Roma

Michael Bradley, Elite Defensive Midfielder

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Michael Bradley (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)
Michael Bradley (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)

 

Michael Bradley may not be an elite box-to-box midfielder, but he is an elite defensive midfielder because of his combination of excellent defending, refined passing, and athleticism.

One of the keys to the United States Men’s National Team’s success in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be Michael Bradley’s technical skill, defending, and athleticism as a defensive midfielder, but the USMNT also needs a viable substitute with his skill, athleticism, and defending because, should he ever be injured or suspended, the United States will be in trouble.

Michael Bradley’s smooth one-to-two touch passing and his excellent technical ability with both feet cause many Americans to view him as an elite box-to-box midfielder like Arturo Vidal, Paulinho, Ramires, or Kevin-Prince Boateng, but Bradley is really a prototypical defensive midfielder only because he lacks the higher-level of technical-artistry and scoring-ability that the other midfielders listed bring.

Bradley is a fantastic midfielder, even by international standards, but using him as the same type of box-to-box midfielder as those listed above weakens the ability of the United States to defend the attacks of top national teams.

The United States Men’s National Team isn’t at the point yet where it has a player who can play the role of the defensive midfielder like Bradley can, and using another player there leaves the American center backs vulnerable.

To beat the best national teams, the USMNT needs Bradley playing as a defensive midfielder because this is an important position that maximizes his talents and gifts.

Delivering final balls and scoring goals needs to be primarily left to midfielders like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona, and Benny Feilhaber because Bradley cannot attack like they can and they can’t defend like he can. This sort of division of labor and combination of players of different skill-sets allows the United States to compete when it faces top national teams.

Players like Neymar, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mario Balotelli need to not only be defended by a strong defensive back four but they also need to be defended by someone like Bradley because no other defensive midfielder in the American player pool, when used alone, stands a chance at somewhat containing their path from the midfield through the center of the American defense.

That is the real reason that Bradley needs to be utilized as a true defensive midfielder.

Calmness on the ball and elegant passing create the illusion that Bradley should be used in a more advanced role or given more freedom to make many attacking forays, but he should be started in a deeper role where he can maximize his tireless running, his defending, and his passing.

As a defensive midfielder right in front of the defensive back four, Bradley has more touches on the ball and plays a bigger role in games, and playing deep allows Bradley to pick and chose when to go forward and when to stay back to provide defensive coverage.

Skilled passing isn’t just needed in the final third, but it’s also needed deep in the midfield where Bradley can help to control the passing in the United States’ defensive third and where he can serve as a passing outlet for the defense.

Without Bradley roaming in front of the American Back Four, the United States cannot establish quality possession and develop a good passing rhythm because the top national teams will merely hound the American defenders and force them into giving away possession.

Winning back possession, supporting the defense, and orchestrating the passing of the USMNT from the back of the midfield is one of the most important roles in the starting line-up, and these skills complement the attacking skills of Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan.

Starting Bradley as a midfield destroyer isn’t a misuse of Bradley’s skills, but rather it maximizes his combination of technical skill, defending, and tireless running.

A technically-skilled defensive midfielder is a true weapon for any national team, and Bradley is a technically-skilled defensive midfielder who also brings an imposing combination of size, athleticism, endurance, and intensity.

The United States Men’s National Team needs Michael Bradley starting right in front of the American Back Four, even if he has a defensive midfield partner like Geoff Cameron, but Bradley shouldn’t be used as the player who connects the defensive midfielders to Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Jozy Altidore; a playmaker is needed to connect Bradley to those three attackers.

Jürgen Klinsmann seems to think that Bradley, Dempsey, and Donovan negate the need for a playmaker, but the United States needs to start a playmaker, so that Bradley, Dempsey, and Donovan can play their natural positions, as none of these players are true playmakers.

A true playmaker is one of the keys to beating the top national teams, and no team ever wins the World Cup or the Champions League without a playmaker.

Providing excellent defending and quality passing as a defensive midfielder is an art form, and being classified as a defensive midfielder doesn’t mean that Bradley isn’t a smooth passer who is skilled on the ball.

For the United States Men’s National Team to close the gap with top national teams, it will need technically-skilled players at every position instead of thinking that any skilled player like Dempsey, Donovan, or Bradley is some sort of playmaker.

Michael Bradley is a defensive midfielder, and many Americans need to stop considering that position as one that is beneath a player with excellent technical ability because, in fact, the defensive midfielder touches the ball the most.

