TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2010
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PAUL GILHAM/FIFA VIA GETTY IMAGES We agreed that it was most important to prepare for this date [against Brazil] and then we would have some discussions,”U.S. national team Coach Bob Bradley said of talks regarding staying in his current job. Bradley’s long-term coaching plans remain hazy U.S. national team
coach says he’s not sure what his next job will be
BY STEVEN GOFF
east rutherford, n.j.—Inthe U.S. national soccer team’s first match since the World Cup, Coach Bob Bradley will guide the AmericansagainstBrazilonTues- day night at the New Meadow- lands Stadium. Beyond that, Bradley’s future
is amystery. By the time the United States
plays again, in October, Bradley mightbe in charge of English club Aston Villa. The Honduras na- tional team would love to have him. Another MLS undertaking could be in the works. Then again, Bradley might re-
main in his current position and begin preparing theU.S. program for the 2014World Cup. His contract with theU.S. Soc-
cer Federation doesn’t expire un- til Dec. 31. The sides have chatted a few times but not held serious negotiations. Speculation swirled
last month, and again Monday, when an English head coaching job opened. Bradley said he is curiousaboutaforeignadventure but also likes the idea of remain- ing in charge of theU.S. team. “We agreed that it was most
important to prepare for this date [against Brazil] and then we would have some discussions. That’s where it stands,” Bradley said. “Other than that, there is different kinds of speculation on different days, so there is not much to be said until some more discussions take place.” Neither USSF President Sunil
Gulati nor Bradley’s representa- tive, Ron Waxman, wanted to comment. So the wait continues. And so
do the questions about whether the USSF will offer him a new contract and, if it does, whether Bradley would accept or pursue other opportunities. In the aftermath of the initial
talks with theUSSF, “It just made sense to use the starting points so that both sides could think a little bit about what was laid on the table and then we could pick up following the [Brazil] game,” he said.
“Iamalways excited about new and different challenges. ”
—U.S. Coach Bob Bradley Asked about his interest in
working overseas, Bradley re- sponded: “I am always excited aboutnewanddifferent challeng- es. Certainly coaching in Europe at some point is something that I would love to do. At the same time, I also consider it a challenge when you finish one [World Cup] cycle and begin the process of working on another one.” Bradley said that, through an intermediary, he was in contact with English club Fulham this summer before the club hired Mark Hughes to replace Roy Hodgson. OnMonday, uponMar- tin O’Neill’s stunning resignation from Aston Villa five days before the season opener, Bradley’s namequickly surfaced in theEng- lish media. Although an American has
never coached a top-flight Euro- pean club, British bookmakers
COLLEGE FOOTBALL Terps’ Friedgen faces pressure maryland from D1
enjoy that type of motivation. It is what it is.” Other division I-A head
coaches — including those at Colorado, Michigan and Illinois — will face varying degrees of pressure this season, but fewwill encounter more than Friedgen, whose 31 victories in his first three seasons have been followed by just 35 in the past six years. Friedgen knows that last season, which included a disastrous 2-10 record, could have been his fina- le in College Park. Last fall, according to multi-
ple high-ranking Maryland do- nors, then-AthleticDirectorDeb- bie Yow attempted to raise funds necessary to buy out the remain- der of Friedgen’s contract, which runs through the 2011 season. After such funds could not be attained, and after Maryland Gov.Martin O’Malley voiced dis- approval with the prospect of using public funds for a buyout, Yow announced that Friedgen would return with the baseline expectation of a winning regular season record in 2010. But Yow, whose rocky rela-
tionship with Friedgen became public last season, is gone, hav- ing taken the same position at North Carolina State in June. In the coming months, the Univer- sity of Maryland will hire a new president to replace C.D.Mote Jr. who is retiring Aug. 31, as well as an athletic director. New leader- shipmeans new expectations. Friedgen said it is critical to
hire a president who under- stands the importance of reve- nue-generating sports and what their success could mean for university exposure nationwide. He also said he is not concerned about whether Yow’s 2010 base- line expectation will carry over to the new athletic director be- cause he has loftier aspirations than a 7-5 regular season record. “If I do well in the next two
years, I think I will be at Mary- land,” Friedgen said. “If I don’t, I
JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST
“If I do well in the next two years, I think I will be atMaryland,” 10th-year Coach Ralph Friedgen said. “If I don’t, I probably won’t.”
