The European Bracket: TDLF Team of the Season Update!

After writings last night's blog post I realized that the number of teams in the Premier League that were furthering the cause of American's abroad was more than a little bit thin, and rest of the Americans playing in top flight European leagues deserve at least some recognition.

I don't want to try to directly compare EPL teams to squads in La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A (Italy) and other leagues because their importance in America can't really be compared.  The Premier League is by far the most followed European league in the USA, and will remain this way for several reasons.

First of all, it's the most exciting league in the world.  It suffers from the same top heaviness that all European leagues share, but the overall speed and quality of the play is consistently terrific.  They have also invested the most money in the American market, and as such have some of the most recognizable soccer brands in the United States.  But most importantly and obviously, every game is announced and analyzed in english.  It is simply more difficult to find english language coverage of the other leagues, and that in itself will prevent the other leagues from overtaking the EPL in popularity stateside.

So, I'm going to create a separate bracket for the rest of the teams in Europe to run concurrently with the EPL Bracket.  At the end of the year I'll choose a winner from each bracket, and then an overall winner from the two teams.  EPL teams are going to have an inherent advantage in winning the overall prize, as I consider them to be a better platform for promoting American soccer abroad.  But, there is always a chance that Barcelona could give significant playing time to an American player and run away with the award.  It would be a massive upset, but the European Bracket always has a chance of taking the crown.

So without further ado, the pre-season top five for the European Bracket followed by their American playerst:

1. AS Roma - Michael Bradley
2. Rapid Vienna - Terrance Boyd
3. Hoffenheim - Fabian Johnson, Joseph Gyau
4. FC Nantes - Alejandro Bedoya
5. Hannover 96 - Steve Cherundolo

As you can see, Bradley playing a vital role for Serie A's AS Roma places them firmly in first place for the pre-season, but several teams lurk in the background.  If Rapid Vienna's Terrance Boyd went on a Jozy Altidore-esque run of goal scoring they could very well make a run at the Euro Bracket, similar to FC Nantes' chances if they make new aquisition Alejandro Bedoya a regular in the starting lineup.  Hoffenheim has a chance to make some noise if they start giving Johnson significant time, and an outside chance to be a huge contributor if they decided Gyau was worth something to the first team.  And if Cherundolo can come back from injury and regain steady form as the Captain of Hannover, his inclusion on the USMNT could propel Hannover up the standings.

Once again, the rankings will be based entirely on my own opinions.  That being said, I will gladly listen to and consider any opinions that people might have on the subject.  Both brackets are designed to be fluid lists, and will be updated throughout the course of the season whenever I feel as though a change is warranted.

If you missed it, check out my previous post for the genesis of The Deep Lying Forward Team of the Season, and weigh in on which English or European team is doing most to promote the interests of US Soccer Abroad.