The Michael Bradley thread

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by ttrevett, Jun 11, 2015.

  1. comoesa

    comoesa Member+

    Aug 13, 2010
    Christen Press's armpit
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    'I'm not happy'

    Not sure Toronto fans want to hear that.

    Dempsey was in a similar situation and he appears to be genuinely happy in Seattle,.

    Weird thing to say when TorontoMLS is paying him all that money...
     
  2. jond

    jond Member+

    Sep 28, 2010
    Club:
    Levski Sofia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    TFC is a shit show, what to people expect?

    This was the same guy who only a year or two earlier said the only thing and only goal he had is playing at the highest levels for the biggest clubs. That's why he went to Holland young and climbed the ladder. If you catch him in a private moment there's simply no way he'd be telling you he's happy with where he is in his prime.
     
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  3. areathrasher

    areathrasher Member

    Mar 26, 2014
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    I've nothing against the guy but if he want's out then he can go. For a $10m transfer fee and $6.5m a year, he hasn't been worth it and disappointing overall.

    The current TFC shit show has his finger prints all over it from the ousting of Nelsen, hiring of Vanney, signing Altidore and Findley, signing past it CBs from Europe. All things Bradley had a hand or say in.

    But that's what he wanted when he came back to "be the man"
     
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  4. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    He chased the money and left his ambition behind. Its arguable but he could have still been at Roma. Even if he was 4th or 5th choice Midfielder for the 2nd/3rd best team in Italy and playing in the CL, gotta be the thrill he always wanted
     
  5. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    Not to mention his NT performances in 2014. Not saying he would have performed better had he stayed at Roma...but
     
  6. jond

    jond Member+

    Sep 28, 2010
    Club:
    Levski Sofia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    True. He's somewhat to blame for TFC wasting a DP slot and millions on Jozy. I've repeatedly seen on the most popular TFC forum(not BS) that most want nothing to do with either. Not surprising, they're overpaid, eat up DP slots and Canadians don't care about the USNT marketing element. You won't see that so much on BS given the inferiority complex by many takes that as an insult to their league and will look for any excuse to brush that off.

    Ya and he's probably regretting it as a) an MLS payday would come whether he came at 26 or 30 and b) he probably didn't realize it would be such a drop off.
     
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  7. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    Any chance that he or Jozy will leave?

    I still dont get why TFC actually wanted Jozy. They should have fought to keep Defoe or spent cash on a striker like Darren Bent or Andy Carroll. Giving Jozy 4 million a year is just lunacy.

    And its a shame Bradley came back to MLS. I had figured hed retire in Europe. Either Serie A or La Liga.
     
  8. Pragidealist

    Pragidealist Member+

    Mar 3, 2010
    Family people- he has family now. Its hard on them moving all around the woryou ld with limited stability. Dempsey settled at Fullham...and the EPL. Bradley was bouncing from germany to England to Italy. I think his family was the biggest factor= smart if you ask me. He's likely to at tfc for awhile--- stability
     
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  9. cleansheetbsc

    cleansheetbsc Member+

    Mar 17, 2004
    Club:
    --other--
    Not only that, he was in London. Not Stoke or Reading or Sunderland. London.
     
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  10. Marko72

    Marko72 Member+

    Aug 30, 2005
    New York
    Reading's nice... ;)
     
  11. iad_22201

    iad_22201 Member+

    Jan 2, 2009
    Washington, DC
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Eh, not necessarily a pay day like the one he got with Toronto. So many things could have changed (injuries, drop in form, no club willing to overpay so much for a returning national team player, etc.). The Toronto money was life changing. Seriously, he could have had another eight very good years in Europe (and of course there was absolutely no guarantee of that, injuries, form, etc.) and not made half of what he is guaranteed by his current contract.

    Yeah, he probably isn't exactly loving life in Toronto, but I'd be willing to bet he'd make the same decision again.
     
  12. Mattbro

    Mattbro Member+

    Sep 21, 2001
    #137 Mattbro, Nov 14, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 14, 2015
    That article looks like it was shoddily translated out of Italian. Who knows what he actually said - maybe it wasn't as clear cut as that he's unhappy in Toronto.

    Edit: Matter of fact I just did the legwork and found the article in question.

    http://www.pressreader.com/italy/corriere-dello-sport/20151114/281831462624958/TextView

    Google translate tells me it says "No, I wasn't happy, but I take full responsibility." Maybe someone who speaks Italian can clear this up, but to me it sounds like he might have been saying he wasn't happy at Roma. Which would be completely different than whining about how he hates Toronto for various reasons. I know there are posters in here who would love to hear him say that because it would confirm their opinions about MLS, but is it really all that likely that Bradley would tell an Italian newspaper he's not happy in Toronto - is that logical?
     