probably won’t, so it really won’t matter about the administra- tion.” Further complicating matters
is the head coach-in-waiting plan in place at Maryland, which will owe offensive coordinator James Franklin $1million if he does not take over head coaching duties after the 2011 season. Friedgen regularly tells pros-
pects that, unlike situations at most schools, they already know who the next head coach at Maryland will be. The only ques- tion, Friedgen said, is whether Franklin will take over in two seasons or down the road. Regardless, Friedgen said, op-
posing schools are negatively recruiting and “banging us pret- ty good” because of the uncer- tainty with the coaching situa- tion. Overall, though, Friedgen said
he has been pleasedwith recruit- ing despite seeing a couple of prospects de-commit. “I don’t think it’s the easiest
situation in the world with the coach-in-waiting and all that, but I think our coaches and players and whole staff have done a very good job,” Friedgen said. “If we start off well, then I think recruiting will go well. If
we don’t start off well, then I think we will struggle.” Despite the uncertainty enter-
ing the season, Friedgen said he has been overwhelmed by the support of many fans and well- wishers, many of whom have sent encouraging e-mails, letters and textmessages. But that anec- dotal evidence of support belies the numbers; season ticket sales have declined for a fifth consecu- tive season. As of the first week of August,
Maryland sold 18,292 season tickets for the 2010 season, which is down from 22,792 last season. The totals include strict- ly paid tickets sold and do not include tickets sold in suites sales and sponsor tickets. School officials are hoping the
final 2010 number will surpass 19,000 but, regardless, they ex- pect the number to fall short of the school’s projection of 20,000. Based on feedback from
Maryland fans, Chris Boyer, a senior associate athletic director at Maryland, attributed the de- cline to three factors: the econo- my, the 2-10 record last season and a weak home schedule. “It is a perfect storm of those
three factors,” Boyer said. Friedgen opted to bring back
Camp story lines
Will the offensive line hold up? The performance of the line will be the key to the season. Coach Ralph Friedgen is optimistic about the starters, but the second line is inexperienced. Last season, an injury-plagued, inexperienced line could not protect the quarterback or create holes for the running game. Three starters return, but three of five starters could be sophomores, so the Terrapins are still young.
Is there an open quarterback competition? Junior Jamarr Robinson is expected to start the Sept. 6 opener against Navy. He is the only Maryland quarterback with experience from last season. And he performed well in seven games last season; he has also yet to throw an interception in 85 pass attempts. Maryland coaches feel good about the stable of quarterbacks in the program. Redshirt freshmen Danny O’Brien and C.J. Brown are two to watch.
Can the defense improve in year two under Don Brown? Friedgen knows the defense has to do a better job stopping big plays and making big plays at the end of games. There is experience along the line, including Joe Vellano, who was the best overall performer in the spring. The linebackers, Friedgen feels, are the best at Maryland in years. There is potential at safety, but the Terrapins need improvement at cornerback.
all his assistants fromlast season in part because of continuity. Most of the key players returned, as well. Nearly 75 percent of Maryland’s offensive and defen- sive two-deep roster is back. The Terrapins are still young—there are just nine seniors on the two-deep roster — but not un- tested.And certainly not unmoti- vated. “Our kids, they feel the scruti-
ny, too,” Friedgen said. “I don’t have to push that button a lot. They are very motivated to have a good football team.”
prisbelle@washpost.com
Staff writer Steve Yanda contributed to this report.
have made Bradley and former England coach SvenGoran Eriks- son the favorites. “What Bob has done with our
team, you see his past history, it’s been solid,” said U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who plays for Aston Villa. “It’s a testament to what is going on here in theU.S.” Nonetheless, the USSF is in a
difficult situation. Had the U.S. team advanced to the quarterfi- nals in South Africa, it almost surely would have retained him. A first-round failure would have resulted in dismissal. And while advancement to the round of 16 was satisfactory, the Americans felt as though they should have advanced past Ghana. There also are questions about
the program growing stale in a coach’s second term. Internation- ally, it is rare for a World Cup coach to remain in charge for an additional four years. However, Bruce Arena, Bradley’s predeces- sor, was retained for two tourna- ments. Bradley has the backing of his
captain, defender Carlos Bocane- gra.
“He definitely took us to the next level,” he said. “These past
four years, he has made it a very professional environment. We know what to expect when we come in here, he has us prepared, and you can see by the results we had and the success he has had as a coach, he has brought us [high- er].”
