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Michael Bradley Now Plays for Toronto FC. In MLS. Thoughts Please.

The blockbuster news that the No. 1-ranked player in the ASN 100 has left Serie A in favor of Major League Soccer's Toronto franchise is sure to spark debate. Graph your position below and share your rationale. To read what others have to say, hover over any shaded cell. (You can click/post on a previously shaded cell. Try it.)

Posted
January 08, 2014 5:18 PM

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Great move for Bradley

A dreadful decision

More unity for USMNT This hurts U.S. National Team

eh — eh

He'll get more playing time Not sure if its good for the usa — Jjjjjjj

Got paid, but..... — Dallen

yeah — canadian

Comin home...sort of... — Jaggy G

How is this not a great move for MB...$1M salary today for ~$6M salary tomorrow - MB is taking care of his financial future - good for him! MLS continues to improve and he can always do loan spells.... and as for the WC are you kidding - has anyone seen our group.... this does not significantly hurt or help our chances in Brazil... good for Michael - one of my favorite USMNT players - congrats to him and his family - welcome home! — coach

Getting so much more money and playing time, who can blame him? — @BRUBromley

I — Matt

Very happy about the move for both MLS and the USMNT. — Red

Great for the league, great for the bank account, hopefully great for the Bradster — Jake

Glad he isn't going to be rotting away on Italian pine — Jugs

Import for him to get playing time, both for himself and for the usmnt — Daniel

Should elevate his skills and prepare for WC. — Michael

More Nats in MLS the better. — Dean

Italy is a horrible place — James

Money, guaranteed playing time, stability, solid (not great) competition. Makes complete sense for MB. As a coach, you want your players challenging themselves against the best. Its how you improve. JK should have no say in where MB chooses to play. But not wrong to want him playing at a higher level. — Cameron

big pay day, but not playing at high level. also not sure he'll help other usmnt by being in mls. we'll see. — gringo

Good for Bradley, hard not to be a Toronto fan these days... — Dustin

There's simply too much crying about the wrong dilemma. The real issue is for the US to develop many more players to MB's level at CM and elsewhere. AND even when that happens, let's let them figure out what's best for their lives. Goodness. GET A GRIP PEOPLE. Choose reality, it's what you got. — James

Needed a better team around him to maintain world class level of play — Skyray1

How can MB playing a crucial leadership role on the daily hurt his ability to do the same for the USMNT? Sure MLS isn't a top flight league yet but it's well on the way and with moves like this will continue to grow. Besides, it's not all about soccer. If this was good for his family then I am good with the decision — Professor Dinosaur

MLS on the rise! — Cobra Commander

Great move for TFC and MLS. Not so sure for Bradley but time will tell and with all that money and playing time how can you go wrong? — Mike

This is better than playing for some lower level Serie A team. — Caleb

awesome — shane shaffer

They both needed this — Steve

He's and excellent player and there are not many players of his talent in the MLS. — Johnny

Stop judging. If someone offered to (at minimum) triple your take home pay, and guarantee it for the next 5.5 years, you'd take the deal. I would, too. Keep in mind MB4 has a young and growing family, and his career field's earning power will only decrease from here on out, and this is a very sensible and adult decision. Grant Wahl reports MB4 gets about 1.1mil (US; net) at Roma, for the next 1.5 years. TFC is offering around 5mil+ (US; gross) for the next 5.5 years. Do the math. Even after taxes, that will come to around 18mil+ take home pay until he is 31. I'll not judge an athlete for securing his family and financial future. Take the deal, MB4. — Brian

Mls — Andy

Training is one thing, but there is only one way to get match fit, gain experience, build stock and improve...that's playing major minutes. Move is temporary. — Tim Romanello

I'm sorry Roma is a lower Serie A team? They're second in the league and almost won the Coppa Italia last year. Please don't put down one of the most tactical leagues in the world because you're ignorant. — ^You are blind

Suck It Eurosnobs!!! — USA

. — .

Great financial move for Bradley and super great move for MLS. — Andre Wade

Gotta love it for the city of Toronto — Dylan

t — Dan

Can't fault Bradley. And I respect the guy enough to believe it will not greatly impact his form. I would love this move if he had gone to the team I support! — Matt

WOOO GO TORONTO FC! — Steve

Good move for TFC — Mike

Great for him and his family, not bad for USMNT, GREAT for MLS — mike

Will be great for both — Noname

For the man who will eventually wear the armband for the US, he needs to wear the armband for his club too. Roma was never going to do that for him. There is greater challenge in being "the man" on one team, over being a functioning cog on another team — Andrew

TFC. — Brad

The money is good for Bradley. Its good for MLS to get him while he's still in his peak. I love seeing our national players in a league I can actually see in person. — NH

Somewhere a eurosnob died! — Washington

see the square directly beneath me — loser

Great for USMNT now and looking to the future...More incentive to be great for youngsters. — Steve-O

Great for Bradley with the financial security and playing time the move brings, but the subpar competition of the MLS won't do him any favors in preparing to facethe elite players of the world. — Alex

playing time and leadership responsibility make up for lesser competition for WC2014....salary made it impossible to say no — dman

Finally, a 2 dimensional question that makes sense expressed on a matrix. Great paycheck, how bad can he get in a few months? — Jon

YEA! — KMC

TFC finally might be better then a men's league team — Fabio

Great Move. US needs to build its domestic league if it going to seriously compete internationally going forward. Bradley has set the standard as a US player in his prime moving back to the MLS. Altidore and Johanssen should follow. These players can still go on loan during the offseason to further improve their form abroad. — JPV

