Nerding Out: Bradley Joins the AV Club.

He's 23 years old, has had several more years of sustained club success than any of those guys, and has hit his first rough patch in the world's best league.

 

Gary McAllister hinted that he will be playing a weakened side tomorrow so that could very well mean Bradley or one of our other subs like Bannan or Delph. I imagine if this is any bit true, McAllister will have half of our starters playing and half the bench on the pitch.

 

If you know anything about Bradley you would know theres a 0% chance of this happening until he's a broken down 35year old or so. Bradley is way too talented to be playing in the MLS when he can make tons more and play way better competition in one of the elite leagues in the world.

 

totally agree but to follow up on dustcow's comment... he is 23 so if he has a good offer in MLS with big DP money, maybe take it for a year or two and go back over. I would like to see him continue in Europe tho and I dont see him coming home quite yet being very likely

Spector & Clark I actually see as a good possibilities to come home if they are offered DP status...

 

To be honest with you I haven't been following his situation that much as I've been frustrated with the way things are going at Aston Villa; I remember when Randy Lerner first came on the scene and MON was at the club... there was so much to look forward to.

Anyway, no I don't sit down and masturbate to Michael Bradley interviews so I didn't know he had this view about MLS. To be honest with you I've just looked at the trends and a lot of YAs are coming home this year regardless of age. Feilhaber and Sal Zizzo are good examples and if Pachuca is serious it looks like Torres might come home too.

MLS is getting better and the legitimacy the new NW clubs have brought into the league is making it a much more attractive option to come home.

Yes MB is a player better than MLS quality, but that's why we have the DP rule.

 

Forget about Michael Bradley. It would simply be unprecedented for a 23 year old player to go from starting regularly for multiple seasons in the Bundesliga (save for a few months on the bench at one of the richest clubs in the world) to signing with MLS. The league's DP's for the most part are much older or have gone much longer without seeing regular playing time at a high level.

The analogies you gave just don't apply here. Beasley is a ~29 year old player who hasn't seen full season regular playing time in almost 6 years. Jay Demerit was a 31 year old career 2nd division player who found himself out of a contract with Watford and with apparently no other appealing offers. Zizzo had 8 first team appearances in his entire career before joining MLS. The highest level Feilhaber ever played regularly at was the Danish Superliga. Those are the type of players that "return" to MLS.

 

There is that one guy who... whats his name? OH yhh... Landon Donovan.
He just kept on coming back to MLS even after a succesful stint at Everton.
Charlie Davies is also a young man who could have continued in Europe but came back.

Lets correct you on several things here... Beasley was starting regularly for Rangers about 3 years ago. The last 2 seasons there were rough because of injury. I think you called Aston Villa one of the richest clubs in the world and thats far from true.
& as for the leagues DP's being older... many players in their prime have come to MLS lately, infact before DP's even became "popular", Julian De Guzman went to TFC from a nice La Liga starting holding mid role....

Unprecedented... maybe still, yes, but to count it out or deny it at this point is premature imo. The reasons you give for him not coming is history which doesnt quite justify anything, history can easily be changed especially with the recent change in $$ within MLS.

What is a good argument as to why he wouldnt come? What team would pay him enough? No one but New York really... This is why its unlikely. Someone could definately surprise us like Vancouver, Houston, Dallas, or Philly. I doubt it though. New York has the 3rd DP slot and could move Tainio to LB with a buy like Bradley. Then, the other side... Would Bradley consider it? The point of friends being here is actually accurate but other than that it is unknown since we dont know him personally.

to sum up... unlikely? yes, but not out of the question for a league that is taken much more serious than it use to be....

 

I don't wanna piss off anymore YA lovers by adding fuel to the MLS fire, but AEG did recently publicly come out and tell Dynamo FO to go big for a DP. I have no doubt in my mind the $$$ would not be a problem if (1) MB had any desire to come back and (2) Oscar De La Hoya would sell his 50% stake in the Dynamo.

 

Davies is on loan and i think he even said he still wants to get back to Europe when he feels he's back to 100% (if he does get back to full strength). Unless D.C. pay a bunch to buy him out he'll be back with Sochaux trying to earn his place in the squad. I have a strong feeling that with all his hard work and continued effort, Davies will be back in Europe before long.

 

When Donovan initially signed with the league, he was not starting regularly in Europe. He was later loaned to Everton and every indication given is that he would have stayed there if a deal could have been worked out. Had he been owned by Everton, I can guarantee you he would not have returned to MLS last season.

That is a very poor analogy.

Another poor analogy.

Davies was loaned (not sold) to MLS for a season, after nearly two seasons of inactivity. Davies' options were limited, as he was recovering from a life threatening injury and Sochaux wished him to play in the lower divisions of France instead.

He started 8 league games roughly 3 and a half years ago before getting injured. I'd hardly call that "full season regular playing time" which is the term I used. And even if you think it is, there's a big difference between half a season of inactivity and over 3 years. After that sort of inactivity, and at that age, your options become much more limited.

It's ranked as one of the 20 richest clubs in the world. No US player is currently at a club ranked higher. The point being, if he can't break into that sort of team in half a season, he still has options before he has to settle for MLS.

De Guzman was the only name I could think of who came even remotely close to Michael Bradley's situation (a player in his 20s not far removed from regular high level playing time), but even he was 5 years older. I'm not sure why De Guzman has been the lone exception to the rule, but like you said, he was in his prime and I would guess that his next contract was likely to be his last lucrative one. Toronto came through if I remember with a very good three year offer that would carry him through his prime years.

