U.S. Star Michael Bradley Tallies His 1st Goal For AS Roma As They Beat Liverpool 2-1 At Fenway

New AS Roma and U.S. men's national team midfielder Michael Bradley picked a good time to bag his first goal for the Italian side.

In the States for their preseason tour of Chicago, Boston and New York, Bob Bradley's son scored the first goal of the night as AS Roma beat Liverpool 2-1 tonight in Football at Fenway 2012.

There was plenty to like about his performance since he played the entire way and scored a highlight reel goal for Roma. After a back-and-forth scoreless first half, the attacking was turned up a notch on both sides in the second half.

Bradley was able to break the deadlock in the 63rd minute as he was first to a loose ball on the right side of Liverpool's defensive box. With goalkeeper Brad Jones coming out to cut down the angle, Bradley hit a low, hard shot that bounced off the inside of the post and into the goal. That set off a huge celebration with his teammates and separately, the legion of Roma fans in the crowd.

Roma added another goal six minutes later before Liverpool pulled one back in the 80th minute for the final margin. Make no mistake though, Roma was the better side this evening. They could have won by two or three goals easily.

AS Roma manager Zdenek Zeman, who is renown for his attacking style, praised the American. He said, "Bradley played well, he's a hard-working guy."

That sentiment was also echoed by Roma midfielder Alessandro Florenzi who subbed in during the second half and scored what turned out to be the game-winner. He called Bradley "a great person with proper conduct off the pitch that always gives his best effort." Florenzi also noted that he liked watching Bradley at Chievo Verona (his last club in Seria A).

If tonight was any indication, one of the United States' top players appearrs destined to become a star overseas in Italy. He did not look out of place at all tonight at Fenway Park against some of the world's top players like Liverpool's Jamie Carragher, Joe Cole, Martin Skrtel, etc. Like Clint Dempsey at Fulham (England), Bradley is set to make his mark on European football which in turn will earn more respect for U.S. men's soccer globally.

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After Way Too Long, U.S. Men's Midfielder Michael Bradley Finally Signs With AS Roma

I can't tell you how much time I've wasted in the last few weeks frantically checking Twitter, espnsoccernet.com and cnnsi.com for any news about Michael Bradley going to AS Roma.

I had begun to worry that the transfer of the U.S. men's national team's best midfielder might not take place for some reason when I didn't read any new developments for way too long. Thankfully, I returned to my semi-sanity today as I found that it's finally official: Bradley signed a four-year deal worth 3.75 million Euros.

At only 24-years-old, the son of former U.S. men's head coach Bob Bradley and New Jersey native, has become one of the best American players of his generation. This move shows what people in Europe think about him as he should step in and start right away for a team that's not far removed from regular trips to the Champions League.

After bouncing around from Borussia Monchengladbach (Germany) and a loan spell at Aston Villa (England), Bradley found a true home at Chievo Verona (Italy, Serie A) last season where he made 34 league starts. He was clearly ready to take the next step in his development so that meant finding a better Italian club. I believe he stayed in Italy since that style of game (long possessions, controlled by the midfield, many passes and free kicks) best suited his improving skill set.

As a U.S. fan foremost, I'm happy to see Bradley go to a very solid club in one of the better leagues in the world. That can only be a good thing as he continues to strive for his peak form.

On a personal level, I'm extremely happy that he's going to Roma specifically since they play Liverpool a week from Wednesday night at Fenway Park-home of the Boston Red Sox-in a friendly. It looks like I will be able to cover that game too so I'm psyched to see one of my favorite U.S. men's players in action in my backyard.

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Mark Your Calendars: Liverpool vs. AS Roma, July 25 At Fenway Park

After knowing about this for months, Liverpool officially announced today that they will face AS Roma on Wednesday, July 25 at Fenway Park.

As any Boston Red Sox fan knows, the Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner have owned Liverpool since 2010. With this year's 100th anniversary of Fenway, what better time to bring their two cash cows together for one night only.

Liverpool will be in the United States for 12 days this summer and they've already been slated for two exhibition matches. Big time European clubs often take U.S. tours (to improve the brand abroad) and Liverpool last appeared in North America in 2004 (NJ, CT and Toronto).

A group of four Boston executives closed a deal for Roma in August to become the first foreign majority owners of a Serie A club. New Roma president Thomas DiBenedetto is also a limited partner in the Fenway group.

"During its 100-year history, Fenway Park has hosted some of the best in athletic competition, and a match between Liverpool and Roma -- two of the world's most well-known and respected clubs -- is an appropriate way to ... showcase our ballpark to an international audience," Liverpool owner John Henry said.

