Designated for one assignment
His future is uncertain, but Bradley’s place in TFC history is assured
And Michael Bradley’s job the last six seasons has been to lead, but for how much longer?
Michael Bradley, it would seem, is a creature of habit, particularly when it comes to his pregame routines.
The Toronto FC captain is generally the first player out on the field on game days, in the still-quiet stadium long before warm-ups, headphones on, bending down to touch the grass for a thorough inspection of the pitch.
Later, as the teams line up for the national anthems, the 32year-old blows kisses into the stands, likely to his young family.
Such are the personal habits Bradley has developed since joining the Reds as a designated player in January 2014, the dedicated defensive midfielder who has helped change the club’s culture while adopting Toronto as his home.
It is odd to think of a Reds game without Bradley’s quirks, though that day will come eventually. Saturday’s playoff match against D.C. United could conceivably be the captain’s last for the home team at BMO Field. The Reds are unlikely to host another post-season game this year and Bradley’s contract status past season’s end remains up in the air.
Both Bradley and the club have been tight-lipped about his future. Reds general manager Ali Curtis called Bradley an “exceptional” person and captain in a Friday statement and said he was “integral” to helping the club win its first MLS Cup in 2017.
“At the end of this season, we will sit down with Michael and his representation to define what 2020 and beyond look like,” Curtis said. “No other comments, as the club and Michael are focused on the playoffs.
But the player made it clear he is still mentally committed to the club.
“There’s always moments to be sentimental, to think twice about things, to make sure that you enjoy certain things and I find the right moments to do that but I’m still, in my mind, very much operating under the assumption that there are more games to be played in that stadium,” Bradley said Thursday. “A lot more games.”
While Bradley’s contract status may be uncertain, his role is not. He started as a box-to-box midfielder with Toronto but has evolved into strictly a defensive midfielder. He essentially quarterbacks the team, dictating the game by putting his teammates in good positions.
“You see his game continue to evolve on the game-reading side, the ability to move people around, to see what the game needs at any give moment,” TFC coach Greg Vanney said.
Bradley’s legacy with the club is cemented too.
He has helped develop a professional standard and a winning mentality that weren’t here when he arrived.
“Everyday he comes to work with the intent to be great and to help everybody around him to be great,” Vanney said.
“It’s always good to have people like that, who they really help you in terms of establishing a culture, especially at a club that needed that desperately in those days when he arrived.”
Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio is one of the few Reds players with a longer TFC tenure than Bradley. He remembers Bradley coming in with a plan and big goals.
“Everything you would asked for in your captain,” Osorio said.
“That’s what he was brought here for and there’s not a day that goes by that he’s not thinking about reaching those goals or achieving those goals or keeping that kind of mentality going in the club.”