I just got done watching the LA Galaxy/San Jose Earthquake match tonight. Donovan/Buddle were fantastic! It is too bad Bradley did not give them more time on the pitch togehter during the World Cup. Just another example by Bradley is an idiot and should be fired.

I am all for strong opinions, but this is demonstrably untrue. Buddle has turned into a fine MLS level striker, but he was in over his head at the World Cup, and he was visibly terrified in his 25 minutes against Algeria. It is easy to forget now, but he was in on goal late in that match. He turned....and rolled the ball to no one.

Bradley is not an idiot and he should not be fired.

Spot on, n3e.

Agree with nathan3e.

It may be time for new blood in our national organization but to use the word fired is wrong and just a bit too emotional...

I actually thought that Bradley did a pretty good job at the WC. Buddle is a good player but the competition at the WC is a little different then the MLS and he looked very nervous against Algeria. I was especially impressed by the younger of the Bradley's though.

What, he got all of 20 minutes in the WC--and if you watch him, he was actually making stuff happen. More than could be said for Findley! He sure did a great job in the pre-tourney friendlies. Terrible decision by Bradley not to allow him work his magic in the real deal!

Goal #1 vs. Australia

Goal #2 vs. Australia

That's funny.

Well, that all depends on what you mean by making stuff happen. If you mean frivolously wasting a golden chance when we needed a goal to advance I agree with you.

P.S. The Australia game did not count. Eddie Johnson has looked dominant in meaningless games as well.

I think the best thing that happened to the US is when Findley got his second yellow--and then Bradley once again demonstrated his stupidity by not starting Buddle.

A little bit more of Buddle...

You could be right... Who are we to say you're wrong after the second World Cup where no US MNT forward player scored a goal during the finals... ??

Another example of why Bradley is an idiot--check out a great example of how Donovan/Buddle could have propelled the US Men's National Team further into the World Cup

Bradley needs to buy a clue

If Buddle was leading the MLS in goals, and Donovan was leading the MLS in assists prior to the World Cup, why would a coach not want to have those same players, who are teammates, on the same field, at the same time. Hmmmm...

Bob, here is a dime, go buy a clue.

It's almost as if HE saw them in training every day while you sat back in the States and only saw what you saw. Yeah, how could he ever come to any conclusion other than yours, Mr. Hindsight?

Ok, I give up who is Bill?

Who is Bill?



He graduated from Princeton and he is the coach of a prominent national team. He is not an idiot and he is not stupid and it undercuts any point you attempt to make when you indicate that he is. I suspect he would be comfortable comparing his resume with yours.



These links and MLS stats are irrelevant. MLS is what, the 15th best league in the world? There is no shame in it, just as there is no shame in pointing out that Buddle, Gomez, and Findley are not international level players. Davies was hurt. Who else was Bradley going to bring? Cunningham? Ching?

Okay, I mis-typed--BOB. Beat me over the head somemore. You guys know what I am talking about. Anyone got a dime for me?

Bradley went to Princeton, therefore he is a great soccer coach. Great logic! I went to St. Cloud State, therefore, I drink a lot of beer?

He was/is the coach of the US Men's National team (thanks for elevating the US team to a "prominant" team), therefore he is a great soccer coach. Even better logic! I used to coach a U6 co-ed team, therefore, I do not know a great soccer player when I see one?

Buddle only plays for a stupid MLS team, therefore, he is a terrible soccer player. (I suppose Donovan is also not somehow worthy becuase he only plays for a stupid MLS team, right? Becuase that is the logic!) The best logic I have seen all day! Using that logic, we should have kicked the crap out of Ghana. I do not know much about their players and where they play, but I think it is safe to say most of them do not play outside Ghana. Hmm, go play professionally in the US, or Ghana, ah, yeah, where is my passport, I want to go to Ghana--where does their top legaue stand in the world?

Let's stop treating MLS like a bastard step-child. There is some good play in the league and they are competitive. In fact, I think most MLS teams could make it in places like the EPL--they would not be at the top, but they could make it.

