Bob Bradley - USA
He came so close to sealing a wonderful adventure in South Africa last summer when he took the USA all the way to the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup. Ahead of this mini-competition, Bob Bradley made it clear that his side were using that tournament as a preparation for the big event, the 2010 FIFA World Cup. When the USA lost their opening match to Italy and then followed their miserable start with an emphatic 3-0 defeat in the hands of Brazil, the majority of football fans and analysts confirmed that the Americans were complete outsiders set to bow out from the Confederations Cup.But against all the odds, Bob Bradley powered his team to do the impossible. They crashed Egypt to eventually reach the semifinals at the expense of world champions Italy. There, they also stunned Euro 2008 winners Spain with a 2-0 score line before making it to the final of the Confederations Cup. In general, the USA certainly had a positive Confederations Cup adventure to prepare ahead of the World Cup.
Bob Bradley has surely taught his young men how to defeat giants. Call them underdogs if you want to, but don’t forget that they have teeth to bite. Bob Bradley is keen to pursue on this successful path, so watch out for his resilience at avoiding an early exit.
