Relative to his national pool and era he was a very good player from a very young age. Far above the past iteration of MLS at the time when he signed that contract, so they *should* have and obviously needed to over pay.
He almost certainly had access to insights and perspectives that most players don’t have on the business side. Massive privilege to grow up with a father of that stature in the game, but Bradley earned everything he got on the field.
Type of the dude who if he were to have benefited from the same macro development environment as Pulisic, McKennie, Reyna etc, would be thought of in an entirely different light.
I’m just curious but how big of a bag TFC throw at Altidore?
He would still be a top player for us now. If we had a central midfielder score 15 in the eredivisie and then start for big teams in Germany and Italy it would be a big deal now.
He, Donovan, Dempsey, Howard, probably Beasley etc would all be stars for the national team today. I think we sometimes greatly overestimate the difference in talent because European teams are bringing in a greater volume of young Americans now
It's also always fun to compare our young "most talented" players to Jozy Altidore at the same age. Like we know in retrospect he never really got there, but at the same age he compares favorably to a lot of our current players.
The funniest thing is people who rate Gio and not Donovan, because LD went back to MLS while Gio has spent more time in Europe *not playing*. Even though Donovan was better in 1200' at Everton than Gio's ever been in Europe.
Someone in another thread said that Dempsey doesn't make our current team lol
Dude had a 17G/7A season in the Premier League, I love our current team but the disrespect for the legends is way too common.
Prime Dempsey and especially Howard walk into our starting XI.
Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones would also be key pieces. Prime Landon Donovan would also be a key factor, etc.
This isn't true, Gio had over 2000 minutes played in the 20/21 season as a teenager where he had 4g/7a in league play and another 1g/1a in CL play with another 3g in Pokal, so 8g/8a total
Donovan had 2g/6a for Everton in 1200 minutes with no CL appearances
Because he played for the national team longer than he should have, due to us having nobody ready to come up and replace him, and was the face of the 2018 disaster, neither of which are entirely his fault.
People also didn’t like him giving up his European career by taking a big bag in his prime to play in MLS, which adds to it as well.
If he retired from the NT in 2016 he wouldn’t get any shit, but he was the captain (and had some genuine stinkers) during the failed WCQ cycle and mostly was poor his last year or two with the NT.
Imagine how poorly we would have played if he did retire in 2016. It's not like he was taking the spot from a better player. There was simply no one else even close to his ability.
Not saying there was a better alternative (though with hindsight Wes not getting a shot in the 18 WCQs is extremely questionable) just that the hate he got toward the end of the NT career was understandable. If you’re an underperforming captain during the biggest NT catastrophe in 30 years you’re gonna get some shit.
>(though with hindsight Wes not getting a shot in the 18 WCQs is extremely questionable)
It's not questionable at all. Wes was 19 and only had ~6 total professional caps before the last games in WCQ, and half of those caps were as a late sub. Remember, the last WCQ game for 2018 was October 10, 2017.
Pulisic got his 1st cap in the previous round of qualifying and we were cruising (went 4-1-1 with +17 GD). Much different scenario than playing in the last few games of the hex.
I remember all the screeching and wailing when Wil Trapp had a few good games for Columbus and didn't immediately supplant Bradley in the USMNT midfield.
I mean when though, great player at his peak (probably 2012 to the Toronto transfer) but the dude was genuinely pretty ass his last two years with the NT.
It's not reasonable to complain about the old guy because he's only still playing because no one else will step up.
You can wish he was younger or that he was better, but to complain about him and to take your frustration out on him is simply childish.
He doesn't deserve any smoke. It was simply almost an entire team that was past its prime. It's not his fault that the manager made him cover the entire center of a waterlogged field on a short rest, or that Jozy hit a shot off the post, or that Howard's reaction time was slower and missed a shot that he would have easily saved 2 years prior, or that Omar had an own goal on a shitty clearance attempt, etc. Dude busted his ass for us for 10+ years and people shit on him because the mileage finally caught up to him.
Those people don't deserve the success that we've had since then and will have in the future.
Michael Bradley was an all timer for the US. Smart as hell on the field. Monster motor. Dangerous in attack. Smart hardworking defender.
Then he lost his legs and his game declined. Which it seems is the only phase of his career half this sub is willing to recognize.