Then there is the Davies issue. Yeah, I think it is so mature for a young player to go out during World Cup qualifying in get into a terrible car accident at 5am on the GW Parkway. Man up buddy, come clean and think of your TEAM (and country). Why has he not answered the tough questions. What were you really doing? What did you have to drink/ingest before the accident? Where is the apology? Mr. Davies, it is time to grow up if you want to play with the big boys! Davies was "hurt" becuase he was STUPID!!!!

Mr. Hindsight? Ask anyone who knows me, Mr. Know-It-All; I was blasting Bradley from the first minute of the US/England game becuase Buddle was not out on the pitch!

I said he is not an idiot. Is it that difficult to understand? But you keep kicking the hell out of that straw man if it makes you feel better. I really hope you are not a trial lawyer.



Yes. That is close to what I am saying. He is at least worthy of respect.



Buddle is not a great striker, so no, you don't. Diego Forlan is a great striker. There is a yawning chasm between the two.



Do you ever argue points that have been made, or are you always more comfortable making things up out of whole cloth? Point out to me where I indicated that MLS is stupid (wow you love that word, how old are you?), or where I claimed that Buddle is terrible.




Please, get a hold of yourself. An MLS team playing in the EPL would make Derby County's season look like a shining beacon of hope. It is just reality. Just as it is reality that Henry stepped on the pitch and immediately became the best player in MLS.



Yes, how dare he nearly lose his life in a horrible car accident in which another young person did lose her life. To you this means he lacks intelligence and allows you write hurt parenthetically.

1. "I really hope you are not a trial lawyer." Come over here and I will take you on with half my brain tied behind my back just to make it fair. Grrr...

2. I will kick at Bradley all I want. He needs to find a new job, and quite frankly, I have never had much respect for the Ivy League. (GWB went to Yale, therefore he was the greatest US president ever, right?) Stop patting yourself on the back and being satisifed with making it to the Round of 16. This was a wasted opportunity and now we have to wait another four years.

3. I will give Bradley respect, but he is also subject to criticism. Soccer coaches do not live in ivory towers.

4. Diego Forlan was not eligible to play for the US Men's National Team, right? So your point, please? Buddle's "greatness" is essentially irrelevent. It should be compared to what the US was able to put out on the pitch. Terrible coaching decision, and a wasted opportunity. See #2 and 3.

5. "Buddle is terrible." OBJECTION: Assumes facts not in evidence.

6. MLS SUCKS. Thank you for your opinion--again, OBJECTION: Foundation, your Honor! Does Ghana even have a professional soccer league? I seriously don't know. Do you? Please enlighten me! Maybe I can make a ton of cash representing the mass of players from around the world seeking fame and fortune in the Ghana National Soccer League.

7. Stupid is as stupid does--on and off the soccer pitch!

I'll take a large popcorn with butter, some milk duds, and a large coke, I think this might be a long movie filled with drama...

Yes, very good. Just in case anyone was not sure that you are impossibly callous. Let me reiterate. Davies was critically injured and a young woman lost her life. To you this is open game for adolescent mockery.



This quite literally makes no sense. Are you a trial lawyer or not?



Your lack of respect for the Ivy League is based on what, exactly? And GWB was a legacy.



How am I patting myself on the back?



By calling him an idiot, repeatedly.



Is English your first language? Once again, with feeling, these are not my opinions. This is you telling me these are my opinions. Buddle is a fine player and MLS is a good league. Edson Buddle was simply not good enough to make a difference at the World Cup level - there is no shame in this. You are either unwilling or unable to understand these distinctions. Buddle was on the pitch for the most crucial part of the US group stage and he looked overwhelmed, because he was.



A partial list of clubs that employ players from the Ghana National Team: Inter, Rennes, Bologna, Chelsea, Portsmouth, NAC Breda, and Marseille. These are not amateurs.

nathan3e, you know, you are right! Buddle sucks, Bradley is a flippin' genuis, my college diploma on the wall is from a Cracker Jack box (becuase it is not Ivy League) and I will go to bed thanking God every night that no members of the US Men's National team play for the bankrupt/relegated Portsmouth. There is some hope for me as I did graduate from a law school where a former chief justice of the US Supreme Court graduated from! I will also stay off the GW Parkway when I head out to DC in a few weeks--or if I do, I will at least make sure Davies is not in town!

