Michael Bradley

4. Michael Bradley Midfielder | Club: Toronto FC Widely considered the U.S.’s most important field player and leader, Bradley picked up the nickname Il

Liviu Bird | May 30, 2014

Michael Bradley /

4. Michael Bradley

Midfielder | Club: Toronto FC

Age	Hometown	Height	Weight	Goals	Caps
26	Manhattan Beach, Calif.	6-2	175	12	85

Widely considered the U.S.’s most important field player and leader, Bradley picked up the nickname Il Generale during his time at AS Roma. It personifies his style of play perfectly, as he always wants the ball at his feet and wants to be the player who steps up in any situation. With Landon Donovan off the roster, Bradley, who completed a stunning return to MLS with Toronto FC over the winter, has had his role only grow more.

OUTLOOK: It’s too much to put on one player, but Bradley will have to do everything for the U.S. —distribute, defend and find moments to release and get forward. He is most dangerous in attack making late runs from the midfield, lulling defenses to sleep with a series of short, even square, passes before striking suddenly.

Michael Bradley — Don Feria/isiphotos.com

Meet the 23: Complete roster breakdown

Published May 30, 2014

LIVIU BIRD

Liviu Bird is a soccer analyst with more than 20 years of experience in the game. He learned how to play in the streets of Romania before moving to the soccer wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska, escaping to play collegiately as a goalkeeper at Highline Community College and Seattle Pacific University, where he also earned his B.A. in journalism. Bird played semiprofessionally and had tryouts at professional clubs but hung up his gloves in 2012 to focus on writing and coaching at the youth and collegiate levels. He joined Sports Illustrated in March 2013 as a freelance contributor and has also written for NBC Sports, Soccer Wire, The New York Times, American Soccer Now and the Telegraph (UK).