Micheal Bradley celebrates his goal against Uruguay. © isiphotos.com / isiphotos.com Photo Gallery

CHICAGO (Saturday, July 21) – Freddy Adu and Michael Bradley are on the short list for the Golden Ball, which will be awarded to the top player of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The 27-player list for the prize was announced on Friday by FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG).

To be eligible for the award a player must have been in a team that reached the knockout stages and must have made a significant impact on the team's success while also contributing to the overall entertainment value. The voting will be done by accredited members of the media and tallied by FIFA. The players who finish second and third will receive the Silver and Bronze Balls respectively.

Adu and Bradley helped lead the U.S. to a seventh place finish at the World Cup. Adu tallied three goals and three assists in the tournament, highlighted by his hat trick against Poland in their 6-1 victory in group play. Bradley, who was the engine for the team in midfield, scored the game-winning goal in the USA’s 2-1 overtime victory against Uruguay in the Round of 16.

Players from four different confederations (North, South America, Europe and Africa) are included in the list.

GOALKEEPERS
Christopher TOSELLI (CHI)
Sergio ROMERO (ARG)

DEFENDERS
Federico FAZIO (ARG)
Gerard PIQUE (ESP)
Hans MARTINEZ (CHI)
LUIZAO (BRA)
Matias CAHAIS (ARG)
Omar ESPARZA (MEX)
Sebastian PROEDL (AUS)

MIDFIELDERS
Arturo VIDAL (CHI)
Bruno GAMA (POR)
Ever BANEGA (ARG)
Mathias CARDACCIO (URU)
Marek SUCHY (CZE)
Maximiliano MORALEZ (ARG)
Michael BRADLEY (USA)
Oladapo OLUFEMI (NGA)
Sebastian MWANSA (ZAM)

FORWARDS
ADRIAN LOPEZ (ESP)
ALEXANDRE PATO (BRA)
Alexis SANCHEZ (CHI)
Dawid JANCZYK (POL)
DIEGO CAPEL (ESP)
Freddy ADU (USA)
Giovanni DOS SANTOS (MEX)
Mathias VIDANGOSSY (CHI)
Sergio AGUERO (ARG)