Michael Bradley

At 37 years old, Michael Bradley has this physical status:

Michael Sheehan Bradley (born July 31, 1987) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder.

In Major League Soccer, he currently captains Toronto FC.

Bradley is now the third highest earning player in MLS, with a $6 million salary and $6.5 million in total compensation.

Early life

Bradley, the son of Bob Bradley, former coach of the United States national team and Los Angeles FC, was born in Princeton, New Jersey. The family lived in Pennington, New Jersey, while his father was Princeton University's head soccer coach.

Michael spent his teenage years in Palatine, Illinois, while his father coached the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer (MLS), and he grew up playing for Sockers FC, which went to the 2002 National Championships and finished third. He later attended the United States Under-17 Men's National Team Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida – the dedicated facility for the preparation of the under-17 national team – for four semesters, from 2002 to 2004. Roy Keane, the Manchester United and Republic of Ireland midfielder, idolized him as a child.

Personal life

Bradley is fluent in English, Italian, Dutch, German, and Spanish. He is married to Amanda, a former Rhode Island tennis player. Both the family has a son and a daughter, who were born in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

Bradley is the son of soccer coach Bob Bradley, who coached teams, including the United States men's national team. Scott Bradley, Bob and uncle of Michael, played as a catcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Seattle Mariners, and as a long-time coach of the Princeton Tigers. Michael Bradley's sister married Australian-born soccer player Andy Rose.

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Club career

Bradley signed a Project-40, turning pro at the age of 16, and entered the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, where he was ranked thirty-sixth overall by the MetroStars, who were at the time being coached by his father. Bradley didn't get much playing time in his rookie season due to a foot injury, but he went on to earn a starting position in 2005, playing 30 out of 32 games for the Metro. In a victory over Chivas USA on the last day of the 2005 season, just weeks after his father was fired as the team's coach, he scored his first professional goal.

Bradley made his first MLS appearance in January 2006 when he was transferred to Heerenveen for $250,000 and a part of any sell-on fee. In his first half-season, he found success early, earning five starts and assisting the club in winning the coveted UEFA Cup position. Bradley took the veteran's starting position in central midfield following Paul Bosvelt's retirement from the 2006–07 season. In all competitions from 2007 to 2008, Bradley scored sixteen goals and twenty in all competitions.

Bradley set the record for the most goals scored in a single season by an American soccer player playing in the European first division in January 2008, which was previously held by Brian McBride with his thirteen goals for Fulham in the Premier League. Bradley retired on January 26, 2008, raising his record to eighteen with sixteen league goals.

Bradley joined Borussia Mönchengladbach for a four-year contract on August 31, 2008. Bradley had agreed to a transfer to Birmingham City in the English Premier League on the condition that the club retained its Premier League status, but later revealed that it was not confirmed. However, they didn't win over Hertha Berlin on September 20 in a loss on September 20. Bradley scored his first goal for Mönchengladbach against Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich on November 15, 2008, with an eighty-first minute equalizing header. The game was tied 2–2.

Bradley was briefly suspended early in the 2009–2010 season after an altercation with manager Michael Frontzeck over playing time. Bradley re-established himself as a starter for the club after assisting with a goal against Bayern Munich with a one-touch volley pass and scoring the winning goal on a low free kick against Hannover 96. Aston Villa of the Premier League announced on January 30, 2011 that they were in talks to sign Bradley on a loan agreement until the 2010-2011 season.

Bradley completed the loan contract with Aston Villa on January 31, 2011. On February 5, Bradley was paraded in front of the fans at Villa Park before the Premier League match against Fulham was played. Bradley made his Aston Villa debut in the second half on February 12, following Jean Makoun's dismissal. Since Alex McLeish's decision not to commit to Villa on a permanent basis, it was reported that he would not join them. He made only three Premier League appearances and one FA Cup appearance.

Bradley joined Chievo, Italy's Serie A team, on August 31, 2011. On September 18, he made his Chievo debut on September 18, joining Paolo Sammarco in the second half. By the locals, he has been dubbed "The General" by them. Bradley scored his first goal in Italian soccer in a 3–2 victory over Catania on April 7, bringing his team to ninth in the league standings.

Bradley joined Roma on July 16, 2012, for a four-year contract worth €3.75 million. Bradley made his Roma debut as a starter in a 2–1 win over Terrence Boyd of the Austrian Football Bundesliga club, Rapid Wien, on July 17, 2012. Bradley scored his first goal for Roma in a club friendly against Liverpool at Fenway Park in Boston on July 25, 2012. Bradley scored his second pre-season goal against Greek club Aris on August 19. Bradley made his league debut for Roma as a starter against Catania in a 2–2 draw in the 90th minute; he was credited with Roma's game-tying goal in the 90th minute. In Roma's 2–0 victory over Atalanta on October 7, 2012, Bradley scored his first goal for the Giallorossi after a month-long groin injury.

Bradley was praised by ESPN's freelance writer Michael Cox in late January 2013, describing how Serie A is selecting midfielders like Bradley who's all about passion and hard running, rather than the traditional number 10. As Roma lost 1–0 to Rome rivals S.S. Lazio in the final of the Coppa Italia on May 26, 2013, Bradley began in midfield for Roma.

