The first pertinent transfer involving American players fell earlier Monday when USMNT midfielder Michael Bradley made a move from SC Heerenveen to German Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach. Let's take a pause to digest that mouthful. Though 'Gladbach isn't exactly a household name, nor does it roll off the typical American tongue, it's a definite positive move for the 21-year-old son of U.S. coach Bob Bradley. From a simple league standpoint, the German league is a better week-in, week-out competition than the Dutch Eredivisie. (If you put stock in UEFA coefficients, Germany is the fifth-best European league, while the Dutch in No. 9.)
As usual, the question for any American player on the move is playing time. Since 'Gladbach is in its first season of promotion to the 1.Bundesliga, there should be oppurtunities to carve out a space in the midfield. Goal scoring -- he netted 15 in 55 games in the Netherlands -- might be a tougher nut to crack, although the Bundesliga offers ample goal chances. It'll be interesting to see what kind of a role he plays in terms of defensive duties and attack.
Bradley's name had been bandied about to a couple other European clubs over the last few weeks, including Middlesbrough and AS Monaco. Maybe 'Gladbach's success with former U.S. No. 1 Kasey Keller tipped the scales in Bradley's favor to Western industrial Germany. (Oddly enough, the physical move for Bradley is only about 160 miles south from Northern Holland.) Also noted in the later AP story was the friendship between Bradley and former Heerenveen teammate Rob Friend, who's also now at the club.
The only downside for this move is if Bradley starts smoking under the influence of new teammate -- 35-year-old German international Oliver Nueville.
