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Americans Abroad: A Look Ahead

Brad Friedel 1 (Getty Images)


By FRANCO PANIZO

Brad Friedel made waves with his comments about Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey this week, but it's his team that has been making waves in the Premier League recently. Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur have not lost in the Premiership since the second week of the season, but they'll have to see off tricky Stoke City this weekend if they are to continue their run of good form.

Tottenham visits Stoke in a match that could pit Friedel against the likes of Peter Crouch, Kenwyne Jones and Wilson Palacios. The third-place Spurs are aiming to improve on their 10-2-1 record, and Friedel will likely play a key role if that is to happen.

Friedel's former understudy, Brad Guzan, is also set to man his team's pipes this weekend. Guzan and Aston Villa take on struggling Bolton Wanderers on Saturday in a game that will mark Guzan's first-ever start in the Premiership. Should Guzan help the Villans secure three points, Aston Villa could jump to eighth in the league standings.

It's not all about the goalkeepers. An intriguing battle between German-American field players is set to unfold when FC Nurnberg faces TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Timmy Chandler will go up against international teammates Fabian Johnson and Danny Williams, and he will attempt to shut them down in order to help sputtering Nurnberg win for just the second time since Sept. 11.

Here is who the Americans Abroad play this weekend:

FRIDAY

Alfredo Morales and Hertha Berlin play Jermaine Jones and Schalke 04.

Luis Robles and Karlsruher SC play MSV Duisburg.

Matt Taylor and SC Paderborn 07 play Hansa Rostock.

Bobby Wood and TSV 1860 Munich play Eintracht Braunschweig. (Wood is out injured.)

Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht play KV Mechelen.

SATURDAY

Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann and Everton play Arsenal.

Stuart Holden and Bolton Wanderers play Brad Guzan, Eric Lichaj and Aston Villa. (Holden and Lichaj are out injured.)

Zak Whitbread and Norwich City play Newcastle United.

Clint Dempsey and Fulham play Swansea City.

Jonathan Spector and Birmingham City play Doncaster Rovers.

Conor Doyle and Derby County play Bristol City.

Robbie Findley and Nottingham Forest play Crystal Palace.

Daniel Potts and West Ham United play Reading.

Mike Grella and Brentford play Hartlepool United.

Frank Simek and Carlisle United play Scunthorpe United. (Simek is out injured.)

Anton Peterlin and Walsall play Charlton Athletic.

Maurice Edu, Alejandro Bedoya, Carlos Bocanegra and Rangers play Hibernian.

Dominic Cervi and Greenock Morton play Partick Thistle.

Timmy Chandler and FC Nurnberg play Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 play David Yelldell and Bayer Leverkusen.

Quentin Westberg and Evian Thonon Gaillard play Toulouse.

Jozy Altidore and AZ Alkmaar play De Graafschap.

Oguchi Onyewu and Sporting CP play CD Nacional de Madeira.

SUNDAY

Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play Stoke City.

Michael Bradley and Chievo Verona play Udinese.

Terrence Boyd and Borussia Dortmund play Kaiserslautern.

Edson Buddle and FC Ingolstadt 04 play St Pauli.

Jonathan Bornstein and Tigres UANL play Santos Laguna in the second leg of the Mexico Apertura Liguilla final. Tigres UANL is up on aggregate, 1-0.

MONDAY

Ricardo Clark and Eintracht Frankfurt play SpVgg Greuther Furth.

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Which matches are you most looking forward to? Expecting Friedel and the Spurs to easily dispose of Stoke City? How do you see Guzan faring against Bolton? Who do you see having the biggest match between Chandler, Johnson and Williams?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Your a eurosob for just saying it. EPL is very established and has been around a lot longer. There is no need to compare. Donovan is taking the more difficult route trying to establish a soccer nation in his home country, carrying his league, his team, and his country on his back. There is more riding on his shoulders.

    Much more admirable and not about the $.

    Reply
  2. I just wanna add that while Dempsey is good I don’t really consider him that special. His goal scoring percentage in MLS was a mere 10% higher than in the EPL. Just saying. I’d say the playoff MLS clubs could compete with the bottom half of the EPL.

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  3. Donovan and Dempsey have both been great for the Nats. This need to tear down one or the other is a little too English. Before you know it we’ll be booing them off the field and announcing to the internet they are all a bunch of egotistical losers. Blech. No thanks.

    I’m also a Spurs fan and, yeah, I’m surprised how good Friedel has been. I didn’t really appreciate how good he is until watching him play every week.

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  4. Donovan probably makes more living here.. He lives in LA where the weather is nice. I bet Drogba wouldn’t mind living in LA. Works for Beckham too.

    Brad who?