Right on man. Go out like you came in: Inarticulate, with no ability whatsoever to make a persuasive point. And do not confuse yourself with the facts. Did anyone in this thread indicate that 1) Buddle sucked 2) Bradley is a genius 3) Your diploma is from a Cracker Jack box? No, no and no. Did this stop you from attributing these thoughts to me? Of course not. And this just in: Portsmouth having no money doesn't mean that Kevin Prince-Boateng is a bad player.

And thanks for taking another poke at Davies on your way out. Goodness knows that two broken bones in his right leg, a broken and dislocated left elbow, a broken nose, a ruptured bladder, injuries to his forehead and eye socket and bleeding on his brain are super funny. Too bad you could not have visited him in his hospital room to give him a right and proper talking to.

You refuse to answer harmless direct questions, like are you are a litigator and what have you got against the Ivy League. It genuinely makes me wonder what type of law you practice.

Last time I checked this was a string on Buddle/Donovan, not "Are you are a litigator," or "what have you got against the Ivy League?" I am not a litigator, I just play one on TV. On the other hand, you refuse to produce on clip of Buddle running around on the pitch like the suck-hole soccer player you say he is...Go for it! I will take Buddle on my team and actually put the ball in the back of the net; you can take Findley or Altidore and fail to score a goal.

PS: I just checked. My secretary booked my room at the Ryatt Regency in Arlington. Getting into DC is going to be a bitch if I have to stay off the GW Parkway.

Produce a clip? I am referring to a game he played in the World Cup. You think you can find that all by yourself? If you can PM me the clip of Buddle doing something productive against Algeria. If I read another of your responses I'll lose my will to live.

What don't you get, nathan3e? You have been trying to convience yourself that Buddle sucks the whole time. Do me a favor, go outside and start screaming "Buddle sucks," until the cops come and take you to jail.

The whole premise of my intial post is that Bradley was an idiot for not playing him more. I offered some clips of his performances before the WC, as evidence that he is a great forward for the Americans, and should have been given more playing time. I guess I was also trying to make the point that he seems to work well with Donovan, whom he currently plays with in LA. That is why I included Donovan's name in the subject--yes, I was trying to use the subject line to clue the reader into the fact I wanted to include Donovan in the disucssion.

So, The Idiot in Chief screws Buddle and the US of doing good in the WC. What in four matches (360+ minutes), The Idiot in Chief played Buddle something like 40 minutes? What is that--about 10% of all playing time? It is not like he is going to have a 2 hour highlight film of his World Cup performance, when he out there for a limited amount of time.

I guess you can't find anything to support your premise--that Buddle sucks. I guess the world is still waiting for that--and you are never going to find it, beucase it does not exist.

At any rate, you want a clip, ummm, take a look at US v. Algeria--the goal Donovan scored--that clip demonstrates perfect positioning by an aware forward; who recognized the need to score a goal; was in the correct position for a quick counter attack; was on the correct side of the field to give the team another option; had some width; penetrated; I think it is textbook for any aspiring forward to watch and understand their roles and responsibilites. If Donovan would not have had a good shot, he could have easily passed the ball to Buddle for a simple goal.

So I guess in answering your question, yes, Buddle did do "something productive against Algeria."

Is there an intermission in this movie? I really have to go to the bathroom after drinking that large coke.

The antagonists has done his job of pointing out the unproven facts stated, but the protagonists is not going to give up because the fact remains that one player could have helped our team in South Africa (that can not be proven to be wrong).The simple fact that the team has not gotten a goal from any forward player in two world cups is a valid point, and points out the position of why the protagonists may not retract his original point of passion.

The statement about Bob's abilities is just another passionate opinion that many fans might come to the conclusion about because after all we did not finish in first, which most likely was the goal of any team going into the tournament (the truth or false of the statement can't be proven by anyone not in a position to know all the decisions made, alternatives, and outcomes of those decisions).

