Posted by Luke Cyphers
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. soccer team is a tight group, and under Bob Bradley, a tight ship. That's why Tuesday's news about
Charlie Davies' injuries in a
wee-hours car wreck in which one person was killed was so stunning, and why the players' muted yet emotional reactions to the tragedy were not.
As ESPN The Magazine documented in a
piece on preparations for World Cup qualifiers, Bradley's Yanks try their best to leave little to chance. From travel arrangements to mealtimes to meetings to security to media availability, the Americans spend a good part of their business trips in a cocoon. It's not merely a matter of discipline; the approach is designed to make it easy to concentrate on pressure-packed qualifiers.
They are discouraged from renting cars on these trips, for instance, since there's really no need. They get to and from training by bus, and are often situated in places convenient to restaurants, as they are at their hotel in the Pentagon City area of Virginia, just across the river from the capital.
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