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Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Sacha Kljestan Anderlecht Champs (Getty Images)

By FRANCO PANIZO

For the second straight year, Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht are champions of Belgium.

Kljestan and Anderlecht successfully defended their title on Sunday with a 1-1 draw against second-place Zulte-Waregem in their season finale. Kljestan missed on a chance that would have given Anderlecht the win but the post-game scenes were festive ones all the same for the midfielder and his teammates, as they secured the necessary result that allowed them to hoist the Pro League trophy for the 32nd time in the club’s history.

Jermaine Jones and Schalke did not have any hardware after the final game of their respective season, but they too had plenty of reason to celebrate. Jones and Schalke clinched fourth place in the Bundesliga with a 2-1 win over fifth-placed SC Freiburg on Saturday, which means the Royal Blues will partake in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers next season.

John Anthony Brooks also had a memorable outing to close out his campaign, as he scored the first goal of his blossoming career on Sunday. The enormous centerback netted an 87th-minute equalizer for Bundesliga-bound Hertha Berlin in their 1-1 draw with Energie Cottbus on Sunday, assuring that the Blue-Whites would not end their impressive season on a sour note.

On the other side of the spectrum, Fabian Johnson and Hoffenheim avoided relegation from the Bundesliga, at least for the time being, with a shocking 2-1 win over second-place Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. The result, combined with Fortuna Dusseldrof’s 3-0 loss to Hannover, saw Hoffenheim jump into 16th place in the standings and they will now have to face 2. Bundesliga side Kaiserslautern in a two-legged series that will determine which team will be in Germany’s top flight next season.

It was not all good news this weekend. Clint Dempsey and Tottenham failed in their bid to try and earn a Champions League spot, defeating Sunderland on Sunday but not getting the result they needed in Arsenal’s game with Newcastle United. Dempsey started and lasted 73 minutes before being removed in Spurs’ season finale.

Here’s how the Americans Abroad performed this weekend:

ENGLAND

Premiership

  • Geoff Cameron started, played 90 minutes and had an ASSIST in Stoke City’s 1-1 draw vs. Southampton on Sunday.
  • Brek Shea did not dress for Stoke City.
  • Sebastian Lletget did not dress in West Ham United’s 4-2 win vs. Reading on Sunday.
  • Clint Dempsey started and played 73 minutes in Tottenham’s 1-0 win vs. Sunderland on Sunday.
  • Brad Friedel dressed but did not play for Tottenham.
  • Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Everton’s 2-1 loss vs. Chelsea on Saturday.
  • Brad Guzan started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Aston Villa’s 2-2 draw vs. Wigan Athletic on Sunday.
  • Eric Lichaj did not dress for Aston Villa.

SPAIN

La Liga

  • Oguchi Onyewu and Malaga CF did not play this weekend.

Segunda Division

  • Carlos Bocanega started and played 90 minutes in Racing Santander’s 2-0 win vs. CD Sabadell on Sunday.

ITALY

  • Michael Bradley started and played 90 minutes in AS Roma’s 2-1 win vs. Napoli on Sunday.

GERMANY

Bundesliga

  • Fabian Johnson started and played 90 minutes in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s 2-1 win vs. Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
  • Danny Williams did not dress for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
  • Timmy Chandler did not dress in FC Nurnberg’s 3-2 win vs. Werder Bremen on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
  • Michael Parkhurst did not dress in FC Augsburg’s 3-1 win vs. SpVgg Greuther Furth on Saturday.
  • Jermaine Jones started and played 90 minutes in Schalke 04′s 2-1 win vs. SC Freiburg on Saturday.
  • David Yelldell dressed but did not play in Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-0 win vs. Hamburg SV on Saturday.
  • Steve Cherundolo started, played 90 minutes and had an ASSIST in Hannover 96′s 3-0 win vs. Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday.

2. Bundesliga

  • Joe Gyau came off the bench and played 18 minutes in St Pauli’s 2-1 win vs. Kaiserslautern on Sunday.
  • John Anthony Brooks started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in Hertha Berlin’s 1-1 draw vs. Energie Cottbus on Sunday.
  • Andrew Wooten started and played 90 minutes in SV Sandhausen’s 1-0 loss vs. FC Erzgebirge Aue on Sunday.
  • Bobby Wood started, played 73 minutes and scored a GOAL in TSV 1860 Munich’s 3-0 win vs. VfR Aalen on Sunday.

