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Americans Abroad: A Look Ahead

Oguchi Onyewu 6 (Getty Images)

By FRANCO PANIZO

From Eredivisie games to Europa League fixtures, Oguchi Onyewu has played in several matches of high magnitude since joining FC Twente on loan.

That will once again be the case this weekend.

Onyewu and second-place Twente will attempt to claim the top spot in the Dutch League when it takes on AZ Alkmaar on Sunday. A win for Twente combined with a PSV Eindhoven loss to third-place Ajax would see the Tukkers atop the table with two months left to play. Onyewu is expected to make his fifth leage start in the game.

American fans will also want to keep tabs on a possible Michael Bradley-Jermaine Jones duel as Blackburn visits Aston Villa. Having made his Premiership debut nearly two weeks ago, Bradley will hope to replace the suspended Jean Makoun in Villa's starting lineup while Jones is all but certain to get the nod for the Rovers. 

Another intriguing battle on tap will be when Edson Buddle and FC Ingolstadt 04 look to go on the road and defeat Luis Robles and Karlsruhe. Buddle could score his second goal of the season against Robles in a Bundesliga 2 match that holds relegation implications.

Here is a rundown of who the Americans Abroad play this weekend:

FRIDAY

Bobby Wood and TSV 1860 Munich play FC Union Berlin.

David Yelldell and MSV Duisburg RW Oberhausen.

Quentin Westberg and Evian Thonon Gaillard play Dijon FCO.

Jozy Altidore and Bursaspor play Bucaspor.

SATURDAY

Brad Friedel, Michael Bradley and Aston Villa play Jermaine Jones and Blackburn Rovers.

Tim Howard and Everton play Sunderland.

Stuart Holden and Bolton Wanderers play Newcastle United.

Marcus Hahnemann and Wolverhampton Wanderers play Blackpool.

Eric Lichaj and Leeds United play Swansea City.

Zak Whitbread and Norwich City play Barnsley.

Brad Guzan and Hull City play Cardiff City.

Robbie Findley and Nottingham Forest play Millwall. (Findley is out injured.)

Eddie Johnson and Preston North End play Burnley.

Conor Doyle and Derby County play Sheffield United.

Frank Simek and Carlisle United play Sheffield Wednesday.

Anton Peterlin and Plymouth Argyle play Colchester United.

Mike Grella and Swindon Town play Southampton.

Daniel Williams and SC Freiburg play FC Cologne. (Williams is out injured.)

Timothy Chandler and FC Nurnberg play Schalke 04.

Steve Cherundolo, DaMarcus Beasley and Hannover 96 play St Pauli.

Alfredo Morales and Hertha Berlin play Alemania Aachen.

Carlos Bocanegra and St Etienne play Nice.

Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht's game vs. Eupen was postponed.

Jose Torres, Herculez Gomez and Pachuca play San Luis.

Jonathan Bornstein and Tigres UANL play Edgar Castillo and Puebla.

SUNDAY

Jonathan Spector and West Ham United play Liverpool.

Clint Dempsey and Fulham play Manchester City.

Dominic Cervi and Celtic play Motherwell.

Maurice Edu and Rangers and play St Johnstone.

Ricardo Clark and Eintracht Frankfurt play VfB Stuttgart. (Clark is out injured.)

Luis Robles and Karlsruhe play Amaechi Igwe, Edson Buddle and FC Ingolstadt 04. (Igwe is out injured.)

Oguchi Onyewu and Twente Enschede play AZ Alkmaar.

Freddy Adu and Caykur Rizespor play Gungoren Belediyespor.

Sonny Guadarrama and Atlante play Morelia.

Sammy Ochoa and Estudiantes Tecos U.A. de G. play Pumas UNAM.

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Expecting Onyewu and Twente to land the top spot in the Eredivisie this weekend? How intriguing would a matchup between Bradley and Jones be? Think Buddle will score on Robles?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. How well did Makoun time getting his red huh. Giving Bradley 2 weeks of practice time to try to integrate himself into the team. I dont think it could have worked out better for Bradley trying to get himself some starting time.

