His 2014 World Cup lasted 50 days. Drew Bledsoe Patriots Jersey . Thats how long Michael Bradley was away from Toronto FC while with the United States team. For millions around the globe, the midfielders World Cup was simply four games of ninety minutes plus 30 minutes of extra time against Belgium. 390 minutes. Six and a half hours. Bradley sees it very differently. The games, of course, are the true high points from the experience, but six and a half hours out of fifty days meant that Bradley and his teammates spent less than one per cent of their World Cup experience by playing in a match. In a sit-down interview with TSN.ca this week, Bradley nods his head when he is told that 2010 World Cup winning coach Vicente Del Bosque talked about how important is was to not have one single issue between his 23 players during their run to becoming World Champions in South Africa. A conversation about the mental side of the game is one the 26-year-old American is very comfortable with. He chooses his words carefully but delivers them in a calming manner, with authority. “World Cups are very interesting in the way they test you. As a player and a team. For all the hype, the build-up, everything that goes on beforehand, the wait of four years, then the draw six months before, the stage is set for so long, but then the club season ends, players leave their MLS squads, and every team has a two-, three-week window to really prepare.” Bradley, who emphasizes the word really, is clear in his belief about how important that time is. He continues: “Regardless of how club seasons went, or are going, regardless of how qualifying went, whether you were the first team in or through a playoff, everyone gets that same, small window to prepare the best possible way. “As a team we talked beforehand about understanding what it was all going to be about. It is a big country so travel plays a huge role, the heat, humidity, even just it being in Brazil. As special as it is, you knew not everything would run properly. We prepared for travel delays, we knew things in hotels wouldnt be perfect so we talked about making sure we understood that, making sure we embraced that challenge. “I think we saw some big teams go home early because they werent able to deal with a combination of these factors. A team like Italy, for example, they lose against Costa Rica and Uruguay and, at the end of it, still have a lot to say about the heat." Bradley, a man who will always smile when talking about his Serie A experiences in Verona and Rome, loves Italy and called his son Luca, but it is clear he has no time for excuses at this level. As he reflects on his World Cup experiences the discussion keeps going back to mental toughness and preparation. Such characteristics bring him to his coach, Jurgen Klinsmann. “Jurgen brings an energy, an enthusiasm that is infectious. Thats so important as you go through a period like this, when you are together for six, seven, eight weeks. “Inevitably, certain guys hit the wall at a certain point. Some guys are away from their families for a long time, the monotony of the days, its always the case that guys need a push. I thought in those ways Jurgen did an incredible job.” Son of former USA coach Bob Bradley, it is not hard to see why Michael thinks like a coach and clearly he played a huge role in helping Klinsmann dictate such an atmosphere inside the camp. He doesnt talk much about himself, instead, once again, preferring to share the value in the mental side of the squad during each challenge it faced. “The first game comes quick, and depending how that first game goes you can be in a good spot or right away you have to deal with adversity or pressure after it didnt go the way you wanted. Each checkpoint along the way, depending on how the result goes, can really change the mood. So it is so important that you have a team that is strong, that has been tested together. If you show up to the World Cup and all you have is excitement but everything else is superficial and there isnt a real leader or personality on the team, or a real sense of commitment and togetherness, then the reality is that first sign of trouble is going to be a real test.” Bradleys intelligence and awareness on the field is all to see but spend any time with him off it and you could argue both attributes are even more glaring away from the pitch. Such things have led to his club coaches saying how he keeps them on his toes. It was clear, however, that he was impressed with Klinsmanns leadership qualities. “He found a balance between being positive, encouraging and giving the team confidence but still letting us know that there is still more for us. “Hed say, for example, ‘look we got out of the group but there is more we can do better. Obviously, it didnt work out that way but the way that things were taken care of within the team, the atmosphere, the commitment, the mentality of the team, was very good and I think that came out throughout the tournament. “For the most part, the teams that do well in World Cups are the ones that are able to have a group that is committed in winning, to stick with each other through it all, until the end.” This brings us to Germany, a team Bradley played in Brazil and a team he watched when he returned home. Despite getting knocked out, he admits he loves the game and has watched every match. He will be home on Sunday to take in the final. “Germany is a very good team, a group of guys who have been together for a very long time, and reap the benefits of having the core of their team play 60, 70 games together at Bayern Munich. I also think when a guy like Pep Guardiola goes to Bayern with some of the ideas and concepts he brings then you start to see it in the national team.” As they get ready for a World Cup final, Bradley isnt surprised at all they have got this far but knew they werent anywhere near the team they are today, when USA faced Germany back on June 26. “In terms of pure possession, circulating the ball, the angles, movement, how one guy comes into space and the next guy moves out, so they can keep the ball … I thought they were very good. But, they werent always finding the right ways to transition that into the final third to be a little more dangerous, to shoot, create a chance. Obviously they had a lot of the ball, their rhythm with the ball, the ease that all their players have in taking the ball in tight spots and playing with it is so good. However, looking back, on the day, it wasnt like