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Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

By FRANCO PANIZO

Things just keep getting better and better for Bobby Wood.

A few months removed from having faced an uncertain future because of problematic knee injuries, Wood continued his comeback by scoring his first professional goal in 1860 Munich’s 1-1 draw with VfR Aalen on Friday. The former U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team striker rescued Munich from defeat by unleashing a venomous shot from distance after dribbling into the final third in the second half, the latest achievement in a week that also saw him make his season debut as a substitute and earn his first professional start.

Wood was not the only forward to the find the back of the net. Terrence Boyd continued his tear of the Austrian Bundesliga with a one-goal, two-assist performance in Rapid Vienna’s 4-3 victory over SV Josko Ried. Boyd  now has eight league goals and 12 across all competitions this season.

Clint Dempsey did not get on the scoresheet for Tottenham, but he did deliver an assist in his first match against his former club, Fulham. Dempsey slipped a ball through a tight spot to Jermaine Defoe in the 77th minute to cap the scoring in Spurs’ 3-0 triumph.

Here’s how the Americans Abroad fared this weekend:

ENGLAND

Premiership

  • Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Everton’s 1-1 draw vs. Manchester City on Saturday.
  • Brad Friedel dressed but did not play in Tottenham’s 3-0 win vs. Fulham on Saturday.
  • Clint Dempsey started, played 90 minutes and had an ASSIST for Tottenham.
  • Brad Guzan started, played 90 minutes and made seven saves in Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw vs. Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
  • Eric Lichaj started and played 90 minutes for Aston Villa.
  • Geoff Cameron started and played 90 minutes in Stoke City’s 1-0 win vs. West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
  • Maurice Edu did not dress for Stoke City.
  • Sebastian Lletget did not dress in West Ham United’s 3-1 win vs. Chelsea on Saturday.

Championship

  • Tim Ream dressed but did not play in Bolton Wanderers’ 2-1 loss vs. Ipswich Town on Saturday.
  • Stuart Holden did not dress for Bolton Wanderers. He is recovering from a knee injury.
  • Jonathan Spector started and played 90 minutes in Birmingham City’s 3-2 win vs. Middlesbrough on Friday.
  • Will Packwood did not dress for Birmingham City.
  • Conor Doyle did not dress in Derby County’s 4-1 loss vs. Leicester City on Saturday. He is recovering from an appendix injury.
  • Zak Whitbread started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in Leicester City’s 4-1 win vs. Derby County on Saturday.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QRdZEaejtg?feature=player_embedded]

  • Robbie Findley dressed but did not play in Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 loss vs. Hull City on Saturday.

League One

  • Frank Simek started and played 45 minutes in Carlisle United’s 3-1 loss vs. AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup on Saturday.
  • Robbie Rogers and Stevenage did not play this weekend.
  • Mike Grella and Scunthorpe United did not play this weekend.

SPAIN

La Liga

  • Oguchi Onyewu did not dress in Malaga CF’s 1-0 loss vs. Getafe on Saturday.

Segunda Division

  • Carlos Bocanega did not dress in Racing Santander’s 4-3 loss vs. Almeria on Sunday. He is recovering from a hamstring injury.

ITALY

  • Michael Bradley started and played 90 minutes in AS Roma’s 3-1 win vs. Siena on Sunday.

GERMANY

Bundesliga

  • Steve Cherundolo started and played 90 minutes in Hannover 96’s 2-1 loss vs. Mainz on Saturday.
  • Jermaine Jones started and played 90 minutes in Schalke 04’s 1-1 draw vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
  • Fabian Johnson started and played 90 minutes in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s 4-1 loss vs. Werder Bremen on Sunday.
  • Danny Williams started and played 90 minutes for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
  • Timmy Chandler started and played 90 minutes in FC Nurnberg’s 1-0 loss vs. Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
  • David Yelldell did not dress in Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-0 win vs. FC Nurnberg on Saturday.

