After an illustrious 20-year career, Toronto FC captain and midfielder Michael Bradley is calling it quits and will retire at the end of the 2023 MLS season. Here’s what you need to know:
- Bradley’s final match will be Decision Day on Saturday when Toronto FC hosts Orlando City SC.
- The 36-year-old has played in 287 MLS games and ranks third all time in U.S. men’s national team appearances with 151.
- Bradley became one of the best American players of his generation and has tallied 17 goals and 41 assists across 12 MLS seasons.
Bradley’s legacy in Toronto
Bradley doesn’t just deserve recognition as Toronto FC’s best player in franchise history — he’s arguably one of the most important athletes to play in the city of Toronto, full stop. Ten seasons in one team is a lifetime in modern sports and Bradley changed the way people in Toronto looked at their MLS club.
The way in which he completely took control of an organization that was floating out at sea for the seven years before he arrived remains impressive. He was steadfast in his training and demanded as much of his teammates with a sense of accountability TFC needed. On the pitch, TFC don’t go to three MLS Cups in four years without him.
Bradley’s ability to pull the strings in midfield helped Greg Vanney’s teammates maintain possession and strangle opponents, which made them one of the league’s best teams late in the decade. His all-encompassing performance in MLS Cup 2017 should go down as his defining game. — Joshua Kloke, Toronto soccer writer
What could be next for Bradley?
That Bradley’s age began to show late in his career and he lost a step or two in the middle of the park isn’t something for him or the club to run from: in order to get back to former glory, they need people who have experienced the highest highs and lowest lows, which this season likely was for Bradley. If he wants to stay with the club in a coaching or management role, TFC president Bill Manning will likely offer him the way back into the game that he wants.
No person is more closely linked with the team than Bradley right now, and it’s hard to imagine any other player, coach or management figure taking that away from him any time soon. — Kloke
What they’re saying
“On January 13, 2014, I sat at a press conference and said that I had never been ‘more excited, more determined, and more motivated for any challenge in my entire career.’ I meant every single word,” Bradley said in a release.
“For the last 10 years, I have spilled my blood, sweat and tears trying to help this club be the best it could be. There were some incredible days — moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life — and some bad ones too. But I never stopped giving everything I had. Thank you to all my teammates, coaches, and everyone inside the club. … This city and this club will always be home.”
Backstory
Bradley’s career began in 2004 by signing a Project-40 contract with MLS at age 16. The MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls) drafted him with the 36th pick that year. He scored his first MLS goal — a game-winner that sent the MetroStars to the playoffs — on October 16, 2005, against Chivas USA.
After two MLS seasons, Bradley played in Europe for nearly a decade with Heerenveen, Borussia Monchengladbach, Aston Villa, Roma and Chievo Verona.
He returned to MLS in 2014 when Toronto acquired him as a designated player. Bradley established himself as a leader for Toronto FC, helping the club win one MLS Cup, one Supporters’ Shield, four Canadian Championships and reach the MLS playoffs five times. He was an integral member of TFC’s 2017 Treble season when it claimed the MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield and Canadian Championship.
In his international career, Bradley played for the USMNT from 2006 to 2019, registering 17 goals and 23 assists in 151 appearances. His USMNT stint included trips to the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups and winning two Concacaf Gold Cups (2007, 2017).
(Photo: Kevin Sousa / USA Today)