Yeahh — Yeahu

Yeahhhhh — Ric Flair

See the next square to the right — loser

I suck bawlz. MLS teams would win the UEFA CL if they were allowed in it and USA will finish first in the group stage of the World Cup with 12 points. I am a tool. — loser

see the square to my left. — loser

Obviously a good financial move for Bradley, and getting more minutes will be a net small plus for the USMNT. — Stephen

Great move for Bradley. Gets more playing time to stay sharp for WC. However, he will play against weaker opponents in the MLS than he faced in Italy and those he will face in the WC. — Nathan

Bird, bird, bird, bird is the word — Hi there I'm Peter Griffin

Go MLS and USA! A lot to be said for more playing time. — lofesh

Good, need to improve mls! — Drew

More playing time — peyton

Can't wait to see him in action — Jordi Alba

see the square directly above me — loser

Great for Bradley, sucks for USMNT — G8trsrgods

Bad for Bradley long term, too early in his career to be coming back to mls. However, I don't see this harming much in 2014 — Mike mcgowan

Downgrade in league, upgrade in playing time. Close to moot for USMNT (slightly negative), solid for Bradley. — Jimmy

bad move for Roma great for TFC he's quality wherever he's played — joe

It's going to awesome suck it EPL/eurosnobs!!!! — Jane's addiction

This is great for TFC — Dq

This is great for Mls not so great for Usmnt — Jason

The impact of his move will be felt more in the long term. Dempsey and Bradley's move back to MLS will only help us reach our goal of being a top league in 2022. Thank you MICHAEL BRADLEY! — Jonathan M.

MLS putting on the big boy pants. — Dick Van Dyke

Great move! — Jeff

Yes, my name is Bradley. It's my first name, not my last name. Anyways this is a good move for MB because he is going to get paid, and you can't fault a guy for that. He might lose a bit of sharpness that was required of him at Roma, to be at the top of his game all the time during training and games, but other than that he is still the same player at TFC. This does hurt USMNT chances at the world cup. Like Klinsmann said we need players that are hungry for the highest of success at the highest levels of competition but MLS incentivizes our top American players to mail it in and cash hefty paychecks way above market value, just because an American player is a big draw to American audiences (or at least that is how the thinking goes, it'll be interesting to see if and how Canadian audiences turn up to see MB. — Bradley

Attracting talent (American or not) to the domestic league is only positive for the USMNT. Short term this will not hinder Bradley's performance and long term it will help grow popularity in our league. Growth of the league is key to eventual USMTN success. — Dan

I think it helps MLS . If more US players come back home, MLS will sure improve. — Johnbull

E — A

N/A — Yup

This is a great move for both Bradley and the USMNT. This gives Bradley a chance to get regular playing time to keep his skills sharp. The USMNT will need him to be at his best to have any chance of advancing to the knockout rounds. This moves gives them the best chance. — Nicholas

I'm tired of people saying MLS isn't a viable option. If he wants to play more, raise his family closer to home, and make more money, who's to judge. — Rog

Money, guaranteed playing time. No brainer. — Adam

It's definitely gonna hamper his skill playing against sub par competition — Kyle

Come on! Something seriously wrong with thought if you think MLS to blame. ( see Panama, Costa Rica entries for proof) — Frankp

It doesn't help him with the average talent of the mls but atleast he will get to play. Also he will probably be happy to comeback rather than be in Rome. — Evan

Meh — Bunnies

He will get more playing time. — Remy

Playing time — Alonzo

No brainer. 6 million for 6 years. Congrats Mikey — Lincoln

I like it but he needs tough tough competers — simon

Great move for player but of no use to US team — SoccerSergio

Good for him bad for the team — Nick

It's a decent move for him financially and moving back to North America. However, the competition is lesser. He needs to play but a better league would be more beneficial — Brett

Playing is better than not playing. — Bryan

MB90 is cool. — Viva MLS!

I love more of the core USMNT players in the same league. I also love that simply by coming back they are raising the talent level of the league. I can't wait for MLS'14 — Kyle S

. — Hatch

what are you thinking Michael! — h

His skills wont drop in 5 months — Drexy

Good son — Bob Bradley

MLS is not a joke league anymore. Playing here will prepare him for World Cup as much or more than sorta playing at Roma. And it's good for the league. Win-win. — Steve

He'll get all the play time he can ask for and will be making tons of money-both which are good for him. It's a step down in quality of opponents for him though, so he might not be at full speed when the World Cup rolls around-which isn't good for the USMNT at all — 50StarsSoccer

Playing in MLS > riding the pine in Serie A, especially as we ramp up to the WC. — James

Only moderate negatives for me, mostly all good—He's no going to forget how play at the Serie A level in the next few months (WC). Over the next 5 years, I think we'll see more veteran Int'l US players coming home to the MLS, while younger US prospects seek Int'l play… returning themselves eventually. All part of building the MLS. Besides, these guys can always go on loan after MLS like Deuce (until MLS adjusts their schedule). — David B

We'll just have to wait and see. — Otter

hi — max

Good for MB's wallet & MLS, bad for USMNT. — Warren

It's not that bad y'all. Donovan has been great for the USMNT, and MLS didn't hold him back. Good players find a way. — Hey hey

Bradley can be the star at Toronto. I think short term (the world cup is in only 6 months) it will actually help him step up and into the captains role he will inevitably take! — Greg

Wasn't playing for roma, but distracts from world cup — Sam Wilson

This way Bradley will get regular first team football instead of just sitting on the bench. This also further unifies the U.S team with more stars playing in the MLS — Todd

After the WC he can return but for the short term it is a great team USA and personal move! — Arizona

