United States men's national team midfielder Michael Bradley captured the U.S. Player of the Year Award on Friday.

The Associated Press passed along voting results from the Futbol de Primera, which saw Bradley (176 points; 39 first-place votes) earn the nod by a narrow margin over forward Clint Dempsey (145 points, 33 first-place votes). Jozy Altidore finished third with 70 voting points.

Bradley, 28, tallied three goals and six assists across 18 appearances for the American squad in 2015. He also moved into more of a leadership role for the side at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he served as the captain.

While the United States did score a couple of notable victories during the year, including away triumphs against the Netherlands and Germany, the team didn't accomplish its main goals. It finished fourth in the Gold Cup and failed to secure a FIFA Confederations Cup bid with a loss to Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup.

After the final match of 2015, a scoreless draw with Trinidad and Tobago last month in World Cup qualifying, Bradley admitted things didn't go as planned, per Noah Davis of American Soccer Now.

"We play to win big games and on that end, we have to call a spade a spade: We came up short this year," the midfielder said.

Bradley, who plays for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer, is among several key players who's struggled to find top form in marquee matches dating back to last year's FIFA World Cup.

That didn't prevent him from winning the Player of the Year honor, though. He's also a finalist for the for 2015 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year Award alongside Dempsey, Brad Guzan, Fabian Johnson and DeAndre Yedlin.

The Americans have another busy year on tap in 2016. It kicks off with the annual January camp, which will be followed by friendlies with Iceland and Canada. The most important fixtures include more World Cup qualifiers and the Copa America Centenario, which will be held in the U.S.

Bradley will need to play a vital role if the United States is going to emerge with more notable victories than it did in 2015.  

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