Fine Michael Bradley, now get it done

After leading the Men's National Team to a 3-0 win v Egypt, Michael Bradley rounded off on all MNT critics. His legitimacy was the squad's improbable advance to the Confederations Cup semifinal:

"All the fucking experts in America, everybody who thinks they know about soccer, they can all look at the score tonight and let's see what they have to say now. Nobody has any respect for what we do, for what goes on on the inside, so let them all talk now. You play Brazil and Italy. Breaks don't go your way. We play down a guy for 90 minutes out of 180 minutes against two of the best five teams in the world. It's not easy. We didn't for one second feel sorry for ourselves. We didn't give up. We kept running, We kept fighting. We did the same thing tonight. So what goes on in the team the last two or three days? Nothing different. Guys get ready for the game. Guys believe in one another. Guys are ready for 90 minutes to go out and run and fight and give everything they have for the next guy, put their heart and soul on the field."

Fair enough, Michael, fair enough. A historic win, a tough result v Italy, all true. But now, the CounterAttack's rebuttal:

You talk about heart, running, fighting, giving everything, putting heart and soul on the field?

Prove it.

Play lights out when you're up against a team like Spain, in a match no one thinks you deserve. Show them you do belong. Give the fence-sitters a reason to jump on the MNT bandwagon. Be flashy, athletic, clever, attractive... be American. Own your shirt, your status as an elite player going up against other elites. Be the ball.

You want to say "up yours" to all the critics? Good, me too. Give me a reason to not be disappointed. Because it wasn't about the scores, it was about the silly send offs, the casual goals surrendered, the botched passes, the missed crosses. But we want to believe, desperately and with all our hearts.

Because we're the ones that have to hear the mocking laughter from the other countries' supporters. We're the ones that have to rage against the SportsCenter machine when they list the scorers of the ITA-BRA match... but not of our own national team. We're the ones that have to see our countrymen wear the shirts of other national teams but are embarrassed to wear that of the US. We're the ones that are bothered because American players get valued less or are relegated to the bench, simply because they are American. We seethe, silently.

You see Michael, we're in this together but you're the one that can get it done. Specifically you, Michael, you lovely cocky bastard, you are the one who can make your teammates better because you are that good, the best of your generation, the best on the Men's National Team, one day the best-ever American player. All we can do is try to hold your feet to the fire.

So don't rest on last night's fantastic laurels. Get it done again on Wednesday. Whatever it takes, just get it done. And know that to the true fans, 'getting it done' doesn't mean winning. It just means giving us a chance to win.

It's all we ask and honestly, it's as much as we deserve.

Photo via ISIphotos.com