Michael Bradley (soccer)

Did You Know?

• Bradley speaks fluent Italian, Dutch, German, and Spanish in addition to English.
• His uncle Scott Bradley played as a catcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Seattle Mariners.
• Bradley's sister married Australian-born soccer player Andy Rose.

Early life

Bradley was born in Princeton, New Jersey, to Bob Bradley, then head soccer coach at Princeton University. The family lived in Pennington, New Jersey, and later moved to Palatine, Illinois, while his father coached the Chicago Fire. He played for Sockers FC, which finished third at the 2002 National Championships. From 2002 to 2004, he attended the United States Under-17 Men's National Team Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida. As a child, he idolized Roy Keane.

Club career

Bradley signed a Project-40 contract with MLS at age sixteen and was selected thirty-sixth overall by the MetroStars in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. He missed his rookie season with a foot injury but started 30 of 32 matches in 2005, scoring his first professional goal on the last day of the season after his father was fired as coach. In January 2006, he was sold to Heerenveen for $250,000, becoming the youngest MLS player ever sold. He made his first start on April 16, 2006, and helped the club earn a UEFA Cup spot. In January 2008, he broke Brian McBride's record for most goals in a European first division by an American. On August 31, 2008, he signed a four-year deal with Borussia Mönchengladbach. He had agreed to join Birmingham City if they retained Premier League status, but they did not. He scored his first Gladbach goal on November 15, 2008, an equalizer against Bayern Munich.

International career

Bradley earned his first cap on May 26, 2006, against Venezuela. His father became national team head coach later that year, and Michael established himself as a key player. He started at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, helping the U.S. win the title despite a red card in the semi-final. At the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he scored a game-winner against Uruguay.

His first senior international goal came on October 17, 2007, against Switzerland. He was named U.S. Soccer's Young Athlete of the Year for 2007. On February 11, 2009, he scored both goals in a 2–0 World Cup qualifier win over Mexico. At the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, he scored against Egypt and started the upset win over Spain, but was sent off and missed the final.

He received an additional three-match suspension for confronting the referee. At the 2010 World Cup, he started all four matches and scored the equalizer against Slovenia. He captained the national team for the first time on August 10, 2010, against Brazil. At the 2011 Gold Cup, he scored the opening goal in the final, but the U.S. lost 4–2.

Style of play

Bradley was a hard-working, intelligent, and physically imposing right-footed midfielder capable of playing in central, holding, box-to-box, attacking, or deep-lying playmaker roles, and occasionally as a central defender. His tenacity, ball-winning, energy, tactical intelligence, and positional sense allowed him to recover the ball and transition quickly, while his vision and passing range helped dictate tempo and create chances. He was also known for his communication and leadership.