U.S. national team midfielder Benny Feilhaber, right, has made great strides since joining Danish side AGF Aarhus. (Fernando Llano/Associated Press)

For American midfielder Benny Feilhaber, Denmark has been the happiest place on Earth.

The Brazilian-born Feilhaber was once one of the hottest prospects in American soccer, earning a contract with Hamburger SV while still playing for UCLA. Feilhaber put in a string of outstanding performances for the U.S. at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and the German club immediately snapped him up.

But things didn't quite work out in Germany. Feilhaber only made a handful of appearances during two seasons for the Bundesliga club before making the move to the English Premiership and signing with Derby County.

Feilhaber found the going just as tough in England, though — he saw little playing time with the Rams, who released him after only one season following their relegation to the second division.

Only 23 years old at the time, his career was in a tailspin. A move to AGF Aarhus, in the unheralded Danish league, in August 2008 seemed like a gamble at the time, but it proved to be one of the smartest moves Feilhaber has made in his career.

The American has flourished in Denmark. He has established himself as a starter — for the first time in his pro career — with Aarhus, and won a regular place on the U.S. national team.

"It's the first time that I've been a starter for a solid amount of games," Feilhaber told CBCSports.ca. "I feel like I've been playing well, Aarhus has been doing well and there's no question that it's helped me with my coming back to the national team.

"I owe a lot to Aarhus for my success with the U.S."

Part of that success came last June in South Africa where Feilhaber was outstanding for the U.S. national team at the FIFA Confederations Cup.

The central midfielder played a key role in helping the Americans reach the tournament final (which they lost to Brazil), his brightest moment coming in the semifinals when he rounded Barcelona star Gerard Pique to set up teammate Clint Dempsey's goal in a shocking 2-0 upset of European champions Spain.

Since then, the UCLA product's confidence has been sky high.

"The Confederations Cup was a big boost for me," Felhaber admitted. "Now I'm starting every game for Aarhus, which is important and hopefully I can continue these next four or five months … so I can have that confidence to go in and perform well in South Africa."

Ah yes, South Africa. The 2010 World Cup looms large for a U.S. team that will face England, Slovenia and Algeria in the first round.

Feilhaber has earned over 30 caps for his country, distinguishing himself with his solid play in the centre of midfield and scoring the winning goal against Mexico in the final of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

A strong passer who displays good on-field vision, Feilhaber has improved his defensive game over the past year, working hard to close opponents down quicker and improve his positional play.

He found himself watching his Aarhus teammates from the sidelines for a part of 2008 after undergoing a pair of surgeries on his damaged knee. But Feilhaber believes that experience actually helped him develop a strong mental attitude that could serve him well in South Africa.

"It was tough to stay strong and mentally fit, but because it was really my first injury I had a positive attitude that I would be able to fight through it, do the rehab and be able to play again," Feilhaber said.