2. Bundesliga

  • John Anthony Brooks and Hertha Berlin play Energie Cottbus on Monday.
  • Alfredo Morales and Herha Berlin play Energie Cottbus on Monday.
  • Andrew Wooten came off the bench, played five minutes and received a yellow card in SV Sandhausen’s 2-2 draw vs. FC Erzgebirge Aue on Saturday.
  • Joe Gyau dressed but did not play in St Pauli’s 1-0 win vs. Kaiserslautern on Saturday.
  • Bobby Wood started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in TSV 1860 Munich’s 1-1 draw vs. VfR Aalen on Friday.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wYaCD6_CcI?feature=player_embedded]

NETHERLANDS

  • Jozy Altidore started and played 90 minutes in AZ Alkmaar’s 2-1 loss vs. FC Utrecht on Sunday.

PORTUGAL

  • Tony Taylor and G.D. Estoril Praia did not play this weekend.
  • Caleb Patterson-Sewell and Vitoria Setubal did not play this weekend.

BELGIUM

  • Sacha Kljestan started and played 90 minutes in RSC Anderlecht’s 2-1 win vs. Cercle Brugge KSV on Saturday.

RUSSIA

  • Eugene Starikov dressed but did not play in FK Rostov’s 2-0 win vs. PFK Samara Kryliya Sovetov on Sunday.

AUSTRIA

  • Terrence Boyd started, played 90 minutes, had TWO ASSISTS and scored a GOAL in Rapid Vienna’s 4-3 win vs. SV Josko Ried on Saturday.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYd7gwNA8yo?feature=player_embedded]

DENMARK

  • Michael Parkhurst started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in FC Nordsjaelland’s 3-0 win vs. Brondby IF on Sunday.
  • Clarence Goodson did not dress in Brondby IF’s 3-0 loss vs. FC Nordsjaelland on Sunday.
  • Conor O’Brien started and played 90 minutes in SonderjyskE’s 3-1 win vs. AC Horsens on Friday.
  • Charlie Davies did not dress in Randers FC’s 2-0 loss vs. FC Copenhagen on Sunday. He was serving a one-game suspension due to the red card he received last week.

MEXICO

  • Edgar Castillo started and played 90 minutes in Club Tijuana’s 2-0 win vs. Toluca in the second leg of the finals on Sunday. Club Tijuana won the series on aggregate, 4-1.
  • Joe Corona started and played 67 minutes for Club Tijuana.
  • Greg Garza did not dress for Club Tijuana.

——-

What do you think of these performances? Impressed with how well Wood has played recently? Do you see a bigger club swooping in for Boyd during the summer transfer window?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Bobby Wood is back! Funny, I just heard Brian Sciaretta talking about how he’s finally healthy and playing and now he unleashes a corker! That was a textbook strike. Did you see the dip on that shot?

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  2. If you haven’t seen the game of the full game highlights yet, the performance of the week was probably Guzan. He single handedly earned Villa that point with some great saves and the header that beat him was perfectly placed, so he had no chance on it.

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    • Yep. Villa are a complete mess. Lichaj had an okay game, but Guzan kept Wright-Phillips 1v1 from the back of the net. I really expected 3pts from this game. We went up 2-0 on Man U, but can’t take out QPR. Bleh.

      Bottom line is Lichaj needs to be in camp if he gets a few more full games, and doesn’t shave his mustache.

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      • While I know he is playing a lot in the EPL and that has usually meant instant call-up in the past, I think what Kinsmann is waiting for is consistency out of Lichaj. He shows flashes from game to game of his abilities, but the next game he will be shaky, or even sometimes within a game he will be good/solid for stretches but will then make a couple of mistakes. The stache is sick though!

  3. Austria doesn’t start the 2nd half of play until the middle of February, so Boyd will most likely be in the January camp. Same thing with the 2.Bundesliga teams, so we could see all those young guys in the January camp….Wooten, Brooks, Gyau, and Wood.

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    • Right now, Friedel is still too good to sit on the bench,

      But Spurs pay real well. They would be fools to let him go this year since they are in contention for various honors and need the backup.

