A lot of US soccer fans were champing at the bit when they were hearing the rumblings of Jurgen Klinsmann's possible takeover of the National Team squad. Those fans are bound to be disappointed by today's news that Bob Bradley has signed a four-year contract extension with the US National Team amidst talks that he was raring to takeover the Aston Villa post.
Bradley took over after the disappointing 2006 campaign under Bruce Arena. Bradley quickly impressed as the interim coach before being given the reins. This summer, he took the US to the knockout stages for the first time since 2002, with yet another exit at the hands of the West African Ghanaian Black Stars.
His campaign at the 2010 World Cup resulted in mixed reviews amongst fans. Fans were ecstatic to see the team make it past the group stages after the embarrassment that was 2006, but some couldn't help but feel disappointed at the prospects that were laid in front of them. They got the best draw possible when they dodged Joachim Lowe's Germany team in the second round, and faced a team that didn't look all to impressive in their group stage efforts.
He struggled to find the right line-up throughout their stint in South Africa, constantly changing one of the forwards and one of the midfielders. The team hit a great rhythm though when he did find the right team, usually with Benny Feilhaber and Maurice Edu in the squad, but it was too little too late in most games.
So Bradley impressed and disappointed, a bittersweet result to some, but was a four year extension warranted? Will he be on a short leash? It doesn't seem as if he will be, with such a lengthy extension. There is a lot of good youth in the United States that Bradley MUST tap in the next four years to give them a shot in Brazil. If he continues to stick with his veteran players, some of whom continue to disappoint, he won't be so lucky as to keep his spot.
Link to the ESPN Story
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