He wants to move home — Michael Wise

It's awesome. Would rather watch USMNT players playing in MLS. — Nietzche

Mikey needed this as he's basically been replaced w Roma signing Nainggolan. Now he'll get his playing time. This also allows MLS to get some serious cash if he has a good showing in Brazil and the rich teams come calling — Bumbles

This could go both ways. We will see this summer. Go USMNT! — Stephen

Probably he wants to feel he merits being the hub of a team, not a rookie fighting for time. Maybe he likes poutin? Not good for US.... — Jordi

more money-great for bradley, more playing time-helps USMNT — frank

Y a comment? — Cal

Bradley's skills are not going to enhance or diminish much either way in the short time between now and the World Cup, regardless of where he plays. A happy, match-fit Bradley certainly isn't going to be worse for the USMNT than one whose family situation is unsettled while he sits on the bench at Roma. — Chris

Having Bradley caliber players in the mls only pushes and causes those who play with/against him to raise their game. Granted the numbers decrease dramatically of those who will now push Bradley to improve. Which is why we need to increase the concentration of such players in the mls... — Joe leeman

Good move for Braddley and MLS, but with Kilnsmann pushing for people to get playing time overseas during the MLS offseason, it is ultimately bad for USMNT — Brandon G.

Yeah — Luke

I like to see the mls is getting better he will have assured playing time in Toronto — Matt

Great for Michael - financial security for a long time - but I feel, like many others, that playing for a top club in Europe would better prepare him for WC2014. — Neda43

Not terrible. Not great either. — Charles

TFC! — Sam

Ggg — Matt

Gtreat move for the USMNT, MLS, TFC and Bradley's family. Not sure how it will impact his ability long term. PT and flexibility should really help in the short term. Cant wait to see him sending passes thru to DeRo and Defoe — Beto

Pros for Bradley: Dude's cashing in. Reported $6.5M/Yr coming his way, much more than he's making now. Cons for Bradley: He'll languish in a crappy league. Also, he picked up Italian pretty well and it seems like he and his family were enjoying life there. Pros for USMNT: He'll get more rest, plus he should be facing plenty of good competition anyway in the friendlies leading up to the World Cup. Don't see it having too much short-term impact on the US team. Cons for USMNT: Another one bites the dust. We need to have more US players in prominent roles on visible clubs in Europe. He was one, now he's not. Harsh reality is that we really just don't have enough players who are good enough. Welp, more a sad indication of the state of US Soccer and the caliber of our players than anything. — Ilario

Great for TFC — DW

Good move for Bradley personally; Does not really affect USMNT. — Ron

There Are Less Skilled Players Here So His Competition Will Not Be As Good But It Is Better To Be In America — matt j

It's good for MLS and the national team. The U.S. needs it's players to be in form and not bench warming. — Angel Flores

Not a bad move but might have been better if it was a loan to boost his stock — 7king

If he is happy, I am happy — Pal

It will hurt what little chance they had — Jack

slightly positive — nathan

As long as Bradley can continue to push himself in an objectively inferior league, this move is great for the league and the USMNT. — Steve

Good for both, but not as good as some may think — TI

Lots of money for him. Bad for USMNT — Jared

Quality of opponent doesn't hurt a midfielder as much as a defender or forward. He will have more game time under his belt and will have more confidence from bossing games in the mls — Chris Martinez

Should move to MLS but should be for an American team. — Aaron Gonzalez

! — Zeke

Nice graphic, this square is the correct answer, everyone else is wrong! — Hans

Definitely affects US. — shawn

Good move for him, not sure how us will fare with move — Ryan

only 1 way to find out how it will effect USMNT...we shocked Portugal in 2002 with mostly US players, let's do it again!!! — Jumba

The playing time will obviously be there. He will be able to play in his natural position as a fluid box to box midfielder, but the problem is, I see it taking him a while to re-adjust himself to the MLS being that he has play the past two season in the extremely technical Serie A (and the MLS is certainly the opposite). Overall though, he will be able to play along side and against many fellow Americans which couldn't do anything but help the chemistry of the USMT. — Alex

Watch a MLS game before posting your opinion — Jeff S

His game isn't going to go backwards. He'll be fine. — Nathan H

Bradley needs playing time to further his chances of doing really well at the W.C. Better to play in MLS than not play in Serie A. If he does well there, that will further his career. I don't know that the move does anything for Unity though. — DCU W.R.A.

He determines if its good for him, he'll get more facetime with USMNT teammates. — Roger

I don't question MB's drive or preparedness. He'll play great regardless of his league. — John

Took the money and ran. Can't blame him but not good for the U.S in Brazil. — Nick

This is what I think. — Evan

It's better to have more players abroad. May hurt USMNT a little but it is good for the MLS. — Brendan

His life. Not mine — Sean

here... — Al Hidalgo

good move he will always start and if they get defoe they might have a cup run — Griff

Foolish to think more playing time (even in a worse league) would hurt Bradley or the USMNT for a tournament six months away. — Vince M

Something bigger going on here. Clint, Landon, Bradley and many more all coming to MLS. Talk about DeVeau, and we haven't even started talking about what NYCFC is going to do. You're starting to see the creation of a new league. — Sm

I feel it's pretty neutral. People who are upset are Euro-fanatics that think it's the only soccer worth playing. People who love want the MLS brand to grow. One day we'll stop arguing about it. Bradley isn't going to forget how to play bybleavingn Europe. — Nick

He hasn't played any games yet so we don't know if the decision is a good or bad one — Justin

I think it's a good move for Bradley and it will allow him to play more regularly and for more money. MLS is improving and in the next few years I expect to see other players come over with similar quality. — Matthew S.

