As soon as the 23-man roster for the United States Men’s National Team that’s going to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup was released there was one clear omission, Landon Donovan. However, to the glee of Houston Dynamo fans everywhere, Brad Davis was included.

Brad Davis got the chance to show the nation why he deserved his spot.

This automatically sparked a misplaced discussion on whether Brad Davis had taken Donovan’s spot, and how it was a horrible mistake – he had not and it was not.

The truth is that they are two different players, and Davis wasn’t the player that took his spot. The rest of the nation did not see it that way, though, and on May 27, 2014, Davis got the chance to show the nation why he deserved his spot.

Davis started the game on the bench, as was expected given that he entered the camp as a player on the fringe. If he had started the game, it would have been a shock to even the most hardcore of Houston Dynamo and Davis supporters.

As the first half came to an end and the United States was still even with an Azerbaijan that’s ranked 85th, it was clear some changes were coming in the second half.

At the start of the second half, Davis was subbed in for Graham Zusi, and so came his opportunity to silence the people around the country that questioned his inclusion in the side.

As soon as he hit the field the game changed drastically. Davis was distributing the ball perfectly, and making passes that got players into dangerous positions. Early on the second half, he got into the box and was clearly fouled. This should have been a penalty, but was incorrectly marked as a free-kick just outside of it.

This was an indication of things to come. It was clear that Davis had come into the game looking to make a difference. During the first 20 minutes of the second half, it seemed as if every scoring opportunity came from plays that Davis had been a part of. He had yet to affect the score sheet but his superb play was already on display.

This type of play is only apparent to people that pay close attention, though, and if Davis truly wanted to go from unsung hero to man of the match, he would have to do something flashy.

This flash of brilliance came at the 75th minute, when on a free-kick, Davis delivered a great ball into the box that was shot on goal by Michael Bradley, and then driven into the back of the net by Mix Diskerud off the rebound.

He had finally made a difference on the score sheet, and had taken a big step towards proving all of his haters wrong. He wasn’t finished, however, and just six minutes later Davis went to take a corner kick with a familiar result to Houston Dynamo fans.

The corner was placed perfectly in the box and onto Aron Jóhannsson’s head for an easy goal. This was the knock-out punch that the USA needed and Davis delivered.

May 27, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; United States forward Aron Johannsson (9) high fives midfielder Brad Davis (14) after scoring a goal off Davis

This play was the reason why Bradley Joseph Davis was selected to represent the United States Men’s Nation Team in Brazil. He has the ability to come in at any moment, and in one single magical moment make a difference on the score sheet off of a set piece.

It should be noted that Davis also performed in other instances that did not involve set pieces. He put in deadly crosses, read runs so well that he placed passes right at the feet of forwards going towards goal. Davis did not have to run all over the field or be fast to make a difference, his passing ability made the game as fast or as slow as he wanted without having to move much himself. This is an art that can only come through experience.

I do have one criticism: Davis’ fear of taking a shot using his right foot caused him to miss a scoring opportunity. He felt so uncomfortable using it, that he decided to try to position the ball for his left foot. This led to a turnover, and a missed opportunity. If he can get past that fear and improve his right foot, I see no reason why he should not make a big difference in Brazil.

I will end this article with a tweet from New York Times soccer writer Brian Sciaretta:

Brad Davis has had a very good half. Not just the set pieces. He's worked hard. Unless something changes, he's my MOTM so far #USMNT — Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) May 28, 2014

Don’t worry Brian, nothing changed at all, he was the “Man of the Match”.