because really, no one could have Findley as a projected starter based on one forty-five minute period against a non-World Cup team who may or may not have pulled back on the throttle, right? No way someone who knows the game and covers the team on a regular basis could possibly have a sometimes-starter for an MLS team as the strike partner for Jozy Altidore when the United States faces off against England on June 12th. Absurd. Not possible.
Madness.
Right?