Resume the WWF battle boys... But lets keep the hit above the belt, so the children can continue watching this channel.

I am assuming there has to be a done on video from Buddle running around aimlessly during the WC. It just has to be out there...

Major League Soccer is in the middle of its 15th season. The league seems to be doing a good job of developing depth in the national team program, and serving as a springboard for some U.S. players to land pro contracts overseas. But there is a reason that only 4 of 23 players on the U.S. World Cup roster came from MLS.

Edson Buddle is a solid MLS forward who clearly benefits from playing with Landon Donovan. But if you're looking for reasons why the US didn't advance past Ghana in the WC, I don't think Buddle's playing time even registers.

The US entered 2010 with a 3-12-3 all-time record in WC group play, and Bob Bradley was the first US coach to advance to the knockout stage undefeated. The only thing separating the US from its best finish in WC history (after going 2-2-1 en route to the 2002 quarterfinals) was a fairly remarkable extra-time goal from a truly top-class forward, Asamoah Gyan. I don't think Buddle -- or any US forward in history, for that matter -- has the combination of speed, strength, composure and skill, to replicate Gyan's effort in that situation.

Anyone that thinks the MLS is a bad/(15 ranked) league might want to re-think that position in the future.

http://www.liveoddsandscores.com/news

"The Premier League outfit are the favorites at 11/10 (bet £10 to win £11 profit) on Betfair to win the match, and the draw is available to back at 13/5 with Sky Bet. The Red Bulls are the outsiders to win the match at 13/5 with Bet 365, but are by no means ruled out of contention".

"Chelsea are 5/6 (bet £6 to win £5 profit) favourites on Betfair to win the match, which promises to be entertaining. Meanwhile the draw is on offer at 11/4 with Sky Bet and a win for Ajax is at 14/5 with William Hill".

"Liverpool are generally 6/5 with the bookies to beat Kaiserslautern, but fans can take bigger odds of 29/20 (bet £20 to win £29) on Betfair. Another draw would be frustrating at 9/4 with Coral, whilst there has been money for a Kaiserslautern victory at 11/5 with William Hill".

It's now beginning to look like other top leagues with a few big teams, LA Galaxy, NY Red Bulls and other teams along for the ride.

"The British bookmakers have seen solid support for a United win, which has been trimmed into 2/7 (bet $7 to win $2 profit) by Sky Bet and Stan James. The draw is currently at 9/2 with bookie William Hill and a shock win for Kansas is trading at 19/2 on leading betting exchange Betfair".

"Manchester United are the favourites to win the match at 8/13 (bet £13 to win £8 profit) with Totesport, whilst Celtic can be backed at 9/2 with William Hill. The draw could be a popular option at 7/2 with Sky Bet in what could be a tight match".

The Red Bulls scored first in the sixth minute and just beat the "Worlds Richest team" 2-1 in the New York Challenge.

I do not think being somewhere between the 10th and 15th league in the world is bad. I really do not. I like MLS and want the league to do well. Many of the clubs are heading in the right direction. But Real Salt Lake was MLS Champion last year. Which of the following countries would see RSL emerge at the top of after a complete season: England (EPL or Championship), Mexico, Scotland, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Germany (Bundesliga 1 or 2), Italy, Turkey, Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Portugal, France, Japan, Ukraine, or Romania. Even plopping them down in Belgium or Norway would mean having to be better than Anderlecht or Rosenberg. Even a seemingly obscure side like CFR Cluj has a massive budget and is heading straight into the Champions League group stages. It is a big world with many, many players being paid more than a MLS team's budget. MLS is very young, and it is going to take time.

I agree.

Note that Buddle did not play in the MLS All-Star match tonight...and they got pumbled by Man U. Nuff said on this topic.

Thank goodness. MLS may have lost by more than 3 goals if he had played

I had to laugh tonight as Findley got stuffed on a PK vs. Seattle by a 40 something GK who is bald. What a joke--way to go Findley!!!

I hear Bradley will be in town on 3/12. I hope I get a chance to chat with the good coach on his thought process during the World Cup and why he did not play Buddle more.