Screw Toronto FC in their flapping faces — JM

There's got to be something more to this. Its impossible to judge without knowing all the factors. On the face of it, this will not help the USMNT for WC'14 or Bradley. — Bsik9

Good move for Bradley the person ($) but bad for Bradley the player. Will never reach full potential in MLS. — Two Daft Yanks

good for him and his family but bad for soccer side as he will not be playing against top talent. — andrew

Not enough information yet.Let's wait and see what happens in the world cup. — Dibbs

Good for MLS — LP

Great for MLS and Toronto but -the skill of his team mates will be lower -the skill of his opponents will be lower -I will miss seeing Bradley and Serie A in the same sentence. — Blank

Why? — Brian

Not bad as I believe MLS is a good league, however I think this will hurt the USMNT I'm partial to believe Bradley had European suitors that would increase play time against quality opposition. — Joseph

Michael's a smart, deliberative guy. So long as he was sober in making/assenting to this decision, not gonna second guess it. All the best to him. Do want to see him lead the way in Brazil with his best form, and I know he will strive to do just that. — ML

I smell bad — Keith

rather neutral - more of made the best out of the situation. it seems he's made the decision while still in a relative position of strength. my take from reports is that he would have preferred to stay at roma or another strong club in europe, but playing time (priority) could not be guaranteed, even if he moved to a club roma's stature. — Kfre

Michae's abilities are virtually invisible to US fans. Playing here will let folks see him quietly shine! — Keeper4Life

Decent move, should help US — Adam

No idea how this will hurt or help his career, but I do think this will enhance the same kind of camaraderie that was present in '02 - hopefully with similar results. — Christopher

Good move for MB's family. Bad move for fans of the USMNT — Sadness

More playing time is always better, but he can be playing against the best of the best in Europe, something he will not get with MLS. Overall hurts the USMNT — Tommy T

nobody knows enough to have an informed opinion on this. so I'm waiting until I know more. — MikeyD

optimistically confused — Geoff Korb

<- Well said...optimistically confused. I think it's a huge win for MLS and USMNT fans, but don't see how it benefits Bradley — Mark

USA- the MLS is turning into a top league, within 10 years it will rival majority of the European leagues. Good luck Bradley and let's to some damage in Brazil boys. — Marchand

This could go either way. He has the ability to raise the level of play and profile for MLS. But I am worried that he won't have the competition level to keep him sharp. — Bryant

...I just wanted to post something. — Ryan

He's plenty smart enough to know what he's doing. — Chris

Old blood makes unity and increases team moral. New blood keeps talent strong and has staying power. Both are needed for a team to succeed long term. My thoughts. Trickle out old talent one at a time. Don't throw them to the wolves all at once. Experience can be learned from the veterans. Especially when rooks trickle in and out. — SethUSAFAN

At the end of the day he is still a baller, as well as now a guaranteed starter, too much talent to be playing in the mls though. — Jorge

Only positive of the move is, surprisingly, the timing. Bradley will have fresh legs for the WC and will likely join up in USMNT Camp. In the long run, a decision likely to hurt his career. He still had a chance to mature into a great player in Europe. Not likely to develop further in MLS. — Davis

If he can be included in the January camp then they can practice together more but I would have liked him to stay in Europe — Jeff

Unity — Wesley

Baaaaasd idea — Chun

Toronto is a great city, and he secured a much bigger contract that I would have expected, and he is presumably used to dealing with high taxes. But this seems like a terrible move for his fooballing development, and therefore for the USMNT. — Richard

If he did it just to get games before WC2014, it was a great move but if he plans to stay there for the rest of his career (MLS) then its not a great move. Why do international players like Ginobili or Gasol come to NBA? To play against the best b-ball playerss and both of their international teams beat the US (Argentina/Spain). Its no different. You must play the best to be the best. This is why Donovan is listed as ONLY the best US player. It doesn't work to play good club teams and that equates to winning a World Cup. It just doesn't. — Adrian

eeee... — LUKE

Suspect Bradley's game won't develop in MLS, but his presence could help lift US domestic league's quality level and international profile up from minor league status .... — ken

not going to help his game but just a couple months at a less challenging league won't hurt his ability in the world cup. — obxfly

Should be at a better club, and because of that he wont be able to play his best, hurting him and the national team. Not all that horrible for either though. — Keeton

He wont be playing at a level that is as high in the MLS pointless for everyone except bradley because he will probably make more money — Garrett

N/a — Geo

I feel like this can only benefit the national team and MLS in general, but it remains to be seen if this will be good for Bradley. Obviously Donovan proves that MLS can produce world class players, and if anyone can follow in those footsteps, it's probably Bradley. — Geo

Dumb — Matt

Bollocks — L

It's a canadian team in an american league. He could have went to any other amercan club instead. — Nick

Great for him. Not so good for usmnt. — d

Hmmm — AP

meh — meh

Not right now! Not in MLS! Not before the World Cup! And especially Toronto! At least go to Norway with your dad Bradley! — Christian

Should have stayed with Roma until the end of the season. They have a realistic chance of winning the league. — Kyle

Bradley can do whatever he wants. — Kenneth

Great for MLS, but Roma could win the title — Michael Vetter

Ehh — justin

Could have gone to a decent premier league club — Ted C

not the worst but definitely more bad than good — TRK

Not the best decision for his career, but it won't affect the US World Cup chances. — Nick

Toronto is in Canadia. — Steve

The continually moves by US soccer stars to the MLS hurts the Unites States' chances in the future, but it is good for the MLS, which in the long run might improve US Soccer — Alex Ramos

More playing time, key role on a team, but at a lower level. — Justin Bartels

This is the correct box to check — Klisch

Ok — KJ

Maybe the MLS should sign a non-american star in their mid-20s instead. Say Javier Hernandez — Curtis

