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

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

and

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

in Major League Soccer and formerly captained the United States national team. The son of soccer coach

Bob Bradley Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of Toronto FC. A native of New Jersey and graduate of Princeton University, Bradley coached in the American college game and Maj ...

, he began his professional career with the MetroStars in Major League Soccer in 2004. He then spent several years in Europe, playing in the Dutch

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

with

Heerenveen Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...

, German

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

with Borussia Mönchengladbach, English

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

with Aston Villa and Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...

with

Chievo Chievo (4,500 inhabitants) is a frazione of Verona located to the west of the city, around from the historic city centre, on the shores of the river Adige. It is best known for its football team, A.C. ChievoVerona, which competes in the second ...

and Roma. He returned to MLS with

in 2014, making over 250 total appearances and winning the

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conferen ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

. Since his debut in 2006, Bradley has made over 150 appearances for the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team h ...

. He was selected for tournaments including five

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...

s and two

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

s, winning two of the former and finishing as runner-up at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Early life

Bradley was born in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

, son to

, former coach of the United States national team and Los Angeles FC. While his father was the head soccer coach at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, the family lived in

Pennington, New Jersey Pennington is a borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the south and the Raritan Valley region to the north. As of the 2010 United States Census, ...

. 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, who 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 training of the under-17 national team – for four semesters, from 2002 to 2004. As a child, he idolized Roy Keane, the Manchester United and

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

midfielder.

Club career

MetroStars

Before leaving Bradenton, Bradley signed a Project-40 contract with MLS, turning professional at the age of sixteen, and entered the

2004 MLS SuperDraft The 2004 MLS SuperDraft, held in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 16, 2004, was the fifth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The draft was most notable at the time for the selection of one of the youngest athletes in Am ...

, where he was selected thirty-sixth overall by the MetroStars, who at the time were coached by his father. Bradley did not see any playing time in his rookie season, missing out with a foot injury, but went on to gain a starting spot in 2005, playing 30 out of 32 matches for the Metro. Just weeks after his father was fired as the club's coach, he headed in his first professional goal in a victory over

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. G ...

on the last day of the 2005 season, sending the team to the playoffs.

SC Heerenveen

In January 2006, Bradley became the youngest MLS player to ever be sold when he was transferred to

for $250,000 and a portion of any sell-on fee His first start for the Dutch club came on April 16, 2006, in a match against AZ. He found success early, earning five starts and helping the club to a coveted

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

spot in his first half-season. Upon the retirement of

Paul Bosvelt Paul Bosvelt (, born 26 March 1970) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who is technical director of Go Ahead Eagles. As a player he midfielder he notably played in the Eredivisie for FC Twente and Feyenoord and in the ...

after the 2006–07 season, Bradley took the veteran's starting place in central midfield. Bradley scored sixteen Eredivisie goals and twenty in all competitions during the 2007–08 season. In January 2008, Bradley broke the record for the most goals scored in a single season by an American soccer player playing in a European first division, which was previously held by

Brian McBride Brian Robert McBride (born June 19, 1972) is an American former soccer player who played as a forward for Columbus Crew, Fulham and Chicago Fire. He is the fifth-highest all-time leading goalscorer for the United States national team. For m ...

with his thirteen goals for Fulham in the

. On January 26, 2008, Bradley extended his record to eighteen, with sixteen league goals.

Borussia Mönchengladbach

2008–2011

On August 31, 2008, Bradley signed a four-year deal with

side Borussia Mönchengladbach for an undisclosed fee. It was later revealed that Bradley had agreed to a switch to English club

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...

on the condition that the club retained its

status. However, they did not and he made his Gladbach debut on September 20 in a loss against

Hertha Berlin Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charlo ...

. On November 15, 2008, Bradley scored his first goal for Mönchengladbach against Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich with an eighty-first minute equalizing header. The game ended 2–2. Early in the 2009–10 season, Bradley was briefly suspended after an argument with manager

Michael Frontzeck Michael Frontzeck (born 26 March 1964) is a German professional football coach and former player who is assistant coach of VfL Wolfsburg. As a player he was a left back who notably played in the Bundesliga across three spells for Borussia Mö ...

over playing time. However, the two later reconciled and Bradley re-established himself as a starter with the club before assisting a goal against Bayern Munich with a one-touch volley pass, and scoring the winning goal on a low free kick against Hannover 96. On January 30, 2011, Aston Villa of the Premier League confirmed via their official website that they were in talks to sign Bradley on a loan deal until the end of the 2010–11 season.

