What do all the great teams have in common? A midfielder that can just dominate the game. Xavi, Kaka, Lampard, Ballack, Fabergas, take your pick, all are dominant midfielders. They are the glue of any team. But the US has never had that dominant center mid like those guys. But in 2014, they might, and his name is Michael Bradley.
This kid is just all upside. He's 22, he's tenacious, he's excellent at timing his runs forward, and he can finish. He also can make great recovery runs getting back on D. He can go box-to-box with the best of them. This kid will be the star of the 2014 World Cup team. He clearly has greatness in his future.
He plays over in the Bundesliga for Borussia Mönchengladbach and is playing very well. Odd, a US guy having success in Europe while he's young enough to be groomed. Hopefully he'll sign with a premier league squad in his near future to further improve his game, but Bundesliga is a good fit for Bradley. But at age 22, the fact he's over in Europe speaks volumes to this guys potential and talent.
Bradley is workhouse, his skill set is raw, and needs a little bit of grooming, but the talent is there. The area he needs to improve most is his smarts, sometimes he's over aggressive and gets silly fouls and stupid cards. But this WC saw no bookings for Bradley, so he's already making strides in this area.
Michael Bradley will be the star center mid that the US so desperately needs to compete with the likes of Germany, Brazil, Spain, and all those guys. Because a dominant, game controlling center mid goes a long way.
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