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Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Jonathan Spector (AP) 

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

It was a good overall weekend for American defenders in terms of playing time, but no defenders enjoyed better weekends than Jonathan Spector and Frank Simek.

The pair of American defenders returned after lengthy injury layoffs and each played a substantial amount in their respective club's games. Spector started at right back for West Ham and went 85 minutes against Bolton Wanderers while Simek played the entire game for Sheffield Wednesday in their 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

The defenders weren't the only Americans having fun this weekend either. Midfielder Michael Bradley and his club, Borussia Moenchengladbach, picked up a crucial 3 points against Hannover 96 on Saturday. Bradley played the entire game and was involved in the build-up to Moenchengladbach's game-winning goal. Although on the losing side, Steve Cherundolo and Sal Zizzo both entered the game for second-half cameos.

Preston Zimmerman enjoyed a solid performance with Kapfenberg SV as the team resumed its Austrian Bundesliga campaign. Zimmerman went 89 minutes against FC Karnten and scored the opening goal in the 2-1 victory.

Here is how the rest of the Americans Abroad performed this week:

England

PREMIER LEAGUE

  • Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made zero saves in Everton's 0-0 tie vs. Newcastle on Sunday.

  • Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made five saves in Aston Villa's 1-0 loss vs. Chelsea on Saturday.

  • Brad Guzan dressed but did not play in Aston Villa's 1-0 loss vs. Chelsea on Saturday.

  • Clint Dempsey started and played 90 minutes in Fulham's 2-0 win vs. West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

  • Jonathan Spector started and played 85 minutes in West Ham's 2-1 loss vs. Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

COCA COLA CHAMPIONSHIP

  • Jay DeMerit started and played 90 minutes in Watford's 2-0 win vs. Blackpool on Saturday.

  • Eddie Johnson did not dress in Cardiff City's 2-2 draw vs. Wolverhampton Wandereers on Sunday.

  • Frank Simek started and played 90 minutes in Sheffield Wednesday's 2-0 win vs. Crystal Palace on Saturday.
  • Marcus Hahnemann dressed but did not play in Reading's 2-0 loss vs. Bristol City on Saturday.

LEAGUE ONE

  • Jemal Johnson started and played 90 minutes in MK Don's 1-1 draw vs. Tranmere Rovers on Saturday.
  • Zak Whitbread started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Millwall's 1-0 loss vs. Brighton on Saturday.
  • Mike Grella came off the bench and played one minute in Leeds United's 2-0 win vs. Cheltenham Town on Saturday.
  • Ian Joyce dressed but did not play in Southend United's 1-0 win vs. Colchester United on Saturday.

Scotland

  • DaMarcus Beasley did not dress in Rangers' 3-1 win vs. Kilmarnock on Saturday.

  • Maurice Edu dressed but did not play in Rangers' 3-1 win vs. Kilmarnock on Saturday.

Germany

BUNDESLIGA

  • Landon Donovan came off the benach and played 45 minutes in Bayern Munich's 2-1 loss vs. FC Cologne on Saturday.
  • Michael Bradley started and played 90 minutes in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 3-2 win vs. Hannover 96 on Saturday.
  • Steve Cherundolo came off the bench and played 4 minutes in Hannover 96's 3-2 loss vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
  • Sal Zizzo came off the bench and played 28 minutes in Hannover 96's 3-2 loss vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.

BUNDESLIGA 2

  • Heath Pearce dressed but did not play in Hansa Rostock's 3-1 loss vs. Mainz on Friday.
  • Gregg Berhalter came off the bench and played 71 minutes in 1860 Munich's 4-1 loss vs. MSV Duisburg on Sunday.

  • Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern play St Pauli on Monday.

  • Matt Taylor came off the bench and played 10 minutes in TUS Koblenz's 3-0 win vs. SpVgg Greuther Furth on Sunday.

  • David Yelldell started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in TUS Koblenz's 3-0 win vs. SpVgg Greuther Furth on Sunday.

  • Grover Gibson did not dress in Ahlen's 3-1 loss vs. RW Oberhausen on Sunday.

Spain

  • Jozy Altidore did not dress in Xerez's 2-1 win vs. Cordoba on Sunday.

Italy

  • Danny Szetela did not dress in Brescia's 1-0 loss to Parma on Sunday.

France

LIGUE 1

  • Carlos Bocanegra started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Rennes' 1-0 win vs. Nice on Saturday.

  • Freddy Adu did not dress in AS Monaco's 2-1 loss to Lille on Sunday.

