Michael Bradley’s return to the U.S. national team after a yearlong absence has become one of the hottest topics among USMNT fans during the current international window, with some questioning where the veteran midfielder fits into a program currently playing up its youth movement.
That debate rose to the fore during FOX’s coverage of Tuesday’s 4-2 friendly loss to Colombia on Tuesday, as analysts Maurice Edu and Alexi Lalas swapped Bradley takes during the postgame show.
For Edu, a former teammate of Bradley’s on the USMNT and 2008 Olympic teams, the Toronto FC captain’s value is clear, even with a new generation taking the stage.
“Like it or not, Michael Bradley has the experience – 140 caps with this U.S. national team,” said Edu, a standout box-to-box midfielder in MLS and with Scottish powerhouse Rangers FC before injuries brought his playing career to a premature close.
“I get it, that he was a part of that group that had that disappointing and hurtful performance last year to not qualify for the World Cup. But as you transition and you bring in this young group of players, you want some veteran leadership. You want guys who have been there, played at the highest level, guys that these young guys look up to and aspire to be like. And a guy like Michael Bradley, I think is still there in terms of contributing on the pitch, but as well as leading these guys off the pitch.”
As Lalas argued to the contrary, Edu stressed Bradley’s capacity to help his younger counterparts maximize their talents as a new World Cup cycle beckons.
“He’s still an important part in helping those younger players become the players we want them to be,” said Edu, making his FOX broadcast debut. “They have the skill set, but he knows what it means to play for this national team. He wears his [heart] on his sleeve every time he steps up and plays for this country and I think that mentality, that commitment to playing for the national team is something that these young players can help them to develop.
“We want them to be in the best situation possible to grow into the players we want them to be, and I think he’s a player that can help them do that.”
