Should Bradley be replaced as captain immediately?
by baloo88 (2017-10-13 09:43:55)
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Michael Bradley used to be one of my favorite players. He has since regressed horribly, and he's only getting older. He's already 30, and with the midfield talent in the pipeline (McKennie, Adams, Acosta, and Hyndman come to mind), there's a very good chance Bradley won't be in the starting XI when qualifying starts in 2020. More than this, he has utterly failed as captain of USMNT. It's not his failure alone, but given the lack of energy and direction that characterized the team's performance for most of the Hex, he deserves more criticism than any other player. I think we need a fresh start, and that includes a new captain.

Below is a list of candidates. I limited the list to players currently in the picture as regulars and who have a realistic chance of remaining in contention for a starting spot for the next five years.

(age in December 2022 in parentheses)

Brooks (29)
Yedlin (29)
Villafaña (33)
Johnson (34)
Acosta (27)
Nagbe (32)
Arriola (27)
Pulisic (24)
Morris (27)
Wood (30)
Altidore (32)

As you can see, the ranks are pretty thin. The average age of Arena's latest squad was 29.5 years old. Does anybody jump out at you as an obvious candidate? Or should we just stick with Bradley or a new interim captain until somebody emerges?

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