Loan to Aston Villa

Bradley completed the loan deal to Aston Villa on January 31, 2011. Bradley was paraded in front of the fans at Villa Park on February 5 before kick off of the Premier League match against Fulham. On February 12, Bradley made his Aston Villa debut, coming on in the second half after

Jean Makoun Jean II Makoun (, born 29 May 1983) is a Cameroonian former footballer who played as a central midfielder. He played for the Cameroon national football team from 2003 to 2015. Career LOSC Lille Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Makoun began his ca ...

was sent off. It was said that Bradley would not join Villa on a permanent basis after

Alex McLeish Alexander McLeish (born 21 January 1959) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club, and won 77 caps for ...

declined to extend his contract. He made only three

appearances and one

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

appearance.

Chievo

Bradley joined Italian

club

on August 31, 2011. He made his Chievo debut on September 18, coming on in the second half for

Paolo Sammarco Paolo Sammarco (born 17 March 1983) is an Italian football coach and a former player who played as a midfielder. He is the caretaker head coach of Serie D club Ambrosiana. Club career Chievo A product of European giants A.C. Milan's youth syste ...

. He has been nicknamed "The General" by the local fans. Bradley scored his first goal in Italian soccer in a 3–2 victory over Catania on April 7 to take his side up to ninth in the league standings. Henry vs Bradley MLS AllStar 2013

Roma

On July 16, 2012, Bradley joined Roma, signing a four-year contract for a transfer fee of €3.75 million. On July 17, 2012, Bradley made his debut for Roma as a starter in a 2–1 victory against fellow U.S. national team member Terrence Boyd of the Austrian Football Bundesliga club,

Rapid Wien Sportklub Rapid Wien (), commonly known as Rapid Vienna, is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, ...

. On July 25, 2012, Bradley scored his first goal for Roma in a club friendly against

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. On August 19, Bradley scored his second pre-season goal against Greek club

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...

. On August 26, Bradley made his league debut as a starter for Roma in their 2–2 draw against Catania; he picked up the assist in Roma's game-tying goal in the 90th minute. On October 7, 2012, in his first game back after a month-long groin injury, Bradley scored his first goal for the ''Giallorossi'' in Roma's 2–0 win over

Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology ...

. In late January 2013, Bradley received praise from freelance writer for

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...

Michael Cox, stating that

are choosing midfielders like Bradley who "epitomizes the new breed of Serie A midfielder, who's all about energy and hard running, rather than the typical number 10." On May 26, 2013, Bradley started in midfield for Roma as the club fell 1–0 to Rome rivals S.S. Lazio in the final of the

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

. On September 6, Bradley was sidelined due to an injury he suffered on national team duty against Costa Rica. He returned to action for Roma on October 27, where he scored a goal against Udinese, the only goal either side scored during the match.

Toronto FC

On January 9, 2014, AS Roma announced the sale of Bradley to

of Major League Soccer for $10 million. As part of the transfer, the two clubs agreed to a partnership including two friendly matches at

BMO Field BMO Field is an outdoor stadium located at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which is home to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Constructed on the site of the former ...

over six years, and a player development program for Toronto FC players at Roma's training facility. Bradley made his debut with Toronto in their season opener at Seattle Sounders FC on March 15, 2014, the game ended in a 2–1 away victory with both goals coming from newly acquired

Jermain Defoe Jermain Colin Defoe (born 7 October 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He also played for the England national team. Defoe began his career with Charlton Athletic, joining their youth team aged 14, be ...

. He scored his first goal for Toronto three weeks later on April 5 against the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

, a game which ended in a 2–0 away victory. He was named captain prior to the 2015 season. Bradley captained and scored once for Toronto FC in the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals in a

derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

against Montreal Impact in which Toronto won on an aggregated score of 7–5, to take Toronto FC to the

Final for the first time in their history. On December 10, 2016, Toronto lost the final at home to the

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

5–4 in penalty shoot-out following a goalless draw after extra-time in which Seattle had no shots on target; Bradley missed Toronto's second penalty. The arrival of Spanish playmaker Victor Vázquez in midfield at the beginning of the 2017 season saw less of a burden placed on Bradley and star forward Sebastian Giovinco to create goalscoring opportunities for Toronto; furthermore, Greg Vanney's switch in tactics from a

4–4–2 In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

to a 3–5–2 formation often saw Bradley occupy more of a supporting role in midfield, which left the Spaniard free to take on the majority of playmaking duties, although the midfield duo often switched positions and effectively shared the team's defensive and creative responsibilities, forming a notable partnership throughout the season. On June 27, Toronto defeated Montreal 2–1 at home in the second leg of the

