It's always tough being the coach's son. Even if you're the best player on the team, there's always that little nagging belief in everyones' minds that you get special treatment because you share a set of genes with the guy calling the shots. The target on your back, deserved or not, is impossible to shed.
And if you ever screw up, even a little bit, watch out. The wolves will come after you.
In a youth team setting, this manifests itself as the grumbling and whispers of delusional parents, often the ones whose child would be playing if it weren't for the oh-so-blatant nepotism. Never mind that the team plays better when the son of the coach is in game.
When the scene is shifted to the highest level of competition, the National Team, the criticisms and vitriol instead come from a passionate fan-base armed with keyboards, Internet connections, and a desire to get their voices heard.
Thus is the plight of Michel Bradley.
Compounding Bradley's status as regular whipping boy is the position he plays. Central midfield, especially in a team that is overtly defensively minded with an eye towards counter-attack, is an inglorious place to be. Bradley's responsibilities and contributions rarely involve any flashy offensive play, the time of thing that would usually garner more praise and keep the wolves at bay. Every mistake is glaring. Every missed pass or bad tackle is multiplied in import. Good runs that should spark attack but that go unrewarded thanks to a stagnant offense get missed, prove nothing, or are forgotten. To call it an uphill battle towards appreciation would be an understatement.
Not that Michael Bradley is beyond criticism. No one is, especially when the player in question is wearing the colors of his nation. But in a team where consistent solid play is well down the list of regular occurrences, Bradley stands out. Not so much for what he does (though he pops up for the occasional goal), but what he doesn't do; play erratically from match to match. Between Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore, and the entire defensive back line, the Americans are stocked with players who go missing or fall flat entirely too often.
Bradley's penchant for red cards has been a major knock against him since he became a National Team regular. His straight red in the 86th minute of last year's Confederations Cup semi-final was a particularly damning mistake, the kind of silly challenge that sticks to a player over time. So Bradley continues to have his detractors, fans and observers of the team who say he's simply too reckless to justify his continued status as first choice starter.
But Bradley hasn't been red carded since June '09, for club or country, and appears to be improving. The team simply plays better with him in the middle, and while the search continues for Bradley's best fit partner, any calls for his removal from the team is ridiculous. The fans may not fully appreciate him when he's there, but one can't help but notice when he's not.
Forget nepotism; Michael Bradley would be starting for the USMNT no matter who the head coach happened to be.
Note: I started writing this, and was three-quarters through, when I came across this piece by Noah Davis at Goal.com. It's worth a read.
