McKennie subbed in early in the 2nd half. Douglas Luiz gave up a PK with a clumsy tackle. That and some late drama over a Conceicao red card resulted in a 1-1 final. Juventus misfiring on multiple chances to get a second goal proved costly.
Le pagelle di Juventus-Cagliari 1-1 SUBENTRATO JUVENTUS Dal 62' MCKENNIE voto 6 CalcioMercato.com Juventus-Cagliari, le pagelle di CM: Douglas Luiz dà ragione a Thiago Motta, Kalulu da 7. Marin glaciale
You can say that again... oh wait! It does remind you that not everyone moves teams or leagues with equal ease. Some set-ups/situations are just better for a player and you can't be sure the new shoe will fit as well.
Stats don't back that up. He's just always been a dribbler rather than a passer. His actual passing percentages a just fine. He's just gotta learn to move the ball that way more often.
I think Wes is a more skilled player. He has the work ethic and physical intensity of Bradley, but Wes' ball skills and tactical recognition are better. He's maybe (maybe) missing Bradley's "passion" off the field
Prime Bradley was a very good player. His ankle sprain during a usmnt warmup was the beginning of the end of his European career. Wes has probably eclipsed Bradley at this point but he was known as MB90 for a reason...
Interesting - hadn't thought much of them as a comparison, but I think of Wes as a more dynamic player but also more inconsistent. Wonder what the underlying stats say.
Their passions lie in different directions.Mike gets in people's faces to defend the family honor.Wes gets his face into some manicotti to stay strong and powerful.
I'm not hating on Bradley, I was hoping it would come off more as a compliment. I actually think Bradley was, unfortunately, a little ahead of his time... the "luxury no. 10" and the "destroyer no. 6" were just starting to be phased out in favor of the hard-working AND creative 8/10 hybrids of today when he moved to MLS (ex - De Bruyne was juuuust starting to really grab people's attention at Bremen when Bradley left Europe). If Bradley was like, 6 or 7 years younger, I think he would've been in higher demand.
I'd agree in some areas. But Bradley could hit pinpoint 75 yard switch of play crosses. Arguably better than any American ever. He was also pretty adept on the turn and during his prime could set the tempo as a fulcrum. Also has the edge as a goal threat off his feet. Wes is superior on the dribble, quick combo play and vertical passes/vision in the attacking 3rd. Frankly they're pretty different and Wes has much more Jermaine Jones in his game. Theoretically Wes next to a Bradley would be a great pairing with Bradley the deeper of the two.
Michael Bradley did ok at Chievo but when he went to Roma, he was kind of doomed. By going to Roma though, he landed the huge DP contract at TFC. If he had not had gone there, he may not have gotten that great offer.
Bradley did well enough. Especially at that time being able to contribute to Roma for a while and starting for a smaller Serie A club was something of an achievement for an American abroad. The overall bar has been raised and that’s great but a Bradley level career is something most guys would take in a second.
This take nails it. And also Bradley (up until his injury), like Wes, rose his game at nearly every stop. His peak was basically a Europa level, while Wes is proving he's Champion's League. Funny that now Europa level feels a bit quaint.
Not to further the derail, but Bradley and WC has bad timing (in terms of a Roma career - not necessarily MB's life itself, which seemed to have been pretty fine in Toronto from outward appearances.) Stroopwaffle, the Dutchie they brought in to "replace" MB blew a tire in Feb/March, I think it was, and had MB stuck around he would likely have been Roma's starter for the last dozen games or so, but, of course, you can't predict stuff like that - but luck (good or bad) plays a big role in a lot of players fortunes in the short term. But in 12/13 MB was pretty much Roma's lock starter going 90 in at least 2/3 of the team's games if I remember. I was in Rome just after he left and local spoke fondly of him for the most part. Wes is for sure having a better Italian adventure, but by not by leaps and bounds (yet).
Through the summer of 2023, I actually thought that Bradley and McKennie have had oddly parallel careers in Italy. Both had 2.5 seasons mixed with some strong play, some okay play, untimely injuries, and a failed loan to England. Both played for clubs that competed in the cup, McKennie won the Coppa Italia, Bradley lost in the final. McKennie's Juventus has perpetually fallen short in the title race, while Bradley left (despite having been getting on the field) a Roma team that was 1st or 2nd the entire season.
Agreed! I'd also add that they both arrived in Italy coming from North Rhine-Westphalia I will note that Bradley was only at Roma for 2 seasons (and, really, more like 1.5). His most productive (12/13) saw Roma finish in 6th. The next season (13/14), Roma finished 2nd, but Bradley only played 550'. By comparison, Wes' most productive season (23/24) saw them finish 3rd, which is the best finish the club has had since Wes arrived. But club success isn't a great way of comparing 2 individual players, and both of them were/are top-tier Yanks abroad. My personal and highly subjective opinion is that Wes has become a more skilled player than Bradley, but I don't think this should take away from Bradley's career. I'll also say that I don't think we've gotten the best of Wes in a US jersey, unlike Bradley who had some of his best career performances for the national team. But that discussion is for a different forum .
Most of this is subjective, and I'm not gonna quibble, but I disagree with the Jones comparison. I probably made that comparison earlier in Wes' career, but I think he's evolved into a very tactically intelligent and disciplined player at Juve, which was something Jones was missing. I agree that Wes is unable to dictate tempo like Bradley did, but I think their skill sets have more in common than Wes and JJ.
The way I remember it, it wasn't for being a good player (which he was), at least when it was first used. People accused his dad of nepotism and were mad that he started virtually every game and was never subbed out, hence MB90.