The new accusations for Roma are a clear indication Bradley is not apart of team plans and future. He's not playing at a consistent level. Sure it's a high level of football but what's the point if you don't play and is supposedly in the prime of his career. It's a waste if he stays with Roma. It's bit of a surprise he went to TFC but this franchise has been bragging about there availability in funds and promise playoffs next season. TFC is about to announce the signing of Defoe and have signed a young promising Argentinian striker late in 2013. This club has improved dramatically and Bradley will play and succeed in TFC. Plus this is an born American it won't take long for him to adjust in the team and culture. At this point it's still unclear about his wage. Theirs two very different side about it. But I believe being able to get a done deal in two days. So I'd expect the wage will go for Bradley's side considerbly. However their may not be enough time for Bradley to get himself inform before the World Cup, I suggest an immediate temporary loan deal, say West Ham? Lol — Ryan

I feel it's great for the mls but it does hurt the national team not having a player always in high level play and it will be a bad decision because it lowers his play. Only reason I'm not strong on either is because i know he will make a major impact on mls — Justin

He will not develop any further playing in MLS. He had hit his peak. The pace and skill level is not comparable to Serie A. Financially he is set but he could have been another Pirlo and a world class player. — Ken

Higher level squad or play for an American squad — Ben

Needs to see the field to get ready for the Cup but a step backwards for his development. Hopefully gets back to a stronger league on backside of Brazil — Brooks

$$ hungry.. This is not a good move — arty

He could have easily played for another top team in Europe. It could help the US because he could regain for but I doubt he will get any better playing in the MLS respectfully. — SIDNEY

Certainly not dreadful but on the negative side for Bradley. He's not going to face the level of competition that would help him grow but as the big fish in the small(er) pond he'll get more playing time, which will be a plus. — Steve

Meh — Nick

I can see how he want to get more play time but I'm sure he could have gone somewhere better than the MLS with all due respect. Hurts USMNT a lot — Dan

Seag — Swag

Hope I'm wrong. — JK Burbank

not a good thing for the u s.. should of gone to the Premier League — stefchef

good to have him around, but he could do better for himself of course — jt

Not a good move, speaking of getting more experience to go play 4 d u.s national team — wanu

Bad move needs to play against the best — Stef

Eh — Ss

Michael Bradley looks like Lex Luthor, but plays like Lois Lane. — Binx

Lol at all of you eurosnobs down here in the left corner. Suck it!!!!!!!! — Viva MLS!

Terrible idea — Adam

Shocked — Aaron

While this may be a good move for MLS as a whole, playing in Europe is the highest level, and Bradley is wasting his considerable talent stateside while not seeing much of his future opponent players in Italy, Germany, etc. — Nikhil

Won't help MB's career, but playing regularly before the WC can only help the US — Denver Gooner

why leave such high quality play? — j

Dislike the move from Bradley's perspective, but don't think anything changes from the USMNT perspective. — Brendan

Why? — Teddy Outerbridge

Big step back for him. He could play for most EPL teams as a starter. — Kadams

No comment — Chris T.

It's not that bad we still will only need 4 points to get out of the group — Eric Mathis

Dumb, but not many options — Drew

Good move for MLS. Bad move for Bradley — Mike

Certainly don't love it. Why not another European club? — Josh in KC

A good player benefiting from international experience leaves for lesser skilled league will most likely not develop to fullest potential. Lack of development may lead to lesser potential of USMNT. Let's hope he raises the game in the states, less he become another "Deuce". — Joseph

On a personal level, it's bad for Bradley and his career. But, he will be getting two months off now, as will many of our players, and then they'll get into game shape. This will benefit them as they'll have less fatigued legs than other players who are finishing up 50 game seasons. — @conorlynch04

It's a mistake!! — Vic

He goes from playing in a top league on a pretty damn good team to playing on one of the worst mls teams — Matthew

He is getting great playing time in Italy , I don't know why he would throw away his career like that. — David

Competition is incomparable — JOA

It stunts MB's growth as a player, but grows MLS as a community. — Cole Audesirk

Fuck — Stever

The level of competition us far too low and we need Bradley hot going into the world cup. As of now, all US goal scorers and veteran players are either not playing (mls) or not in good form (altidore and Dempsey). Success in the world cup with the little experienced depth we possess hinges on Bradley. — Ryan Gottier

Poor — Gus

Bad for his development, bad for USMNT. Understandable decision though. — zach

muh — j lo

Can't help but think with Strootman out, he could have benefitted Roma and competed against Europe's best. Mixed on his move. — Tim

Stupid move for bradley — Matt

Horrible idea — Jbird

Much better for him and US soccer for him to stay in Europe. Galaxy fans like us won't get to watch him because of infantile unbalanced MLB schedule. — Tom. from BBL

Good for the team. Bad for bradley — L thigpen

Competition brings out the best in premier athletes. He obviously won't play the same level of competition in MLS as he did in tier 1 Europe. — Gavin M.

Leaving a club like Roma to come to Toronto FC is a bad move. Great move for the league, but Bradley deserves to play for a well established team in Europe. — Tyler Edwards

Italy is much more competive and much quicker. Staying in Italy before the World Cup is the smart thing to do. I don't have anything against him coming to the MLS because it is a growing league but it just not the right time for him to do so. — Thomas

:( — Joe C.

