Hello all. It is the start of the new week, though the Labor Day holiday means that it’s technically still the holiday weekend. I know most SBI readers are off from work and either at the beach or out and about enjoying the day. Best wishes go out to the people in the Gulf Coast, who are dealing with the looming threat of Hurricane Gustav.
For now, I’ll start the usual Monday Morning jam session talking about Michael Bradley’s transfer to Borussia Moenchengladbach. After a summer of hearing Bradley linked to some more high-profile clubs, it wound up being the lesser-known (in the USA) German club that swooped in and made the bid (which is being reported at between $3 and $4 million).
The club with the long name isn’t that recognizable to casual American soccer fans, and the club’s status as a newly-promoted side has some concerned about the potential for a quick relegation, but all-in-all, the transfer is a very good step for young standout looking to continue his evolution as a player.
What needs to be realized when putting the move into perspective is that some of the bigger clubs linked to Bradley during the summer had long since moved on in their search for central midfielders. Everton and Stuttgart were well out of the picture well before Monaco emerged as a serious suitor and long before Moenchengladbach came in with the last-minute bid.
Ultimately what mattered for Bradley was leaving Heerenveen for a team in one of Europe’s top four leagues. Moenchengladbach is a newly-promoted team, but it does have a history of being in the Bundesliga more often than not. Couple that with the increased revenue streams provided by three-year-old Borussia Park and you have Bradley joining a team with a bright future where he is expected to step in and start.
There are obviously some concerns among American fans that Bradley might succumb to the fate of Benny Feilhaber, who joined newly-promoted Derby County a year ago. Derby wasn’t close to being an EPL regular like Moenchengladbach has been through the years and there was far more doubt about Derby’s ability to stay up in 2007/2008 than there is concern about Moenchengladbach’s chances of staying up. There’s also the fact that Bradley has already established himself as a top starter in another European league while Feilhaber had yet to establish himself as a starter anywhere when he arrived at Derby.
Now Bradley enters a league where he will face some of the world’s best players and play in a league with the perfect combination of speed and emphasis on attacking soccer. While it is fair to say that Bradley won’t come close to scoring the 15 league goals he scored in the Dutch First Division last season, what Bradley can do is round out his game playing against midfielders like Diego, Franck Ribery, Pavel Pardo and Ivan Rakitic. No offense to the Dutch league but Bradley had nothing left to prove there after the season he just had there.
While I can understand if some fans are disappointed to not see Bradley moving to the EPL, can Americans really be upset at the prospects of a 21-year-old American midfielder making a move to a Bundesliga club he is expected to start for? It is easy to forget that Bradley is still just 21 and if he continues to grow as a player, and can improve on his dream season at Heerenveen, a move to a bigger club is always a possibility.
For now, Bradley has moved to a bigger stage where he will have more chances to impress against top competition, and a league where American fans will be able to watch him play more often than they ever saw him play at Heerenveen. The move is a win for Bradley, and should ultimately be a win for the American fans interested in following his progress.
Yossarian- ill agree with you on this…
however i hate the statement “it’s obvious that all those goals were easy tap-ins that were a product of the Heerenven system, not virtuoso performances by MB that demonstrated a high skill level.”
b/c it downgrades his achievement… regardless of if they were tap in’s, they would not have been goals otherwise… a goal is a goal, and Heerenveen would not have won as many games if not for his work ethic and performance… the same can be said about any goal that was not produced by out dribbling 3-4 guys and shooting on goal…
either way, i agree that some people put too much stock in him… personally i see huge potential, but i wont label him something he’s not (yet)
“””If you watched the gold cup, then you would’ve been impressed by Michael Bradley’s play up to the Semi-final.”””
I watched every USA match at the Gold Cup, very unimpressed with Lil Mikey, remember the group stage, played off the park against Guatemala, Landon displayed the most remarkable holding midfield skills that I’ve ever seen from a USA player in the second half, single-handedly preserving the narrowest of 1-0 wins. Landon’s reward, pushed out to the wing on a permanent basis. Dad is playing a risky game with his you are either one of my boys or you’re not one of my boys, this is not a suburban travel team or even mid-table Chivas MLS team (Dad’s former team) here, this is the USMNT.
