The Importance of Michael Bradley

I just read an article by John D. Halloran over at Bleacher Report called “Why Michael Bradley is Key to USMNT’s World Cup Success.” I could not agree more with what was written. When Jozy Altidore was ruled out due to injury, I had confidence that our team would pick up the slack and we would be fine.  When minutes before the Costa Rica game, Michael Bradley picked up that ankle injury, I was officially in panic mode. The loss in Costa Rica only confirmed it, Bradley is the best player in the US team and his presence is essential for the team. During the post match interview, Donovan and Klinsmann confirmed that losing Bradley definitely had an impact on them and all of the players. Add the fact that it was minutes before kickoff, only made it worse.

Maybe it was the fact that the team lost a player right before game time or (most likely) the fact that the player was Michael Bradley, that the US team did not play like the team had a 12 game win streak. Yes, they were playing against Costa Rica in Costa Rica, where they have never won, and we all know that they have one hell of a good home advantage, but that does not make them unbeatable. What would have been the outcome with Bradley on the field? We will never know.

Bradley is our playmaker. He creates space, he moves our players, and like the article stated he can play a number of roles. He can play with anyone you put alongside him. The pair up with him and Geoff Cameron in the Panama game in Seattle was great and hope it repeats itself. You can tell that Cameron, just like the rest of the team, respect and look up to Bradley for leadership. There’s a reason that many want Bradley to be the official captain,;we all know that he’s the captain on the field without the armband.

Every time I see Bradley play, I think of the time when ignorant people would say that the only reason he played for the USMNT was because his dad was the coach. How could you not see the talent he has?!

If the USMNT wants to win a world cup, they will need a player like Michael Bradley. At 26, he most likely has 2 World Cup appearances left. Focus is now on Brazil, and like John said, “There won’t be a more important player on the field for the USMNT.”

Soccer has arrived in America

"Soccer has arrived in America," what a lot of people said after having trouble getting tickets to the last two World Cup qualifiers for the United States in US soil. I have two problems with this statement. One is the more geographical problem in which the United States is referred to as America when geographically speaking countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico (yes Mexico) are considered part of America as well. But I will let that one slide because as a United States citizen, I do call myself American as well and soccer is the biggest sport in those countries. (Is United Statesian even a word?) The biggest problem I have is the "arrived" part. If I remember correctly Major League Soccer was created back in 1993 and there was a short lived league before then. This means that at least there were people that realized that soccer was awesome and needed to be brought to the States. Thus, that's when it actually arrived. Also, didn't the United States Soccer Federation just celebrate 100 years?! To me that doesn't qualify as arrived, this is called growing.

As for the two qualifiers, Mexico in Columbus of course was to be expected. One of the biggest international rivalries in the world. 9,000 tickets sold to supporter groups, others were part of the Columbus Crew Season Tickets, and the rest were raffled among over 40,000 applicants. All in order for the US to have home advantage. As for Kansas City, they were sold out in about five minutes. Both stadiums have capacities averaging 20,000. With so many stadiums bigger than that, why pick such small venues? Many people argue that they rather have a packed small stadium than a half full higher capacity stadium. To me, that does not say "Soccer has arrived in America" in the way that people are using it. It's been here for years and it's growing at an amazing pace. We are moving in the right direction in that there definitely is more interest in soccer in the United States. You could tell by the viewership on TV, ticket sales, jersey sales and World Cup interest. (American Outlaws has three planes filled with supporters and hundreds on a wait list while world cup ticket applications are one of the highest for the United States)

I hope that one day I can turn on my TV and see soccer just like I see Basketball, American Football, Baseball, and even Golf. When we don't have to worry about playing in big stadiums because all the tickets might not sell, or we won't have home advantage; that's when I'll join everyone in saying "Soccer has arrived in America."