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Michael Bradley on USMNT return: ‘We’ll see’

The 2018 campaign will feature a lot of rebuilding for the U.S. Men’s National Team. It’s a year that will feature plenty of change, from a new president to a new coach all the way down to a number of new players leading the charge.

Michael Bradley understands that the change is coming, and he still hopes to be a part of the USMNT program when all is said and done.

“We’ll see, we’ll see,” Bradley told the Toronto Sun when asked about a possible USMNT return. “Right now there’s a presidential election. We’ll have to see how that unfolds. Once there’s a president, that president will have to decide who the next coach is going to be.

“My guess is that’s going to take time. Anything is possible, but I’m not sure I expect there to be a full-time coach in until the latter part of the year.”

Bradley added that he expects 2018 to be a “slow year” for the program as pieces begin to be put in place. The U.S. Soccer presidential collection will be the first big building block when the election concludes in February. The victor will then be charged with hiring a new USMNT head coach, a process that is expected to begin following this summer’s World Cup.

Until then, the U.S. is seemingly treading water while looking to integrate some new faces to the mix. Generally, those faces will be on the younger side as the U.S. looks ahead towards 2022.

Currently 30 years old, Bradley will most likely be on the downside of his career when the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, but the midfielder insists he’s ready to rejoin the team if called under a new coach.

“When I think about it, a new coach is likely coming from MLS or coaching a team in the World Cup,” Bradley added. “Both of those things would require you wait. If someone is coaching in Europe, you have to at least get to the summer. I think it’s going to be a slow year with the national team.

“But I’ll always be ready if and when they call to go and do everything I can to help the team.”

Comments

  1. In 5 years, Bradley is more likely to be an assistant coach at the WC than a player. Despite his possession of excellent soccer instincts, he was never the quick, attacking player people thought he should be and then faulted him for not being.

    The continual rants against him are pointless, mean-spirited and generally without merit. The claim that he simply jogged around are blatantly false and fail to account for his ability to routinely help teammates by being in position on time to relieve pressure when they were in trouble. That ability was the main reason he was routinely the recipient of more passes than any other player on the USMNT, no matter his starting position. It was a rare poor game when he was not the recipient of more passes than any other player on the team, a testament to the faith his teammates had in him.

    If he can impart the great sense of positioning and visual awareness he has to other players, he will be a great asset to any coaching staff. Being successful head coach may take a bit more charisma than Michael may possess; time will tell if he has that quality in sufficient quantity.

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  2. There tousands of youngsters,in the league,he failed ugly against Trinidad and tobago
    his cicle is end,eight years ago was a excelent player not know,he should help the young
    he is 30 years old,excuse us,but never

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  3. Bradley is not the reason the team lost to T&T. He was set up to fail in that game. He is not the player he was 5 years ago, but he still had enough quality to be one of the best players on the field in the MLS final just a couple of months ago. He has never ever been used appropriately for the USMNT. In his younger years, they tried to build the team around him, but was not good enough for that. Bradley Sr. gave him too much ground to cover, and was exposed for lack of positional discipline, which also hurt him in Europe. JK even more foolishly tried to make him the center of attack which ended badly. Bradley should have been used as a role player internationally, when he was at his physical peak, probably as a deep lying centermid with more creative players in front of him centrally to help with possession.

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  4. We have it from Bruce Arena and Timmy Howard that MB is not one of the “bad eggs.” That endorsement in an of itself is enough for me to want to see him dropped from the team. The level of entitlement of the long-term veterans on the USMNT the last cycle was enough to make me puke. There’s plenty of blame to go around but the fact that some of them are taking it on themselves to point fingers at others is especially sickening.

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  5. Bradley said he would play if called in. What did all the idiots on Ives expect him to say? Really, this is being trolled to death.

    Bradley was the most important player for the USMNT for well over 5 years. Because the team did poorly, the trolls here seem to simply want to shoot anyone who was involved in qualifying: JK, Arena, Bradley, Jozy, Dempsey, name any number of backs and midfielders. Only Jones who took part in only the first two games of the Hex (both losses) and Pulisic seem immune from the calls to be placed in front of a firing squad.

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    • Maybe because Jones and Dempsey would never jog around the pitch in a do or die WCQ with a sense of spoiled traffic-cone entitlement

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      • This is where we disagree because Dempsey did a lot of jogging during qualifying, and its one of the reasons, along with age, that he was relegated to the bench as a super sub. Its amazing what people are willing to overlook when they love a player

    • Frankly based on the performances of players & coaches during the Hex a number of the people you named should be thrown out with the bathwater.
      Arena – Refused to incorporate anything even approaching new blood into the Team which was a huge detriment when we had injuries. Miazga should have been heavily used during the GC, along with a number of other youngsters. I don’t care that the GC was later in the summer….or where the players were coming from. That is when the youth movement should have happened. Bruce should have called in the best U-23s and run with them.
      Wondo, Beasley, Bedoya, Zusi should never have been near the team down the stretch.
      Bradley – Has served his purpose, and failed to lead the team. We have a number of young CM options who need the international experience. Time to say fair well, and transition to people who’ll actually help in 2022.
      Dempsey, Jones & Howard – Legends and did what he could, but their time has past. There is no reason to keep players their age around any longer.

      We have 16 months before the 2019 Gold Cup. We need to use it to build the base of the 2022 qualification squad.

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  6. There are obviously many doubters here, but until someone better steps up I have no problem keeping Bradley on the squad. He still has a role to play before his national team time is up.

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  7. He’ll likely have a role to play in the 2019 Gold Cup. Beyond that we hopefully won’t need him to play a key role on the USMNT.

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  8. Micheal Bradley- a solid MLS pro with excellent jogging abilities. A USNT legend otherwise known as “MB90”, “the General”, or “Sir Jogsaslot”

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    • Sir Jogsalot should be on the back of his jersey next time he plays for NT or else he doesn’t play, that’s his penance which is fairly lenient imo.

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    • He used to be a skilled passer & solid distributor of the ball when he was in Italy, before he moved to MLS and they let him go downhill. Idunno what incentive package they gave MB90 in MLS, but they ruined him for the National Team

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    • As a reserve. Maybe. As a starter, I would rather see someone younger. Perhaps Adams or McKennie. We will need a deep squad. Hopefully, the younger players with little or no international experience get called in before the older guys.

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