Michael Bradley Scores Directly From Corner Kick Vs. Panama (Video)

Michael Bradley is the United States men’s national soccer team’s pass-master but he decided to go it alone against Panama.

Bradley scored directly from a corner kick in the first half of the United States’ 2-0 win over Panama on Sunday at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The “Olimpico” (as such strikes are called) was Bradley’s 13th, and perhaps most spectacular, goal of his international career.

The game was goal-less in the 27th minute when Bradley aimed a dead ball for the top corner of Panama’s goal. Goalkeeper Jaime Penedo jumped to catch Bradley’s delivery but waved at it amid heavy traffic in his goal mouth. U.S. striker Jozy Altidore crashed the far post but failed to make contact with the ball with his head.

[tweet https://twitter.com/ussoccer/status/564542047936200705 align=’center’]

Clint Dempsey added a another goal in the first half, allowing hosts United States to cruise to the victory.

Bradley didn’t say whether his “Olimpico” was intentional.

“Well, we work on a lot of different set pieces,” Bradley said after the game, according to the Associated Press.

Dempsey was unfamiliar with that particular corner-kick play.

“You’d have to ask him whether he was aiming for that, because we didn’t know,” Dempsey said, laughing.

Review our live blog of USA-Panama >>

Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images