I never did "count it out or deny it." I suppose stranger things have happened in the world. But you're right that the reasons I think it is highly unlikely are informed by history, which I think you're too quick to discount. When there's a history of something, you have to ask why that is the case and why would it change now. Why haven't any players at or around Bradley's age signed to MLS from a top European league (with the exception of those who have gone years without playing time)? The money perhaps, although MLS has for several years now offered numerous players over the age of 30 salaries that would be competitive with the average salaries in the top leagues. And still it doesn't attract younger players already at that level.

One explanation is that players that young want to be playing at the highest level at that age if it appears possible. Another explanation is that players that young who have already tasted success in the top leagues believe that they can continue to improve and make the leap to an even higher level or at least an even more lucrative contract at some point. And the assumption is that MLS at best can only take them to where they already are. (This is not to bash MLS, since I would bet this applies to the vast majority of leagues in the world right now.)

 

Remind me never to mention MLS in a YA thread again

 

As has been said, Mikey is making around $1.5M/Y or so and is looking to make more, which he probably will regardless of his current Villa stint.

Could MLS drop a deuce ... eh, $2M on him on a 5-year deal? I suppose it could.

Does it make sense for MLS to do so or should it keep signing guys like Plata and Pappa for $50K-$100K?

The smart money is on the latter with an occasional "marquee" American thrown in here and there.

The next question to ask is whether Bradley is a marquee name. I would say it is not.

 

One poster went after me just for simply suggesting that Jonathan Spector COULD go to MLS.

Mention MLS at your own peril.

 

I've hardly missed a Revs match in 15 years now. And the overwhelming majority of my posts regarding MLS in this forum have been in defense of the league. So I'm probably not the YA strawman you think I am. I just don't believe that young starting players in the biggest leagues in the world are going to come to our league, and I don't think that the decisions of Beasley, Zizzo, or Demerit are going to have much bearing on that.

And re: SFS, I don't even think the problem is that MLS clubs would be unwilling to shell out the cash. It's true that they're only paying 5 players more money than Bradley's currently making (and 4 of them are on LA or NY), but the examples of Julian De Guzman (who's making nearly $2M) or Nery Castillo last season (who was on the books it seems for over $2M) suggest to me that MLS clubs would be willing to pay market value or above for an average young Bundesliga/La Liga/EPL player but that the interest from the other end just isn't there.

 

Okay I guess most of you don't care that Bradley will most likely start or at least get time this weekend. McAllister is going with youth apparently tommorow. GARY McAllister has suggested he will chop and change Villa tomorrow by naming an experimental first XI against Arsenal at The Emirates. Carlos Cuellar, Michael Bradley, Fabian Delph and Barry Bannan will all be pushing for rare starts against Arsene Wenger’s men.

I am predicting Bradley to start with Delph or Bannan tomorrow.

 

De Guzman was coming home for roughly the same wages he would have made in Spain or Germany, so that was a factor in MLS's favor (and, yes, TFC was raking in the cash and Mo felt like spending it on a "marquee" name ... stupidly, obviously, which is why he's no longer there).

The other factor is that JdG is currently 30 years and he was not looking for an upward move after MLS.

But Mikey is far from being 30, which makes his return to MLS very unlikely.

As to the game tomorrow, Villa feels safe but the Emirates is far from a perfect place to try out new schemes and players.

Then again, Gary might not give a crap about 2011-12 anymore.

 

I care, thanks for the info. Like the FA Cup game away to Man City with a weakened side, this once again would not exactly be an ideal situation for MB to get a start. But beggars can't be choosers ..... hope he gets the nod and plays well.

 

Why is it every time a YA struggles, even if it's for a brief amount of time, such as what MB is going through, these MLS marketers on BS think the solution is to always come back to the MLS?

What Mike will do with his agent is sit down, and look at his options. Maybe enxt year at Villa, maybe another EPL team, maybe go back to the Bundesliga, or look at other top European leagues. A poor 5 month stretch doesn't equate to packing up your bags and coming home to a far inferior league.

Yes the MLS is improving, can be entertaining, and gives young guys a chance to develop before moving on. That's what it's for at this point, develop and move on. It's not a top league, nor will it be for a long time. The idea that our NT is better served to have its starting level players play here unless they have the perfect situation abroad is rediculous. I want our NT guys going up against the best, playing with the best, and learning from the best.

It's not the job of or NT players to hype up MLS, or help carry the league. When players from Europe, in their primes, start coming here instead of going to the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bund, and the other top leagues, then we can talk. Until that point, play with the best. Period.

MB will be fine. It takes some guys a while to adapt to the EPL. Just because he didn't fit in at Villa after coming over halfway through the season doesn't mean he all the sudden can't play at a top level. Like him or not, he works hard, and I'm sure is putting in a lot of hard work in training to improve. MB doesn't have a history of failure, and I'm sure is more pissed about his situation than anyone on here. He actually has a history of success, and breaking through. He'll work hard, and find himself in a better situation come august.

But seriously, every time a YA struggles people on here want them to come to MLS immediately. It's as if they're just sitting and waiting for a YA to struggle a little, so the MLS can pick them off and bring them home. These people also seem to think the MLS is on par with every other league outside of the top 4, and it's just as good of an option.

 

Tomorrow I actually have a good feeling Bradley will start the game and he will be with most of our starter. I think McAllister will keep the majority of the team together but he will just try out some new CM pairings. I wouldn't be surprised to see Bradley with Bannan or Makoun.

 

I didn't even realize Bannan was back from Leeds. For Bradley's sake though, I hope he is paired with someone like Reo-Coker or Makoun (assuming he starts at all).

 

Folks, this is not a thread about the relative quality of MLS. We can discuss MLS in this thread if there's actually a rumor that Bradley could end up there. For now, though, it's just off-topic speculative snark.

 

Actually, we're overdue for a thread refresh. Mercifully.