The match also features the two teams that contested the 1984 European Cup final, which Liverpool won in a penalty shootout.

Liverpool is the fourth Premier League team to announce a preseason tour of the United States, following Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa.

Boston will serve as Liverpool's base throughout the tour, and the team will train at Harvard University.

"Our goal is to create an unforgettable experience for our North American fans while building a lasting legacy for Liverpool here in the States," Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said.

I was lucky enough to get to cover Sporting vs. Celtic at Fenway two summers ago so I'm really hoping that I can get a credential for this one too. That first match was nice but admittedly, there aren't a ton of Portuguese or Scottish people in New England. However, Liverpool is a huge draw anywhere in the world and there are plenty of Italians (and wannabe guidos) in the immediate area-the North End might shut down for a few hours.

It couldn't come at a better time in the summer since by then, only Major League Baseball will be going on and the weather should be perfect. The Champions League, London Olympics (no U.S. men) and Euro 2012 will have all concluded by the time these squads make their way to Boston. Picturing Steven Gerrard, Pepe Reina, Luis Suarez and Co. at Fenway is pretty cool, this is going to be a can't miss event for local soccer fans who want a taste of European soccer and crowds.

UPDATE 3/30: Liverpool will play Tottenham on July 28 in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium. Tottenham plays the LA Galaxy on July 24 and the New York Red Bulls on July 31.

Chelsea and Aston Villa also have U.S. tours. The 2012-13 EPL season starts on August 18.

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Twenty minutes away from kickoff

Both teams are warming up and fans are starting to file into Fenway Park, I can't imagine how packed the bars are around Fenway.

No surprise that Celtic jerseys outnumbered Sporting by a wide margin: probably 10 to 1.

Starting 11's:

Celtic:
Scott Brown midfielder
Georgios Samaras forward
Marc Fortune forward
Mark Wilson defender
Ki Sung Yueng midfielder
Patrick McCourt midfielder
Charles Mulgrew defender
Glenn Loovens defender
Lukasz Zaluska goalkeeper
Darren Odea defender
James Forrest midfielder

Sporting Lisbon:
Rui Patricio goalkeeper
Marco Torsiglieri defender
Pedro Mendes midfielder
Carlos Saleiro forward
Tonel defender
Matias Fernandez midfielder
Jaime Valdes midfielder
Leandro Grimi defender
Miguel Veloso midfielder
Simon Vukcevic forward
Abel forward

Since it's an exhibition and the field seems really small, I expect lots of scoring chances and not much rough play. Hopeflly each team can pop a few goals and both fan bases can go bananas and toast the good life.

Football at Fenway live blog

Check back in later tonight as I'll be going to Fenway Park to take in the scene of the Celtic FC vs. Sporting Clube match.

It should be a great atmosphere, I can't wait. It'll be on locally in New England on NESN, pre-game starts at 7:30 p.m. with the game kicking off at 8:00 p.m. Bat-shit crazy Bruins announcer Jack Edwards is calling the game for NESN so that's worth tuning in for by itself.

I plan on doing a live blog for the game and I'll be going to the press conferences afterwards so I'll share everything I see fit for the blog.

Soccer at Fenway

Big news coming out of Fenway Park yesterday, after being rumored for months, it was announced that Celtic will play an exhibtion game against Sporting on July 21.

The storied home of the Red Sox hosted its first NHL hockey game on New Year's Day this past winter and this will be the first soccer game at Fenway since 1968.

The match kickoffs at 8pm and it will be broadcast live on NESN. The World Cup ends 10 days earlier and the Sox will be on the West Coast so a World Cup hangover should still be in effect in the hub.

Tickets will range from $20-120 and they go on sale to the public on June 22.

"I'm excited to welcome Celtic F.C. and Sporting C.P. to Boston for their exhibition soccer match at Fenway Park," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said via a press release. "Soccer is a global game and this match will provide another opportunity to showcase Boston as a truly global city attracting fans from around the world and highlighting the people, culture, and local businesses that make our city so special. Both teams have many loyal supporters throughout our city and I look forward to this matchup with great anticipation."

The match will be the 19th soccer game played at Fenway Park. The last one came on July 9, 1968 when the Boston Beacons faced soccer legend Pele and his Brazilian club, Santos F.C.

Shimer can't make it but I'm going to try my best to get there to cover it for the blog; I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to the Winter Classic and I've seen Dave Matthews Band play at Fenway three times so I'm excited by the thought of the beautiful game at one of America's truly special sporting venues.