The last time Michael Bradley played for the national team was a year ago, in Trinidad and Tobago, in the final game of World Cup qualifying. It was his 140th international appearance, most among active U.S. players.
The last time Ben Sweat played for the national team was, well, never. Sweat hadn’t even trained with the U.S. until Monday, when he joined Bradley in the first practice session for Thursday’s friendly with Colombia in Tampa, Fla.
And the fact that Bradley and Sweat are now teammates marks a big step forward for a national team that has been in transition since its first World Cup qualifying failure in 32 years.