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  2. Bobby “shou” (they love saying his middle name on these German broadcasts) Wood with the pre-assist on the winning goal for 1860 in the 88th minute! It won’t go down on the stat sheet, but he had a nice run down the left side and made the centering pass right as he occupied three defenders. Showed good confidence and poise. n-n-n-n-n-niiiice!

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  3. Uh…Jonathan Spector? As of right now, he’s still a defender for the USMNT, even if he is playing midfield for WHUFC.

    And yes, the GC is far from being as important as a WC, but the team still has a lot riding on the outcome–winning it would set a precedent for this WC cycle and attract media attention, not to mention that Bob Bradley keeping his position as manager might very well depend on how the US finishes. The GC is the major tournament for the USMNT this year–I’d be surprised if we saw Bradley bringing in players who are largely untested. Maybe Chandler will get the call for the March friendlies, but I’m expecting that the roster is going to be dominated by first-stringers. When you play Argentina at the Meadowlands, you don’t put an unfamiliar, inexperienced team on the field.

    As for Chandler impressing more than Lichaj, that’s your own opinion, but I’d say that we really haven’t seen enough of either to make an adequate judgment–at club or national level. Lichaj is a tough situation to judge because he was performing quite well in the EPL games that he played, but then had a falling out with the manager. Both clearly have a lot of potential, but at the moment that’s what it is–potential.

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  4. Chandler should get called in for the next USMNT camp. He’s the only US defender under 30 playing in a major league. He’s a top prospect that is playing at a higher level than just about anyone.

    The Gold Cup is important but it’s not like the World Cup where we have to rigidly narrow down the player pool. It’s early in the WC cycle and Bob Bradley has to continue to look at new players. The GC shouldn’t deter that.

    Chandler has had a great last month in the Bundesliga where he has impressed me more than Lichaj. He told Yanks Abroad that he wants to play for the United States.

    I expect Bradley to invite Chandler into camp next month and either play him at RM or RB.

    Starting for a very good Bundesliga team shows he can handle this.

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  5. I really hope he starts, but I am not optimistic. I think it is more likely Villa start Petrov and Reo-Coker and bring Bradley on with half an hour left for Petrov.

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  6. Agree, I would be surprised if he got called up for the Gold Cup, just due to limited time with the NT. If he isn’t in the running for the GC, I can’t see him getting called up for the March friendlies either, since 1) these are warm-ups for the GC and 2) getting your first NT cap against Argentina just sounds crazy.

    I can’t imagine him not attracting some serious interest–he’s just too good. Between him, Tim Ream, and Eric Lichaj, I’m actually a bit excited about the possible potential of the next generation of USMNT defense…which is most definitely not something that I get to say too often.

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  7. Makoun is still out with his red card, so I’d be surprised if we didn’t see Bradley. Awesome opportunity for him–I hope that he plays well. It’ll be interesting to see Bradley vs. Jones.

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  8. Stream for just about any game you’d want to watch: atdhe.fm. Looking forward to seeing Bradley out there after having some time to get used to his new team. Hoping he gets the start.

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  9. Anyone got word on AV v Blackburn stream for tomorrow? MB’s gonna start and KILL IT.

    Also, likelihood of Clint netting one tomorrow? Any takers?

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  10. According to YA Jozy isn’t playing today but I haven’t read anything else on it. Does anyone know how hurt he is? I know he is a big twitter guy, does anyone know if he has he said anything about it?

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  11. I would expect Chandler to get called into the Olympic (U-23) squad as a trial to see if he fits into the USMNT picture. With Limited time & international matches between now and the Gold Cup I think BB sticks to the regular players (WC Squad) and players he’s had in camp since the end of the 2010 WC.

    Reply
  12. Has Timothy Chandler had a sniff from the nat’s at all and if not, do you think they will give him a look if he keeps starting for Nuremburg?

    Reply

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