I Think It's Time For Bob Bradley to Go...

I think the title says it all on this one. After watching that shameful performance the other night versus Costa Rica. I know there are tons of people out there that say its on the players as well to perform, and to a certain extent I agree, but it just seems like we are a team lost and at times unmotivated. We saw the same type of game vs El Salvador where they went out there all casual and almost got their ass whooped had it not been for a tiring El Salvador defense and rally by the US in the second half. The difference is that this Costa Rica team was allot better than that and were able to come out in the second half and attack us.

At first I was a Bob Bradley fan as it seemed like he really was focused on playing attacking football, but now I don't know what the hell we are doing. The team has no sense of itself or identity. Are we an attack minded team, a possession team, a counterattack team, or a defensive minded team? Who the hell knows, as it just seems we have been going out there and knocking the ball around, and against Costa Rica, we didn't even seem to do that right. I have to question some of Bob Bradley's lineup changes on the evening as well:

• Damarcus Beasley - I at one point was a big fan of his with his energy and ability to give defenders fits with his pace and energy, but lets face it, he hasn't been the same player since his injury. That is evident by the fact that he can't even get on the field for his club team Rangers FC in Scotland, so why the hell is he even in camp much less the starting lineup? I thought Heath Pierce did a better job when he was put out on the left flank a while back. I think Beasley is done and needs to come back from Europe and get some regular playing time in MLS, and then earn his way back to the US National Team picture.
• Marvell Wynne - Way too young to to be put in a situation like that in on the right side of defense, not to mention the fact that he is just not the finished product right now and doesn't have the necessary experience to justify that selection. Jonathon Spector was more than capable of filling that spot, and he wasn't even given a spot on the bench for some reason.
• Landon Donovan - I have always said that Landon Donovan is our most dangerous player but only when he is in a position where he can run at defenses and wreak havoc. That is not going to happen when he is playing as the lead striker with his back to the goal. If you are going to use him in the 4-3-3 then play him wide where he can still run at defenses, but his best position is either on the wing or sitting behind the two forwards where he can run at defenses, or trail the play where one of the forwards can lay the ball off to him. That forward role may work for him with the LA Galaxy, but its never done him or the team any good against international competition.
• Jose Torres - I thought he was the best player on our team in the first half of the game. The atmosphere didn't seem to effect him and his passes were good and he moved the ball well. Then amazingly he was replaced at half time by Sacha Kljestan, which made no sense to me. Playing in Mexico, he is probably better equipped to come into a game like this and play well, and I thought it was an injustice when he was replaced.

I think its time that US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati, take a good hard look at where the direction of this team is going and if we can get where we need to be with Bradley at the helm. I want to win a World Cup and I am 100% sure it won't happen with Bob at the helm. We need a coach with big game club as well as international experience, not to mention fresh tactics. A coach who will demand the best from his players at all times and hold them accountable when they don't perform.

There is still time to make the change and bring in a new coach with a new outlook in time to salvage this qualifying campaign and for the World Cup next year. I have no doubt that Bradley can get us out of qualifying, but not out of any qualifying group in World Cup play. It's time for a change...

My Take on the UEFA Champions League Final

So this pill is a little hard to swallow for me, seeing as how I am such a huge Manchester United fan, but Barcelona are the 2009 UEFA Champions League title winners winners. I didn't have the opportunity to watch the game today as I was at work and unable to really get away from my desk. I watched the gamecast though on ESPN Soccernet, and based on that, I really thought that Barca wiped the floor with us based on the commentators words and the random Facebook chatter that was going on during the game. I will be the first to give Barcelona their credit for just being the better team today, but I think it was just as equally a case of United not showing up today.

With the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Eto'p and others, it was always going to be a difficult game for us. Once I was able to get home today and watch the game for myself, I got to see what Sir Alex Ferguson said in his post game comments, that basically Barca's first goal killed us and we never truly recovered. Those first ten minutes we gave their defense hell and were lucky not to be up one goal off of Cristiano Ronaldo's first free kick. Park wasn't able to reach out and get there fast enough for the rebound before being tackled by a Barca defender. It continued after that with wave after wave of United attack with Ronaldo looking especially lively, until Samuel Eto'o took his goal beautifully well. From that moment on we just were never able to get composed again and the last thing you ever want to do is go down 1-0 to a team like Barca who know how to keep possession well and just knock the ball around.

I look at that first goal though and can't help but think about how much we missed Darren Fletcher tonight. His tireless running, box-to-box mentality and ability to cover well on defense was much needed tonight, as Eto'o did well to beat Vidic on the goal, Carrick was a bit late with the help, allowing the three time African Player of the Year to beat Van Der Sar. In addition to that Fletcher would have been just the energy we needed to pry the ball away from Barca and regain some of that possession as he has done this for us all campaign long. That bogus red card he received against Arsenal in the semi final against Arsenal hurt us tonight as we missed his usual contribution.

I have always said that Michael Carrick is one of our most important players, with his ability to open up defenses with his precision passing, and his good footballing brain, but he did not have his best game tonight. Often his passes were intercepted, or just beyond the reach of the intended target and he never seemed to get into rhythm. It's tough as I wish I could highlight one player who had a good night for us, but I really can't. I also don't make it a habit of questioning Sir Alex and the lineup choices, but I really think we should have started with at least one pure striker in the lineup tonight whether it was Tevez or Berbatov, or both to really test Yaya Toure who was a makeshift center back for Barca in the absence of Rafa Marquez. In his defence though, Sir Alex has so often gotten the team selection right, that I dare not question him on his this one. His record as our manager over the past 22 years and well over 30 medals he has won give him that right, plus the knowledge that he will just work harder to win the trophy next year.

I heard some people say that because of this game Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the best player in the world ahead of Cristiano, and that is rubbish. Outside of his well taken goal inthe 70th minute today I didn't really think he imposed his stamp on the game much today, on or off the ball. For me Barca's best players were Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique (a Manchester United youth team product) as they were the difference between us getting the gaols we needed to take the trophy. Messi's second goal was due in large part to Puyol twice winning the ball in midfied and then dishing to Xavi who crossed the ball to Messi for the second goal. Gerard Pique defended well all evening and did well to stop a few of the good attacks we had, not to mention neutralizing Tevez when he was introduced to the game. I thought Messi gave us more trouble last year in the semi final than he did today. We did a decent job of shackling him up until he got his goal.

All in all, congrats to Barca and Pep Guardiola who had a great first season at the Camp Nou winning three medals and all. We just didn't show up tonight and were beaten by a team who wanted it more.

Maybe next year....