Michael Bradley (born July 31, 1987) is an American soccer player who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Borussia Monchengladbach of the GermanFußball-Bundesliga. He also plays as a defensive midfielder for the U.S. national team.
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[edit]Youth
Bradley was born in Princeton, New Jersey, son to Bob Bradley, then a noted American college soccer coach (and currently head coach of the US national team). Michael spent his teenage years in Palatine, Illinois while his father coached theChicago Fire of Major League Soccer, and he grew up playing for Sockers FC, who went to the 2002 National Championship and finished 3rd. He later attended theBradenton Academy in Florida — the USA's dedicated facility for the training of itsUnder-17 national team — for four semesters, from the fall of 2002 through the spring of 2004.
[edit]Professional
Before leaving Bradenton, Bradley signed a Project-40 contract with MLS, turning professional at the age of 16, and entered the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, where he was selected 36th 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 Metros. He headed in his first professional goal in a dramatic victory over Chivas USA, clinching a playoff spot for his team in their last game of the 2005 season. Ironically, his father had been dismissed as MetroStars coach less than two weeks before, and would go on to coach Chivas USA during 2006.
In January 2006, Bradley became the youngest MLS player to ever be sold when he was transferred to SC Heerenveen for an amount which remains undisclosed. His first start for the Frisian club came on April 16, 2006, in a match against AZ Alkmaar. He found success early, earning four starts and helping the club to a coveted UEFA Cup spot in his first half-season. Upon the retirement of Paul Bosvelt after the 2006-07 season, Bradley took the veteran's starting place in midfield. Bradley has scored 16 Eredivisie goals and 20 in all competitions as of March 22, 2008.
In January 2008, Bradley broke the record for the most goals scored in a single season by an American-born soccer player playing in a European first division, which was previously held by Brian McBride with his 13 goals for Fulham in the English Premier League. On January 26th of that year, Bradley extended his record to 15 goals with two against De Graafschap, and scored another on February 2nd and yet another on the 9th to make it 17, including 13 league goals. Throughout his scoring run, Michael has played an important creative role in Heerenveen's midfield, helping his team carve out the best goal differential in its division and compete for the Eredivisie league title.
On August 31st 2008 Bradley signed a 4-year deal with Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach for an undisclosed fee.[1] He made his debut on September 20 in a loss against Hertha Berlin. On November 15th 2008 Bradley scored his first goal for Monchengladbach against Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich with an 81st minute equalizing header. The game ended 2-2.
[edit]Career statistics
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| USA | League | Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup | League Cup | North America | Total | |||||||
| 2004 | MetroStars | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 2005 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Netherlands | League | KNVB Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2005-06 | Heerenveen | Eredivisie | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2006-07 | 21 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 2007-08 | 30 | 15 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| Germany | League | DFB-Pokal | Premiere Ligapokal | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2008-09 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | Bundesliga | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
| Total | USA | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| Netherlands | 52 | 15 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| Germany | ||||||||||||
| Career Total | 82 | 16 | ||||||||||
[edit]National team
In May 2006, Bradley was brought into the World Cup 2006 training camp in Cary, North Carolina to train with the United States. 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 in the May 26 match against Venezuela as a substitute and his second cap for the United States in the following game against Latvia, again as a substitute.
He earned his first start for the full United States national team on March 28, 2007, during a friendly against Guatemala. He was a starter at the2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, helping the U.S. to the title. He has played on numerous youth squads for the US, most notably at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he scored the game-winning goal in the 107th minute against Uruguay in the round of 16, sending the US side to the round of eight, and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[2] He scored his first senior international goal on October 17, 2007, with a game-winner in the 87th minute against Switzerland.
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