Bradley Says Columbus Out of Pace with Major League Soccer
The captain of the Toronto Football Club, Michael Bradley, has said that his team has met its goal of going away from the Eastern Conference finals’ first leg with something to show for it, before he weighed in on the their future in Columbus.
A Tie for TFC and the Crew
The Toronto Football Club managed to gain a tie of 0 – 0 against the Crew during a game in which Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco were not playing due to being suspended. The team from Toronto played a very solid first half, but then had to resist a push during the second half from the Crew which required a super save from Alex Bono, the goalkeeper, later on in the match. Punters who were enjoying the game by means of various betting apps all heaved a collective sigh of relief!
TFC Did What They Said They Would
Bradley stated that one of the goals the team had in place was to walk away with something, whether this something was a tie, a win, or even just away goals and to avoid the label of the underdog. He added that they needed to leave with the chance to finish things off at the BMO Field coming up next week, and that they had done exactly that.
He described the team’s mentality as being excellent, and said that he felt that they had handled things well, and that they were all looking forward to playing in Toronto in front of a crowd 30 000-strong knowing that a win would see them back in the final.
The Crowd Behaving Badly
Bradley had to deal with being booed by the assembled fans each time he touched the ball, an occurrence that has become common on the road in the wake of the national USA team being eliminated from the World Cup qualifiers last month.
He gallantly refused to view this negative verbal attention as anything personal, however, stating that he had far more to worry about than whether or not some folks from Columbus didn’t like him.
Bradley on the Chance that Crew will Leave Columbus
Bradley was asked later on about his thoughts on the possibility of the Crew choosing to leave Columbus in light of Anthony Precourt, the team’s owner, announcing that he was exploring possibly moving the team to Austin, Texas.
He stated that, although you could feel for the small band of loyal fans that the team had, who had supported them from the beginning and continued to do so, it could not be denied that things had fallen way behind in terms of stadium atmosphere, as well as the quality of the arena. He added that, as an outsider, he did not know whose responsibility this was, but the reality was that, as the league has enjoyed continuous expansion, this was one of the few markets that had not kept pace.
Bradley Puts a Positive Spin on the Draw
Bradley then reiterated that his team had handled things well, and done so in a professional manner. He admitted that they had wanted to win, but that the 0 – 0 results still meant that they could return home next week and spend their 90-minute game getting back into the final.
