Michael Bradley, the scoring machine

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Jan 24, 2008

[AMERICANS ABROAD] U.S. international Michael Bradley scored in Heerenveen's 5-1 win over VVV on Wednesday, making it the third straight game in which that he has scored since the resumption of play in the Dutch Eredivisie. Bradley, whose stock has risen sharply on the European transfer market, set a season record for goals by an American-bred and -born player.

The 20-year-old Bradley scored Heerenveen's first goal to give him nine league goals this season and he later had an assist in the victory that snapped VVV's seven-game unbeaten streak. Heerenveen, which has scored 52 goals in 21 games, moved into fourth place in the Eredivisie with the victory.

Bradley has also scored twice in the UEFA Cup and the Dutch Cup to give him 13 goals in 24 games this season.

Bradley's 13 goals in all competitions are a record for an American-bred and -born player in a European first division. He previously shared the record of 12 goals with DaMarcus Beasley at PSV in 2004-05 and Brian McBride at Fulham last year.

Bradley's nine league goals tied the record for an American-born and -bred player in a European first division set by Eric Wynalda at German club Saarbruecken in 1992-93 and McBride at Fulham last year.

German club Hamburg is reportedly set to make a multi-million dollar offer for Bradley, whose contract at Heerenveen is set to expire at the end of next season.

"I am not bothered by the speculation," he was quoted as saying in Tuesday's edition of Dutch newspaper De Leeuwarder Courant. "If a club approaches me at short notice, we will certainly think about it. Heerenveen have always handled me perfectly, but every player, me included, has only one life and one career."