LIGUE 2

  • Quentin Westberg dressed but did not play in Troyes' 1-0 loss vs. Clermont Foot on Friday.

Belgium

  • Oguchi Onyewu started and played 67 minutes in Standard Liege's 4-0 win vs. Anderlecht on Sunday.
  • Jared Jeffrey did not play in Club Brugge's 2-0 loss vs. KVC Westerlo on Sunday.

Denmark

The Danish First Division is on winter break until March.

Austria

  • Preston Zimmerman started, played 89 minutes, received a yellow card and scored a GOAL in Kapfenberg SV's 2-1 win vs. FC Karnten on Saturday.

Mexico

  • Jose Francisco Torres started and played 54 minutes in Pachuca's 3-0 win vs. Indios de Ciudad Juarez on Saturday.
  • Michael Orozco did not dress in San Luis' 1-1 draw vs. Atlante on Saturday. He was serving a red card suspension.
  • Marco Vidal did not dress in Indios de Ciudad Juarez's 3-0 loss vs. Pachuca on Saturday.

  • Daniel Hernandez did not dress in Chiapas' 4-2 loss vs. Puebla on Saturday.

  • Jesus Padilla did not dress in Chivas de Guadalajara's 1-1 draw vs. Morelia on Saturday.

American-born Players Playing for Other Countries

  • Giuseppe Rossi (Italy) started, played 57 minutes and scored a GOAL in Villarreal's 2-1 win vs. Sporting Gijon on Saturday.

  • Edgar Castillo (Mexico) dressed but did not play in America's 3-2 win vs. UANL on Saturday. 

  • Brede Hangeland (Norway) started and played 90 minutes in Fulham's 2-0 win vs. West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
  • Boaz Myhill (Wales) and Hull City play Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.

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What do you think of these performances? Eager to see what Simek and Spector can do on the national team scene again? Think Michael Bradley and Borussia Moenchengladbach are going to make it out of the relegation zone this season? Happy to see both Steve Cherundolo and Sal Zizzo find playing time? Do you see Preston Zimmerman getting a call-up to the U.S. MNT sometime this year?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. More USMNT News Please. I am getting Thirsty. Maybe just an article no any player and their struggles with their club. I’m not picky, just thirsty.

    Reply
  2. @sean monaghan
    Maybe he didn’t express it well, but I think he was calling into question less the quality of the league and more saying he doesn’t like the style of the play
    It’s pretty undeniable that there is not an emphasis of technical play in the SPL, especially outside of Celtic and Rangers
    And yes, I have watched the SPL extensively

    Reply
  3. The new American Regime Team: Crazy Eighteen for Two-Thousand & Ten
    ——————Ching(Altidore)—————-
    Beasley(Torres———Donovan———–Dempsey
    ————-Bradley——-Mastroeni(Klejstan)——-
    Spector(Pearce)—–Bocanegra(Califf)—–Cherundolo(Heyduk)
    ——————–GOOCH———————
    ——————Howard(Guzan)——————-

    WOOHOO!!!
    Anyone expect a surprise quarterfinals appearance???
    Think this is strong team?
    OR think this is worse than 2006 and we will stay go home after group? Can’t wait to see them in action in the South Africa Confederations Cup this Summer?

    Reply
  4. Andy in Atlanta and others, gofirego got it right. He wasn’t calling Altidore crash, the Spanish media was. Crash means an upstart that is going to the big leagues, like Tim Robbins character. The forwards that are already there are like Crash in the movie, who is a vet and is named Crash. Confusing I know, but great analogy.

    Reply
  5. Brentmcd — I agree, great play by Timmy, but Ives’s stats are right: zero saves. That play isn’t a save. It’s not even a shot on goal (it’s just counted as a shot).

    Reply
  6. theres not really such thing as any easy away game in scotland…and you also have teams who have been good lately like aberdeen,dundee united,and hibs

    Reply
  7. I watched the Everton game. Howard made a great play to close the angle in a 1-on-1 situation where the Newcastle player shot wide — not sure why that wasn’t counted….?

    Reply
  8. I watched the West Ham game and Spector played well. Matter of fact he had a beautiful assist on the only West Ham goal.

    He’s a better option at left back than Pearce.

    jd,

    Parkhurst isn’t a right back, he’s a center back.

    Reply
  9. Absolutely great to see Spector back. He is such a versatile player, can play any of the back positions as well as winger. The MNT needs him so hopefully he will continue to get minutes.

    Hahnemann played a full 90 for the first time in 2 months in a reserve game last week so not surprised he was on the bench. Given that Reading lost, I suspect he will be in the starting 11 next week.

