Michael Bradley has replaced Clint Dempsey as captain for the United States in the Gold Cup.

Dempsey took over as the American captain from Carlos Bocanegra two years ago.

 

"It's important to have Clint be in his best condition for us," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said Thursday. "Clint is exceptional, an absolutely exceptional player. He's proven that year in and year out. He's proving that now in MLS, like Jozy [Altidore] does as well. We need him. We need him on board. We need him in a good mood. We need him to be enthusiastic about the next couple of weeks. And we need him to score."

Bradley called the captaincy "a huge honor, a big responsibility, certainly one that I'm very excited about, but it doesn't change who I am."

"We're lucky on this team we have a number of guys with big personalities who come in ready to push each other, ready to compete, ready to lead," Bradley said. "That's always been the strength of this team. I know that guys like Brad Guzan, Clint and Jozy will be right there with me. There's a feeling amongst us and others that we're all in this together."