2017 Canadian Championship The 2017 Canadian Championship was a soccer tournament hosted and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association. It was the tenth edition of the annual Canadian Championship. The 2017 edition saw the introduction of a rule that required three pla ...

final to capture the title for the second consecutive season, edging Montreal 3–2 on aggregate. On September 30, 2017, Bradley won his first Supporters' Shield with a 4–2 home win over

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

, to clinch top of the league with the most points that season. On December 9, 2017, Bradley helped Toronto defeat Seattle 2–0 in the

2017 MLS Cup MLS Cup 2017 was the 22nd edition of the MLS Cup, the championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), contested between Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC on December 9, 2017. The association football, soccer match was hosted at BMO Field in Toronto, ...

at BMO Field, to lift the title for the first time in the club's history, and complete an unprecedented

domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...

. After a 2–1 home loss to Guadalajara on April 18, in the first leg of the

2018 CONCACAF Champions League Finals The 2018 CONCACAF Champions League Final was the final round of the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League, the championship for association football clubs in CONCACAF, representing North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The 2018 edition was ...

, Toronto managed a 2–1 away win in the return leg on April 25, which took the match straight to penalty shoot-out; Bradley missed the decisive spot kick as Toronto lost the shoot-out 4–2. On March 2, 2019, Bradley scored a brace for Toronto in their 3–1 win away against Philadelphia Union to kick off Toronto FC's regular Major League Soccer season. He made his 200th appearance for the club on November 10, a 3–1 away defeat to Seattle Sounders in the 2019 MLS Cup Final. At the beginning of 2020, he had ankle surgery and was expected to miss a significant portion of the season. However, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

interrupting the MLS season, he only missed two games and was able to return upon the league restart in the

MLS is Back Tournament The MLS is Back Tournament took place during the 2020 Major League Soccer season to mark the league's return to action after being suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 26 Major League Soccer teams, 24 participated in the tourna ...

. In 2022, Bradley scored a brace against

Charlotte FC Charlotte FC is an American professional soccer club based in Charlotte. The team competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The team is owned by David Tepper, who was awarded the expansion franchise ...

in a 4-0 home win that saw the debuts of

Lorenzo Insigne Lorenzo Insigne (; born 4 June 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC and the Italy national team. Insigne began his professional career with čelik Niksic in 2009, making his ...

and Federico Bernardeschi, both of whom assisted on Bradley's goals. The performance led Bradley to be voted MLS Player of the Week.

International career

In May 2006, Bradley was brought into the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...

training camp to train with the United States national team. While not a member of the World Cup squad or an alternate, Bradley was on the roster for the three send-off friendlies played before the tournament. He earned his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

in the May 26 match against

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. In late 2006

, Michael's father, was hired as head coach of the national team, and Michael established himself as a key player for the U.S. during his father's tenure. Bradley earned his first international start on March 28, 2007, during a friendly against Guatemala. He was a starter at the

2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ( CONCACAF), and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States fr ...

and helped lead the U.S. to the title, though he was sent off for a late tackle in the semi-final against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The next month, he started every match for the U.S. at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he scored the game-winning goal in the 107th minute against

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

in the round of 16. He scored his first senior international goal on October 17, 2007, with a game-winner in the 87th minute against Switzerland in a friendly in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

. Following these performances, Bradley was named U.S. Soccer's Young Athlete of the Year for 2007. Against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in Columbus, Ohio on February 11, 2009 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier, Bradley scored both goals in a 2–0 victory. Austria_vs

During the United States' surprise run to the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, Bradley scored the second goal against Egypt off an assist from Landon Donovan, helping the Americans advance to the semi-final on goal differential after beating the Egyptians 3–0. He started in the 2–0 upset victory against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in the semi-final, but was sent off late in the game. The resulting suspension kept Bradley out of the tournament final, which the U.S. lost 3–2 to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Bradley was later reported to have confronted referee

Jorge Larrionda Jorge Luis Larrionda Pietrafesa (born 9 March 1968) is a retired FIFA football referee from Uruguay who has officiated at international matches since 1998. He officiated at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where he took charge of four matches, including ...

following the match, resulting in him receiving an additional three-match suspension to be served during the

2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). It was played from July 3 to 26, 2009 in the United State ...

