Michael Bradley never played in an MLS All-Star Game during his two-year stint in Major League Soccer, but he’s about to get his chance as one of the most identifiable figures on AS Roma.
MLS announced Thursday that Bradley and his teammates will serve as the opponents for the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on July 31 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, offering up a homecoming of sorts for the former MetroStars phenom and US national team regular.
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Roma toured the United States last summer and played friendly matches in Chicago, Boston and New Jersey, but all three games featured international competition.
“Those were all good games … but now, this year, to have the opportrunity to come and play in one of the best soccer stadiums in the country against the MLS All-Star team is going to be something different,” Bradley said. “It’s going to be something that everybody looks forward to, and I think it’ll be a great way for MLS and the United States to show people who don’t know, what the league is all about.”
Bradley joined Roma from fellow Serie A side Chievo in July 2012 and has been a regular in the midfield there ever since. He scored his first goal for the club during last summer’s tour in the team’s 2-1 win over Liverpool at Fenway Park in Boston.
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He spent two years in MLS before joining Dutch side Henerveen at the age of 19, but has kept an eye on the league and its mid-summer classic ever since.
“We’re really excited,” he said. “Everyone over the past few years I think everyone has seen what a great spectacle the All-Star Game has become … It’s something we as players of Roma are really looking forward to, every time we have the chance to come to the US and play.”