PORTUGAL

  • Tony Taylor came off the bench and played five minutes in G.D. Estoril Praia’s 3-1 win vs. Gil Vicente on Sunday.
  • Caleb Patterson-Sewell did not dress in Vitoria Setubal’s 1-0 loss vs. Braga on Sunday.

RUSSIA

  • Eugene Starikov came off the bench, played 35 minutes and scored TWO GOALS in FK Rostov’s 3-2 loss vs. FK Amkar Perm’ on Friday.

TURKEY

  • Maurice Edu did not dress in Bursaspor’s 2-2 draw vs. Genclerbirligi on Sunday.

BELGIUM

  • Sacha Kljestan started and played 90 minutes in RSC Anderlecht’s 1-1 draw vs. Zulte-Waregem in the Pro League playoffs on Sunday.

DENMARK

  • Clarence Goodson and Brondby IF play AC Horsens on Monday.
  • Charlie Davies and Randers FC play Aalborg BK on Monday.
  • Conor O’Brien and FC Nordsjaelland play Esbjerg on Monday.

AUSTRIA

  • Terrence Boyd started and played 78 minutes in Rapid Vienna’s 2-0 loss vs. SV Mattersburg on Saturday.

SWEDEN

  • Alejandro Bedoya and Helsingborg IF play Elfsborg on Monday.
  • Brian Span dressed but did not play in Djurgarden IF’s 1-0 win vs. Halmstad BK on Sunday.

NORWAY

  • Josh Gatt and Molde FK play Rosenborg BK on Monday.
  • Mix Diskerud and Rosenborg BK play Molde FK on Monday.
  • Steve Clark and Honefoss BK play Lillestrom on Monday. 

MEXICO

  • Herculez Gomez came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Santos Laguna’s 2-1 loss vs. Cruz Azul in the second leg of their Liga MX semifinals on Sunday. Santos Laguna lost on aggregate, 5-1.
  • Benji Joya did not dress for Santos Laguna.
  • Joaquin Alonso Hernandez dressed but did not play in Monterrey’s 2-1 loss vs. Club America in the second leg of their Liga MX semifinals series on Saturday. Monterrey lost on aggregate, 4-3.
  • Ventura Alvarado did not dress in Club America’s 2-1 win vs. Monterrey in the second leg of their Liga MX semifinals series on Saturday. Club America won on aggregate, 4-3.

BRAZIL

  • Freddy Adu came off the bench and played 26 minutes in Bahia’s 1-1 draw vs. Vitoria in the second leg of the Baiano finals on Sunday. Bahia lost on aggregate, 8-4.

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What do you think of these performances? Impressed with Kljestan and Anderlecht succesfully defending their Pro League title? Bummed that Dempsey and Tottenham did not reach the Champions League?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

    • Onyewu needs another club and not a team ranked 1-3 in the standings. Mid table team with ambition is a better spot to be in. Bocanegra had a chance to play with Eintracht Frankfurt, who finished 4th, but did not want a full transfer? He plays in LaLiga 2. Now will not be called in…I think this is the right call by Klinnsman. Why would a player take a step down in competition? Onyewu and Bocanegra, although highly respected by me and many others, really need to reset there club situation.

      Reply
      • agreed. hopefully Sporting will want Gooch back and playing for then again. never really made too much sense to loan him. he came back and was playing well for them.

        as a DC fan, i would love to see him come to DC since he is from here. but the allocation order would make that impossible.

  1. WOW. I always read this on the way into work on Monday mornings, and if this is the last major “Americans Abroad” update for this season…WE YANKS WENT OUT SWINGIN! For real. Other than Deuce and Tottenham not getting into the champs league, just about every result we needed went our way. Good mix of goals, assists and needed victories. Nice to go out with a banner weekend, Yanks!!

    Reply
  2. I write more than a sentence, and my comment is awating moderation. Thats poo. Something needs to be fixed with this moderating thing.

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  3. Looks like this new coach is going to play Adu. If Adu starts to get serious minutes/starts/scoring goals/assisting on goals then I could see him called up to the Gold Cup team.

    Good for Adu. Glad he played well in his 30 minutes. I know the fans were clamoring for him to play when Santana was the coach for like 2 weeks.

    Reply
    • Why call him up to the Gold Cup if he’s just starting to earn minutes? Far better to leave him down there to cement his spot.

      Reply
  4. What is the impact of this two game play-off for Fabian Johnson and his call up? (notice I didn’t mention the other guy ) Anyone know the dates/details of how this will affect the timing of calling him into camp?