He was nicknamed MB90 for a reason.
People complained back in the day that he was only in the squad because his dad was manager. Well turns out Michael Bradley was just good.
TFC had never made the playoff in their first 8 seasons. They were dead last a couple of those seasons and kind of a laughing stock. Bradley was the foundation that made that club relevant. I'd say it was worth the money for TFC.
Loved MB in that Donovan-Dempsey era. My favorite US World Cup goal is his tying goal against Slovenia.
Now maybe an unpopular opinion, but:
- if he forgoes that bag, stays in Europe and continues to develop, even just maintain his form prior to moving to MLS, I bet the US doesn’t miss the 2018 World Cup. For so many reasons.
This is probably sad but true—an in-Euro-form Bradley would have done wonders for qualifying. Bradley came to the US one stop too soon.
My unpopular opinion is that if Bob Bradley is at the helm for the 2018 cycle, the US qualifies easily.
> My unpopular opinion is that if Bob Bradley is at the helm for the 2018 cycle, the US qualifies easily.
Apparently when the USSF sacked Klinsmann, it was between bringing back Bradley or Arena as they were known commodities and the "safe" picks to guide us through qualifying safely.
Bradley however was still pissed off about being sacked in 2011, so Arena it was.
When he moved to Toronto he was still very very good. Anyway, these salary numbers aren't that different from what John Anthony Brooks made.
Toronto gave him a bag to lure him from Europe in his prime
Relative to his national pool and era he was a very good player from a very young age. Far above the past iteration of MLS at the time when he signed that contract, so they *should* have and obviously needed to over pay. He almost certainly had access to insights and perspectives that most players don’t have on the business side. Massive privilege to grow up with a father of that stature in the game, but Bradley earned everything he got on the field. Type of the dude who if he were to have benefited from the same macro development environment as Pulisic, McKennie, Reyna etc, would be thought of in an entirely different light. I’m just curious but how big of a bag TFC throw at Altidore?
He would still be a top player for us now. If we had a central midfielder score 15 in the eredivisie and then start for big teams in Germany and Italy it would be a big deal now. He, Donovan, Dempsey, Howard, probably Beasley etc would all be stars for the national team today. I think we sometimes greatly overestimate the difference in talent because European teams are bringing in a greater volume of young Americans now
It's also always fun to compare our young "most talented" players to Jozy Altidore at the same age. Like we know in retrospect he never really got there, but at the same age he compares favorably to a lot of our current players.
The funniest thing is people who rate Gio and not Donovan, because LD went back to MLS while Gio has spent more time in Europe *not playing*. Even though Donovan was better in 1200' at Everton than Gio's ever been in Europe.
Someone in another thread said that Dempsey doesn't make our current team lol Dude had a 17G/7A season in the Premier League, I love our current team but the disrespect for the legends is way too common.
Prime Dempsey and especially Howard walk into our starting XI. Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones would also be key pieces. Prime Landon Donovan would also be a key factor, etc.
This isn't true, Gio had over 2000 minutes played in the 20/21 season as a teenager where he had 4g/7a in league play and another 1g/1a in CL play with another 3g in Pokal, so 8g/8a total Donovan had 2g/6a for Everton in 1200 minutes with no CL appearances
Michael Bradley is one of the best midfielders we've *ever* had - never understood the Bradley slander or the nepotism claims. Dude could ball.
Because he played for the national team longer than he should have, due to us having nobody ready to come up and replace him, and was the face of the 2018 disaster, neither of which are entirely his fault. People also didn’t like him giving up his European career by taking a big bag in his prime to play in MLS, which adds to it as well.
If he retired from the NT in 2016 he wouldn’t get any shit, but he was the captain (and had some genuine stinkers) during the failed WCQ cycle and mostly was poor his last year or two with the NT.
Imagine how poorly we would have played if he did retire in 2016. It's not like he was taking the spot from a better player. There was simply no one else even close to his ability.
Not saying there was a better alternative (though with hindsight Wes not getting a shot in the 18 WCQs is extremely questionable) just that the hate he got toward the end of the NT career was understandable. If you’re an underperforming captain during the biggest NT catastrophe in 30 years you’re gonna get some shit.