“””but if you think he’s reached his peak at 21 you are foolish”””
Lil Mikey can go reach his peak in the Gladbach reserves, not starting every match for every age group in the USSF set-up, okay?
“””I’m going to trust Ives and say that Michael Bradley is going to start plenty of games”””
Lil Mikey will have to start one game, first, before he can start in “plenty of games”. Apparently, Lil Mikey is already on his way back to Dad and the travel team. Not the best way to impress anyone at Gladbach, that thing about first impressions and all. Which match do you think Lil Mikey will make his first start in?
“””From what I know of him, he is a hard worker and a very focused worker, and those types of things make good impressions on coaches.”””
Bundeliga has a 5 week or so “Winterpause” in late Dec-Jan., in which Bundesliga outfits go to Spain or Portugal and train together as a unit, I doubt that Gladbach are going to like it at all when Lil Mikey tries to take off for LA for a month in Jan., to be at Camp Cupcake with Dad and the MLSers.
Even putting MB in the same sentence as Ruud V.N. is either insane, ignorant or just wrongheaded. The MB fanboys desperately need to take a step back and gain some perspective. This deal is the nail in the coffin of the whole, “Michael Bradley is a future superstar!” movement.
Future superstars don’t get shipped to newly promoted clubs for 3-4 million dollars. MB got the attention of many major clubs with his statistics, but in watching him first-hand and on tape, it’s obvious that he, if he continues to work hard, will become a good to very good, solid, defensive midfielder who can occasionally provide some surprise offense.
His skills and athleticism are only average. If you check out Youtube, it’s obvious that all those goals were easy tap-ins that were a product of the Heerenven system, not virtuoso performances by MB that demonstrated a high skill level.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the kid. I think it’s a good move for him, but some people desperately need to rein in their expectations for him. The absolute best case scenario is that he becomes a Paul Scholes/ Roy Keane type player. I would be thrilled with that. He is NOT an offensive juggernaut and will never be one. Comparing him to forwards and offensive midfielders with world-class skills is absurd.
Playing in the Bundesliga will be a great opportunity for him. It is a top 4 league with some really high end players in it. Of course starting is the most important thing at this point, and I hope to see his name in the starting eleven more often than not. The key to getting to this point is the attitude that Bradley brings to the team. From what I know of him, he is a hard worker and a very focused worker, and those types of things make good impressions on coaches.
Tim- wasnt it a 4-1 loss in Copa??
————————————
and oddly enough MB played the same position in our U20’s WC run…. we seemed to do well there… perhaps MB was surrounded by better players who actually make runs off the ball??
most of MB’s faults are due to the fact that as a whole our National team’s soccer smarts are that of borderline retarded… watching us play spain pointed that out… they would make runs and receive the ball and were able to pass immediately b/c the other player knew to make the run there b/c he would receive the ball before the 1st pass was made… we react too much and that slows our progress down… of course his stupid fouls that draw cards in dangerous places are his own, i think that will leave as he grows older…. and NO i dont think he’s perfect, but he’s young and has LOADS of room to grow
our team’s fault is not solely placed on MB… and MB haters are so blind to notice it…
I’m pretty sure that he is refering to the 5-1 loss we had against Argentina ins the Copa America in 07. Where our second/third team was playing? Which did not feature Michael Bradley.
Stanley Villa, forgot one thing.
I’m going to trust Ives and say that Michael Bradley is going to start plenty of games.
Didn’t we actually draw Argentina? And Stanley, you’re an idiot. I understand what you are looking for from a center mid, but if you think he’s reached his peak at 21 you are foolish
Ok, Stanley, obviously you’re dug in on this one. So be it. I think you’re entirely wrong, but hey, you get an opinion, just like everybody else.
