What They're Saying: Bob Bradley
- by Soccer America , Sep 13, 2017
-- Bob Bradley, who will coach LAFC in 2018, with a reminder about Chicago Fire, which won MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in 1998, its first season in MLS. (Soccer Today on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM)
Yeah, whatever, Bob. Run the tape. Watch MLS 1998 vs MLS 2017 and remind me how awesome your team was. Yes, different eras but the soccer was abysmal back then.
First, the soccer than wasn't that much different. Second, that's irrelevant -- it's not like Bradley's team had all the best players. They played in '98 -- you compare them against other teams of '98, not today's teams.
There is no comparison. This Atlanta team is far better than the Chicago 1998 team just like MLS 2017 is miles ahead of MLS 1998. Bob sounds petty.
R2, Good point!!
I am at a disadvantage because in 1998 I was following DC United, and their soccer was definitely not abysmal. They were CONCACAF champions that year.
Bob, true ,I forgot about that. But the only player worth watching then for DC was Etchieverie. He was the only I far as I was concerned that made me watch DC. He was only that had great passing skill. He was able to make a 15yard pass float over an opponent and drop to a teammate. He wasn't speedy and employed good passing as well as good 1v1 skills. The only other player that made me watch DC was Stochkovic..who had perfect kicking techniques. I enjoyed just listening to the sound of the ball whenever he crossed or gave a corner....
Bob ,I have to agree with R2,when comparing in overall terms then and now... I mean just look at the amount of foreign players , caliber wise, Henri, Pirlo ,Schweinsteiger, Beckham,etc, in the MLS just in the past 5years as compared to then for that in itself improves the game already..
Frank, I think the level of play still falls far short of what I would call good, but "abysmal" is hyperbole. I haven't followed MLS much over the past 10 years, but the games I really hated watching was Houston vs. anyone else. What passes for "good" defense bores me silly as well as what passes for enforcement of the misconduct portion of Law 12.
Bob, that is true, I can't say it is abysmal but it is just not good soccer. I can count on one hand the number of games I fully watched. I can take about 20minutes of it. It has been quite a few years since I watched a complete game. I remember watching an old guy like Henri play with the Red Bulls to see how easy he makes it look when the others on the field run around with have foam on their mouths. Good defense is positioning ahead of time thus stopping a play from even developing, or stopping a player without having to tackle him . Good defense is looking behind in order to block a passing lane to an opponent behind you. How often do you you see a midfielder or front line player look behind him to block a passing lane, rarely. In other words good defense is played with the brain not with flying tackles producing sparks on the field. If you watch the Cruyff's Barcelona "Dream Team" they had Guardiola and Ronald Foeman in the middle of defense, Guardiola playing right in front of Koeman who was sweeper. Both players are non- defender type lacking strong defensive capabilities ,slow, but good with a ball. They learned from Cruyff how to play defense in a positional sense. And the two outside backs they had were wingers. True "enforcement" defense is Neanderthal defense. We have a ton of those types of defenders....
Have a good luck at LA, from my classes at Argentine Sportswriters'School.