 

Depth Chart: USMNT Defensive Midfielders

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Depth Chart: USMNT Defensive Midfielders

 

1.) Michael Bradley (Roma)

Michael Bradley has been the best American defensive midfielder and one of the very best American players since he started playing for the national team in 2007. Even a few years ago, Michael Bradley had already totally eclipsed Claudio Reyna in terms of skill, athleticism, club form, and international performances, despite Reyna’s inclusion in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Best XI list.

Even with the United States’ total lack of a defensive midfielder of his level at the time that he started playing for the national team, Bradley still had critics who claimed that he was only a starter because his father, Bob Bradley, was the coach of the national team.

Bradley’s play beginning in 2007 with the U-20 World Cup and before really disproved these criticisms. The American has seen consistent success in the Eredivisie, the Bundesliga, and Serie A, and playing for such a famous club side like AS Roma, which is noted for its attacking and technical play, is a true testament to the player’s abilities.

Recently, there has been a growing belief in the American soccer media and in the American fan base that Bradley is some sort of attacking midfielder, but this belief is inaccurate. Bradley is a defensive midfielder whose technical ability and capacity to cover so much territory make people think that the term, “defensive midfielder,” some how implies that Bradley merely provides defensive coverage in front of the defense back four.

Bradley is a defensive midfielder who can play as a midfield destroyer or as a box-to-box midfielder, but Bradley is needed to marshall and control the American midfield from the back where he can go forward and involve himself wherever he sees fit.

If the United States Men’s National Team were to use one defensive midfielder, Michael Bradley could play that role or he could play either type of defensive midfield role if the United States were to play two defensive midfielders, as it usually does.

 

2.) Geoff Cameron (Stoke City)

Geoff Cameron doesn’t venture as far up field as Jermaine Jones when he is playing as a midfield destroyer for the United States, and Cameron seems to be better at maintaining possession and completing more of his passes compared to Jermaine Jones at the international level. Cameron is also a cleaner tackler than Jones, and Cameron’s tackles and defense result in fewer cards than Jones.

It’s possible that Jones plays less disciplined for the United States than he does for Schalke because he feels the need to contribute more to the attack than he does for Schalke, and this desire to attack and storm downfield frequently leaves the American defense exposed.

Cameron partners better with Michael Bradley than Jones does, but Cameron, unlike Bradley and Jones, is more suited to just play as a destroyer, as opposed to playing as a box-to-box midfielder as well.

Nevertheless, Cameron has shown a real ability to break up the passing off the opposition, protect the defensive back four, serve as a passing outlet for the defenders, and start the attack from the back. The technical ability, size, athleticism, and versatile skill-set of Cameron should continue to serve the United States well.

 

3.) Jermaine Jones (Schalke)

Jermaine Jones is a proven Champions League and Bundesliga defensive midfielder who plays less disciplined for the United States Men’s National Team when he isn’t playing with players like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, and Geoff Cameron who he respects as talented footballers.

Jones’ technical ability, physique, and athleticism are there for all to see, but he likely doesn’t show the same high-level of form for the national team as he shows for Schalke due to a desire to involve himself more in the attack when he plays for the United States.

There can be no denying Jones’ technical ability and endurance, and any misplaced passes or losses of possession are probably due to being overly eager to force things and stamp his attacking imprint on the game.

Unlike Cameron and Bradley, Jones is a more ruthless tackler who often is reckless and dangerous in the ferocity with which he tackles opposing players. For this reason and his tendency to force his way into the attack with the national team, Jones is ranked below Cameron, but Jones’ technical ability is equal to or higher than Cameron’s.

 

4.) Perry Kitchen (DC United)

Perry Kitchen is rather inexperienced at the international level for the United States, but he has played for the United States Men’s National Team and done well. Kitchen is a young, talented defensive midfielder with good size and strength, and he is a more athletic and smoother version of Kyle Beckerman whose speed and athleticism hold him back against better opponents.

Surveying the player pool, Kitchen is an obvious name to be on the short list for defensive midfielders on the national team, and it is still yet to be seen how Kitchen compares to Maurice Edu and Ricardo Clark on the international level.

Edu and Clark are certainly more athletic than Kitchen (who is much faster and more athletic than Beckerman), but more international games are needed to evaluate whether or not Kitchen is better skill-wise than both Edu and Clark.