I will say that the strikers not scoring and Landon playing wide has nothing to do with MB playing. He plays holding mid for the US team, it has no significant impact on where Donovan plays. The strikers don’t score because we have been playing EJ, Ching, and Dempsey at striker. The first two are not international class players, Dempsey is not a striker. Thus, no goals.
Regards,
Villa sorry to tell you, but next time you are going to try and correct someone plz get your facts right. The last time a striker has scored was the Mexico game in Feb. That is still awhile but it is hardly 14 months.
Stanley Villa you realize that the losses against Columbia, Paraquay, and Argentina did not feature Michael Bradley. All of which was during the Copa America where the third team was playing. And being lucky doesn’t qaulify as a loss. And I don’t understand what he etc is for especially since the only loss in recent memory was against Sweeden. Which was avenged only a month or two later.
If you watched the gold cup, then you would’ve been impressed by Michael Bradley’s play up to the Semi-final.
With that said, Maurice Edu should be given a fair shot to start whether it is Pablo’s spot or Michael’s. Personally I would have Michael or Edu partnered with Donovan.
1st round of matches in Holland last weekend:
9 matches played, 36 goals scored, give me a break on this Dutch league already, a joke. As to Lil Mikey’s 12 goals in that Dutch league last year, every one was the same, a simple tap in to a wide open goal, my grandmother could have tapped those in, please.
“””he was an integral part of a Gold Cup winning USMNT”””
uh, red card against Canada in semis, did not play final and his replacement, Benny the Bench, scored the winner.
“””do you really believe that he has no place on the USMNT and that it’s nepotism”””
Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. BTW, 14 months since a USA striker scored for the USMNT (match vs. Barbados aside), which just coincidentally is when Lil Mikey was given his starting spot by Dad. No service from the midfield is the reason, as Landon has been pushed out wide so that Dad can start Lil Mikey.
“””USMNT that has only posted losses to England, Argentina, and Spain”””
huh, really, how bout Columbia, Paraguay, Brazil, lucky in Guatemala, etc.
Berbatov to ManU (Nr.9) Robinho for 40 Mil. to ManCity :O And some other crazy stuff going up here in the last houers in the European transfer market.
I watched BM soundly beat Diego and Werder Bremen on Saturday, and I was very impressed with the team and the coach. I think it will be a perfect fit for Bradley. I think BM may be the surprise team of the Bundesliga this year.
You have to be trolling. You just have to be.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first season at Heerenveen: 13 goals in 31 appearances. (age 21)
Michael Bradley’s first season at Heerenveen: 15 goals in 36 appearances. (age 21)
If that stat makes me a Bradley fanboy, so be it. Tell me you’ve been joking.
WOW, Stanley Villa. We’re talking about a 21-year-old who scored 15 goals in a competitive league in Europe, and he was an integral part of a Gold Cup winning USMNT that has only posted losses to England, Argentina, and Spain. Let’s get some perspective. The comments drive me crazy. They’re directed more at Bob B than Michael B.
C’mon, Stanley Villa…do you really believe that he has no place on the USMNT and that it’s nepotism or are you just being a stir-stick?
I’m not an MB fanboy but the guy is a great, YOUNG, prospect for the US and for teams in Europe. Do you think the folks that run M’gladbach are that clueless?
He doesn’t need to do ONE THING better than other midfielders. He needs to play his game, score some goals, learn to temper his aggression, and get some experience.
Why the bitterness?
Hey Tres,
Just like a typical Lil Mikey supporter, and Lil Mikey himself, challenged or confronted in any way, resort to thuggery or name calling.
What Lil Mikey shoulda done was come back to the states and enroll in college, try-out for a college team and forget Dad and all this international soccer stuff, cause he just ain’t good enough.
He’ll have to earn his way into a starting spot at Gladbach, the exact opposite of his USMNT spot which of course is nepotism, and what he is going to find out is that all he can earn is spot on the bench and reserve matches.
Let me ask you Tres, do you watch any Bundesliga, and if you do, just name one one thing that Lil Mikey can do that is better than that of any other midfielder in the Bundesliga, just one thing? I can’t think of anything, so good luck.