Bradley was forced to miss time against Costa Rica due to an illness while on national team service on September 6. On October 27, he returned to action for Roma against Udinese, the only goal either team scored during the match.

AS Roma reported the transfer of Bradley to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer on January 9, 2014. As part of the trade, the two clubs agreed to a four-year deal at BMO Field as part of the transaction, as well as a player development service for Toronto FC players at Roma's training facility.

Bradley made his Toronto debut in the Seattle Sounders FC's season opener on March 15, 2014, with both goals coming from newly acquired Jermain Defoe. He scored his first goal for Toronto against the Columbus Crew on April 5 in a game that ended in a 2–0 away victory.

Prior to the 2015 season, he was named captain.

For Toronto FC's first season in history, Bradley captained and scored once in the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals, where Toronto defeated Montreal Impact 6-4 for the first time in history. Toronto lost the final at home to the Seattle Sounders 5–4 in penalty shoot-out following a goalless draw after extra time, in which Seattle had no shots on target, but Bradley missed Toronto's second penalty.

Victor Vázquez, a Spanish playmaker, arrived in midfield at the start of the 2017 season, bringing less pressure on Bradley and star forward Sebastian Giovinco to provide goalscoring opportunities for Toronto; in addition, Greg Vanney's transfer from a 4–4–2 diamond to a 3–5–2 formation meant Bradley occupying more of the team's offensive and creative roles, creating a strong team bond throughout the season; furthermore, the Spanish team manager On June 27, Toronto defeated Montreal 2–1 at home in the second leg of the 2017 Canadian Championship final, edging Montreal 3–2 on aggregate. Bradley defeated the New York Red Bulls 4–2 home win on September 30, 2017, clinching the top of the league with the most points of the season. Bradley helped Toronto beat Seattle 2–0 in the 2017 MLS Cup at BMO Field for the first time in the club's history and win the title for the first time in the club's history and take the trophy for the first time in the team's history and win a record-breaking domestic treble on December 9, 2017.

Toronto won by 2–1 away in the first leg of the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League Finals on April 19, after a 2–1 home loss to Guadalajara on April 18, but the match went straight to penalty shoot-out; Bradley missed the crucial spot kick as Toronto lost the shootout 4–2.

In Toronto's 3–1 win over Philadelphia Union on March 2, 2019, Bradley scored a brace for the team's regular Major League Soccer season. On November 10, he made his 200th appearance for the team, losing 3–1 away to the Seattle Sounders in the 2019 MLS Cup Final.

He had ankle surgery at the start of the season and was expected to miss a significant portion of the season. Despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic was preventing the MLS season, he only missed two games and was able to return in the MLS is Back Tournament.

Bradley scored a brace against Charlotte FC in 2022, a 4-0 home win that saw Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi's debuts, both of whom contributed to Bradley's plans. Bradley was named MLS Player of the Week for his efforts, leading him to be named MLS Player of the Week.

International career

Bradley was accepted into the 2006 World Cup training camp to train with the United States national team in May 2006. Bradley, who was not a member of the World Cup squad or an alternate, was on the roster for the three send-off friendlies that played before the tournament. In Cleveland's May 26 match against Venezuela, he earned his first cap.

Michael Bradley, Michael's father, was hired as head coach of the national team in late 2006, and Michael established himself as a key player for the United States during his father's service. During a friendly against Guatemala on March 28, 2007, Bradley got his first international debut. He was a starter at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and helped lead the United States to the presidency, but he was suspended after a late tackle against Canada. He began every match for the United States at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he scored the game-winning goal against Uruguay in the 107th minute. In the 87th minute against Switzerland in a friendly in Basel, he scored his first senior international goal, a game-winner. Bradley was named Young Athlete of the Year in 2007 after these performances. Bradley scored both goals in a 2–0 victory over Mexico in Columbus, Ohio, on February 11, 2009.

Bradley scored his second goal against Egypt off an assist from Landon Donovan, assisting the Americans in reaching the semi-final on goal difference after defeating the Egyptians 3–0. In the semi-finals, he got off to a 2–0 victory over Spain, but was called off late in the game. Bradley was suspended from the tournament final, which the United States defeated Brazil 3–2. Following the match, Bradley was later discovered to have confronted referee Jorge Larrionda, resulting in his expulsion from the tournament for the ninth time.

Bradley was a key participant for the United States' 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, starting all four games in central midfield. In a comeback 2–2 draw against Slovenia, he scored the equalizer in the group stage. In a friendly against Brazil against Brazil on August 10, 2010, he captained the national team for the first time in his birthplace, New Jersey. Bradley participated in each game of his latest midfield partnership with Jermaine Jones and scored the opening goal in the final against Mexico, but the United States lost 4-2.

Following the Gold Cup loss, Bob Bradley was fired as national team coach and replaced by Jürgen Klinsmann, under whom Michael continued to be a key starter in midfield. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, he started each game for the United States.

Klinsmann naming Bradley as the national team's next permanent captain after U.S. Soccer suspended Clint Dempsey as punishment for a tumultuous case with a referee prior to the 2015 Gold Cup. Bradley earned his 100th cap in the first game against Honduras on July 7.

Bradley, the United States, lost the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup final by a single goal to Mexico on July 7, 2019. After Cobi Jones and Landon Donovan, he became the third American to reach 150 caps.

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