Posted by

Aaron Nielsen ,

May 11, 2015 Email

Aaron Nielsen



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@ENBSports

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Early on in a schizophrenic 2015, the question is already emerging of whether or not Michael Bradley will become the poster child for another failed season for Toronto FC?



If so, does he deserve this criticism? Or is he a scapegoat brought on by his contract, his connection to the US National Team or because he is the face behind Toronto FC’s 2015 marketing campaign? The fact I'm writing this article shortly after the disappointing 2-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo, where Bradley’s missed tackle caused a penalty, makes it out like he is a target. However, I feel he is more of an example, and in some ways almost not their fault, of what Toronto FC is and the issues with the club on the pitch.



If I'm being honest, unlike Giovinco, Altidore and even Defoe, I wasn't a huge supporter of the signing of Bradley in the first place. Add to this the fact that AS Roma almost bragged that they were able to get so much money for him justified my concern that the American’s perceived valued is much higher than he is worth.



Bradley is incredibly talented in many ways. He is great technically and has one of the best engines in the game. He also puts 100% effort into each match and in the 2014 World Cup the statistics showed that Bradley covered over 12 kilometers per game, more than any other player in the tournament. He was a very useful player on one of the top 25 clubs in the world and I feel he is still a potential game changer for a smaller team in a top European league playing against much stronger teams when used in a similar role to that in which he is utilized playing with the US National Team in big tournaments.



My main issue when Bradley joined Toronto FC is that it was a waste to allocate so much into his position. There are arguably ten or so players in MLS who play the same style and role that can provide a similar output and that number would be much larger if you recruited outside of the league. Even with modern statistics, it is difficult to accurately account for a player’s true value and I'm not discrediting the effort Bradley has put in with Toronto FC. I'm sure he's added more to the offense than his two career goals and four assists, and he is also not totally accountable for the 53 goals allowed in 31 games. However, it somewhat interesting that the club has allowed only 14 goals in the 11 games that Bradley has missed with Toronto FC and has a record of 4 wins, 5 draws and two defeats in MLS.



There are other factors statistically that frustrate me personally about Bradley. The one that sticks out the most is his willingness to shoot with very limited return. As I said, Bradley so far has two career goals with Toronto FC and only 13 career shots on target, yet he has taken a total of 65 shots that were not blocked, which means 52 of them led to him missing the net and the Toronto FC play coming to an end. The only players with similar poor returns were Gilberto and Jackson - two players who took their fair share of deserved criticism. His passing has been exceptional, although his crossing has been poor, and less of an issue this season with Giovinco, but his free kicks and corners have also been poor during his time with Toronto FC.



TFC struggling to find their identity. Revolves around Bradley, who doesn't appear to fit into any of the roles he is being asked to play. — Jason deVos (@jasondevos) May 10, 2015 Defensively, it’s hard to argue with a player who works as hard as Bradley does. Although again, statistically his tackling, 1v1 and aerial battle percentages have been worse than players like Collen Warner and the now departed Kyle Bekker. This means although he is involved in more plays that benefit the team, he also participates in plays that can potentially hurt his side. The play against Houston is a great example where Dynamo's defender DeMarcus Beasley at best might have sent a cross in. Yet Bradley’s tackle is one that no other Toronto FC player on the pitch would have attempted, or is even capable of attempting based on the situation of back tracking, and it led to the penalty.



A greater comparison this season might be with Michael Bradley versus the other Toronto FC defensive midfielder Benoit Cheyrou. On offense, Bradley has made more passes, although the numbers are closer than one might think at 374 to 342. He has taken more shots and been fouled more, although it is close, while Cheyrou has a goal and assists and Bradley has yet to be involved in a goal this season. It could also be argued that Cheyrou has worked better with players such as Giovinco and could have had an even greater output, whereas Bradley has yet to be involved in any successful scoring opportunity this season. Defensively, Cheyrou has competed with Bradley being out-tackled 18 to 13, out-interceptions 18 to 15 and out-clearanced 9 to 6, although Bradley has more missed opportunities in these defensive categories than Cheyrou at 26 to 16. Both players have missed a game - Bradley the 2-1 loss to Salt Lake and Cheyrou the 3-2 loss to Dallas.



Both players being almost statistically even doesn't surprise me, and neither does Cheyrou making a greater impact in terms of goals and assists. This is something I already predicted when doing my preseason evaluations for the 2015 season, where I have Toronto FC finishing fourth in the East. Minus games missed via internationals, I do trust Bradley more to remain healthy and motivated based on his age and track record, although based on the salary cap you could have two Cheyrous for the price of Bradley, and outside of MLS there is no comparison with Bradley making millions more than Cheyrou.



Ultimately, Bradley isn't a scapegoat. Instead, he is a product of a league with weird rules and a team with a history of bad management. He will never be able to live up to the transfer fee that Toronto paid for him or his yearly salary, and instead this added pressure is potentially hurting the club. I have a graduate degree in Human Resource Management and one of the first rules you are taught in recruiting is never to hire someone who is overqualified, the main issue being a number of reasons. Number one, the overqualified worker can become bored or disinterested, two they go beyond on the job requirements and start influencing the environment in other ways, and third and in many ways most importantly, it could create a power struggle with current management and fellow employees.



I would never question Bradley's commitment and I'm sure more than anyone else he wants Toronto FC to be a winning club. The same could be said about many past Toronto FC players - out of no fault of their own, players such as Julian De Guzman and Torsten Frings ended up hurting the club in terms of results when they played and in the overall club's development at the time. Toronto FC should be blamed for never truly developing the foundation and infrastructure of a proper club and always looking for a quick fix via marketing or on the pitch. Although the added issue with Bradley this season is Toronto FC are not a bad team. With him overcompensating or trying too hard, it hurts the club in other ways by taking unnecessary shots, controlling set plays or not allowing the team to gel as a collective unit.



Michael Bradley speaks with media following TFC's 2-1 loss to Houston:





I still feel this will be a relatively successful season with Toronto FC, with the club making the playoffs for the first time. The already proven play of Giovinco and Altidore shows a greater potential and in many ways a better team than last season. However, based on the performances this season, I do not see them as one of the top teams in the league, not because of a lack of talent, but because of consistency and the squad’s ability to play as a unit. To change this with the current roster what is needed is a coach who demands the respect of the players, or less likely the players themselves letting go of their personal agendas and egos for the better success of the team. In terms of Michael Bradley, he is a world class holding midfielder, which is a useful asset in the game, but he is not a world class soccer player and thinking otherwise, in my opinion, has been the issue since he joined the club.