Bad for Bradley long term. Doesn't affect WC14 much, but could hurt the USMNT in WC18 when he doesn't develop the way he should — Chad

He has not been playing to well for Roma this year, but it is unquestionable that the level of soccer is greater in Europe. A loan move would have been the best option, so he could get back to top form and come back to Europe at his previous level. — John

h — st

We needed him playing at a high level now he plays in a mediocre league with a garbage team. Thanks a lot, Brad. — Blah

Roma is one of top teams in ital/Europe and he is leaving to play in the MLS. Terrible desicion MLS is not a good league yet. — Allen

... — Yikes

Damnit — Coleman

Show me the money! — James

terrible — lmt

Not very smart. — Jim

Can't see this as a good move as he's going to a struggling team. Hurts the US because Bradley will have to gain match fitness in 2 months of game time vs. 4 months of game time in Europe. Notti mention the level of play difference — Adam Miller

— The ruggles

BOO — pAUL

Good for MLS and his USMNT teammates also there but very bad for him on terms of opponents skill level — Rich Homie John

If he had to choose MLS he should choose American team, he was doin great in Europe — Bob

Going to MLS in his prime. Not too bright. — Wade

No matter how many of my favorite usmnt players they steal, i will never watch the mls. devastated! — dave

No! — Casey

We need are top players playing against top players in Europe — Gus

Not a good thing for either. Loan to Europe will help — Chris corso

I'm ANGRY — fff

why — mildypissedofffan

Not the worse thing to happen in US soccer History but pretty far down the list of things that could've been good ones. — Adam

— Jim

Awful. Why are all our players going soft lately? — D

Crappy — Ec

Why leave for MLS with the World Cup looming? Surely Bradley could have found quality, first team minutes in a much MUCH better league. Disheartening. — Timothy

Nooooooo! — Evan

Level of play in Serie A still well above MLS. Plus staying there would allow him to be in better condition . — Alan

Dumb — Me

Bad move for the future for Bradley. I guess it could help the team unity for him to be close by it it hurts his game which hurts the overall team. Plus how much will he have played for Toronto before the World Cup? Any? Wish he could've gone to Fulham, stoke or Sunderland — Andy

I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. Maybe there will be some nugget of information that comes out later that explains why this makes some sense. But for now, it's a step in the wrong direction—onto artifcial turf! — JHG

This is no way to "challenge yourself" as Klinsmann has told his players. Clearly Bradley took the money and ran did not care about building his skills in the top leagues of Europe. Who can blame him really? — Nepotism sqauared

Didn't he learn anything from Dempsey? — Joe

Will give him a false sense of superiority because the commotion in the MLS is simply below par. — Evan

Quality not in par with ability — Mike

European football > MLS — Jack Mehoff

Another USMNT star moving to America. Not a good move — Jared

Can't see this a positive. TFC? Really? — MAlcolm

The problem isn't that he is back in MLS. The problem is that he know plays for TFC. — Ben

He runs the risk of loosing his edge like Dempsey. If he doesn't feel loved at roman there are ,Amy other top flight clubs that would love to have him. But stay in Europe! — David

This is disappointing. He is to good for MLS — Ed

Still hoping it's just a rumor... — Josh

A step back indeed — Justin

wrong move — Kyle

WHY. — plaidtopia

Bad move — Nico

Ug. — Anon

A comment — chris

For the love of god...stay in Europe...stay as long as you can — charlie

Wow...why not a BPL team? — Karl

Must've been a lot of $$ — rudy

Don't like it for Bradley's long term development. But it will be good for him to get loads of minutes as the boss. — Jake

This might be Bradley's worst decision in his Football career...if you want to become a better player mentally and physically, stay in Europe, not the US. This will hurt him as a player, and the US National Team. You're smarter than that! — Charles

No sir, I don't like it. — Josh Kirby

Terrible — Brandon

Noooooooo — Soccerdad

—

He needs to play against the best competition in order to prepare the rest of the team for who they're going to play — JB

Of course you take the money, but from pure soccer perspective...if he improved from playing in Italy, how does he not get worse leaving a top league for MLS? — PAQuaker

Toronto is bad, part of the reason is Bradley is not good. — GHT

Who the hell leaves Roma for Toronto... Horrible move — GRK

Better to play in Europe. Why would you leave? — B

ummmmmmmmm WHAT!?!?!?! — Mike

Awful decision for him professionally. Hurts his development as a player, and thus hurts our midfield's form this summer. For personal reasons, who can blame the guy for coming home(ish) after 10 years in Europe. — Dan

Awful career move — Justin

This is horrible he is great for the USA and going 2 the Mls will bring down his level of play if anything he should get loaned 2 a team in the Bpl,bundeliga, or seria A that he will get playing time and still play against teams that will really push him — Rodolfo chacon

Not good but maybe he needs more playing time then what he's getting — Moe

What a waste of ok talent! — Zach

Sad. — Derek sinquefield

NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! i WANT TO DO WELL AT THE WORLD CUP!!!! — Sam

WTF!!!! If you voted top right you so stupid! Please stop watching soccer — Z Money

Good player bad move should have stayed in Europe . — Joe

How many European usmnt players are we gonna lose??? — Tyler Mayville

Very stupid, should've been loaned to another European team if he wants playing time — Lucas Burkhardt

The mls fucking blows — Conor

One if the best midfielders in the USMNT and playing well in a seria a giant Roma to go play for one of the worst teams in the mls. A bad move — Jowad

Terrible for usmnt terrible for mls why move him to Toronto?? Not even an american club that will appreciate him the most. It would have been great for mls if he went to NYCFC. Not good for usmnt. — Jacob

Hopefully it doesn't kill the US team, but the decision must be off-field related for Michael. It can't really be good for him on-field. — KXRTI

Playing in tougher competition would be best for Bradley and in turn better for USMNT — JF

Oh dear god no! Stay away Michael. You can become the greatest US midfielder if you hone skills in Italy. — Uberfan