. Bradley was a key player for the U.S. in the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

in South Africa, starting all four matches in central midfield. In the group stage, he scored the equalizer in a comeback 2–2 draw against

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. He captained the national team for the first time in an August 10, 2010 friendly against

in his birthplace of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. In the

2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition, and the 21st CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's 50 years of existence. The United States was the host nation. The competition started on June ...

Bradley featured in each game in a new midfield partnership with

Jermaine Jones Jermaine Junior Jones (born November 3, 1981) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in Germany to an American father and German mother, he came up through the German club system and represe ...

, and scored the opening goal in the final against Mexico, though the United States went on to lose 4–2. Following the Gold Cup loss, Bob Bradley was fired as national team coach and replaced by

Jürgen Klinsmann Jürgen Klinsmann (, born 30 July 1964) is a German professional football manager and former player. Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He ...

under whom Michael remained a key starter in midfield. He started each game for the U.S. at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. After U.S. Soccer removed the captaincy from

Clint Dempsey Clinton Drew Dempsey (; born March 9, 1983) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and midfielder. During his career, he played in the Premier League for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur and in Major League Soccer ...

as punishment for a controversial incident with a referee before the 2015 Gold Cup, Klinsmann named Bradley the national team's new permanent captain. In the opening game against Honduras on July 7, Bradley earned his 100th cap at the age of 27. On July 7, 2019 Bradley played as the U.S. lost the final of the

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was primarily hosted in the ...

by a single goal to Mexico. He became the third American to 150 caps, after Cobi Jones and Landon Donovan.

Style of play

A hard-working, intelligent, and physically imposing right-footed player, Bradley is capable of playing in several midfield roles, and has been used in the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

, in a holding role, in a box-to-box role, in the hole, or even in a more withdrawn creative role as a deep-lying playmaker; his tenacity, ball-winning abilities, energy, tactical intelligence, and positional sense enable him to recover the ball and quickly transition from defense to attack by making forward runs, while his vision and range of passing allow him to dictate the tempo of his team's play in midfield or create goalscoring opportunities after retrieving possession. In addition to his stamina and playing ability, he is also known for his communication and leadership skills. He has also been used as a

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

on occasion.

Personal life

Bradley speaks fluent English, Italian, Dutch, German, and Spanish. He is married to Amanda, a former

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Isla ...

tennis player. The couple have a son and a daughter, born in 2012 and 2014 respectively. Bradley is the son of soccer coach

, who managed teams including the United States men's national team. Scott Bradley, the younger brother of Bob and uncle of Michael, played as a catcher in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, primarily for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

, and served as long-time coach of the

Princeton Tigers The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 35 varsity teams in 20 sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, three in women's lacrosse, six in ...

. Michael Bradley's sister married the Australian-born soccer player

Andy Rose Andrew Patrick Rose (born 13 February 1990) is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a midfielder. Born in Australia, Rose played for the youth teams of Bristol City in England before moving to the United Stat ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list United States's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bradley goal.''

Honors

Roma *

runner-up:

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Toronto FC *

; runner-up:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

* Eastern Conference (Playoffs):

* Supporters' Shield:

* Canadian Championship:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

; runner-up:

* CONCACAF Champions League runner-up:

* Campeones Cup runner-up:

United States *

: 2007,

; runner-up: 2011,

* FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2009 Individual * CONCACAF Men's Best XI: 2015,

* IFFHS CONCACAF Team of the Decade: 2011–2020 * U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 2015 *

Golden Ball:

* CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI:

MLS All-Star The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from Liga MX. MLS initially adopted a tr ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, 2015,

* Fútbol de Primera Player of the Year: 2015 * Red Patch Boys Player of the Year: 2014

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Michael 1987 births Living people People from Palatine, Illinois People from Pennington, New Jersey People from Princeton, New Jersey Sportspeople from Mercer County, New Jersey Soccer players from New Jersey American soccer players Association football midfielders Parade High School All-Americans (boys' soccer) Chicago Sockers players IMG Academy alumni New York Red Bulls draft picks New York Red Bulls players SC Heerenveen players Borussia Mönchengladbach players Aston Villa F.C. players A.C. ChievoVerona players A.S. Roma players Toronto FC players Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars Designated Players (MLS) Eredivisie players Bundesliga players Premier League players Serie A players United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players Olympic soccer players of the United States United States men's international soccer players 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Copa América Centenario players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players FIFA Century Club American expatriate soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands American expatriate soccer players in Germany American expatriate sportspeople in England American expatriate sportspeople in Italy American expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate soccer players in Canada