Venture into the mind of Bob Bradley

The man with the plan

Here at UF, we’re not like other blogs. That’s a double-edged sword, of course, but for the most part it means we don’t a) pander or b) hold back. With that in mind, I’m not going to offer one of those lists that everyone is doing before the camp roster is named for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

That would be as bad as writing something saying that Paul Scholes should be on England’s team. And we wouldn’t do that. Well, I wouldn’t.

The list will be announced on ESPNews at 2 p.m. EDT, and most of the names are set, whether we like the players or not. So I’m going to put on my hazmat suit and take a dive into the primordial ooze that is… Bob Bradley’s brain.

The big questions about Bradley are his loyalty — which is too high for many critics — and his ability to take risks — which is too low. I’m not going to rehash the arguments about his tactics or his formations. We know that he generally likes a 4-4-1-1 sort of set with the midfield in almost a diamond setup. Like it, hate it, whatever. It is what it is. So let’s think about the options and what would make the most sense for this man’s mentality and try to figure out what will happen.

First, though, let’s point out the locks, just to get them out of the way.

Howard, Hahnemann and Guzan are the goalkeepers. Whether Hahnemann or Guzan is the No. 2 really isn’t much of a conversation considering it will take a miracle to take Timmay out of the net. But, as one writer put it “I’d take the U.S. No. 3 over England’s No. 1.”

True dat, unless Joe Hart is your No. 3.

For defense, start with Oguchi Onyewu. There seems to be little question he’ll be fit, so he’s in. Then you have Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Spector and Steve Cherundolo. That’s five that seem to be safe on the plane.

Here’s where the Bradley questions begin. Bradley doesn’t think outside the box much, so I think he’ll take 8 defenders (I would take 7, but that’s just me). Jonathan Bornstein is a prototypical loyalty pick, so I think he’ll make it, though he shouldn’t. Frankie Hejduk could sneak on as a “team” pick, but he should never see the field. And Clarence Goodson has shown he deserves a spot. He’s a good pick.

Left out of this mix are Chad Marshall, Edgar Castillo, Heath Pearce and (yes!) Jimmy Conrad. Do you see why I would take 7 now? Hejduk isn’t going to add anything to a game. If you insist on taking him, Castillo is the better risk. At least he can get forward, and the chances of the Yanks having to push to maybe get a goal back are pretty decent.

One caveat for me hoping Bradley takes 7 defenders: If DaMarcus Beasley ever plays left back again, I will gouge my eyes out with a toothpick.

Which brings us to what Bradley says is the strength of the U.S. team: the midfield. Again, we’re not talking about tactics or how he misuses these players. Just take his system for what it’s worth and think about who he will take.

The locks are easy, and I’m going to stay with the traditional 8 midfielders and 4 strikers (I would have gone 7-10-3) : Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Bradley the Lesser, Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden. Stu is a lock since he started playing again. Maurice Edu has to be a lock now, too.

So that’s a bunch of people for 2 spots. Back into the brain we go: Beasley has experience, but Bradley can’t be that crazy, can he? Yes, he can. Sacha Kljestan is a Bradley guy, but can Bradley really overlook how bad he’s been internationally? Yes, he can. Ricardo Clark should make it, but has he played enough? Jose Francisco Torres has the talent, but he never seems to get the chance with the big team. Can Bradley overlook them for a “Bradley guy”? Yes, he can.

And then there’s Alejandro Bodoya (I’m not even going to give Bobby Convey and Jermaine Jones a look, and Freddy Adu NO!). Bodoya was the best player on the U.S. side for his time in the match against the Netherlands. His speed reminded me (and others I spoke with) of a certain Landon Donovan in 2002. Frankly, I think Bedoya would be a nice risk, and he could be a great addition with substitute energy power. Bradley couldn’t possibly overlook that, right?

Yes, he can.

My thought is you take Clark and Bedoya. But my expectation is that Beasley ends up on the plane.

Finally, the strikers. if it’s me, I have two lists: Jozy Altidore, 60 Minutes Charlie Davies and Herculez Gomez is list A. List B is Jozy Altidore, 30 Minutes Charlie Davies and Herculez Gomez. I’m going to play Dempsey up top. That much is clear. Let’s just admit it and move forward.

But no. We’re looking into Bob Bradley’s brain. So Jozy is the only lock. I think many of us agree that Davies should make the plane even if he doesn’t play for morale. But I suspect Bradley is more cautious than that and won’t take Davies unless he can actually play. So the other two spots bring us to the cavalcade of not-top options we’ve all been debating for months.

Bradley is set on a target man. In fact, his inability to move away from that setup has hurt the team in the past. So either Brian Ching or Conor Casey will make the plane. My best guess is Ching, but Bradley likes both guys more than any of us do. That leaves the last spot as a fight among Gomez, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Robbie Findley and a few others. I think Bradley takes Gomez and (if Davies can’t go) Johnson but never plays either of them.

So that’s it. A sure-fire recipe for winning the group and powering to the semifinals. Right? Right?

The more thought is put into this, the more it’s clear that the rigid thought process of our fearless leader is what really hurts the U.S. team. They have some good parts, and in the right system under the right circumstances, they can beat a Spain or an England. But after spending a few hours in Bob Bradley’s brain, I’m not sure it really matters who we put on the plane.

Debate away. I expect to be ridiculed. It’s cool because, luckily, I don’t have to make the picks.

Let’s just pray Calamity James is in goal June 12.