In the three years since Michael Bradley joined Toronto FC, the 29-year-old has become the backbone of the Reds. Here’s his message to the fans:

It’s great to be back. Great to be back with my teammates, training hard every day. Great to be back playing games, looking to improve on everything we’ve built the last few years. And this week, great to be back home in Toronto, playing at BMO Field for the first time since last year’s MLS Cup final.

The feeling we had when we walked off the field last December 10th — the unfulfilled feeling of knowing we’d come up short of our goal of bringing a championship to Toronto — hasn’t gone away. I said in the aftermath of that defeat that I was sorry that we hadn’t given all of you the night you deserved. The celebration you deserved. I still feel that way. We all do. And that feeling is pushing our team even harder this year.

There’s a moment from last season’s playoff run that will stay with me forever. When we came home to play Montreal in the second game of the Eastern Conference final, we went down a goal early in the match. I’ve played for teams before where an early goal conceded takes the life out of the stadium. But that night at BMO Field, when Montreal scored to go ahead of us 4-2 on aggregate, it was different. It was like every person in the stadium decided in that moment they were literally going to will us to victory.

For 120 minutes they lived every play with us. They drove us on. They made it a night where there was only ever going to be one winner. It became so clear we weren’t just playing for ourselves. There were 36,000 people in the stadium that night. There might as well have been six million. We were playing for all of Toronto.

As I’ve made Toronto my home these last three years I’ve realized how special this city truly is. I’ve seen the spirit at Raptors games and Leafs games. I’ve seen it at Blue Jays games. Live here in Toronto and you can’t help but be in awe of the way people come together to support all of our teams. The passion and pride run deep. All For One. We The North. Toronto vs. Everybody. This is who we are. I do my best as TFC captain to make sure our team appreciates that support every time we play.

As athletes, we can’t promise victories. We learned that in the final, where every player on our team spilled his guts on the field for 120 minutes only to come up short. What we can promise is that we will give everything we have every time we step on the field representing not only TFC but all of Toronto.

Nothing comes easy in sports. There is no script for our team to follow. Nothing is given. If anyone knows that, it’s Toronto fans. But that’s also the beauty of sports and the journey we are all on together.

We love that most of last year’s team has remained intact under our coach Greg Vanney. On opening day in Salt Lake a few weeks ago, we started the same eleven who started in the MLS Cup final. In our next two games, we integrated a few new players into the group. We’re on a mission. To get back and do one better. Every player is ready to fight for the guy standing next to him. Ready to fight for you.

Like I said, it’s great to be back home. Here’s to a great season and to giving you all what you deserve.