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Americans Abroad: Weekend Preview

Jermaine Jones Schalke (Getty Images)

By FRANCO PANIZO

Jermaine Jones has recovered from the ankle injury that sidelined him for the better part of a month, and now he will attempt to make his way back into Schalke’s starting lineup.

Coming off a substitute cameo for the club in last Saturday’s loss to Eintracht Frankfurt, Jones will try to attempt to regain his starting spot when Schalke try and knock off Hamburg SV in a home game on Sunday. Jones and Schalke currently hold the Bundesliga’s only UEFA Champions League qualifiers spot by a point, so they will likely need a win in order to keep their advantage over the four teams in hot pursuit.

Germany will also be the site of two of this weekend’s three duels between Americans Abroad. Relegation-threatened Fabian Johnson and Hoffenheim will attempt to pick up three points at home against Timmy Chandler and FC Nurnberg on Saturday, and a day later a 2. Bundesliga match-up between Joe Gyau’s St. Pauli and Alfredo Morales and John Anthony Brooks’ already-promoted Hertha Berlin is set to take place.

Alejandro Bedoya and Freddy Adu won’t be facing off against any fellow Americans, but they too have intriguing games worth following. Bedoya will look to continue his recent run of good form when Helsingborg IF get a visit from Gefle IF on Saturday. Adu, meanwhile, has made two recent late-game appearances for Bahia in the Baiano group stages – a five-minute debut last Sunday and eight-minute cameo on Wednesday – and will try and build on them when the club faces Vitoria on Sunday.

Here is who the Americans Abroad face off against this weekend:

FRIDAY

Zak Whitbread and Leicester City play Watford.

Carlos Bocanegra and Racing Santander play Barcelona B.

Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 play SpVgg Greuther Furth.

Andrew Wooten and SV Sandhausen play VfL Bochum.

Jozy Altidore and AZ Alkmaar play SC Heerenveen.

Tony Taylor and Estoril Praia play Braga.

SATURDAY

Sebastian Lletget and West Ham United play Manchester City.

Tim Howard and Everton play Fulham.

Geoff Cameron, Brek Shea and Stoke City play Norwich City.

Clint Dempsey, Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play Wigan Athletic.

Conor Doyle and Derby County play Blackpool.

Tim Ream, Stuart Holden and Bolton Wanderers play Cardiff City.

Jonathan Spector, Will Packwood and Birmingham City play Ipswich Town. (Spector and Packwood are out injured.)

Frank Simek and Carlisle United play Colchester United.

Mike Grella and Scunthorpe United play Swindon Town

David Yelldell and Bayer Leverkusen play Werder Bremen.

Michael Parkhurst and FC Augsburg play VfB Stuttgart. (Parkhurst is out injured.)

Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim play Timmy Chandler and FC Nurnberg. (Williams is out injured.)

Caleb Patterson-Sewell and Vitoria Setubal play FC Porto.

Eugene Starikov and FK Rostov play Lokomotiv Moscow.

Maurice Edu and Bursaspor play Akhisar Belediye.

Terrence Boyd and Rapid Vienna play SV Salzburg.

Conor O’Brien and FC Nordsjaelland play SonderjyskE.

Brian Span and Djurgarden IF play Syrianska FC.

Alejandro Bedoya and Helsingborg IF play Gefle IF.

Herculez Gomez, Benji Joya and Santos Laguna play Cruz Azul.

Ventura Alvarado and Club America play Pachuca.

Jose Torres, Jonathan Bornstein and Tigres UANL play Joaquin Alonso Hernandez and Monterrey.

Joe Corona, Edgar Castillo, Greg Garza and Club Tijuana play San Luis.

SUNDAY

Oguchi Onyewu and Malaga play Getafe.

Michael Bradley and AS Roma play Siena.

Jermaine Jones and Schalke 04 play Hamburg SV.

Bobby Wood and TSV 1860 Munich play FC Cologne.

