Much has been made of the "public outcry" surrounding Bob Bradley's decision to leave injured striker Charlie Davies off his 30 man initial World Cup squad.
Davies, a fan favorite, suffered a slue of life-threatening injuries in a car crash while breaking curfew ahead of the U.S.'s final World Cup qualifier in October 2009. During the past six and a half months, Davies appeared to be making miraculous strides in his recovery, with the most optimistic fans and pundits speculating that he just might make it back in time for South Africa. What followed was a collective pipe dream made not so much for the real world of international soccer but rather for the fanciful imaginings of the silver screen.
When Davies was left off the roster on Tuesday, the announcement was met with fan indignation and speculation. What really happened? Who was really to blame for this? I mean, other than the same person who decided that there shouldn't be a Santa Claus.
THE OFFICIAL STORY:
It's pretty simple. Although Davies announced via twitter that he had returned to full training with his club, Sochaux on April 26, the club would not give U.S. Men's International coach Bob Bradley clearance for Davies to take place in the pre-tournament training camp. Bradley insisted that at that point he had no choice and Davies had to be omitted from the roster.
THE CONSPIRACY THEORY:
The juicy conspiracy theory has two villians: Bradley and Davies' French club, Sochaux. In this scenario, Bob Bradley is just a mean guy who didn't pick Charlie because he doesn't like goodness or puppies or whatever. On the other side of the pond, Sochaux is accused of sabotaging Davies since his injury and their refusal to give Bradley permission to have Davies in camp was just the latest in a long line of insults - an opinion Davies has hinted at in recent interviews.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED (PROBABLY):
Let's be realistic people. Davies is lucky to be alive, let alone walking, let alone playing soccer again. Not to mention at the age of 23, he will likely have at least one more bite at the World Cup apple. Sochaux, meanwhile, more than likely did not want to take out insurance on a player who just returned to the training pitch from serious injury. Bradley, on the other hand, had a professional obligation to select the combination of players who are in the best shape and can contribute the most to a well orchestrated team effort at the World Cup. So, really, at the end of the day, Bradley was just happy to have someone else to blame when he had to make what was ultimately the right decision in leaving Davies off the roster.
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3 comments:
Nice, succint post. I agree completely.
If we don't stop all the conspiracy theories, we'll turn (back) into England.
It's a shame he's not ready, but that's the end of it.
This is one of the few level headed commentaries I've read on this matter.
Great piece.
To be honest, I prefer having a WC2014 squad with a CD9 at full strength and with four years of quality league experience under his belt than a WC2010 squad with a maybe match fit CD9 who under performs.
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