Some part of Michael Bradley is probably still staring into the skies above Guadalajara, wondering how much farther above the crossbar his penalty would have to go in order to clear the stadium. It was a terrible mistake by a player who had made a case for himself to be named player of the tournament in the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League, another mountain nearly scaled by one of the best American players of his generation, or one of the worst, depending on whom you ask. It had the makings of a Greek tragedy played out beneath a chorus of joyous Tapatíos: a massive game, an admirable showing while being played out of position, a critical error, and ultimate failure. In other words, it was Bradley’s career. And what’s left of it rests outside of his control, perhaps for the first time.
There was a time when Bradley’s career was moving just as fast and seemingly straight up into the sky as that penalty kick…
When the United States drew Slovenia 2-2 in the 2010 World Cup, Michael Bradley was pissed. He just scored his first and only World Cup goal at 22 years old, and his teammates had to hold him back from going after the referees. Maurice Edu’s goal had just been incorrectly disallowed, and Bradley was on the warpath. In many ways, this was where Michael Bradley became more than just the coach’s son. The stoicism, focus on hard work, and the pale wolf eyes he had inherited from Bob melted away for a second. This kid wasn’t satisfied with good enough. He wanted more. And maybe that’s where it started for most people, the true and honest belief that this guy could make American soccer something better than it had been.
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Bradley, of course, was always more than just the coach’s kid. Over the course of his career he’s amassed 140 international appearances, fourth most all-time for the U.S. men’s national team and easily within striking distance of leader Cobi Jones. When his father was fired, he handled the coaching transition with grace and maturity, becoming a central figure and captain under Jurgen Klinsmann, perhaps the antithesis of Bob Bradley. Through all of that, he’s constantly looked to lead the United States, shoulder responsibility when needed, and not undermine his coach or other players. He’s been a vital player at multiple levels for clubs in North America, the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. By the time he became a fixture for Serie A giants Roma, teammates with the likes of Francesco Totti, he seemed ready for coronation. Michael Bradley was going to be the United States’ first true male international star.
That never happened. A couple solid seasons with Roma led to transfer speculation, incoming players in the squad, and the seeming future of a bench role. Then he did something many people never really forgave him for: he took a big paycheck and came back to MLS.
This was not how Bradley’s career was supposed to go. He was always the fighter, the one who wanted to continually challenge himself and prove that he was good enough at any level. Major League Soccer was growing, but Bradley was 26 years old, in his athletic prime, and going into a World Cup year. Why now? Why not go somewhere else where his talents were appreciated in Europe?
The case for Bradley is a simple, old one that many people won’t particularly like: he’s a very capable holding midfielder, and he’s a great veteran presence to have on a team and can guide the kids taking his spot. The first part is simple. Michael Bradley has been mediocre as an attacking midfielder and a lone defensive midfielder. His ridiculous versatility has enabled him to show flashes of brilliance even in those ill-fitting positions, but he’s not some hidden attacking phenom or a juggernaut that can shield an entire defense by himself while also launching attacks from the back. It’s the same versatility that has allowed him to admirably fill in at center back, of all places, for Toronto. He’s a good player who knows the game; he’s not a superhero. Shockingly, he also didn’t look very good with the positionally abstract, perennially entertaining Jermaine Jones. However, when he plays with more tactically sound partners, like in his last game at Estadio Azteca, or in his system at Toronto FC, Bradley still shines.
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The second part is a bit fuzzier. Having vets on a team isn’t some guaranteed marker of success. There were plenty of veterans on the field against Trinidad & Tobago last year to prove that wrong. So more than the intangible feel-goodness of “veteran presence,” here’s what Michael Bradley can teach these kids: When things go wrong, as they inevitably will, how do you respond? When you go down a goal, when you lose a game, when you don’t qualify for the World Cup, what’s the next thing you do?
The first thing Michael Bradley did after not qualifying for the World Cup was be the best player in the MLS Cup playoffs and help Toronto FC crush all opposition in their march to their first MLS Cup. And no, winning MLS Cup is not the end-all of world soccer. But it was the best thing Bradley could possibly do where he was, and it was certainly more than many other MLS players that were on the field in Trinidad with him did.
