Does Altidore’s Ankle Sprain Change Bob Bradley’s Philosophy In Final WC Tune-Up?

We are just one week away from the start of the World Cup, and most importantly for fans of the United States National Team, we’re just eight days away from a match with England that could be, nay, is the most anticipated match in the history of the world. Er, U.S. Soccer...I meant to say U.S. Soccer. Forgive me if I’m a smidge excited for this whole World Cup thing.↵↵But first…the USMNT has a friendly match against fellow World Cup competitor Australia on Saturday. Set your alarm tonight, because the match time is 8:30 a.m. ET, televised on ESPN2.↵

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↵↵Bob Bradley’s buzz word following the team’s final send-off match in Philadelphia was “sharpness.” At one point in his 15-minute media session I had a count of how many times he used the term, but I lost track when nearing triple digits. Yes, the coach of the USMNT is big on sharpness. But how sharp is too sharp? In other words, is there such a thing as too much preparation?↵

↵↵This, of course, is a question far more seriously raised following the news that striker Jozy Altidore was taken to the hospital for x-rays on his ankle. Reports indicate it’s just a sprain. More from the AP:↵

↵↵⇥Altidore hurt his right ankle during a workout on a shortened field Wednesday, U.S. Soccer Federation spokesman Neil Buethe said. Altidore was taken to a hospital for X-rays and was diagnosed with a mild sprain.↵⇥↵⇥“It’s nothing more than that,” Buethe said Thursday. “He’ll undergo a fitness test tomorrow to determine whether he can play Saturday.”↵⇥

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We joked nearly four months ago that Bradley should encase the likes of Landon Donovan and Altidore up in bubble wrap until the World Cup begins. With a rash of injuries this year leading up to South Africa – from Oguchi Onyewu to Clint Dempsey to Stuart Holden to Steve Cherundolo to Jay DeMerit to Carlos Bocanegra – everyone, other than Charlie Davies, has been rounding back into form just in time. Onyewu is still the biggest concern for Bradley, especially after his grounded performance in the squad’s first tune-up last week. But Gooch looked much better in 45 minutes of action against an active Turkish attack last Saturday. Does that mean he’ll be ready to bottle up Wayne Rooney after just 110 minutes of action – across two games – after being out for seven months? Likely no, but with the back-line issues for the U.S., it’s better than not being fit at all.
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↵Steve Goff at WaPo reports that the team “isn’t losing sleep” over Altidore’s injury, especially in light of the news that England’s Rio Ferdinand is having a scan on his knee and a report that Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba broke his elbow in a pre-WC match. USMNT defender Steve Cherundolo told Goff that whoever plays on Saturday will play safe, but all-out:↵↵⇥“I certainly don’t expect anyone to be playing in a reckless manner,” Cherundolo said. “The best way to get injured is to go out and try not to get injured. Guys are going to go into tackles, play soccer, play hard. I don’t think you will see any of these real dirty tackles that would be rewarded with a red card. It will be hard, there will definitely be some body contact, which is good.”↵↵↵Every decision still keeps going back to sharpness. Is the offense sharp enough to score against some of the world’s elite players? Does the midfield need more time to gel – or more time to figure out who is going to start on June 12th against England? Or, in light of Altidore’s injury – in a training session, not a match – does Bradley’s philosophy for Saturday’s match with the Socceroos change at all? Australia, while not as skilled as other squads, have been notoriously physical with their play. Will Bradley risk putting some of his top contributors on the field?↵

↵↵The fact is, Bradley is extremely hard to read. In last week’s match in Hartford he didn’t even dress the likes of Donovan, Altidore, Tim Howard, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber and others. When Clark and Feilhaber did play on Saturday, they didn’t look as sharp as the likes of José Torres or, albeit at a different position, Robbie Findley. It’s an inexact science, then, how Bradley has planned to achieve said sharpness for his primary 11.↵

↵↵During Saturday’s press conference, a member of the Turkish media asked Bradley if, coming out of the friendly, he was prepared to announce his starting 11 against England. The room filled with chuckles as Bradley deadpanned that he would just wait and call Fabio Capello directly and tell him who he’s going to start.↵

↵↵Before the U.S. gets England, however, there’s this all-of-the-sudden pesky match against Australia. What would you do if you were in Bradley’s shoes? Me? I’d break out the bubble wrap.↵

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