How do American players expect to compete wit top caliber teams come World Cup time when the core of our team is playing in a less than mediocre league like MLS? Kilnsmann needs to talk some sense into his players if they expect to make any kind of impact in Brazil. — Jonas

The only reason I didn't hit a more corner square was because I'm on an iPhone and I missed — Kenny Delgado

—

Bradley needs the competition of playing in Serie A to be ready for the world cup — Robert

che cazzo fai? — -Lazio fan

There are many European teams that would love his skills why mls when there's such a talent gap this will hurt him — McKee

Hey were playing Portugal and Germany? Let's all move to the mls so we could have an excuse — Afragin

Yikes — Mike H

Y go to a less competitive MLS? — Kyle

Ug — Justin

Why? Seriously, why? I get more playing time but wow is Toronto FC not even on the same planet as AS Roma! — Tim

Got a bad feeling about this bit let's see how it goes — Daniel Zhang

While I can't say it'll hurt our chances this World Cup, it may in the future. Two very unambitious moves by the two Americans who were previously thought to be this nations most ambitious players cannot bode well for the national team's future. Might be great for MLS, but I can only hope the young US players don't follow the precedent that Dempsey and Bradley have set. — TC

Good thing I didn't put his name on the back of my AS Roma jersey. — Nat

It hurts Bradley and the USMNT brand, more than the actual team. The fact that it's a Canadian team doesnt help either, for someone I see as the future Captain, even though that's quite trivial. We need our best players, in the bests leagues, playing at their best, that's that — Brewer

Amobi Okugo said it. We need our best players to be ambitious. Bradley is giving up his ambition for an easy payday. — Matt

I wouldn't say it hurts our chances at the WC, but it's a bad move for Bradley. — Andy

This decision makes no sense from a competitive view point. Stay and earn your playing time and become and even better, more seasoned player. — Chris Harman

Makes no sense he should stya in eurooe and develop more he can become an incredible player if he finds the right team if he goes to the mls the us could lose its most superstar potential player — Mnyot

I don't know about this he is too good of a player — Matt

No one needs to be moving right before the World Cup. And believe me I live in the U.S. And love MLS but your kidding yourself if you think they are similar quality. He's going to be playing lesser quality opponents. Hopefully the IS can make a strong push though. — Harrison

He's in his prime. Why would he come back to the MLS? — Jon

Is there a further square I can pick? The kid is in his prime and should still be playing at a high level in Europe. Not over in the US where the washed up good players go — Kyle

Why would he do this? Moron! — Brian

Let's all prepare for the World Cup by playing against mediocre competition! — Soccer Bros

Horrible — Panzer44

— Jim

Horrible decision. He could make a huge impact in the EPL. Don't go the same route as Duece. — Andrew f.

NO MICHAEL, NOOOOOOOO!!! I Was SO proud of you!! : * ( — Arthur Adams

Terrible decision short term for him and usmnt — Dave

Not a good move — Crc

Bad move for Bradely in the long run for sure and it will hit the teams WC chances but not horribly. — Seth

I respect Bradley's decision for the personal reasons that I'm sure are behind it, just like with Deuce, but I'm not excited to see him coming back to MLS at this point; especially with Toronto FC. — TimL

I'm sure he can find inspiration in the States, but dropping your level of opposition is a bad idea this close to the World Cup. We need Bradley at his best in midfield. — Ryan

Stupid and bad for US Soccer. He should play at the highest level. Weeks ago Premier league teams were interested. He should go forward not back. — Cheeze

Poor choice from a competitive/developmental standpoint. Must be due to personal reasons. I hope he stays in Europe and takes on another team. Toronto is pitiful. — Matt d

He's hurting himself. Serie A and Roma are a great team playing in a great league. TFC and MLS are not any of those. — Cristiano

Bad move — KoKo

WHY!?!? He's done so good at Roma, especially this season! — Nathan

No me gusta — Barack Obama

This looks more about money than anything else. I am ok with that but its not good for his development. — Tyroil Smoochie-Wallace

Our best players need to be in Europe because the level of competition/gulf in class is massive. He will not continue to grow but rather remain stagnant and possibly even regress — Paul

We bradeycomng back to North America he will be able to lead the young guys trying to claim a spot on the roster. Now with that said I do not think it is a good move, we need the general at his best and I believe that is in Italy. — Jordan

Toronto has weak competition compared to Roma or a club like Fulham. The move just seems bizarre much the same as Dempseys to Seattle — MK

Shit. Another one. What are my guys thinking???? — Jürgen

Hhgh — Bill

I have no idea why he would do this other than a guaranteed start. A step backwards in my opinion — D3

Man what the hell are u doing — Matt Fields

He should play at the highest competition — Hndn

WTF — Chris

terrible — marcello

He's too good for MLS and we need our best players pushing themselves in the best leagues, because we're facing the best in the World Cup. — Zac

Wrong! — Joe

Poor — ME

Disgraceful move..I was proud to have an American in a big club like Roma..he really let me down and I'm officially not a fan of his..throw him the pile with Dempsey and Donovan(who was to pussy to make it happen in Europe because he wanted to be cuddled in L.A) Landon is dead to me Bradley is dead to me who is the next American to make me proud in the biggest leagues in the world..America needs a real representative out there — Eddie

He's his own man, so he can do what he wants.. But no, not a positive career move, in my opinion. — Chris D.