      If Spurs drop out of contention, then will do the salary dump.

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  4. Very interesting weekend for Americans Abroad. And, man, Bobby Wood’s goal is nice, although defense seemed to be asleep at the wheel. It is great to see a young American doing this in the 2. Bundesliga. If Wood keeps playing regularly and Joe Gyau can earn a starting slot at St. Pauli, or at least be a regular 2nd half sub, I bet more and more 2. Bundesliga teams will start scouting young American players and that more and more young American players are going to start heading to second leagues in Europe to develop, thumbing their noses at long-term low-paying MLS contracts with little chance of transfer while MLS teams still squander millions on over-the-hill former European stars who would no longer even make the game-day bench in Europe.

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    • You’re right, they wouldn’t make the bench. Because Cahill was a starter, Henry was a starter for half his games when he was loaned back to Arsenal, Keane was a starter, and Beckham started some guys for AC. Perspective.

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    • biff,

      If Wood and Gyau do well I’m sure it would be a good advertisement for other young American talent.And I’m sure it would remind young Americans about their options in Germany.

      But you make it sound Gyau and Wood are trailblazers and that German clubs would suddenly be discovering American talent and vice versa.

      This is ridiculous.

      Reyna, Wynalda, Steve Cherundolo, Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan are just a few examples of reasonably successful American talent who spent their early years in various divisions in Germany.

      There was also Berhalter, Zizzo, Josh Wolff, Kenny Cooper, Buddle, Matt Taylor, the notorious Mr. Preston Zimmerman, etc., etc.,. The list is quite long.

      Some were successful and some were failures but that does not seem to have put them off.”Young Americans” have had quite a few “trailblazers” in the various divisions in Germany for some time now.

      And Germany has been one country in Europe that certainly is very familiar with American talent.

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  5. Boyd may br scoring in Austria Bundesliga which is on level with 2 Bundesliga but its still very impressive to say the least. if he can score 15-20 league goals by seasons end with some impressive performances, might be a chance a few Dutch or small German clubs chase him.

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  6. Dempsey has been real good recently. 2 assists in his last 2 matches. Hoping he scores next much. whats up with Jozy and Alkmaar? Theyre sliding closer to the relegation spots. If Fiorentina offer AZ 7-10million for him, he should take it. They will need it to rebuild quickly to avoid from being relegated.

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      • They play different positions. So one getting the call up over another is mute.

        Lichaj is behind Dolo and Johnson, obviously. Then he has Castillo who had a great season to fight for a LB spot, and now Chandler to fight for a RB spot. Plus you have Parkhurst who plays “good enough” in both, as well as, others starting to make a splash.

        Edu needs a move away or a loan.

      • they play different positions, but there are more people in front of Edu than in front of Lichaj…

        Bradley, Williams, Jones are going to get the look ahead of Edu… while Lichaj has one or two in front of him at either LB or RB…

        I just want to see Lichaj be given a chance-if he does not do well, fine… but why NOT look at a player who is getting minutes in the best or 2nd best league in the world? what is a good reason NOT to?

        with Dolo’s age and Chandler’s waffling the depth isn’t as rock solid as it looks on paper… against Antigua and Barbuda and Guatemala, USMNT can manage, but what about Mexico, Costa Rica, etc…. the idea is to build depth ahead of time and be able to call it in when needed

      • They both ought to be in camp.

        Edu’s played well in his recent USMNT appearances, and it’s not really his fault that he’s not playing. He needed a club to escape the Rangers debacle, and Stoke bought him on a whim after the US-Mexico match despite not needing him at any particular position.

        Over the last few months, Lichaj’s PT has gone up and his showings have improved. 3 months ago, he was not playing well and was benched for a stretch.

      • Stoke might let Edu attend if he is still warming the pine.

        AV suck and need all hands on deck so
        Lichaj is almost certainly out of the question.

      • steveo.

        “ I just want to see Lichaj get a chance”

        I see this sort of statement all the time and it strikes me as off target.