Will Michael be living in the castle that Kasey Keller used to rent?
I think this is a very good move for MB. He steps into a better league and will play against some of the top midfielders in the world, and will probably get a lot of playing time. With some of the clubs he was linked to I doubt he would have been a consistent starter. There are already too many American players overseas who get too little playing time. I am not a fan of his but as long as he is going to be a regular starter on the national team he needs first team football in a good league.
Stanley Villa, there is a German phrase for you and your post:
Fakkin Fuhlashit
Another advantage to Bradley playing for Moenchengladbach is that they have a Dutch coach (Jos Luhukay) and other players with Eredivisie experience, so the system they use is likely showcase his strengths rather than having him sit too far back in a 4-4-2.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=568450&sec=europe&cc=5901
The holding middie for BMG is 33 years old (Paauwe, I think?). Maybe MB learns from him for a while.
There is a word in German for this transaction by Gladbach, it is:
Fehleinkauf
Lil Mikey, meet the bench.
Maybe some bad news for Freddy Adu, Monaco just signed Park Chu-Young who is a rather able center forward. If they decide on a 4-4-2, it may hurt Freddy’s playing time. They were playing some kind of 3-4-3 on Saturday…I don’t like to see Monaco buying more attacking players.
I wonder where Onyewu will end up?
Would PSG or Lazio be a disappointment?
I would like to see him end up with my new favorite premiership team Aston Villa. If he did end up ther It really would be my new favorite team. Randy L is the bomb!
I think it’s a great move for Bradley and for his development. I’d feel more confident with the MNT if more of our players were able to break into the Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga.
I love the Soccer Made in Germany/Toby Charles comments above. When our local PBS affiliate failed to carry that show one year (back in the late 70’s?), my father called and cursed out the telethon operators.
City finally lost the war criminal! I’m ecstatic. If only we didn’t have to let Corluka go… he’ll be one of the best center backs in the world soon. Congrats tottenham, please send us Berb now to man up with his countryman Petrov! He’s not worth 35mil, but we need a striker badly. (Villa?)
Ives, I think you’re right on with your analysis. Borussia is by no means a small club and has had some very good seasons in the Bundesliga. He’s only 21 and he’s going to be a regular starter in the Bundesliga. This is a step up from Heerenveen, where, you’re right, he had nothing left to prove. I look forward to seeing Bradley progress this year.
There are keyboard shortcuts for foreign languages on English keyboards. Just install the language pack for your OS. Bingo – no ASCII codes to learn.
Moving to Germany is good for Bradley. I understand that people want to see him play but perhaps with him in the league, there will be more German games here. After Germany, I’d like to see him go to Spain rather than England. Everyone wants to go to England. Be different! 😛
I think Michael Bradley’s transfer to Monchengladback is a very good move for him, the Bundesliga is very close to the Premier League in pace and quality of play, Michael B. will have to fight hard to be a starter at his new club, his soccer brain, vision, fightinh spirit and ball handling is first class and I think he is overcoming his weakness which is pace, during a lifetime of being a student and player of the beutiful game I have experienced a few examples of players maturing into quicker/faster players in their early twenties, it appears that MB is following that path, I wish MB good luck and congratulations with his continued success.
@ Matt
I said it was an annoying nitpicking post. The umlaut also affects the pronunciation of the word, like an accent in Spanish does.
You don’t need a special keyboard. Holding Option and U on a Mac, and then typing the letter creates the umlaut. ö, ü, ë, ä etc. On a PC, it’s harder. You need to know ACSII codes, which are actually rather annoying.
Seems he’ll make his mark in Germany pretty seamlessly as he did in Holland. He’ll get better faster there and can only benefit the USMNT. Didn’t really care which team in Bundesliga he went to as long as he’d stand a decent chance to play enough to develop. Can’t complain, he’s certainly been our best export at such a young age. He’s also very competitive and would seem to contribute to the teams ability to stay up in Bundesliga. Guess he’ll need time away from MNT to adjust to his new team (just joking).