    Reply
  10. Toni will be fit for tomorrow’s CL match, so I expect Donovan as the 4th Sturmer begind Polodi against Porto. If that is the case, and he doesn’t see the pitch, he played his last game at Bayern last Saturday notwithstanding any other injury to Toni, Klose or Poldi.

    Reply
  11. While, I wouldn’t label it a “crap league” it is difficult to deny that outside of the Old Firm, the SPL is pretty weak right now, especially with the implosion and subsequent decline of Hearts over the past few years.

    Reply
  12. with that being said,some of you need to grow a pair, this is a sport for men,not boys. if beasley cant take the punishment he shouldnt have went to scotland its that simple….look at someone like shunsuke nakamura (same kind of fragile built) it is possible to be great in the spl and be a technical player

    Reply
  13. Spector was great for West Ham, the kid has a ton of talent, hopefully he can stay healthy and return to his rightful place in our starting back 4 (though I thought it looked pretty dang good at RB, not sure he is best placed at LB)…

    Reply
  14. steve O…. “why do americans go to crap leagues like scotland?”

    I highly doubt you watch the SPL,so you obviously have no right to try and criticize it,and another thing….what does that say about the players (beasley and edu) if they cant get a game in a “crap league”

    your logic is comical.

    Reply
  15. Lets all root for Man U to beat Tottemham this weekend in the carling cup final. Open up the 6th place in the PL for UEFA cup action. I don’t know if Everton can squeeze into the 5th place spot ahead of Arsenal.

    Reply
  16. I think American wingers with real talent should go to the Dutch league. I’m not saying the Dutch league is the pinnacle of European football, I’m just saying that wingers out of that league(one of them being Beasley) are pretty top notch. If we need a winger with good defensive skills I would suggest the lower divisions of England.

    Reply
  17. Northzax, it IS an amazing facet of Beasley that he just steps in and does his job very well without any playing time. As to his playing time in Scotland, I don’t much care. I would like him to get out of that hackfest before something else breaks. When people say a league is ‘too physical’, it’s code for clutch and grab, body check soccer….and it must be as painful to play as it is to watch.

    Regards,

    Reply
  18. I think part of DMB’s problem is actually his talent. ironic, ain’t it? for some reason, the man doesn’t seem to form crash when he doesn’t play a match for months. it’s why he starts for Bradley, he’s consistent and good, even if he doesn’t sniff the pitch in Glasgow.

    this, combined with competition and his lack of physicality, is probably part of the reason Rangers don’t play him as much as they might. why risk him in the season long street mugging that is the SPL, when you need him for cup matches? look at the other weekend, as a reward for such a nice play in the US/Mex game, he gets into a league match and promptly gets dinged up.

    Reply
  19. I’ve been thinking about this for a while so here it is. How bad has DaMarcus Beasley been at Rangers?

    ——————————————-

    He hasn’t been bad at all. He got a bad injury at a bad time last season and other players have taken over him in the depth chart in that time.

    ——————————————-

    I mean guys like Steven Davis – Fulham got rid of him when they where at the foot of the table last year. Kenny Miller – played for a club that got the least points ever in the Prem. If not the least they got pretty darn close. Charlie Adam – Was loaned to Blackpool recently. All can get a game at Rangers.

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    DMB is seen as a Left Winger, Davis is Central Midfielder played on the Right Side with a licence to move into the centre, a different role to what DMB plays and Miller is a Striker. As for Adam playing, he played if Walter Smith wanted a more defensive left sided player. Rangers fans didn’t like him and he left the club on loan much to our joy.

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    It just does not make sense. Is it the American thing? Can’t be since they got Mo Edu on the roster. Is it a race thing? Again Mo Edu. Did he do something to Walter Smith? Is it his size? Davis is 5’8. So is the DUI he had last year the reason why he can’t get a game at Rangers?

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    None of the above. His problem is a 17 year old Scottish player called John Fleck who has taken over the left wing role and made it his own and trust me Fleck has as much talent as DMB and most likely more.

    If he wants more gametime he has to push Steven Neismith out of the 2nd Spot of Left Wing Depth Chart. It’s not down to his nationality or race, its that two players are deemed more talented than him at the left wing spot.

    Reply
  20. Watching Dempsey for Fulham gets me excited about him and Beasley swapping sides. Clint is really doing well on the left side of attack and his left foot is getting better each time I watch him.

    And thank goodness Spector is healthy again. No more Pearce!

    Reply

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