Michael Bradley talks about his injury, absence

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Happy to report that Michael Bradley has kept his sense of humor through what surely is a blast of bitter disappointment.

The U.S. midfielder, the most important man in the national team jersey for some time now, spoke to reporters just before the United States’ practice Monday at Crew Stadium.

Someone asked for clarification; was it pretty much the last kick of warmups Friday when Bradley badly sprained his ankle, robbing himself of the opportunity of playing Friday, Tuesday in Columbus or probably for another couple of games yet with Roma in Italy?

“After that it was the last one,” he said with a little laugh.

Bradley, wearing Nike high-tops for a little extra protection on the tender ankle, explained that the field in Costa Rica was left soft from the day’s rain. He has certainly performed on soggy fields before, but this time he planted with his left foot, aiming to shoot with his right and simply rolled the ankle.

Bradley talked a bit about the disappointment of not getting to play in these matches, but the importance of him remaining with the team into its Columbus leg rather than returning early to Roma. For one, he said the U.S. training staff offered, literally, round-the-clock treatment if that was required. And he stressed the importance of initial, early treatment of an ankle sprain in minimizing time lost on the field.

“Being able to get those early days of treatment without having to fly [back to Italy], and being around this group of guys for these two important games, that was all important me,” he said. “They [Roma officials] understood and from a standpoint of getting my ankle back to 100 percent quickly, they agreed this was the best way to do it.”