STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND But Bradley's glad he went Dutch and excited about challenges he faces with Heerenveen
Michael Bradley on playing at Heerenveen: "Right now, I don't think there's a better place in the world for me." Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
He is a stranger in a strange land, but former MetroStars midfielder Michael Bradley is quite content with his decision to take the great leap across the Atlantic.
After considering the pros and cons about playing in Europe at the tender age of 18, Bradley realized that he couldn't pass up the opportunity of playing in the Netherlands.
So, he decided to take the plunge and play for Heerenveen.
"No disrespect to MLS, but I always wanted to play here (in Europe)," he said in an exclusive interview with BigAppleSoccer.com on Wednesday night. "It was always been a goal and dream of mine.
"Thinking about soccer and life is that you never know if another opportunity will come up again. Sure, there was a small part of me that wanted to stay in New York and see if we could win a championship this year.
"The other part of me felt this is a challenge that I can't turn down."
Bradley, whose contract with Heerenveen runs through the 2008-09 season, felt playing in Europe could help his chances of making the U.S. National Team someday.
"When I watch the National Team play lately, I still feel that the best guys on our National Team are guys who came to Europe and make a career for themselves," he said by telephone from Heerenveen. "For me to have an opportunity at 18, I felt it was a big advantage as opposed to going over here, say, in two years.
"This is a move that can really help me with that goal."
Bradley is the youngest player in MLS history to move across the Atlantic, according to the league, although he doesn't necessarily consider himself to be a pioneer.
"It wasn't something that came into my mind," he said. "Certainly the more I think about it, it's exciting for me. It's a great challenge. The challenge is trying to live in another country and speaking a different language, adapting to a different way of life.
Bradley said that playing for a team like Heerenveen, which has an "unbelievable reputation for playing young players and bringing them through the system," was "something I couldn't pass up."
He added: "Certainly the fact that not many guys have done it is something that makes it even more special."
Bradley said his father, former Metros coach and current C.D. Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley, approved of his move. He realized he will have to start all over again, proving himself.
"Whether it takes a day, month, year or whatever, I come here with a good attitude to show everybody what kind of player I am," he said.
Not surprisingly, Bradley speaks to his father on a regular basis. Bob approved of his son going Dutch.
"He plays a huge role in everything that I do," he said. "He's the first person I will call when I have something I need to talk about or something about life in general.
"We talked a lot about this on whether it was something I would want to do. . . . He kept saying, 'There are no guarantees in life. You take this opportunity to go over there and challenge yourself both on and off the field.' It was something I couldn't pass it."
Players are quite recognizable in Heerenveen, a small city of 29,000, that is a couple of hours northeast of Amsterdam (the Netherlands is a relatively small country and can be traveled, north to south in several hours). Bradley realized how passionate the fans can be over there.
"It's unbelievable," he said. ""Every time I come to Europe I turn on the TV at night and there's (soccer) news on. It's exciting to be here because they are so passionate about it."
Because Heerenveen is so small, players are recognizable.
"Everybody knows the team," he said. "Everybody is excited about us. They take real pride in watching us play."
Bradley said he passed the first part of his physical (he is awaiting results of the second part) and trained with the team already after arriving on Monday. It wasn't as though he was a total stranger, knowing several players on the team when he was on a two-week trial with the club last winter.
He doesn't care where he plays. "I'll play obviously wherever I am told," he said.
Heerenveen likes to use a 4-3-3 formation, which limits the number of hold midfielders -- the position Bradley played on the Metros -- on the field. But formations can change and so can players' responsibilities.
"I can play a little deeper in the midfield or push up to either side," he said.
His goals are simple.
"At a club like Heerenveen, they have so many good players, so I want to move my way up the ladder and try to get on the field as much as possible," he said. "Right now, that's all I'm worried about."
Heerenveen (8-6-6, 30 points) sits in ninth place in the Dutch Eredivisie, a point behind behind eighth-place RKC Waalwijk (9-7-4, 31) and 16 points adrift from leads PSV Eindhoven (15-2-3, 48) and U.S. international midfielder DaMarcus Beasley.
Bradley said he wanted to "try to make myself a better player and show everyone here what I'm all about.
"They're going to give me time to adapt."
Instead of staying in a hotel, Bradley has lived in a furnished apartment in a building that the club owns from day one.
"Little things like that go a long way," he said.
Still, he is a teenager living away from home, thousands of miles away from his family -- mother and sisters -- in New Jersey (six-hour difference -- and his father in Los Angeles (nine hours). But Bradley figured with modern technology -- instant messages, text messages and cell phones, "I can find a way to keep in touch with everybody."
"Right now, I don't think there's a better place in the world for me."
Michael Lewis can be reached at SoccerWriter561@aol.com. He will only answer e-mails and letters that are signed or have names. Lewis last week was honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, winning first place in the college division of its annual writing contest.
