Bradley evidently suffered the injury in MLS Cup, but the club thought it could be managed with rehab.
Toronto FC will be feeling the aftereffects of defeat in MLS Cup well into the 2020 season.
Captain Michael Bradley evidently suffered a "severe" ankle injury in the Nov. 10 title match and two months later will be undergoing surgery Tuesday that will rule him out for up to four months, club
general manager Ali Curtis told reporters.It's unclear at what point in the 3-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders Bradley was injured and what the specific nature of the injury is. He played the entire 90 minutes in a game where a win was reportedly going to trigger an option that extended his otherwise-expiring contract for a year at the $6.5 million rate he was previously paid. He instead re-signed with the club last month on a lower deal that was covered with Targeted Allocation Money.
The biggest question that emanates from this is why Bradley and Toronto waited so long after MLS Cup to have surgery. According to The Athletic's Joshua Kloke, Curtis said TFC thought the injury could be managed with rehab and that surgery was a last resort. If it were conducted immediately and the four-month timetable held, he would have only missed a few weeks of the regular season. Now, he stands to miss multiple months of it.
The handling of the injury has come under fire for one of Bradley's longstanding teammates and friends, with Jozy Altidore reportedly not mincing words when it comes to his feelings on how things played out.
The injury also figures to keep Bradley out of the U.S. men's national team's friendlies vs. Wales and the Netherlands in late March.
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