they were just creating chance after chance like they did at such a high level against Brazil.” Germanys ability to be more clinical and precise in the final third has certainly improved dramatically since then. Bradley, who can play deeper inside a double pivot as well as in more of an advanced role inside a central midfield three, is perfectly placed to talk about where modern day football is going and the emphasis on counter-attacks and transitions. “Players are so athletic now, the demands on a physical level are so high. So, as teams continue to get better, stronger, fitter, faster it means that some of the best teams are at their most dangerous when the other team has the ball. They are organized, difficult to break down, but in the right moments they know how to press, and when they win the ball back they know how and where to go and go quickly, using their mobility and dynamic abilities to create goalscoring opportunities." Bradleys experience officially ended when he landed home with his wife Amanda and son Luca into Toronto on July 3, but he wont forget how it all ended against Belgium in a pulsating extra time in Salvador and the sudden finality of what comes next. “Its a weird thing, for almost two months you are in this mindset of World Cup and everything that means. Set mealtimes, training, treatment, meetings, games, recovery, all of these essential things and that is how it is right until the end and then that final whistle blows. “You are out and it is amazing how quickly everything changes, guys are on flights the very next morning and everyone is off going their own separate ways. Its disappointing and that can take a little while to go away.” His competitive spirit means such an emotion will take time to leave him but that didnt prevent him from a moment of reflection. “In the big moments, on the pitch, even when things werent going our way, we still had a resolve and determination that came out in a big way and every player, coach and person on that staff should be proud of that.” It is not hard to see why the mental side of the game is so important for Michael Bradley. Drew Bledsoe Jersey . About seven hours before facing Washington in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference second round series, team officials said the oft-injured Bynum would miss the rest of the playoffs and would not even be with the team for the rest of the post-season. Andre Tippett Jersey . Neither player was available Saturday for the Knicks 107-98 loss in Atlanta. "Were going in a different direction and weve got to figure out another spot or two for our ballclub," coach Mike Woodson said before the game. https://www.patriotssportsgoods.com/Womens-Kevin-Faulk-Inverted-Jersey/ . The Cottagers last victory came in a 2-1 home win over West Ham when Rene Meulensteen was still in charge. Since then, a miserable run of seven defeats and two draws has seen the club part with the Dutch coach and replace him with German Felix Magath.TORONTO -- After missing over three weeks with an infected left foot, Peter Holland finally feels like hes getting back to game shape. Holland setup two goals, including the game winner, as the Toronto Marlies extended their win streak to four games with a 4-2 win over the Binghamton Senators in American Hockey League action Wednesday. It was Hollands first two assists since he was re-assigned to the Marlies by the Maple Leafs last Saturday. "Obviously with a month off there, not playing or practising was pretty tough," said Holland. "Getting back in the first game, timing was a little off, I felt a little better today, in the second one. "(The foot) was very infected and I was in the hospital for about four or five days in a row having an IV and antibiotics. (I was) on crutches for a couple days." Mike Duco scored the winner, giving the Marlies a 3-1 lead at 7:18 of the second by putting a rebound off a Holland shot past Nathan Lawson while crashing into the Senators goalie. "I knew (Duco) was driving the net, the goalie looked like he was cheating over a little bit to the short side, I didnt know if my shot was maybe going to beat him," said Holland of the play. "But I knew Duco was going to be there if he kicked out the rebound." Josh Leivo added an empty netter with 14 seconds remaining in the third. Jerry DAmigo and Kenny Ryan had the other goals for the Marlies (32-17-4). Matt Puempel and Mark Stone scored for the Senators (33-17-4). Drew MacIntyre made 34 saves for his 24th win of the season while Lawson made 26 saves in the loss. After Ryan opened the scoring late in the first, the two teams combined for four second-period goals. DAmigo gave Toronto a 2-0 lead 46 seconds in on a power play, beating Lawson blocker-side frrom the faceoff dot for his 15th of the season. New England Patriots Jerseys. . DAmigo now has eight goals and three assists in nine games this month. The Senators got on the board 33 seconds later as Puempel one-timed a Stone feed past MacIntyre for his 20th of the season. After Duco gave the Marlies a 3-1 lead, Binghamton pulled to within one before the second was over as Stone tapped in a Puempel feed on a two-man advantage for his 13th of the season. "We took some penalties that were uncharacteristic of us," said Marlies head coach Steve Spott. "The No. 1 criteria or No. 1 goal on our board today was not to take penalties against this team and we did. We paid for it. We allowed them to stay around." Ryan opened the scoring with 14 seconds remaining in the first taking a feed from DAmigo and beating Lawson glove-side for his third of the season. Ryan now has a goal and three assists in two games. The second, and final meeting, between the two teams goes April 16 in Binghamton. Following the game, Spott had a lengthy meeting with the Maple Leafs brass, including General Manager, Dave Nonis. With Dave Bolland potentially nearing a return to the Leafs lineup, Spott is expecting bodies to fall to his club. "It depends, theyre going to have some roster spots that are going to have to open up," Spott said. "David Bolland seems to be coming back in the near future. Hopefully that will have some sort of an affect with the Marlies. Well have to see how that all plays out." Notes: Toronto goalie Christopher Gibson (back) and forward Sam Carrick (upper body) both received medical clearance and will be available to the team Saturday when the Marlies host the Hamilton Bulldogs. If Gibson returns, Garret Sparks will likely be reassigned to the ECHL. ' ' '