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Americans Abroad: A Look Ahead

Michael Bradley Roma 2 (Getty Images)


By FRANCO PANIZO

Michael Bradley proved last season that he is more than capable of playing well in Serie A, but now he will have to show that he can do so with the pressure that comes from playing at one of the league's premier clubs.

Bradley is set to officially begin his AS Roma tenure on Sunday, as the club kicks off its 2012-2013 campaign against Catania. Bradley has had a full preseason under his belt and should be in the starting lineup for Roma in a match that would mark his first home game inside of the famed Stadio Olimpico. Anything but a win would be considered a disappointment for Roma, so Bradley and his new teammates will need to produce in order to avoid starting the season on the wrong foot.

Another league that will kickoff its new season is the German Bundesliga and several Americans are hopeful of seeing time, including the TSG 1899 Hoffenheim trio of Fabian Johsnon, Danny Williams and Joe Gyau. Hoffenheim visit Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday, and picking up a result there would be a good way for the club to redeem itself after the shock 4-0 loss it suffered in the DFB Pokal last Saturday.

This weekend also provides us with match-ups galore. From Jose Torres and Pachuca taking on Herculez Gomez and Santos Laguna to DaMarcus Beasley and Puebla facing Michael Orozco Fiscal and San Luis, there are plenty of interesting battles to keep track of.

Here is who the Americans Abroad play this weekend:

FRIDAY

Tim Ream, Stuart Holden and Bolton Wanderers play Robbie Findley and Nottingham Forest. (Holden is out injured.)

Alfredo Morales, John Anthony Brooks and Hertha Berlin play SSV Jahn Regensburg.

Andrew Wooten and SV Sandhausen play FC Union Berlin.

Michael Parkhurst and FC Nordsjaelland play Conor O'Brien and SonderjyskE.

SATURDAY

Brad Guzan, Eric Lichaj and Aston Villa play Tim Howard and Everton.

Clint Dempsey and Fulham play Manchester United. (Dempsey has been left off the traveling roster for the match.)

Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play West Bromwich Albion.

Zak Whitbread and Leicester City play Blackburn Rovers.

Conor Doyle and Derby County play Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Jonathan Spector, Will Packwood and Birmingham City play Millwall.

Frank Simek and Carlisle United play Portsmouth.

Robbie Rogers and Stevenage play Oldham Athletic.

Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams, Joe Gyau and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim play Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Timmy Chandler and FC Nurnberg play Hamburg SV.

Eugene Starikov and Zenit St. Petersburg play FK Rubin Kazan.

Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht play OH Leuven.

Charlie Davies and Randers FC play FC Copenhagen.

Brian Span and Djurgardens IF play Alejandro Bedoya and Helsingborgs IF.

Ventura Alvarado and Club America play Joe CoronaEdgar CastilloGreg Garza and Club Tijuana.

Jose Torres and Pachuca play Herculez Gomez and Santos Laguna.

Jonathan Bornstein and Tigres UANL play Toluca.

SUNDAY

Geoff Cameron and Stoke City play Arsenal.

Michael Bradley and AS Roma play Catania.

Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 play Jermaine Jones and Schalke 04.

Jozy Altidore and AZ Alkmaar play Heerenveen.

Tony Taylor and Estoril Praia play Pacos de Ferreira.

Caleb Patterson-Sewell and Vitoria Setubal play Benfica.

Terrence Boyd and Rapid Vienna play Wolfsberger AC.

Clarence Goodson and Brondby IF play FC Esbjerg.

Sean Cunningham and Stabaek IF play Haugesund.

Steve Clark and Honefoss BK play Tromso.

Josh Gatt and Molde FK play Chad Barrett and Valerenga.

Mix Diskerud and Rosenborg BK play Viking.

DaMarcus Beasley and Puebla play Michael Orozco Fiscal and San Luis.

MONDAY

Oguchi Onyewu and Sporting CP play Rio Ave.

