PRINCETON, N.J. — USA head coach Bob Bradley made it clear on Monday that talk about Charlie Davies will not become a theme at this World Cup camp.
After answering two questions about the Davies situation and his exclusion from the camp, Bradley himself brought a close to the discussion.
“I’d like to leave it,” he said. “I’ve shared a little insight today. I think that covers it pretty well.”
The insight that Bradley shared was a conversation between the two back in February in which he made it clear to Davies that he thought talking to media and fans was something he could have done without.
“If you can find a way to work and put everything into it and maybe not have so much to say, I think it would work for you,” Bradley said of his conversation with Davies in February. “Because you don’t want to put yourself in a position that you’re making all this progress and yet somehow it seems like a failure because the timing just does not coincide with the World Cup.”
Davies did not heed Bradley’s advice as he came out last week and slammed his French club for not clearing him to be part of the USA squad.
“Hopefully he got his emotion out and he can continue to move forward,” Bradley said of the Davies outburst. “The guys on the team are right there behind him.”
However, Bradley did not change his position on the forward’s exclusion and stood by the statement he made on the day of the 30-man provisional roster announcement. The failure to provide medical clearance was not the defining factor in Davies not being called up.
The US manager said he watched practice video, he dispatched US trainer Ivan Pierra to France to observe the player and he spoke to the French club’s coaches before making a final decision.
“We put it all together and we recognized that Charlie has put up until now and will need to continue to put a tremendous amount of work into his rehab,” Bradley said. “And we’re all supportive.”