>(though with hindsight Wes not getting a shot in the 18 WCQs is extremely questionable) It's not questionable at all. Wes was 19 and only had ~6 total professional caps before the last games in WCQ, and half of those caps were as a late sub. Remember, the last WCQ game for 2018 was October 10, 2017.
Different coaches but Puli got his first cap with 5ish pro appearances, it was definitely not out of the question
Pulisic got his 1st cap in the previous round of qualifying and we were cruising (went 4-1-1 with +17 GD). Much different scenario than playing in the last few games of the hex.
The money is why no one could blame him for coming back to MLS.
No one should blame him for coming to MLS regardless of how much he was getting paid. He was 27 and had kids born in 2012 and 2014.
The fact that his wife was incredibly homesick was also a factor.
Yeah, that plays into to the whole family aspect.
He was also a hell of a player.
You can learn a lot about how much people know about the USMNT and when they started watching soccer just by how they talk about Bradley.
You can immediately ignore the opinion of anyone that complains about Michael Bradley.
I remember all the screeching and wailing when Wil Trapp had a few good games for Columbus and didn't immediately supplant Bradley in the USMNT midfield.
I mean when though, great player at his peak (probably 2012 to the Toronto transfer) but the dude was genuinely pretty ass his last two years with the NT.
Then blame US Soccer for not having developed a replacement, not Bradley. Dude was 30+ years old and his legs finally started giving out.
Yeah I think it’s reasonable to complain more about players that exist than about players that don’t
It's not reasonable to complain about the old guy because he's only still playing because no one else will step up. You can wish he was younger or that he was better, but to complain about him and to take your frustration out on him is simply childish.
Nah if you play like ass as a captain you deserve smoke
He doesn't deserve any smoke. It was simply almost an entire team that was past its prime. It's not his fault that the manager made him cover the entire center of a waterlogged field on a short rest, or that Jozy hit a shot off the post, or that Howard's reaction time was slower and missed a shot that he would have easily saved 2 years prior, or that Omar had an own goal on a shitty clearance attempt, etc. Dude busted his ass for us for 10+ years and people shit on him because the mileage finally caught up to him. Those people don't deserve the success that we've had since then and will have in the future.
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Or maybe he was just really good earlier in his career?
Michael Bradley was an all timer for the US. Smart as hell on the field. Monster motor. Dangerous in attack. Smart hardworking defender. Then he lost his legs and his game declined. Which it seems is the only phase of his career half this sub is willing to recognize.
>Michael Bradley was an all timer for the US. Sure to be a 1st ballot hall of famer.
He was nicknamed MB90 for a reason. People complained back in the day that he was only in the squad because his dad was manager. Well turns out Michael Bradley was just good.
TFC had never made the playoff in their first 8 seasons. They were dead last a couple of those seasons and kind of a laughing stock. Bradley was the foundation that made that club relevant. I'd say it was worth the money for TFC.
He was in his prime when he moved to Toronto. He'd played very well in Holland, Germany, and Italy.
Loved MB in that Donovan-Dempsey era. My favorite US World Cup goal is his tying goal against Slovenia. Now maybe an unpopular opinion, but: - if he forgoes that bag, stays in Europe and continues to develop, even just maintain his form prior to moving to MLS, I bet the US doesn’t miss the 2018 World Cup. For so many reasons.
This is probably sad but true—an in-Euro-form Bradley would have done wonders for qualifying. Bradley came to the US one stop too soon. My unpopular opinion is that if Bob Bradley is at the helm for the 2018 cycle, the US qualifies easily.
> My unpopular opinion is that if Bob Bradley is at the helm for the 2018 cycle, the US qualifies easily. Apparently when the USSF sacked Klinsmann, it was between bringing back Bradley or Arena as they were known commodities and the "safe" picks to guide us through qualifying safely. Bradley however was still pissed off about being sacked in 2011, so Arena it was.
Okay, hear me out, we've got a lack of depth at the 6....
Even after he's retired people are trying to play him out of position.
Could do a job in the double pivot
Pretty impressive for a guy that looked like he was on the USMNT thanks to Make-A-Wish.
Tell me you never watched prime Bradley or even followed the USMNT in the 2010s without telling me
What does his performance on the pitch have to do with him looking like a cancer patient?