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Which of these games are you most looking forward to? How do you see Bradley faring? Think all three Americans at Hoffenheim will see time this weekend? Which match-up of Americans Abroad is most intriguing to you?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Dempsey is making a huge mistake. Liverpool is not a good destination for a player looking to showcase on a higher stage. Liverpool is aging and needs to be rebuilt from top to bottom There are a not a Champions League level club and won’t for sometime. Fulham by contrast play an interesting style and have developed a nice nucleus of young talent. They have a chance to go back to the Europa league and earn a top 8 finish this year. They did well against a very talented Man U team. Unless Dempsey is being targeted by Tottenham or Arsenal or even Everton, which looks vastly improved, there is no reason to leave Fulham where he is so loved and championed. Liverpool is fool’s gold at best. In other words “an also ran”. Dempsey has too much of a career left for that. Whoever is advising him should rethink their suggestions.

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  2. You’re assuming the God he is referring to is your God. The vanity is yours alone. I for one won’t be censored by the likes of you. Save your admonishments for your particular religious website. This is a soccer website.

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  3. I think basic respect for religious traditions and beliefs isn’t something to be relegated to only religious spheres, but maybe I’m just old fashioned.

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  4. yeah, but that hardly leaves us with the “truth,” and I suspect Clint means his side of the story anyhow, not the transcendent idea of truth, unless he is dropping soccer for philosophy.

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  5. I find offensive language offensive. Don’t use the Lord’s name in vain please, not any more than you would do so with a deity of any faith.

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  6. shell out a few bucks for a decent VPN, and if you dont know what that is google it. You won’t have a problem with access to any website. Just make sure the VPN servers are in the US.

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  7. Yes, for a field player. Unprecedented for an American field player to be a starter for this big a club. Might change if Demps goes to Liverpool though.

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  8. Yes. The a hole kid who is the son of Lucius Malfoy one of the Potter family’s deadly enemies.

    Stu is a great guy, unlike this a hole kid but I have never been able to look at him and not think about Malfoy.

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  9. When I saw him play for US youth teams he was rather unimpressive, in fact the most unimpressive guy after Greg Garza. His career has not exactly flourished in the Israeli league and I’m sure he’ll end up playing for the Israel national team because he has little hope of ever being good enough to be capped by the US.

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  10. i’d like to get this Patterson-Sewell guy into a camp. seems like a solid keeper. i would argue, if he continues to start, he would be our #2.

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  11. Anyone know anything regarding Alex Zahavi and his US future? Last I heard he is playing for team in the Portugese Primera but I havent heard about him with the US teams…..seems like there was a lot of excitement about this kid a year or so ago.

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  12. take friggin Timmy Chandler off this list…he is not a committed American…i live in Vietnam now, and I don’t want to go to this site and see updates on Timmy Chandler…also, does anyone know of any sites so I can watch SF 49ers play…my goto online site of firstrowsports.eu is not working in the VN…friggin bs…

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  13. Schalke 04 is a monster. In terms of history it doesn’t compare to Roma but it’s a vastly bigger club with deeper pockets than Roma right now. I think they have something like 180,000 members enrolled with that club.

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  14. I’ll be bummed out if Stoke bring in Michael Dawson. Cameron would still have a chance at winning a place at CB, but that to me signals they see him as a CDM, which obviously isn’t his ideal spot for the USMNT. If they bring in Huddlestone or Edu as has been speculated, however, I’d be overjoyed. And just to clarify, I say this purely as a USMNT supporter.

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  15. I would definitely not equate Everton and Spurs with Roma. Neither have gotten anywhere near a Champions League final, and they have less of a fan base as well. Pool and United are obviously bigger though.

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  16. Dude you just answered your own freaken question. Tim Howard played a full season as the Man U starter and got in the EPL first 11. So of course that would be the biggest team. Arguably tottenham and everton are just as big as Roma as well, with Liverpool deff being bigger.

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  17. Anybody know anything about Holden’s timeline? Seems like he’s been injured forever. I can’t wait to see him back on the pitch.

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  18. is Roma the biggest club an American has ever been at?

    I know Gooch was at AC Milan and Timmy Howard was at Man U and Friedel was at Liverpool

    but Bradley is expected to start right. Gooch didn’t get a game in. Friedel got in a few. Howard was a suprise starter until his form dropped

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