USMNT in Stall Mode

After parting ways with Bruce Arena, Sunil Gulati needed a big name to fill his shoes. He needed someone that would give the program instant credibility and fire up the masses for the next World Cup and every international competition before it. He needed someone who could bring some life back to the bunch and get guys like DaMarcus Beasley to actually try.

Jurgen Klinsmann was that someone. Bob Bradley was not.

Bradley will be a fine interim boss, if that's really all he is asked to be. Right now there is no word on the extent of talks with former Argentina head man Jose Pekerman and Sven-Goran Eriksson. And judging by Klinsmann's choice to turn and run from a job in which he would be worshipped might show you that the U.S. coaching post might not be much of a draw to big-time coaches.

The trouble with replacing Arena with Bradley is that Bradley is, for all intents and purposes, a clone of Arena at the time he took the job - only less successful. Bradley put in a valiant effort with Chivas this past year, turning around a team that was a popular pick to win this year's MLS Cup.

It's hard to believe, though, that Bradley can get more out of these players than Arena did. If they weren't playing for Arena, why would they play for more poorly credentialed Arena?

They wouldn't, and that's why Gulati needs to get to work.