Tuesday's Most Important American

From now until kickoff on Saturday, I will be giving you some insight on the American players that you may not have heard of but should play a huge part of the game. Impress your friends, annoy your neighbors!

Today's Most Important American is Michael Bradley. Yes, he's the coach's son, but don't let that fool you. His spot on the team is the best argument for nepotism you can find. He plays in the central midfield, and is a crucial part of the cohesion of the American squad. Bradley is the guy that can provide support to a sometimes-shaky defense by giving them a link to clear the ball upfield, directs traffic and interrupts the opponent in the midfield, and gets the ball to the playmakers towards goal.

In the American's surprise run to the finals of the 2009 Confederations Cup, Bradley scored the second goal against Egypt in the game that in many ways has been the turning point of US Soccer. He also scored in the American's 2-0 win over Spain, busting their long unbeaten run in international play. Unfortunately for the Yanks, Bradley was sent off at the end of the Spain game, meaning he would miss the final against Brazil, which the US lost 3-2. Most American fans feel that if Bradley had been available for that final, the outcome would have been different.

But that does underline one of Bradley's weaknesses. He is prone to picking up cards and getting himself suspended at inopportune times. Some of it is inevitable, given the "all in" style in which he plays and excels. It shouldn't be an issue for the game against England, but coach Bob Bradley does have to worry about keeping his version of Xavi Alonso on the pitch if the US is going to advance.

Bradley has scored seven goals in international competition, and 24 in club play. He was just outside of the US squad in 2006, playing in three of the send-off friendly matches prior to the team leaving for Germany. His first cap came against Venezuela in May, 2006, and his first international start in March, 2007, against Guatemala.

Bradley plays his club soccer (yes, I'm an American, and we call it soccer here) with Borussia Monchengladbach. He is also, like many of the squad, an alumni of Major League Soccer, playing two seasons with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls).

Michael Bradley - today's Most Important American.