It’s great for MLS. Bringing back an American player of Bradley’s caliber after eight years abroad is a major coup and cost the league a $10 million transfer fee. The league is desperate for more credibility in the United States and abroad, so having Bradley, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey on MLS rosters certainly has to help. Those are three of the most famous and gifted U.S. players, and they all have chosen to make a living in MLS.
If all three prove their worth this summer at the World Cup, the biggest international stage, it would be a nice advertisement for MLS.
Let’s face it, how will MLS ever elevate its level of play if it doesn’t attract players away from Europe? The more talented players in the league, the better the league will be.
The move is also fabulous for Bradley personally. He gets to earn a handsome seven-figure salary and be much closer to his native New Jersey, which is a bigger deal now that he is married and a father. He also signed a long-term deal, reported to be for five or six years, and he didn’t have that kind of job security at Roma.
Bradley had started only five games this season, and the recent signing of Belgian Radja Nainggolan meant there were five midfielders battling for playing time. In Toronto, Bradley will be the star and surely will play far more minutes.
But Bradley’s transfer might not be so great for the U.S. World Cup team because, no offense to Toronto or MLS, Roma is an established European team that competes for Champions League berths. The level of play and competition there is higher than what Bradley will face in our domestic league.
Despite the evolution of MLS and its much-improved quality from the early days, there is still a bit of a stigma attached to U.S. players who play here rather than in Europe. U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been saying all along that he’d prefer his players compete at the highest possible level, against the best possible players, which, for now, are in Europe’s top leagues.
Unfortunately for the U.S. players, top European clubs aren’t knocking on their doors.
“There is no demand” for U.S. players, Klinsmann told ESPN.com. “It’s just a sign of reality. The demand isn’t there.”
So, Klinsmann and U.S. fans will just have to hope that Bradley’s move to Toronto, the third-worst team in MLS last season, will be a good one for him in the long run and that his happiness and increased playing time will compensate for the cutthroat, high-profile soccer he left behind in Italy.
Written by Steve Milne