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  5. Oh and I just want to say there is no comparison between Donovan and Dempsey on the international level. Donovan consistency over time and his accomplishments there will probably never be matched by another American but I will say right now Dempsey is the best American outfield player and has been off and on for the better part of the last 4 or 5 years.

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  6. Everyone’s circumstances are different but basically when things got hard for Dempsey he worked harder. The perception of Donovan is when things got hard, he ran home.

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  7. I think Friedels point is not necessarily that Dempsey is better than Donovan but that Dempsey deserves as much recognition as Donovan if not more for what he has accomplished on a club level. He is the leading scorer in the Premier League for Fulham and the leading scoring American in England. He has done the bulk of it from the midfield and has been a big part of elavating Fulham from perennial relegation candidate to Top 10/Europa Team. That is a big accomplishment for an American in England and has done it despite having 5 different managers in 5 different seasons and repeatedly until this year fighting his way off the bench to become a starter.

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  8. Also, anyone who dare say something bad about Friedel needs to go and watch our highlights of the 02 WC. Man was a beast and a HUGE part of us getting to the final 8. Probably shouldva been between the pipes in 06 though Keller isn’t a slouch by any means. Wish he wouldn’t have ever retired from nats, makes me wonder how ’10 WC would’ve been different. I bet even if he was a backup he goes in for Timmy after his ribs were bruised.

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  9. I led my team to a intramural championship, ergo, I’m better than Dempsey as well.

    Wait, it’s hard to compare leagues that play pn completely different levels? Or being on a mid table club with a tight budget rather than on one of the wealthiest clubs in the league? Nah, those nuances are lost on me. Klinsi, I’m waiting for my call up.

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  10. Playing in europe. Donovan isnt the only player on his team.

    Donovan is not bad. He is a good player. But he is certainly not as good as Dempsey.

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  11. Tottenham Hotspur fan here. Friedel is a godsend. He has been ultra reliable this year and has paved the way for our team to enter champions league football again. Highly reliable keeper who solidifies the defense. We are very happy with him. Amazed by his steadiness and ability at his age.

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  12. I don’t think you’re a “eurosnob” for saying playing in the EPL is tougher than MLS. more games, higher level of play, more press, more scrutiny, etc. etc. To use a college football analogy, you can love the hell our of your conference USA league and team, but someone who says that an SEC level player has a harder lot than the CUSA player is not a “SECsnob”. They’re just someone who is at least of average intelligence.

    And Friedel is right, CD plays consistently at a higher level than LD. But at the Nats level, its much more even, and seems even more so given LD’s penchant for showing up BIG in big games (regardless of whether he shows up for friendlies).

    Reply
  13. It’s not all about the goalkeepers. An intriguing battle between German-American field players is set to unfold when FC Nurnberg faces TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Timmy Chandler will go up against international teammates Fabian Johnson and Danny Williams, and he will attempt to shut them down in order to help sputtering Nurnberg win for just the second time since Sept. 11.

    Reply
  14. I don’t mind the accent, but he seems a bit of a eurosnob with some of his comments. The accent is just an easy target for his overall attitude.

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  15. He’s been there how many years now? If you live in a place over a decade and don’t pick up a bit of an accent I’ll be surprised. . .

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  16. From what I remember regarding Donovan at Everton, he was usually the highest rated player on the field against top competition. Dempsey is a very good finisher but Donovan is more of a complete player. Donovan also has 5 World Cup goals. Maybe if Friedel got some of the sponsorships that Donovan got “in the States” then he wouldn’t be bankrupt.

    Reply
  17. Both Dempsey/Donovan have disappeared in games. Messi/Ronaldo do the same. Pele never played in Europe but is the greatest player of all time, but there is always the question of what if? Donovan had a successful loan but flopped 3 times in Germany. This is his last chance to leave behind a positive image there. Now he doesn’t have to of course, but it wouldn’t hurt.

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  18. Typical ad hominem nonsense. Sure, the accent is bad so the argument must be wrong, right? Dempsey is twice the attacker Donovan is, Dempsey works twice as hard as Donovan does; well, let’s just say Dempsey works while Landy disappears.
    Landy is prettier, though.

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  19. Just read Friedel’s comments. Dempsey doesn’t do nearly as much for the USA as Donovan does, so I think that kind of evens it out. Besides, how can anyone take anything seriously when it comes from an awkward fake British accent?

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  20. Did Herculez Gomez just move to Club America? His FB status said something along the lines of “new adventure”? And some poster said it was confirmed he moved to America. can anyone say anything for sure?

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  21. i have to say, seeing, “Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Charlie Davies, Landon Donovan and Everton play Arsenal,” would be pretty sick!

    Reply

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