US gives Spain exactly what they wanted, except for respect
By Eric Beard, writing from Boston
“You brought us across the Atlantic for this?” - Piqué may or may not have been saying.
After a season of controversy and division amongst Real Madrid and Barcelona’s stars, the United States decided to present Spain with a gift. The team that knocked out La Furia Roja in the 2009 Confederations Cup would submissively allow the best in the world to do whatever they please. Vicente Del Bosque, hoping to recreate a unified ambiance in the dressing room, could not have been more grateful. The largest crowd ever to see at US Soccer match at Gillette Stadium, over 64,000 fans, including myself, paid to see a well played match, however, by the end of the second half there were fans in the American Outlaws supporters section shouting, “Bob Bradley stole my wallet.” That argument is wholly fair, though perhaps the blame partially lies within the US Soccer federation for scheduling this friendly three days before their Gold Cup opener against Canada, which the US coach never let out of his focus.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in New England, “The Greater Good” took precedent over the opportunity to challenge the world’s best given Bob Bradley’s machiavellian mindset. But it’s hard to look past what was lost.