Hey Ives, just checking in on today’s news before Gustav takes away my electricity. Thanks for the breakdown of the transfer. Even though I haven’t heard of the club before, all indications point to it being a positive move for Bradley. In fact, I’d rather him go to a place like Monchengladbach and use it as a stepping stone, instead of moving straight to a big club and struggling for playing time. I would love to see him performing for a major European club as much as anyone else, but I can wait a few years if it means a higher chance of success.
By the way for those of you who want to claim xenophobia or ignorance with us converting GBP to $. It is actually a great deal simpler than the conspiracy theories presented. We are all typing on American keyboards. It is easier to convert to $ than to go in search of ASCII codes.
Gladbach are not a bad club.
And yes, they have a history in the Bundeslliga. For those of us who grew up on Soccer Made in Germany, we all know about Gladbach.
In an interview with Toby Charles, he stated the BM teams of the 70s were his favorite Bundesliga teams. If Toby Charles likes them, it’s good enough for me.
WOW……Ted is REEEALLY smart. “Great” catch on that supposed typo Ted. (Not everyone has an umlat on their keyboard, nor would they see BMG spelled with an ‘e’ added and in the end we don’t give a sh#t.
Great move for Bradley; starting time in his position in a strong league and with a mid-table team that likely won’t force undue expectations on him.
Probably the latter, Blake. Those early reports usually have a touch of hyperbole regarding the money.
The only fear I have is that MB won’t get starting time….not sure about the rest of M’gladbach’s midfield but I suppose we’ll see in two weeks.
I’m just pleased he didn’t move to the EPL. He gets enough punt and run with the USMNT. He needs something better at the club level.
MOON-CHEN-GLAHD-BAAK
Blake, that $12 million fee from Monaco was pure fiction from what I understand. No way a team is paying that much for a player with just one year left on his contract.
There were a bunch of off-base reports about the Bradley transfer process, which has unfortunately helped lead to some of the backlash about the move he wound up making.
$3-4 million? I thought it was reported that Monaco offered somewhere around $12 million. Did his stock really fall that much or was media coverage just blown terribly out of proportion?
I have to agree with Pat. My disappointment stems from selfishness. I just wanted to see Bradley play club football, and maybe buy a Boro kit with his name on it.
great move for Bradley, he will step in and start in one of europes big leagues. That is what are players need, i hope this is just a stepping stone for him, and i expect him to do well.
I think it is a great move. He should come in and start and if he can have another good season or two then he will either get bought by a bigger club in Germany or a club in England.
For those who really don’t know, M’gladbach is where Kasey Keller spent two years of his career up to the 2006-2007 season, when they got relegated.
the only reason I’m dissapointed is if he moved to the EPL I would have been able to watch him play, other than that I think this is a good move for Bradley. He becomes a starter in one of the top leagues in the world and it will only make him a better national team player. Playing week in, week out in the Bundesliga is better for him than fighting for playing time every week at a bottom 10 EPL club.
Freddy- my ex-girlfriend was from Monchengladbach, and it seemed to me that everyone there pronounces it something like munchlaba’ or monchlabach. I don’t speak german, though.
I think the disappointment many of us have is that Bradley, more than any other player, has demonstrated his potential of being a top player in Europe. Adu and Altidore get much more hype, but neither one of them have scored 15 goals in any professional league, let alone a competitive Dutch league. Bradley has done that, and he has done that while his own dad sees him more as a defensive midfielder. He is a versatile player who tackles hard and has a nose for the goal. Monchengladbach is a good place for him, but I must admit I was disappointed. (Especially after following them while Keller was there only to see them relegated).
I disagree on one point regarding Bradley. He still had something to prove at Heerenveen. Consistency. Scoring 15 goals in one season is awesome, but what if it was a fluke?
Annoying nitpicking post to follow:
Monchengladbach is technically spelled wrong. It needs the umlaut, like “Mönchengladbach,” or you add an “e,” like in “Moenchengladbach.”
/nitpick
Ives,
How do you pronounce Monchengladbach?