Michael Bradley (soccer)

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Personal information
Michael Bradley
Full name	Michael Bradley
Date of birth	July 31, 1987 (age 19)
Place of birth	Princeton, NJ, USA
Playing position	midfielder
Club information
Current club	SC Heerenveen
Number	18
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2004-05 2006-	MetroStars SC Heerenveen	30 (1) 14 (0)
National team²
2006–	United States	3 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 January 2007. ² National team caps and goals correct as of 26 March 2007. * Appearances (Goals)

Michael Bradley (born July 31, 1987 in Princeton, New Jersey) is an American soccer player, who currently plays as a midfielder for SC Heerenveen of the Dutch Eredivisie.

With his father, Bob Bradley, in charge of the Chicago Fire, Bradley lived in Palatine, Illinois as a teenager. He then moved to the Bradenton Academy, the United States's dedicated facility in Florida for the training of its Under-17 national team for four semesters, from the fall of 2002 to the spring of 2004.

Before leaving Bradenton, Bradley signed a Project-40 contract with MLS, turning professional at the age of 16, and entering the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. In the draft, Michael Bradley was selected 36th overall by the MetroStars, who were at the time coached by his father.

Michael Bradley did not see any playing time in his rookie season, missing a lot of time with injury, but gained a starting spot in 2005. Although his father was fired toward the end of the season, Michael Bradley scored his first professional goal less than two weeks later in the playoff-spot-clinching victory over Chivas USA.

In January 2006, Bradley became the youngest MLS player ever to be sold, when he was transferred to SC Heerenveen. His first start for the club came on April 16, 2006, in a match against AZ Alkmaar. He found success early, earning four starts and helping the club to a coveted UEFA Cup spot in his first half-season.

In May 2006, Bradley was brought into the World Cup 2006 training camp in Cary, North Carolina to train with the United States. While not a member of the World Cup squad or an alternate, Bradley was on the roster for the three send-off games. He earned his first cap in the May 26 game against Venezuela as a substitute and his second cap for the United States in the following game against Latvia, again as a substitute. He earned his first start for the United States on March 28 2007, during a friendly against Guatemala