 

Other Defensive Midfielders to Watch: Jared Jeffrey and Will Trapp

 

American Soccer and the MLS All-Stars

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Michael Bradley (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)
Michael Bradley (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)

 

One of the main problems with American soccer and everything surrounding the United States Men’s National Team and MLS is that, unlike in other countries where people argue over player selection, performance, and coaching, American soccer has factions of different types of fans who compete with one another over how you should be a soccer fan.

The problem with the conflict between various types of fans, media members, coaches, and bureaucrats is that it moves the focus away from the actual soccer.

Last night, when Roma easily beat the MLS All-Stars, many people said that the result or how the MLS All-Stars played wasn’t a referendum on the progress and strength of MLS and American soccer, and this is somewhat correct.

The only problem with this viewpoint is that many people who hold this viewpoint also said the USMNT’s dominance of the weak competition in the Gold Cup showed that the U.S. was starting to play better and Jürgen Klinsmann’s methods were working.

The Gold Cup did in a way demonstrate that Klinsmann was using better tactics than he had used in the past. For the most part, Klinsmann was using a tactically sound formation and a balance of defensive and attacking players.

Therefore, a strong argument can be made that Klinsmann has begun to employ better tactics, and he deserves credit for doing this.

At the same time, questioning who Klinsmann put on the Gold Cup squad is a fair thing to do, but many people feel that questioning the player selection for the roster or the line-ups is cynical because the USMNT won the 2013 Gold Cup.

There are thousands, if not millions, of people in the United States who enjoy watching non-American soccer but who also watch MLS and view it as an improving league that has American players who would be better off playing against better competition elsewhere.

It’s fair to say that MLS isn’t as good as the European or Latin American leagues because it’s true.

It’s also true that MLS continues to have more skilled American players at every position every year. The American players who display much more skill and athleticism than other Americans stand out, and there are now too many of them to fit on the United States Men’s National Team.

It was a surprise to see many of these players not even on the ballot and/or not on the field for the MLS All-Star Game. Many people are contending that the improvement of MLS is creating a better USMNT, and this is true.

The loss to Roma did mean something. It meant that Tony Beltran and Corey Ashe couldn’t compete with Roma’s players, and it meant that Kyle Beckerman couldn’t contain Roma like he contained the CONCACAF opponents in the Gold Cup.

The MLS All-Stars’ loss in the MLS All-Star Game did raise questions about some of the players selected for the game and some of the starters.

Looking at the performance of players in MLS this season and knowing that the MLS All-Stars would be facing Roma, one comes away with the feeling that MLS could have fielded a better starting line-up to face Roma.

There were lots of American names that really stood out as snubs from the roster or players who should have started. Here are just a handful of the players who fall into this category: Omar Gonzalez, Benny Feilhaber, Amobi Okugo, Chris Klute, Shane O’Neill, Perry Kitchen, Eddie Johnson (Marco Di Vaio did deserve to start), DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell, George John, José Villarreal, Jeremy Hall, etc.

The goal of the All-Star game is to try to show to the world that the level of play in MLS is improving. Since that is the case, MLS should have used a better line-up without Tony Beltran, Corey Ashe, and Brad Davis. DeAndre Yedlin and Chris Klute deserved to start as the right and left back, especially since the MLS All-Stars needed players with their combination of pure speed and advanced skill on the ball to try to compete with the likes of Francesco Totti of Roma.

 

Perhaps, something like this starting line-up below would have done better at showcasing MLS’ talent:

Raul FERNANDEZ; DeAndre YEDLIN, Omar GONZALEZ, Matt BESLER, Chris KLUTE; Amobi Okugo/Perry KITCHEN; Graham ZUSI, Benny FEILHABER, Landon DONOVAN; Thierry HENRY, Marco DI VAIO.

 

What does this line-up correct? It removes Tony Beltran, Corey Ashe, Brad Davis, and Kyle Beckerman from the starting line-up.

Just because Beckerman is fundamentally sound and a solid MLS professional doesn’t mean that he’s the best choice to keep up with the athleticism and skill of the players that Roma has, and Roma wasn’t starting several of its best players. Additionally, starting Beltran and Ashe as the outside backs against Roma was a major mistake, as was evident to anyone who watched the game.

MLS squandered a real opportunity to showcase the vast improvement in the talent level of the league, and MLS didn’t take advantage of a great chance to really go for the victory against Roma, or at least put in a strong showing to turn some heads.