        Lichaj, and all the USMNT candidates, get a chance every time they play for their teams.

        Should he be evaluated based on the 9 games or so he played for Bradley nearly two years ago and before he suffered a major hip injury?

        Would it have made sense to you if JK did not call in EJ for the recent qualifiers because his last couple of games for the USMNT under Bradley were anonymous at best and embarrassing at worst?

        JK and his staff see the same games you do (I assume you have watched all of Eric’s recent games, right?).

        I don’t know if there is game footage of EPL games different from what the public sees (like in the NFL) but they do have people in Europe watching the games live and JK allegedly has a very wide spread network of contacts, so overall I would say the probability is that the USMNT staff is at least as current on Eric as you are.

        What sets Lichaj apart from, for example, Sacha, Parkhurst or Chandler is those three have been in camp, played games and did well for JK. I don’t know if JK has even met Lichaj.

        What that means is guys like Sacha, Parkhurst or Chandler have earned a certain amount of credibility, a certain benefit of the doubt with JK and his staff.

        I believe that is why it seems like Bradley approved players (Lichaj, Gomez, Bedoya) who have yet to go to camp with JK may have to excel just a little bit more than players JK and his staff are already comfortable with. They have to play in such a way that says “Hey, I’m much better than the guys you got now”. Gomez did that, practically forcing his way in. Bedoya seems to be on his way, while Lichaj, not so much.

        For some of you, if it is the EPL, even a very bad team like Villa, it is enough that a player just get on the field. Yes Lichaj is doing better lately than he was earlier in the season but that is not the same as excelling. He isn’t playing as well as Cameron for example.

        For fullback if the World Cup started today the three fullbacks would be Dolo, Fabian, and Chandler. Next in line would be Parkhurst and Castillo. Since Cameron can play either fullback position JK could use the traditional fourth fullback slot for another position player. So there is no burning need for a another fullback just now though that could change anytime.

        EPL players won’t be released for this camp, so Lichaj isn’t going to be there. So if he wants to get called up any time soon I suspect Lichaj has to win a regular job for Villa. Right now he seems like a fill in, a spot starter.

  7. Our forward situation looked dire in 2010 or so after we lost Charlie Davies, but with Altidore, Gomez, Boyd, Wondo, Agudelo, Bruin, Wooten, Wood, etc. all the way down to our U-17s let by Rubio Rubin putting up like 4 goals a game in Florida, scoring goals is no longer the same concern it once was when guys like Robbie Findley were getting caps.

    Reply
      • No, that’s purely the fault of Klinsmann for playing a minimum of three and sometimes four defensive midfielders (eg playing Danny Williams on the right for a long time where he did terribly, until he had to come out and say “this is not my position, I am not comfortable there”). And with Jones inexplicably playing as the 8 and Bradley the 6 to make it *even more* ineffective. How are the attacking players supposed to get any kind of reliable service with that nonsense?

      • Bobb,

        I like JJ on this team. When I first saw him play for the US I thought “finally an enforcer!”.

        Before then the only “hard men” types we had were Boca and Gooch and they didn’t and don’t do it like JJ does. I’ve seen people say MB is like that but he isn’t. He just looks angry all the time.

        I saw several of the World Cup teams JK played on and in general, they were very “physical” teams. “Nasty” as JK is fond of saying. Just ask Eric Wynalda.

        Here is what JK said on the topic recently :
        *Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones is a divisive figure: Some fans love him, some hate him. Klinsmann loves him. Here’s why:
        “Jermaine Jones, in the inner circle, became a tremendous leader. He understands this is his World Cup. … He is a game-changer, he is a presence. He’s a player no opponent wants to deal with. There are certain players you fear, that hunger. It’s not the type of thing you see watching from the stands. Players start two yards back [against players like Jones.] Germany [national team] needs a player like Jermaine Jones.”

  8. Derrick Williams who is 19 was subbed in at LB for Aston Villa, Lichaj switched to RB when he came in, plays for Ireland youth, but has an American father and spent time in North Carolina.

    Reply

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