Former USMNT manager Bob Bradley weighs in on American soccer media during World Cup

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images attach

Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Bob Bradley led the U.S. Men’s National Team through some of its most memorable moments in modern history as manager throughout the 2010 World Cup cycle, which included qualification for the tournament in South Africa, a historic second-place finish in the 2009 Confederations Cup which included a 2-0 win over Spain in the semifinal, and the unforgettable last-minute goal from Landon Donovan against Algeria to send the Americans through to the World Cup’s knockout stage.

Now, 16 years later, Bradley is getting a taste of life outside of coaching, joining the media ranks for this World Cup alongside two other former USMNT managers, Bruce Arena and Gregg Berhalter. Together, the trio, plus host Rob Stone, form Coaches Corner, a ten-episode series for FanDuel that aims to provide tactical analysis, insider perspective, and candid conversations about this summer’s World Cup and, in particular, the USMNT.

Bradley caught up with Awful Announcing earlier this week to fill us in on dipping his toe into media this World Cup, how the American soccer media has changed since his time as USMNT manager, and whether or not the media has overreacted to the USMNT’s 4-1 win over Paraguay to open the tournament.

The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

Awful Announcing: How did this show come together with yourself, Bruce, and Gregg?

Bob Bradley: I don’t know who came up with the idea, but it’s been fun to do. We’ve known each other for a long time. We don’t all see the game in the same way. We’re not afraid to challenge each other. Rob Stone does an incredible job leading the discussion and taking it in different ways; he’s a real pro. And I think so far it’s come across in a good way.

AA: Was there any hesitation getting all three of these former USMNT coaches together to do a show where you might, at times, critique the current staff?

BB: Since I left as National Team coach, I have never spoken publicly or critiqued anything in those ways. I’m very respectful. When I’m not on the inside, there are certainly things that coaches do in different ways. I don’t know Mauricio [Pochettino] at all. And then you look from the outside, and you appreciate when he sets standards for what it means to be on the National Team. Did he do it exactly the way I did it? I’m not sure, I doubt it. But nonetheless, the idea [is] that when anybody comes into the National Team, no one is bigger than the National Team. That everybody has to earn that honor over and over and over, for me, is really important.

I’ve looked from the outside. I’ve gotten a sense that that’s what he’s been able to do. And so, again, when you go on with Bruce and Gregg, they’ll have different ways. Will they choose to critique it more than I do? What I try to do is I speak about what I see. I’ve been asked now 50 times, ‘Is this the greatest game in U.S. Men’s National Team history?’ And every game has to be put into context. And so rather than answering the question the way it gets asked, I simply say, ‘It was the perfect start to this World Cup.’ And obviously, the work meant when those guys stepped on the field, you could see the mentality was right, the tactics were right, the intensity was right, and now you go after a team, and you put them on their heels in a way that they just can’t manage.

That’s all I need. That’s the way I would assess anything. Quickly, it came up about [Paraguay’s] goal in the second half, and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m sure they’ll celebrate tonight, but the coaching staff’s going to look at that. And they’re going to see some small details … that you’re going to want to improve upon.’ So that’s my take on it, and then I just let Bruce and Gregg say whatever they want, and we go from there.

AA: Overall, did the media overreact, underreact, or get it just right about the USMNT’s opening win against Paraguay?

BB: Everybody’s excited, and they should be. Media can’t operate like coaching, right? That’s the reason that sometimes you’ll think to yourself (as a coach), ‘Man, that’s a dumb question.’ Coaches see so many things, and no coach would ever, after a game like that, be thinking, ‘Gee, I wonder where this fits in in the list of great National Team games in this history of the United States?’ Nobody would ever do that. What you would do is think about all the work you had done. You would look at the game. You would see the pluses. You would find little things that need to be improved.

I don’t see anybody in the media who does it like that, in this country anyway. Depending upon what country you go, you might find a little bit of that in some other places. When a game comes together like that, and the media is excited, and the fans are excited, and people wanna go and take that as far as they can, I get it. And I would never want to be the voice against that; there’s no reason. We need the game to grow in this country.

AA: How have you seen American media coverage of soccer change since your time as a National Team coach?

BB: In the social-media-engagement-click world, I understand the challenges of journalism. My brother Jeff was a journalist for a long time. Journalists and people that want to create engagement and clicks and everything, it’s not easy.

Everybody knows by now, I never tweet, but my wife and I share a Twitter account. And I follow in areas that are of interest to me. Football and analytics and journalists that I think are good.

I’ll never miss a Sid Lowe article. Why? Because, first of all, I’ve met him a few times and I think he’s a good guy. And second of all, I appreciate that when he watches a game, he sees things in the game. He understands about the identity of a club or the atmosphere in a stadium or the culture of a fanbase. It’s not an article that has quotes that are there just to create engagement and clicks.

I’m allowed to view that because I’m not in that world. I do my best to deal with it when I have to. Obviously, this World Cup, we all think back a little bit to Grant Wahl. Grant went to Princeton, and he covered the 1993 Princeton team that went to the Final Four. I think he was a sophomore. He came into my office a couple of times a week. He didn’t know anything about soccer, but he was smart and asked good questions. So when I saw him, just like I would see a player grow in the game, I would always think back to those times we shared when he was a young guy, and I was proud of him. And I think he tried to learn about the game and look at it in all those ways and see things that other people didn’t see. I used to challenge him, even as he got older. It’s easy to see what’s on the surface, Grant. The real good writers, the Wright Thompsons and others, they see what’s below the surface. And then they can connect those dots. And that’s what I love.

Do I see that every week in some of this other stuff that’s out? Honestly, I don’t. But, whatever.

AA: Now that you’ve gotten a taste of media, do you see yourself becoming a part of it one day?

BB: I’m not sure yet. I gotta be honest, I’m not sure. When you coach, people see your team, but I’m not really sure people understand what you do. What you do is you go in every day, and you engage the people around you. You lead a discussion, and you challenge people to have opinions, and you listen. You do everything to create a culture where people are excited about being part of it and where there’s a real sense of how to build a team.

And, look, when I talk about all of that, it’s players, but it’s staff, it’s management. In the process, I’ve done that in different places, and I’ve done it with players from all kinds of backgrounds, and I’ve seen players go on to really big careers … and so you know about players that you have worked with along the way, and you think about teams and what those teams were about and the football that those teams played. And I think I’m good at all of that, so right now it’s a different type of conversation every day with the people that I’m dealing with on the media side. Really good people, and they’re really patient with me because I don’t know what I’m doing. But at the same time, I still am really motivated to find the right next challenge in coaching. But I’m appreciative of the opportunities that I have right now.

What I try to do is simple. I try to have an understanding of, ‘Who am I doing it with? What is the flow?’ And then I try to find ways to say real things and add some value. And if people like that, great. And if they don’t, I’m sorry, that’s just the way I am.

The post Former USMNT manager Bob Bradley weighs in on American soccer media during World Cup appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Continue reading...