Bundesliga Backwaters

(It's Friday, so forgive me if there's more ramble and less substance in this than usual.)

As I said earlier on Twitter, it's a weird couple of days for me and others who enjoy following USMNT players with their respective clubs in Europe.  A typical Friday usually features one or two Yanks in action, with another handful or more playing on Saturday most weeks.  But this time around, the only regular plying his trade in those two days is Michael Bradley, who is starting in Borussia Monchengladbach's match against Nuremburg this afternoon.  Tomorrow, only fringe USMNT player Kenny Cooper will be involved in a game, likely making a substitute appearance for Championship side Plymouth Argyle.  It's a pretty big contrast to most other weekends, particularly for someone like me who spends his Saturday morning dividing attention across three or four streams and three or four more gamecasts.

With this comparatively uneventful couple of days ahead, I'm focusing all of my current attention on the aforementioned BMG-Nuremburg match to give me at least a little taste of USMNT action before Sunday's full slate.  Maybe it's just because Michael Bradley is the only one playing over the next two days, but the sparse weekend has made me realize how much I take for granted when it comes to Yanks in the Bundesliga and, more specifically, the younger Bradley. 

Think about it: Steve Cherundolo has been starting in the Bundesliga for 11 years now.  Michael Bradley is an established starter at just 22 years old and is already closing in on his 100th appearance in Europe.  And now, Ricardo Clark has been brought in as an important transfer window addition by a team challenging for a spot in Europe.  Yet how much do we really hear about the success Cherundolo and Bradley have had?  Not much at all, especially in comparison to all the attention that a Jozy Altidore substitute appearance or Clint Dempsey start gets.

One might argue that someone like Jozy Altidore's play is much more important given he's often viewed as "the future" of the USMNT, but I'd counter that with the fact that Michael Bradley could very well be the driving force in the midfield for 3 more cycles past this one (heck, maybe even 4 with some good health and longevity).  His club development and play is just as vital to the USMNT as that of Altidore or Charlie Davies, yet it's hardly treated as so.

Maybe it's because the guys we have in the Bundesliga aren't exactly in the most exciting positions on the field.  It's a lot easier to get excited by a Charlie Davies brace than a solid game at holding mid or outside back.  I guess it just takes a different breed of fan (read: obsessive fan like me) to take the time out to watch a player whose most remarkable moment may be nothing more than a well timed tackle or a cool pass to release pressure.  

It might be because the Bundesliga doesn't exactly have the same glitz and glamor that the Premier League has.  Bundesliga teams like Hannover and BMG also don't have the benefit of the exposure and following that English counterparts like Fulham enjoy Stateside.  Whatever the reason, players in Germany do not attract the same excitement or praise for their play, even though they're playing in a top five European league.

That is, unless they're the flavor of the week, a young right back making his third start with the first team and earning a Bundesliga team of the week nod.  For those who haven't heard, Daniel Williams had a standout week with SC Freiburg, earning the German-American (son of a serviceman, born in Germany) lots of attention and praise within the online soccer community.  Some are even going so far as to say that we should cap him now, so we don't lose him to Germany.  But why all the love for someone who's played one good game?  Where's all the love for someone like Michael Bradley who has put together several months of solid performances in this season alone?  It's fun to find that next big thing, but let's not get carried away with what could very well be a flash in the pan. 

So next weekend, take a break from the stuff in England to check out what's going on in Deutschland.  It'd be a shame if another strong performance by one the USMNT's most important young players slipped under the radar once again.

(And, of course, as I'm writing this, Michael Bradley is in the midst of another good game, setting up BMG's lone goal with a gorgeous through ball from behind midfield.)