AARHUS, Denmark – For the first time in his US national team career, midfielder Michael Bradley captained the side in a match.
Though the 3-2 loss to Denmark in a friendly on Wednesday night wasn't the result Bradley was looking for, it was still a banner night for the star.
Following the match, the Toronto FC captain emphasized the Americans' strong performance until the game's final minutes, when they gave up two late goals from Nicklas Bendtner to turn a 2-1 US lead into a 3-2 Denmark victory.
“For 80 minutes we handled it all pretty solidly – it wasn’t perfect but we didn’t expect it to be,” Bradley said. “The conditions made for a difficult night, but we knew that going in. We knew that it was going to be a scrappy game of who could close down who harder. Who could run onto more second balls. Who could make a play from nothing and who could make a play when it counted.”
The 27-year-old said that rainy weather conditions, in addition to a loss of focus late in the game, were main factors in the loss, despite Denmark’s solid possession throughout the match.
“You know there’s always a chance that the team at home is going to try and go strong and dictate things,” he says. “While there’s no doubt in terms of statistics that they had more possession, I think in certain moments we were able to step up and squeeze them by winning balls in dangerous spots, and be dangerous ourselves.”
Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said he chose Bradley as captain on the night for his previous international experience and noted his strong organizing presence in the midfield throughout the match.
“In the end when the last ten minutes go the way they do, everyone leaves with a very bad taste in their mouth,” Klinsmann said after the game. “For us it’s disappointing because it’s not the first time we’ve let a game get away from us in the last few minutes, and it’s something that we’ve got to start to learn from.”
Bradley also described the captaining experience as a “tremendous honor” while also being quick to stress that he was only temporarily stepping in for incumbent captain Clint Dempsey, who left US camp on Tuesday after suffering a hamstring injury.
“For any of us, to represent the national team is everything. What it means when you’re standing on the field before the game and you hear the national anthem, it’s what you dream of since the time you’re little,” Bradley says. “To have the honor and the opportunity to be captain is a very special night, one that I won’t soon forget.”