Joe Gyau and St Pauli play Alfredo Morales, John Anthony Brooks and Hertha Berlin.

Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht play Club Brugge in the Pro League playoffs.

Charlie Davies and Randers FC play AC Horsens.

Clarence Goodson and Brondby IF play Odense BK.

Mix Diskerud and Rosenborg BK play Sandnes Ulf.

Steve Clark and Honefoss BK play Sarpsborg 08.

Josh Gatt and Molde FK play Stromsgodset.

DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Orozco Fiscal and Puebla play Atlas.

Freddy Adu and Bahia play Vitoria in the Baiano group stages.

MONDAY

Brad Guzan, Eric Lichaj and Aston Villa play Sunderland.

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Which of these games are you most looking forward to? Do you see Jones returning to Schalke’s starting XI? Think Hoffenheim can knock off Nurnberg en route to picking up three much-needed points?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Jozy had 2 goals and an assist today for his team’s 4-0 win. He’s leading them into a EL spot.

    Oh and he has 30 goals for the season

    Reply
  2. Jozy starting thinks off well this weekend. Also if you can check out the second goal in the Watford Leicester city game. Absolute rocket of a strike.

    Reply
    • Jozy looked really good today. That touch to bring the ball down for his first goal was quality. Also watching him sprint back to his own box in the 80th minute to help defend a counter was nice. His free kick goal was good also, I didnt know he had that in the arsenal. Was voted man of the match. Wooten also had a good match for Sandhausen today.

      Reply
      • Agreed. Don’t know who the announcer was on the feed I was watching but he spent the last 20 minutes talking almost exclusively about Jozy.

  3. An interesting story about Michael Parkhurst in the local Augsburg newspaper. I did not realize that the sporting director at Augsburg who signed Parkhurst in December was fired before Parkhurst arrived in January. Also, the story says that Klinsmann is the one who recommended Parkhurst to the sporting director, who apparently is an old buddy of Klinsmann. Anyway, the story says that Parkhurst had won a starting spot before flu/injuries kept him off the team and just last week regained fitness but did not make the roster for Saturday’s game.

    http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/augsburg/sport/Michael-Parkhurst-Ein-Nothelfer-ohne-Aufgabe-id24976866.html

    Reply
  4. Want to see Stu Holden and Freddy Adu. Two of of a very small group of potential difference makers for the USMNT attack. Will Holden’s body hold up? Will Freddy finally begin to demonstrate his skill at the club level? Not much else inspires me to pay attention this wkd.

    Reply
    • It isn’t the skill set that’s the problem with this one.
      Freddy needs to find an attitudinal shift and a work rate consistency, to apply himself to becoming a complete and reliable team member, a tireless box to box midfielder.

      Reply
      • i really do not want him to become a box-to-box mid. if he’s on the field, he should be kept near the front at all times. we don’t need another box-to-box, we need an attacking midfielder.

      • Ditto. IF Freddy Adu ever approaches the hype of his early career, it’s not going to be as a box to box midfielder. He should be an attacking mid or a withdrawn forward, with minimal tracking back responsibilities. Let him use his energy to take on and occupy defenders, free up other players. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense, no?

      • And thats the problem when you have guys like atleticodemadridfan wanting a player to be something he is not. When we decide to put a starting XI using players using their SPECIFIC skill then maybe we will win some real games. Adu is not a box to box player. Jones is, Bradley is, F. Johnson, and Chandler. Adu is an Attacking Midfield player, who sets up goals and creates space for players like LD and Demps. Your just like JK in making players be something they are not, and you wonder why we struggle….

      • Outside of goalkeeper, and given the dynamic nature of a sport with only one time out, half time, and limited subs , soccer is probably the least “skill specific” sport out there.

        JK is not asking players to be something they are not.

        Rather, the players he is leaving out are revealing themselves to not be the kind of players he wants. And it seems he wants players who are more versatile than you are describing.

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