TORONTO – US international Michael Bradley has been named Toronto FC’s new captain, the team announced Tuesday.
The 27-year-old midfield general will be the seventh player to wear the armband for TFC and will take the reigns from defender Steven Caldwell, who is still with the team.
“I’m extremely excited and very proud,” Bradley told TSN1050 radio on Tuesday. “For me, the first thing is to talk about Steven Caldwell and what a great player and leader he’s been since the second that I have come to the club. Knowing him, he will continue to be that in every way.”
For head coach Greg Vanney, the decision to name a new captain was one he wanted to make when all parties involved were given a chance to sit down and discuss the matter. Now, with preseason camp fully underway, Vanney made his choice.
“On a personal level, like I said, I’m extremely, extremely honored,” Bradley said. “I’ve only been here a year but I’ve learned pretty quickly that being captain of a team in Toronto means to carry some extra responsibility and some extra pressure. I’m really excited about that.”
Caldwell took over the captaincy under former head coach Ryan Nelsen but was plagued by injuries last season. Bradley, meanwhile, has become the face of the franchise.
“For me Steven has been a great captain, a great person and obviously an important piece to our team,” Vanney told the club web site.
Bradley has also played a role in the club’s acquisitions made this offseason and even restructured his current contract to make room for Jozy Altidore’s signing. It’s a decision Bradley called a “no brainer.”
“At the end of the day, for me, it was all about making sure that Jozy is here with us,” Bradley said. “It got to the point towards the end that I felt like it was the only way it was going to get done for sure. I have not thought about it a second since. The important thing for me is that we got a very, very good player who is excited to be here as a part of what we’re doing; that’s all I really care about.”
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And while Bradley wears the armband for the club now, he pointed to an abundance of new leaders in the locker room as a key improvement to the team heading into the 2015 season.
“Ideally, in any team, in any big team, you’re going to have a group of four, five, six, seven guys who are responsible for setting the tone every day,” Bradley said. “Those are the guys who lay the groundwork and lay the foundation for what the team is going to be about. There has to be a feeling amongst all of us that we’re in something together and we are, along with the guys coming back from last year, are the guys who will really set the tone for the year.
“We needed a little bit more experience,” Bradley added. “I think last year we felt short in those ways. When you look around the dressing room now, you see a group of men, of competitors, of leaders, of winners. That is going to be what pushes us over the top this year.”
