For a man with some seriously important decisions to make in the coming weeks, Bob Bradley doesn’t appear too stressed.
The stoic U.S. national team head coach looked practically relaxed on Thursday as he fielded questions about his preparations for the 2010 World Cup, and the construction of his team.
Bradley played things close to the vest as he usually does, but what the U.S. coach did do was make it clear that he was more than ready to make the tough decisions required to construct what he ultimately feels is the best U.S. World Cup team.
The most popular topic Bradley faced on Thursday was the state of the U.S. national team forward pool, with Charlie Davies and his continued recovery from the fatal car accident the most talked about member of that pool. Davies has returned to full training with Sochaux, but Bradley remains cautious about putting expectations on his recovery.
"I think the fact that Charlie is this far along is great, but certainly even within the framework of being back, let's face it, there are different levels there. Our ability to assess where he is factors into making that decision."
Bradley acknowledged that Davies’ situation is a sensitive one because of his standing within the team and his well-publicized efforts to recover in time to play in the World Cup.
"It's a tricky part because I know what’s on the table right away," Bradley said. "I know that a lot of his drive has been with that goal. That means something to all of us, but at the end of the day we still have to assess completely where he is as we make decisions, even for the camp."
Davies’ comeback has become the most polarizing story surrounding the national team, with fans and teammates eager to see him back on the field. Bradley is fully aware of the emotions surrounding Davies’ potential inclusion on the team, but he doesn’t lose site of the fact that Davies will make the team if, and only if, he is full recovered and ready to help the team.
"At the end of the day decisions get made that you feel are best for the team. There's tough decisions that get made all the time. This one has a lot tied to it, that's exactly right.
"Oftentimes, within the team, decisions are clearer than people on the outside would understand," Bradley said. "There’s an old expression that the team picks the team. That's pretty true because usually things establish themselves pretty well. Players know who are the ones that should be there, and that kind of thing.
"There’s always going to be strong feelings, not only about Charlie, there’s strong feelings about all sorts of guys in this process."
Just as hot a topic surrounding the national team than Davies is the recent form of Gomez and Buddle. Gomez finished tied for the Mexican League lead in goals with ten after joining Puebla last winter. Buddle has bounced back from an injury-plagued 2009 to start 2010 in unreal fashion, scoring seven goals in the Los Angeles Galaxy’s first four matches.
Neither player figured into the U.S. team’s recent World Cup qualifying cycle, but they have both done enough to catch Bradley’s attention. It remains unclear whether they have done enough to earn a call into the U.S. team’s pre-World Cup camp, which opens in two weeks.
"If a player is playing well, if you think that he's doing things that will translate well to international games and that he’s at a point in his career that he can handle that type of jump, then you go for it," Bradley said. "In other cases, you may look at a player and just feel that he's doing well, but right now this is probably a little bit too much to ask.
"There’s no set formula for that. That's a little bit of instinct, a bit of gut feel. Certainly it’s predicated on where you are with other players."
One forward Bradley doesn’t seem to worried about is Jozy Altidore, the 20-year-old striker projected to start for the United States. Altidore ended his stint with Hull City in controversial fashion after delivering a head butt to an opponent that led to a red card and suspension. He has already returned to Villarreal and is facing an uncertain future on the club front.
"His experience this year at Hull, I think, has helped him," Bradley said of Altidore. "There’s been some good days. I remember for sure the game against Chelsea, where you could tell he was motivated that day. It was an extra edge in everything he did.
"I think that seeing that makes you feel good, tells you that some of the things that we've talked to Jozy about, things that he needs to do to keep growing, are happening. There are moments when it goes the other way.
"Part of it is our experience as a staff helps Jozy because we know him. We’ve had him in enough. I think the experiences along the way will ensure that he'll be ready to go."
The forward position isn’t the only one Bradley will have tough decisions to make on. Injuries and questions of form are also plaguing the U.S. team’s pool of defenders, but with some more reliable options in the back than up front, forward will continue to be the most discussed and most anticipated position watch for the next month until the final 23-man roster is selected for the U.S. World Cup team.
Picking the pool of World Cup forwards is just one of the many tasks Bradley will have in the coming weeks as he deals with more roster options than any American coach has ever had. Bradley wouldn’t go as far as to say the current U.S. national team is the deepest ever, but the fact that there are so many possible options, and so many decisions to make, confirms that fact.
That depth will make Bradley’s job that much tougher when it comes to picking his team, but listening to him on Thursday, he didn’t sound like someone who was worried about that challenge.
"In a perfect world we'd have picked our 23 and that’s who we’d come into camp with," Bradley said. "At this point, we're probably thinking more along the lines of 26 to 28 guys in, and knowing that within that we‘ll have to assess and, at the end of the day, make some decisions."
Ives Galarcep is FoxSoccer.com's newest senior writer who will be covering U.S. Soccer and MLS.