Conjecture concerning Brad-
ley’s future has, to some extent, overshadowed the Brazil match. A crowd of more than 70,000 is expected. The Brazilians, who changed coaches after being up- set by the Netherlands in the WorldCupquarterfinals, brought a young squad to begin their reorganization. The only World Cup holdovers were defenders Dani Alves andThiago Silva, mid- fielder Ramires and forward Rob- inho. Conversely, Bradley called on 15 players from theWorld Cup squad. “The opportunity to play
against Brazil at any point is special,” Landon Donovan said. “We are at a point where we expect to compete with these teams in a real way and not a shot-in-the-darkhopethatwecan beat Brazil. We believe that now, where in the past, we haven’t.”
goffs@washpost.com
U.S. vs. Brazil
Where: New Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. When: 8 p.m. TV: ESPN2, Univision. U.S. ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Tim Howard (Everton, England), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England).
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Saint- Etienne, France), Steve Cherundolo (Hanover, Germany), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England), Clarence Goodson (Start, Norway), Omar Gonzalez* (Los Angeles).
Midfielders: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Michael Bradley (Moenchengladbach, Germany), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus, Denmark), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Sacha Kljestan* (Anderlecht, Belgium), Alejandro Bedoya* (Orebro, Sweden). Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Villarreal, Spain), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles), Herculez Gomez (Pachuca, Mexico). *not on theWorld Cup squad in South Africa
GOLF
TPC Potomac is set for test of Champions
BY BARRY SVRLUGA When Tiger Woods’s AT&T
National took a two-year hiatus from its deal at Bethesda’s Con- gressional Country Club so the famed Blue Course there could prepare to host the 2011 U.S. Open, Washington was left without a PGA Tour stop for the first time in a generation. With that in mind, the Champions Tour moved in, and it’s prepar- ing to stage the Senior Players Championship Oct. 7-10 at neighboring TPC Potomac. The short-term result: Some
of golf’s stars, albeit those of the 50-and-over set, will play here during an otherwise down year. In the long-term, though, the 2010 Senior Players Champion- ship could be remembered as the tournament in which TPC Potomac — redone, re-branded and relaunched — reestab- lished itself as a course worthy of hosting a PGA Tour event. That hasn’t always been the
case. “It kind of looked like there
was this beautiful piece of prop- erty, and there were some holes that were just like, ‘Let’s just get it in there,’ ” said Jay Haas, the defending champion of the Se- nior Players Championship. “Maybe they didn’t spend enough money moving earth initially. You just never know.” So beginning in August
2007, the club, then known as TPC Avenel, closed and began a massive, $23 million recon- struction that involved, among other things, changing the con- figuration of some holes; com- pletely rebuilding the tees, greens and fairways; and allevi- ating the nearly constant flood- ing thathadplagued the facility, both during PGA Tour events and for the membership. It re- opened in May 2009 under the newname TPC Potomac at Ave- nel Farm, featuring 11 acres of
new wetlands and 15 acres of newforest. “We’re still learning our way
around,” General Manager Mike Sullivan said. The Senior Players Champi-
onship, the last major on the Champions Tour calendar, will help officials from the PGA Tour, which ownsTPCPotomac, figure out how the new facility is fit to host tournament golf. During last year’sAT&TNation- al, several players made their way across Persimmon Tree Road to play the newfacility. “It just looks more finished,”
Haas said Monday. “What a beautiful display this is right here on 18, and before I don’t think it had that charm, that polished look.” One perk for fans who ha-
ven’t been back since the reno- vations: Tickets for the entire week, from the practice round Tuesday through the four rounds of tournament play, will be free. The Champions Tour has tried this approach — free parking, free shuttle buses, and free tickets — at two other events, offsetting lost revenue by convincing corporations to sponsor individual days of the tournament. The tour, though, is sched-
uled to be at TPC Potomac just for one year. The Senior Players Championship was staged at Baltimore Country Club in 2007-09 with the sponsorship of Baltimore-based Constella- tion Energy. That course will again host the event in 2011, again with Constellation Ener- gy as the title sponsor. Beyond that, the tournament hasnosite and no sponsor — though it continues to talk to Constella- tion about remaining involved. “We’re trying to keep as
many balls in the air as possi- ble,” said Steve Schoenfeld, the tournament’s executive direc- tor.
svrlugab@washpost.com
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