It has been far too long since anyone has been able to say that American men's tennis seems to be headed in the right direction, but maybe we're finally there. Saying that heading into clay season is crazy, right? Well, maybe not.

First of all, we have to look at the American standard-bearer–John Isner. Isner has not been at his best since last summer, but a good month in Indian Wells and Miami will hopefully spur further improvement. He is finally playing Monte Carlo and has won two matches there so far this week. His struggles outside the States are well-documented, as is his potential on clay. He has pushed both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to five sets in clay matches in the past and has defeated Roger Federer on the red dirt.

It is easy to think that the clay will hurt Isner because it slows down his huge serve. This is somewhat true. But his huge serve on clay is still very often unreturnable, and the high-bouncing dirt often means that balls sit up in his hitting zone, where he can unleash huge forehands. His return was strong in Miami on a high-bouncing hard court. It will be even more lethal on clay. It is up to Isner to lead the American men in Europe, and history dictates that he has the potential to do so.

Joining Isner now, though, are several compatriots. Let's start with Jack Sock, who just won his maiden title (on clay) in Houston. Sock has said several times recently that clay is his favorite surface because it gives him more time to run down shots. He showed it in Houston, where he was able to get big returns in off strong servers and bring out huge groundstokes whenever possible. He just needs a few wins in either Madrid or Rome to be seeded at Roland Garros.

The next American with potential on clay this year is Sam Querrey, who just finished as runner-up to Sock in Houston. Querrey's game is not at all built for clay, but he adapted nicely in Houston, showing a defensive prowess that we are unaccustomed to seeing from the big guy. He was planning on playing Monte Carlo this week but withdrew because of the short turnaround after the rain-delayed final in Houston.

There are also two more Americans in the mix for the clay season this year, with both Donald Young and Steve Johnson probably earning entry to both Madrid and Rome. (Rome is not guaranteed yet for those two and Sock.) Both have found their rankings move into the top 50 behind solid defensive play. Neither has yet shown any real comfort or prowess on clay in their careers, but defensive grinders can often find success on the dirt, and Johnson acquitted himself well in his first-round Monte Carlo loss to Isner this week. 

An important and very underrated theme this year is that the Americans are actually trying to give themselves a chance to do well on clay. Last year, not a single American entered Monte Carlo. Three did this year, although Querrey was unable to actually compete. Querrey will play in Bucharest in two weeks, though. Americans are putting an investment in doing well on clay that they haven't shown in a while. Also, more Americans will be ranked high enough to compete in Madrid and Rome than we've seen in the past few years. The Americans are giving themselves a chance to actually do something this clay season. Let's see how much it pays off.