Hush-Boyz 2 Men

Bob Bradley's Use of Young Players Bodes Well for the Future of the US Men's National Team

by Andrew Hush

On a wet night in Basel, Bob Bradley watched as his young side won a creditable victory over Switzerland, one of the two hosts of Euro 2008 and a side that was undone by a late goal that was designed and built in the late 1980s.

Bob Bradley

Bob Bradley deserves credit for bringing young players ito the US National team

Szetela, on as a second-half substitute for his first senior cap, found Clint Dempsey – a veteran at 24 – making a late run into the home penalty area. The ex-Rev could not quite bring the center under control but Bradley junior was on hand to poke home his first goal in senior international soccer.

On the sidelines, the scorer’s father was able to celebrate a personal and professional high and was almost cheering again moments later, as Adu came close to doubling the US lead. The shot went over but no matter, for the rare win in Europe was secure.

In the short-term, this win ended a four-game losing streak and saw Bradley senior pick up an impressive eleventh win in his first sixteen games as coach. However, the long-term impact of this October friendly may not be seen in full fruition until June 2010. Only then, as the World Cup kicks off in South Africa, will we see the full potential of the promising group of players over which Bradley has control.

Including Bradley, Szetela and Adu, of the seventeen players in USA colors that took the field at St. Jakob Park, eleven were aged 25 or under. Only two – Marcus Hahnemann and Eddie Lewis – were on the wrong side of thirty. Furthermore, consider that the likes of Landon Donovan, Jonathan Bornstein, Ricardo Clark, Bobby Convey and Eddie Johnson – national team regulars all – were not in Switzerland and it is clear to see that the nucleus of the World Cup squad is already in place.

There are few nations around the world that can boast riches similar to those with which Bradley currently works and it must be hoped that there is a continuation of the evolution seen in the national team since the Annus Horribilis that was 2006.

The signs are promising. While MLS continues to serve as a breeding ground of fine talent, more and more of the nation’s best young players are rightly identifying Europe as the best place to take their games to the next level. Take the key players in the Switzerland win. Bradley junior is having an excellent season in Holland, while Adu and Szetela have both moved overseas, to Portugal and Spain respectively.

With the raw materials in place, what needs to be done to ensure the positive progress continues? To be truthful, the current course is one that needs not be greatly veered away from. Despite the results, playing in Copa America was the right choice, while pursuing options to play international friendlies overseas – South Africa in Johannesburg are next – is more advantageous than a tour of the country against inferior opposition.

With a number of traditional superpowers currently stumbling – Italy, France and England could miss out on Euro 2008 while Brazil were held by Colombia – very quietly, the USA is climbing the world soccer ladder and much of the credit must go to Bradley, the coach, who has shown a willingness not only to subject his side to the toughest tests, but also to use the players of the future to do so.