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TAMPA, Fla. -- Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S. national team's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. But for midfielder Michael Bradley and goalkeeper Brad Guzan, the current imperative is to look forward. Both Bradley and Guzan are back in the national team fold after a year away, with both players preparing to face Colombia on Thursday in Tampa followed by a match against Peru in East Hartford, Connecticut five days later. Both players were a constant presence during the last cycle. And as they prepared to set foot on the turf at Raymond James Stadium ahead of Wednesday's practice session, they were reminded of what happened exactly one year ago. While the memories of that night remain, neither player is consumed by what took place. "Regardless of whether it's with your national team or your club team, part of your job as an athlete, as a professional, is to put things behind you, good and bad," said Guzan. "When you win a title, and preseason starts a month or two later, you've got to be able to put that behind you, and refocus your energy. Same thing when things don't go well; you've got to be able to move on, learn from it, get better. That will never go away, but at the same time, you've got to be able to keep moving forward." Bradley, who captained the U.S. that night in Trinidad & Tobago, has taken the brunt of the vitriol that has come from fans, and his inclusion in the current squad wasn't received well by certain segments of the U.S. fanbase. But he too is looking ahead. "It doesn't linger at all," he said about the memories of the T&T result. "Obviously the disappointment, if you think about it, will always be there. That part will never go away. Again, in terms of any lingering, no, nothing. In football, in life, things go on. The game doesn't stop for anybody. If you qualify for the World Cup, don't qualify for the World Cup, whether you win, lose, whether you're here or not, there's always another game, there's always another day. If you're committed enough, if you love the game enough, if you are willing then there's always something more." When asked if he'll feel added responsibility to show fans that the team is growing, Bradley said that the obligation he'll feel on Thursday is no different than any other game for the U.S. "I would say that there's always a responsibility when you play with the national team to represent yourself and the team the right way, to play well, to win, to try to play in a way that captivates our fans, that makes them proud," he said. "It doesn't mean that you'll always succeed, but my proudest moments as part of the national team still are moments where whether it was World Cups, Confederations Cups, Gold Cups, big World Cup qualifiers when the lights came on and we had a team that played and competed in a way that anybody who watched was excited and proud. You're not always going to be able to succeed in doing that, but that's the goal." As has been the case since the defeat to Trinidad & Tobago, the future will be on display against Colombia. Guzan added that he likes what he's seen so far from the young crop of players in the current U.S. camp. "They're very talented," said Guzan about this U.S. squad. "Obviously a bunch of young guys that are just starting their careers, that are just to work their trade in terms of establishing themselves at their clubs, starting to play regularly, trying to break in. Those are all important things that will ultimately help this national team."
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