Best Left Footed Soccer Players

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Bradley Joseph "Brad" Davis (born November 8, 1981) is a retired American soccer player.

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Career

Youth and College

Davis attended high school at Chaminade College Preparatory School in Missouri. He joined Saint Louis University (SLU) in 2000, where he played for two seasons before leaving college soccer for the professional ranks. While at SLU, Davis was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year his first year, and a second team NSCAA All-American as a sophomore.

Professional

Davis was selected third overall in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft by MetroStars. He scored four goals in 24 appearances in his debut season, and was a finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year Award. He was then traded to Dallas Burn for the fourth overall pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft.

In his second year with the team, new coach Colin Clarke tried to move Davis to the center of the field to play attacking midfielder. After making little impact through several games, however, Davis returned to the left. There he had to compete with newcomer Eric Quill for playing time. Davis finished the season with only two goals and two assists despite playing more minutes than in 2003, as the Burn yet again missed the playoffs.

On MLS draft day 2005 Davis was traded to San Jose Earthquakes with cash and the #4 draft pick in exchange for Richard Mulrooney, Arturo Alvarez and the #6 draft pick. That season he made 18 MLS appearances for San Jose, scoring two goals. Davis did not appear for them in the MLS play-offs due to a groin strain. After the 2005 season, the club moved to Houston and was rechristened Houston Dynamo.

Following a 2011 season where he led MLS in assists, Davis was named a finalist for the league MVP Award. However, despite helping the Dynamo advance to their third-ever MLS Cup, Davis missed the final after suffering a torn quadriceps in an Eastern Conference Final win over Sporting Kansas City. During the 2012 season, he scored a personal best of 8 goals to lead the Houston Dynamo to the MLS Cup final. In 2013, he recorded 4 goals and 9 assists.

Ahead of the 2016 season, Davis was traded to Sporting Kansas City for picks in the 2017 and 2018 MLS SuperDrafts as well as future considerations. He retired following the 2016 season.

In February 2017, Davis and the Houston Dynamo agreed to a one-day contract, allowing him to officially retire as a member of the Houston Dynamo organization.

International

Davis has played for several youth United States national teams. He played for the US at the 2001 World Youth Championship in the Argentina and the Under-23 team. Davis received his first cap for the senior team July 7, 2005 in a Gold Cup match against Cuba. Davis has also recorded four assists with the United States men's national soccer team. He also converted the clinching penalty kick in the United States' shootout victory over Panama in the Gold Cup final. Davis was included on Jürgen Klinsmann's 30-man preliminary roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Davis subsequently made the final 23 that will go to the World Cup. In the USMNT's first send-off game against Azerbaijan, Davis came off the bench and assisted Aron Johannsson on the United States' second goal of the night to make the score 2-0, which was also the final score. He was in the starting lineup for a group stage game against Germany.

Playing style

Davis is best known for his exceptionally precise service from crosses and set-pieces. He is considered to have the best left foot in Major League Soccer.

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Personal life

Davis is married to Heather Davis. Davis is a Christian.

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Honors

Team

• CONCACAF Gold Cup (1): 2005

• Supporters' Shield (1): 2005

• MLS Cup (2): 2006, 2007
• Western Conference (playoffs) (2): 2006, 2007
• Eastern Conference (playoffs) (2): 2011, 2012

Individual

• MLS All-Star (6x): 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
• MLS MVP runner-up: 2011
• MLS Best XI: 2011
• 3rd-most assists all-time in MLS

Source of the article : Wikipedia