    Reply
  5. Good for Freddy Adu. Certainly a good sign to play and impress(?) in front of a brand new coach. Let’s hope he gets a few games to show what he’s got. If he does and still ends up on the bench, then he’s just not good enough. But everyone knows he’s got something in his game…

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  6. “Danny Williams did not dress for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim”. But he is called up by Klinsmann while Donovan isn’t.

    Reply
    • Player A is working his way back from injury right as his season is ending. Player B is working his way back to form in the middle of his season.

      Brek, Stu, and Danny are all in “Player A” category. Just because they’re called up doesn’t mean they’ll be in the starting 11 (or even on the gameday rosters). But they don’t need recovery time anymore (which apparently ‘dolo needs), what they need is to continue training.

      If Klinsmann doesn’t think Landon belongs in the gameday roster yet, then it’s a huge difference pulling him away from his club in the middle of the season where he is playing games and hopefully rebuilding the sharpness week by week just to have him not end up playing in the end. With Brek/Stu/Danny it only helps them since they’re seasons are now over and those chances to keep working their way back over.

      I don’t agree with the decision to not call in Landon because I do think we need him, even in the less-than-100% form he’s in now, but the incessant screaming about hypocrisy etc when comparing Landon to our European guys who are coming off injury is just plain wrong. It’s apples and oranges.

      Reply
      • It’s obvious guys like Shea, Williams and Goodson, although seldom making the bench for their respective teams in months, if at all, should be called up. Klinsmann likes them and it will give them a chance to develop chemistry with their teammates, which Klinsmann has indicated is important to him. And no reason to bring in Cherundolo and Donovan, although both have been playing regularly and could benefit from two USMNT friendlies and also would be able to provide very important leadership in very important WCQs and also partake in a bit of chemistry building. It all makes perfect sense.

      • Goodson is not in that category. He has started consistently for his team the past 1-2 months, including going all 90 in a 1-0 today. scored last weekend, didn’t he?

      • For the hundredth time: Dolo asked not to be called in due to the fact he has a new baby and he’s still recovering.

  7. It’s encouraging to see our USMNT starters getting 90 minutes, for the most part, coming into these qualifiers.

    Not encouraging to see 4 of our USMNT back ups fail to even dress.

    Also, exciting to see the list of Scandinavian players who could take part in the Gold Cup.

    Reply
  8. In case anyone was wondering why Morales wasn’t on the bench for Hertha after playing well these last few weeks and scoring a goal last weekend, he turned down Hertha’s contract extension and has an agreement to sign with 2. BL side Ingolstadt.

    Reply
    • This move seems a bit strange to me. I just dont understand why a young player who is getting minutes and is by all acounts pretty highly rated by the coaching staff would turn down an extension to sign with a team that finished mid table in the same division from which his current team won promotion. I’m no conspiracy theorist but it seems like maybe there’s something going on behind the scenes that would lead him to want out of his current situation.

      Reply
      • Im pretty sure Morales got more playing time because of a player injury.

        He might of got less time next year but I would ve stayed if I were him

      • Morales wants playing time. Fringe players whose team gets promoted usually see their spot taken by a seasoned professional in the new league. Expect Hertha to purchase a few veterans.

  9. it’s always funny to me when foreign players win a trophy, they wear their national flag. do they get them from the fans? do they just happen to have their own? is it alright for them or say an Iranian player wears an Iran flag, would that be contreversial? what about a Serbia player and Serb flag?

    Reply
  10. Adu was class in his 30 minutes.

    He made plays, drew fouls, created spacing, ran the midfield which changed the game and put Bahia on offense, and he played smart. It reminded me of his time in Turkey where he was also a #10 but his teammates have more skill and they pass the ball better than his teammates in Turkey.

    Reply
  11. On the t-shirts:
    “We are Anderlecht.
    We are Champions”

    Apparently the slogan guy was extremely underwhelmed or just extremely blunt and dry.

    Reply
      • In the spirit of The Office, since it just ended this week, the ““We are Anderlecht We are Champions” reminds of Dwight’s birthday sign for Kelly that said: “It is your birthday” (along with half inflated brown and black balloons).

        Classic scene.

  12. Is that the first pt for Adu down there? I thought he was relegated to the bench already. Glad he played, how did he look?

    Wonderful football by ‘right back’ Cameron. Timmy who?
    A year ago I wouldn’t have projected Geoff there.

    I honestly haven’t been keeping up, so, how did Bradley look and is Edu still getting solid action in Tuekey? Why didn’t he play?

    Reply
      • “he may have gotten an assist today.” um, either he got an assist or he didn’t. how do you know that “fans seemed very pleased?”

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