The bottom fell out against Portugal in the 2014 World Cup. Jurgen Klinsmann’s formational strategy for the tournament—a 4-4-2 diamond with effectively three defensive midfielders and Michael Bradley at the top of the midfield, utilizing his massive workrate and typically sound passing in tandem with Jozy Altidore’s ability to turn defenders and play off his forward partners—went out the window a few minutes into the tournament. Altidore got hurt; Klinsmann resorted to a lone striker with five midfielders, and the team progressively shrunk into a bunker-counter outfit, with the counters dwindling as the tournament went on. But, at first, the U.S. was literal seconds away from beating Portugal at the World Cup. And then Michael Bradley held onto the ball in the midfield, lingering a split second too long, and got his pocket picked. The ball was cycled back down to the American end. Cristiano Ronaldo set up Silvestre Varela for the late goal and the U.S. was forced into a 2-2 draw yet again. After a nearly miraculous comeback against Belgium in the knockout rounds, the U.S. was done, and so was Michael Bradley, for many.
He was washed up. MLS made him soft, made him forget his sharpness. Captain Michael Bradley couldn’t deliver the U.S. the 2015 Gold Cup, or even 2018 World Cup qualification—the first time in a couple decades the U.S. hadn’t qualified. He had nearly delivered the U.S. to new heights time and time again: a final loss in the Confederations Cup against Brazil, a sterling assist against Belgium in extra time that went for naught, a ridiculous chip at Estadio Azteca overshadowed by the inexplicably gutless loss to Trinidad & Tobago months after. Many fans have made up their mind: Bradley can’t deliver, and it’s time to move on.
The U.S. needs fresh blood. This has been true for a while, actually, but since the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the team has been afforded a chance to hit the reset button in a big way. Friendlies that, under normal circumstances, would be used to whittle the player pool down to the most competitive roster can now be used to expand it, test new guys, and give 21-year-old strikers in the Dutch second division a shot. And the center of the American midfield is easily the most intriguing position as the U.S. looks forward to the 2022 World Cup cycle.
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Depending on the development curve of a few players, the U.S. central midfield will be more crowded than the FIFA wing at the Zurich county jail. Already, they have a Bundesliga player in teenager Weston McKennie. Tyler Adams, half a year younger than McKennie, combines frenetic pace and energy with maturity beyond his years. Marky Delgado has emerged as a vital player for the strongest team in MLS. There are still others who have been more involved with the senior team that look to factor in, like Kellyn Acosta, Cristian Roldan, and Wil Trapp. Then there are fringe players, like Emerson Hyndman and Russel Canouse, or players that might not be quite mature enough by 2022, like Chris Goslin or Chris Durkin. All told, the U.S. has a very promising stable of operators in the middle of the park, and fans will want to see them get their shot. Young kids rise up and take the place of the established veterans. This is the natural order of international soccer.
But Michael Bradley isn’t going to go away that easily. He is still one of, if not the most, dominant central midfielders in the playing pool. With a decisive Gold Cup in just over a year, his value to the team remains high, regardless of whether it’s primarily as a player or as a mentor to the younger players in the pool. As polarizing as he can be off the field, he’s nothing if not a unifying force on it.
All of this puts Bradley in an odd spot. He remains a force of nature at times, willing club and country to success, and at other times one more blunder from throwing away games, tournaments, seasons. He’s too good to be dropped and too hated to be forgiven. Now, after pushing Toronto to the precipice of CONCACAF and seeing it fall once again—like Sisyphus eternally pushing his stone up a mountain—he’s just a 30 year old player, who will be 34 by the next World Cup. No amount of playing success can erase the failures that dot his career. He’s not young; he’s not bulletproof. And while playing competitive international soccer at 34 isn’t out of the realm of possibility in the modern game, and especially not for someone known to be as freakishly conditioned as Bradley, he isn’t fighting time. He’s fighting every mistake in his career that’s landed him here, and garnered him a cult of loathing among American fans. He’s fighting a decade’s worth of expectation, exhilaration, and inexorable letdown. Now, nobody knows if he’s still the captain, or if he’ll even play for the U.S. again. He can only keep playing, keep trying to live up to those expectations, one more time.
Correction: An earlier version of this piece stated that Cristiano Ronaldo scored Portugal’s equalizer against the U.S. at the 2014 World Cup. It has now been corrected to state that Silvestre Varela scored the goal.
(Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)