This is not what Bradley needs at this point in his career. — Aliaksandr

LeAve a top team in serie A to play in MLS with lower quality teammates? Bad move — Matt

uurg — mA

Wack — Brian

Sitting @Roma = better than MLS. MLS will be here in your 30s Michael. — JByrd

Stay out of MLS. Play good competition — Aaron

bad bad idea — yeahbad

This is far less than ideal. — Scott

Should have learned from Dempsey! — Drew

Stupid stupid stupid — Nick

Terrible move. Considered one of best players on Roma. High level of competition in Serie A — Eric

I picked the closest available open box to the bottom corner down here. I really want that very bottom corner box. Actually I think this is so bad it's off the chart. Can I pretend there's a box down by the copyright thing at the bottom of the page? — Brian

This is bad news for all parties involved, save Toronto. — Emily

He's planning to leave a successful team just as the competition started to get stiff? That's probably not the right message to send just before the WC starts. Besides, he'll learn more in training and on the bench of a major Europeean team than he will playing for any first team in the MLS. — DN

Threw his career away for 6.5 million when he could have kept it and gotten the same amount of money with Southampton, Spurs, Fulham, or Bayern Leverkusen. — Sam

Ur my hero Bradley so dissapointed your no longer with a world class team — Kw

Should be playing at a higher level. — Kevin

wtf — Ross

MLS doesnt play till march, too late to join January camp, so where is this "more PT" coming from? He was seeing some minutes for roma. And people say MLS didnt hold LD back, but we dont know how good he could have been. very disappointed if this is true — Hatch

I only hope it is for this year to get more aligned with the U.S. team. Why Toronto? Think D.C. United would be a better move for the league. God knows the franchise needs a lift. — Bill

Horrible move, he went from a Scudetto challenger to a shit team. — Blaa ihan9vnrin

"You're selling me to a French team? No way, nu uh, no more languages. Where do I want to go. Pfft, send me to Canada for all I care." — JW

I don't think I could hate this idea more. — austin

Good for MLS, bad for Bradley and USMNT — Matthew Russo

If Bradley returns to the states he will be taking a step back in his career. I hate to put down MLS but this guy is playing on a pretty damn good Italian team. Yeah he isn't as important to their team as Strootman but he is an important part of their midfield. If he has to transfer he needs to stay in Serie A or one of the other 4 big leagues. — Michael

Why? — Pablo

Uhhh... It doesn't always turn out like you think it will. Might want to reconsider bro. — Clint D - Seattle

This can never be a progressive choice. — Jonathan

Still has a number of good playing years left, and Toronto of all places, MLSE has a great track record for trading away talent so hopefully he lands Ina more deserving city soon. — Andy G

Kiss our world cup dreams goodbye... — Mark Stine

is this a joke? this is a joke right? right!?! rriiiighhhtt!!!?!?!??! — caroline

Dumb decision when klinsmann is telling players to challenge themselves in Europe. — Michael

Great, now that you've arrived, go pack your bags on loan to play in a real league before the WC. Hopefully a jealous, fellow MLSer (because that's what you are now) won't break your leg when he sees you're making $6.5m and he's making $50k. Unbelievable. I wanted to see you play in The Champions League SO bad. — Carlo B.

International Football can only make our players more competitive, and better footballers. Don't mean to bash MLS but clearly Serie A has greater quality. Personally I think he's being pushed out of a job at Roma and he doesn't want to fight for his spot. Should just man up and fight for a place in the squad instead of run away from it. All in all poor decision for the lad. Hope he doesn't go through with it. — HeavyTrance

Bad for Bradley, less so for usmnt — Perk

Cool — Andy

I don't like the move for Bradley, love the move for the MLS, TFC, and everyone but him. — Sean Kelly

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH — Gary

Oh shit. Ohhhhh shit shit shit. — JSlip

Great move for MLS. Bad for Bradley's develpment. — Jeff Loaisiga

Nooooooooooo Whyyyyyyyyyy Howwwwwwww — Jjjjj

:| — Jess

Am I crying? Yes. This is not how our field general should be moving. This kid is our midfield. We look lost without him. And he's just surrendered himself to a league that is clearly under the big leagues (albeit a developing league). Terrible move for USMNT. Great move for MLS. — mitch

Blahahaha — David

Michael (and Dempsey) do not have time to reacclimate to what world class opposition looks like against Ghana, Portugal, and Germany. Playing in the MLS cheapens their value to the team. Period. It's an even worse deal for Bradley to come back home in the prime of his career when he is arguably at his highest value. If it's about money, he can get paid abroad. If it's about respect, competition, whatever... well that's not even worth talking about. Stupid, stupid, stupid all around. — Bizzy

The last time the USA had this many MLS players as there are now projected to have on the WC roster they got pummels and didn't make it out of the group. Not good. — Pat B

This seems like a horrible move for Bradley in terms of maxing out his soccer abilities. Will six months of MLS soccer kill his play for the MNT? Probably not. But I can't see it helping. — soccerjohn

Nooooooooooooooo — Cristian Arevalo

Horrible Decision. While I still don;t know the details any time spent at TFC while a european season is still being played is a bad thing for Bradley and ultimately the USMNT. — Erick Peterson

Passing up champions league next year, and run at a scudeto this year. — Cj

Dear lord... — Jim

Room for one more? — Pablo

Why leave Europe, there's where all the talent is — B

Dude... — Babel

So dumb!! — Mac

Bad move all around — Nick

Terrible decision — Matt

Terrible football move.will help MLS, but not why the hell Canada. Help a USA team! Shit. — SumOakTrees

When Bradley played for roma he played well, but when other mid fielders came back from injury or were aquired mb struggled for playing time.he chose the path of least resistance. 5 million and a league that he could be a star . Who could blaming him. But his game has suffered. — tom

You were playing with and against a different caliber of talent. — Luis

Make room for me :) — Weston McKennie

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