This will undoubtedly be the highlight of his day. Make sure you mention that you believe he is an idiot that should be fired.

I am sure a question may be asked if the opportunity presents itself, but of course done in a polite manner.

This is an aspect of message boards that I have never understood. I specifically recall being repulsed by this thread. If you look through this from the beginning you will see that you spent an extended period of time roundly mocking and deriding both Bob Bradley and Charlie Davies. Yet if you have the opportunity to ask Bradley a question "of course" it will be done "in a polite manner". Why? Why write something here that you will not say to his face?

It's posts like this that almost make me wish these boards had a "like" button

Time, place and manner.

Or, willing to write anonymously on the internet what you will not to say to his face. Have the courage of your convictions.

Far from it, buddy!

I do not know what this means, unless your given name is Soccer Boy.

To sum up, you will call Bob Bradley an idiot and call for an end to his employment and mock Charlie Davies near-death accident here in the safety of USL/NASL Discussions. You will be polite if face to face. Would you want to be friends with someone who will say ugly things when you are not present but smiles pretty when you are standing in front of them?

I have never disputed the fact that some people call me "Soccer Boy," or to my Spanish speaking friends I am "Fútbol de Chico." Nathan3e, you are little too high strung for me.... Remember, "time, place and manner."

Nice one, you are officially the first human being who has ever referred to me as high strung.



You call it what you like; whatever finds your lost remote. All hail anyone who is willing to get behind the local team with fervor, which you clearly do. As for the rest, I'll do us both a solid and go back to ignoring you. Peace.

Just admit it, you can't get enough of me. Have fun supporting sub-par soccer players and their coaches.

Nathan3e, I just want to let you know that Mr. Bradley and I had a great chat on Saturday night. He even wanted his picture taken with me, too!

SB - after meeting Bradley, just curious if your opinions changed and if so, how did they?

Good question. I found Coach Bradley to be very pleasant and overall nice guy. I still think he made some coaching mistakes in South Africa.

I arrived at the event right at the start and there were not a ton of people. Coach Bradley came out into the main reception area with Tony Sanneh and started working the crowd right away. I was close to the place where he first appeared and I was actually a little nervous as I did not want to be the first person to shake his hand. As he approached, there were a few people that started to say hi. He then came over to where I was and said something like, “Hi, how is everyone doing tonight. I am Bob Bradley, nice to meet you.” I then welcomed him to MN and thanked him for coming. He then did the usual, “I am glad to be here,” and I felt as if he was very sincere.

During the course of the evening, he did an excellent job working the crowd. I thought he worked the crowd well, took photos with everyone that asked and signed a ton of autographs. During the Q&A portion of the event, he gave some really articulate answers to questions. I did not stay for his more formal speech toward the end of the program. Based on my observation, he is a pretty good guy who made himself available.

I do think the distinction that needs to be made is that people can and should be allowed to question the decisions made by the decision-maker. As a soccer coach myself, it is something that you are always thinking about regardless of what level of coaching you are at. I think the important thing is that you need to recognize your mistakes/weaknesses and learn from the situation.

Later on in the evening, I was mingling with a group of people and Bradley was making the rounds. He was in the group of people I was with and some of the people were asking him questions. I asked him something to the effect of how the 2010 World Cup had made him a better coach. He gave a really good answer. In four years Coach Bradley is going to have essentially a different squad and I think the US will be giving some of the top teams in the world a run for their money. Like anything, I am willing to keep an open mind.

Has my opinion changed of Bradley? Yes. It is always nice to meet someone on a personal level. I still think mistakes were made.

Good honest answers...I am sure there are a lot of things HE second-guessed also. The 2010 USMNT was a decent team (top 16 team). If they can develop one or two wc strikers, they could be a dangerous (top 8 team). The 2006 and 2010 teams didn't even have one. Until they do, I am not sure how far the coaching can take them. AT this point, since Bradley is in there, I hope he can take them to the next level. Thanks for the update.

Altidore did a lot of good yesterday, eh?

Further evidence of this you lads lack of talent. Klinsmann better take note of this clip!

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LzDTih9xteQ#![/video]