Michael Bradley wasn’t the only reason the USMNT got destroyed, 4-0, by Argentina in the Copa América Centenario semifinal. There was plenty of blame to go around. Graham Zusi and Kyle Beckerman were sloppy, giving Argentina's midfield too much time and space. Nobody tried to pressure La Albiceleste or throw them off their game. Argentina deserves plenty of credit, too, since they are the top-ranked national side in the world, and just so happen to have the best player in the world starting for them.
But if there is one person the United States needed to be rock solid -- to be the team's last line of defense and give it any kind of chance against tall odds -- it was Bradley. The social team at MLS outlined his expectations pre-game.
He didn’t live up to them. As such, the U.S. didn't even put up a fight. The scary thing is, it’s hard to figure out why Bradley remains such a valued member of the USMNT.
Two years ago, most of the American soccer cognoscenti would have told you that Bradley was the USMNT’s best player, one whose ability to shield the back line and vision to distribute upfield were critical to the team’s success. Bradley was one of the most technically adept players in the USMNT player pool, and the team often lived or died based on his performances.
A deep-lying playmaker is a team's metronome. They set the tempo, move the ball around to build possession and get the team on the front foot. When there isn't an immediately obvious pass, it's Bradley's job to hold onto the ball to keep the possession and create better options. He can't make sloppy passes. When the ball is lost, he's the one to get stuck in and fight to get the ball back. Everything rides on Bradley being The Guy. If he isn't The Guy, that only spells trouble.
Trouble came at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann decided to play Bradley at the top of a midfield diamond, forcing him to create chances and get the ball to Clint Dempsey. Bradley looked utterly lost. He turned the ball over, missing passes and getting dispossessed on a regular basis. The worst of it came against Portugal, when in the 95th minute, he was muscled off the ball, which sprung Cristiano Ronaldo and left the USMNT with a draw instead of a win.
Bradley didn’t get better at his new position. The Gold Cup came and went last year with Bradley exhibiting the same problems that bedeviled him the previous summer. Lo and behold, the team finished fourth in a tournament where it was expected to make the final, at minimum. Bradley has been a liability rather than an asset throughout World Cup qualifying, contributing to bad results that led to a home game against Guatemala somehow becoming a must-win for the Americans. For someone once billed as the key to the USMNT's success, you wouldn’t be wrong for wondering why the captain was still the team’s engine.
Heads were turned this summer at Copa America because when the USMNT took the field in the opening game against Colombia, Bradley found himself back in his natural deep-lying position. Sighs of relief passed through the lips of USMNT diehards. Finally, this was the balance the U.S. midfield had been screaming for! Then Colombia put two past the U.S. and Bradley put in another middling performance. He only completed 78 percent of his passes, made only a single interception and had the turnover that led to a penalty.
Granted, Bradley looked much better against Costa Rica, but he reverted to poor form against Paraguay. By then, the U.S. was essentially playing a two-man midfield with Alejandro Bedoya and Gyasi Zardes bombing forward to combine in attack. You can get away with that against minnows in CONCACAF, but when you face technically adept CONMEBOL sides, that just leaves more burden on your shoulders and no margin for error. Bradley was once again exposed toward the end of the quarterfinal against Ecuador, and the U.S. was lucky to escape that match with a win.
Bradley was once again put into a demanding role in a two-man midfield against Argentina next to the more limited Beckerman. Theoretically, Bradley had protection to allow him to go forward and begin attacks. And yes, Argentina were essentially playing video game soccer all night, but every time Bradley got the ball, he seemed confused. He didn’t know where to pass the ball. When he did, he either played very short and conservative, or the Argentinian midfielders picked him off. Bradley’s performance was directly responsible for numerous Argentinian chances. It was more than a little frightening, and frankly, all too expected.
You can say that this result was more about the men beating the boys, and that there wasn’t much the U.S. could have done. That’s partially true. What it also demonstrates is that there’s only so long you can play before your nagging weaknesses become fully exposed. Bradley has often gotten away with his technical limitations, and did so against Costa Rica and Paraguay. It took the likes of Lionel Messi, Ever Banega and Gonzalo Higuaín to shine an unforgiving spotlight on all of Bradley’s warts. Michael Bradley was once the USMNT’s savior. Now, he can no longer hide inside the shell of his former reputation.