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Americans Abroad: Midweek Rewind

By FRANCO PANIZO

Tottenham entered their final Europa League group game on Thursday needing a result in order to secure advancement to the knockout phase of the tournament.

Thanks to Clint Dempsey, Spurs accomplished just that.

Tottenham advanced out of the Europa League group stage after a 3-1 victory over Panathinaikos on Thursday, and it was Dempsey who played a big role in making that happen. Dempsey continued his recent string of solid performances by setting up the opener and forcing a clutch game-winning own goal in a game that Spurs dominated for large stretches.

Dempsey assisted Emmanuel Adebayor (his third helper in the Spurs’ last four matches across all competitions) for the game’s first goal, but Panathinaikos pulled level in the second half to put Spurs on the verge of elimination. Dempsey, however, stepped up again and helped break the deadlock when he headed a free kick that wound up smacking off the crossbar before bouncing into the back of Panathinaikos goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis.

Alejandro Bedoya was also involved in his club’s winner on Thursday, scoring the decisive goal in already-eliminated Helsingborg BK’s 3-1 triumph over FC Twente in their final Europa League group game. The goal was Bedoya’s third across all competitions for Helsingborg, and came in his final match with the club before becoming a free agent during the upcoming winter transfer window.

Here’s how the Americans Abroad fared during the midweek action:

UEFA Champions League

  • Sacha Kljestan started, played 90 minutes, received a yellow card and had an ASSIST in RSC Anderlecht’s 2-2 draw vs. Malaga on Tuesday.
  • Jermaine Jones came off the bench and played 18 minutes in Schalke 04’s 1-1 draw vs. Montpellier on Tuesday.
  • Oguchi Onyewu started and played 90 minutes in Malaga’s 2-2 draw vs. RSC Anderlecht on Tuesday.
  • Michael Parkhurst started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in FC Nordsjaelland’s 6-1 loss vs. Chelsea on Wednesday.

UEFA Europa League

  • Clint Dempsey started, played 80 minutes, had an ASSIST and forced an own goal in Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-1 win vs. Panathinaikos on Thursday.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV_ryuO2vlI?feature=player_detailpage]

  • Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made four saves for Tottenham Hotspur.
  • David Yelldell dressed but did not play in Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-0 win vs. Rosenborg BK on Thursday.
  • Steve Cherundolo came off the bench and played 20 minutes in Hannover 96’s 2-2 draw vs. Levante on Thursday.
  • Alejandro Bedoya started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in Helsingborgs IF’s 3-1 win vs. FC Twente on Thursday. You can see the goal here.
  • Terrence Boyd came off the bench and played 15 minutes in Rapid Vienna’s 1-0 win vs. FC Metalist Kharkiv on Thursday.
  • Mix Diskerud started and played 90 minutes in Rosenborg BK’s 1-0 loss vs. Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday.
  • Josh Gatt started and played 68 minutes in Molde FK’s 1-0 win vs. VfB Stuttgart on Thursday.
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What do you think of these performances? Think Dempsey is starting to really feel comfortable with Spurs? Where do you see Bedoya moving to this winter?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. From the Independent….

    Clint Dempsey, coming in from the left wing, was Spurs’ best attacking player. It was Dempsey’s perfect through pass to Adebayor which set up Spurs’ first goal. With 14 minutes left it was Dempsey’s header which went in via the cross bar and the goalkeeper’s back.

    “We are extremely satisfied with his recent performances,” Villas-Boas said of Dempsey, who had not always looked like a natural Spurs player. “It’s down to him, he has managed to turn the page and adapted to a new position. He attacks, he defends, he commits himself to the team.”

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  2. Hey where are all of the Deuce hating Fulham fans that were saying he wasn’t good enough for Spurs and should have stayed at Fulham? Cat got your fingers.

    Glad he is hitting his stride.

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    • Plus all the pro-Mexico trolls who continue to claim he is mediocre or even garbage and would never leave the bench. Some people know nothing and want to make sure it’s apparent to everyone else with such uninformed, ignorant comments. BTW, it’s obvious that his role on Tottenham has been set up to be the playmaker. Several times he had clear looks from about 20 yards out but passed to the forwards. Besides his assist to Adebayor, he almost had another when Defoe hit the near post. His passing has really become first rate, plus he won that free kick from just outside the box straight on that was wasted.

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  3. According to BBC:

    “In the absence of the injured Gareth Bale, Dempsey deputised as the home team’s tormentor-in-chief, linking cleverly with his strikers and proving a key figure as the Londoners finished second behind Lazio in Group J. “

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  4. “Tottenham entered their final Europa League group game on Thursday needing a result…”

    Every game has “a result” for each team in it. Is it taboo to say win?

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  5. Dempsey will simply not be denied, it is as simple as that. Whether he has to score goals or assist, he will find a way to prove his worth. True warrior if there ever was one, at least in modern day sissy men times when knives and swords and duels arent commonplace.

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  6. Helsingborg wants to keep Bedoya and rumor has it that they made him an offer to extend his contract. I am guessing it’s all about what other offers he has gotten. I hope he stays, he’s very important to the team.

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  7. Poor Stu Holden, you think he could sue Nigel DeJong & Johnny Evans for lost wages in the past 2 years, a shame. Bolton probably would’ve survived last year with him in their XI. Hopefully he can get back to the stu of old.

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    • Holden got his wages. It’s Bolton that would sue and unfortunately, that’s part of the game: risk. But man, Bolton got toast that season with injuries. A real pity.

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  8. Anybody watch the Malaga game and can report on Gooch’s 90? I know a lot of spanish fans were impressed with his last showing. If he’s actually starting and playing well in the champs league perhaps he’s finally re-found the form that made him a beast for the nats

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  9. Looking at this list and considering who may be called in for the January camp from MLS, I can’t help but get excited for the Gold Cup. The guys on the cusp of a first team call-up are pretty exciting.

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    • Indeed, we need to get some happy moments next year. I would like to see a Gold Cup win next year after we messied our pants in 2011.

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    • This Gold Cup doesn’t mean as much as the post World Cup Gold Cup, but it will be nice to crush Mexico in the final like they did to us last time we were in the Confed. Cup.

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      • Naah. I like Kljestan but he is not a starter for us. Plus Bradley needs to be the 8 not the 6, so that combo doesn’t work. My 3 midfield depth chart:

        Holden/Kljestan—Bradley/Corona
        ————–Williams/Jones————

      • We have some guys (like Benny and Sacha) who have done some impressive things for us after coming on a substitutes. That doesn’t mean that they have the physical qualities needed to go 90 minutes in international competition.

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