  13. soccerusa517

    soccerusa517 Member+

    Jun 23, 2009
    Ohio
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Bradley has 2 kids and is married. He took the financial security versus putting his playing career first. And sorry to say, even when he's played in his proper position deeper in the midfield his touch looks worse. Bradley doesn't look to be the same player he was at Roma.
     
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  14. FootySkeptic

    FootySkeptic Member

    Sep 24, 2015
    Club:
    Cardiff City FC
    @Mattbro You're right the context of the interview does suggest he was talking about his time at Roma that he was not happy about. He's claiming responsibility for his lack of performance for where he was left in the depth chart at Roma. Good find on the original article.

    Disclaimer: I am fluent in French & Spanish but not Italian, while there are similarities there are also differences. Someone with more Italian should be able to give us a better idea.
     
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  15. Scotty

    Scotty Member+

    Dec 15, 1999
    Toscana
    You're right -- shoddy translation. Here is my translation from the link you provided of the original article. For some reason it has cut off a few words here and there, but this is the significant portion:

    Bradley, where has a globetrotter like yourself been the happiest? "I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had experiences, both socially and soccer-wise, that are extremely diverse from one to the next. I’ve had a full and intense youth. The years I spent in Italy are unforgettable. People there live for soccer, just like I do and just the way I like it. And then the quality of life is superior to anything else you can find in the world."

    In that case it must not have been very nice to have been sold by Roma after a year and a half. "I wasn’t happy about it. But I take responsibility for the choice. At Roma I had Zeman for half a year and Andreazzoli for another half a year. Then Rudi Garcia arrived and I immediately understood he would go with other players."

    And he decided to go back home. "Back to my origins, we could say. Toronto, Canada isn’t exactly my hometown. Still, I was very happy with it. I chose a project. We made the MLS playoffs for the first time, then we paid for our defensive limitations. But if I look forwards rather than backwards I see the idea for the future. We’re building something."
    So basically he said he wasn't happy with the decision that Roma made to sell him.
     
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  16. deuteronomy

    deuteronomy Member+

    Angkor Siem Reap FC
    United States
    Aug 12, 2008
    at the pitch
    Club:
    Siem Reap Angkor FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Props to Bradley for choosing to build from a difficult path. I hope they shore up the defense in the off season. It's great to see them making the playoffs.​
     
  17. Jazzy Altidore

    Jazzy Altidore Member+

    Sep 2, 2009
    San Francisco
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    When has he played as a deep mid?
     
  18. Bob Morocco

    Bob Morocco Member+

    Aug 11, 2003
    Billings, MT
    On a very defensive Chievo, it's what got him signed by Roma.
     
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  19. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    He wasnt happy with Roma's decision to sell him? Not exactly telling us something we didnt already know.

    Though I wonder when was the writing on the wall for him? That he was the 4th or 5th option for midfield. And when did MLS approach with him the offer to return
     
  20. gmonn

    gmonn Member+

    Dec 8, 2005
    Thanks for the translation. Your conclusion doesn't match with him saying he made the choice. At the time Garcia kept saying he wanted Bradley to stay. Bradley wasn't happy with Garcia's concept of him as a useful benchwarmer.
     
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  21. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Chievo played a diamond. He played the three non-Amid positions. At Roma, he also played some d-mid when DeRossi was out. It was his position in Roma's system.
     
  22. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    I dont get why not. Not exactly a terrible thing being on the bench at Roma when they were competing for the title with Juventus.

    And he was usually 1 of the 3 subs. Not too shabby. Could have asked for a loan of he was so unsure of things.
     
  23. Mattbro

    Mattbro Member+

    Sep 21, 2001
    What loan deal would have paid him as much as he's making at TFC?
     
  24. freisland

    freisland Member+

    Jan 31, 2001
    When they signed Strootman. Ironically Strootman got hurt after winter break and Bradley would have seen more minutes, but c'est la vie... or Questa è la vita
     
  25. NCFan

    NCFan Member

    Dec 11, 2014
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    I think Bradley fits better as a cog in the wheel than as the "man". He puts enough pressure on himself and if anything, tries to do too much. Adding the captaincy to that only adds to the pressure and makes him press too much.
    I've never been sure why we'd want an entire team of players who are the most important player/ leader on their team. That seems like too many cooks to me. I'd rather have a couple of superstar "the man" type players and then fill out with players who are good reliable starters in top 4 leagues but not their team's best player.
     

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