1.10.14
ASN Morning Read: Here Comes Michael Bradley
It's official: the man in the middle is moving to the United States. Good stuff, great takes. Elsewhere, Brad Evans is a nice guy, Juan Agudelo could be on the move, and Andrew Luck is a soccer guy.
BY
Jesse Yomtov
Posted
January 10, 2014
6:36 AM
Michael Bradley’s move is official, with Roma confirming that Bradley has been sold to Major League Soccer for $10 million. Roma’s press release doesn’t specify which club, but it seems all but certain that it’s Toronto FC. "Bradley wanted to go, we couldn't keep the player,” Roma manager Rudi Garcia said after Thursday’s Italian Cup match. “He did very well with me in these months but I understand he wants to play more."
A kind gesture on Twitter from the Italian club:
Brian Sciaretta provided us with a great piece analyzing Bradley’s move, and what it means for MLS and the U.S. national team.
Juan Agudelo to Anderlecht? Well, Agudelo to Stoke and then on loan to Anderlecht. Also, Matt Besler to... somewhere in England? The Daily Mail is the best.
Brad Evans is in a weird spot right now, trying to lock down the U.S. right back spot while also helping groom Seattle teammate DeAndre Yedlin for the job in the future. Unlike Evans, the 20-year-old Yedlin actually plays the position for the Sounders. “First and foremost, he’s my teammate in Seattle. Now we’re coming in battling for the same position,” Evans said. “Obviously, I’m answering all of his questions off the field when we’re not at practice. I’m always going to be there as a pivot and cornerstone for him to come to and look for advice to see what he needs to do.” Good dude, that Brad Evans.
Photos of the new U.S. jerseys aren’t leaked, but FootyHeadlines.com has a decription that seems to match the rebranding of the U.S. Soccer website and Twitter. The home kit will apparently be white with royal-ish blue shorts while the away kit will be red with white shorts. They’ve also got a leaked photo of the track jacket, which looks pretty slick.
Julian Green started and scored a goal in Bayern Munich’s 2-0 friendly win in Qatar over Sudanese club Al-Merrikh. Green came off at halftime along with every other outfield player, but got to play the first half with Franck Ribery, Philipp Lahm, Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze, et al. Something tells us Germany is going to be pulling pretty hard for the kid...
Another fun “Andrew Luck really likes soccer” story. Said Colts tight end Coby Fleener, who has apparently been forced to watch matches at Luck’s house: “He talks about soccer more than some of his teammates would like.” My girlfriend feels the same way.
It’s eight years away, but the 2022 World Cup saga continues. After FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke went rogue Wednesday proclaiming the tournament would be held in the winter, Qatar’s World Cup chief Hassan al-Thawadi came back and made the valid point that it’s been hot elsewhere during World Cups. UEFA president Michel Platini isn’t happy with Valcke talking about the matter publicly. Good times.
