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Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan celebrates the goal by Fabian Delph, 1-0

Photo by Joe Toth/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Brad Guzan and Aston Villa entered their Saturday showdown with Chelsea as heavy underdogs.

They left elated and as late winners.

The Villans handed Chelsea the first league loss in their last 15 matches by picking up a 1-0 victory at Villa Park that served as a pleasant surprise to the home supporters. Fabian Delph provided the winner for Aston Villa in the 82nd minute, but the performances from Guzan (who had two saves) and the defense were equally as important in picking up the shocking shutout win.

Down a rung in the Championship, there was a showcase of American defenders in Sheffield Wednesday’s 4-1 triumph vs. Birmingham City. Oguchi Onyewu started and went the distance for the triumphant Owls while Spector and Packwood had shifts they would like to forget. Spector played the entire 90 minutes for Birmingham but received a yellow card, and Packwood also played the full match but scored an own goal.

Fabian Johnson was another player who did not enjoy his finest outing on Saturday. Johnson started at right back for Hoffenheim against Mainz and assisted on a fine goal, but he was also at fault for conceding one in what was an eventual frustrating 4-2 loss for Hoffenheim.

Here is how the Americans Abroad performed this weekend:

ENGLAND

Premiership

  • Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Everton’s 2-1 win vs. Cardiff City on Saturday.
  • Jozy Altidore came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Sunderland’s 0-0 draw vs. Crystal Palace on Saturday.
  • Geoff Cameron started and played 90 minutes in Stoke City’s 3-1 win vs. West Ham United on Saturday.
  • Brek Shea did not dress for Stoke City.
  • Brad Guzan started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Aston Villa’s 1-0 win vs. Chelsea on Saturday.
  • Brad Friedel dressed but did not play in Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 loss vs. Arsenal on Sunday.
  • Cody Cropper did not dress in Southampton’s 4-2 win vs. Norwich City on Saturday.
  • Sebastian Lletget did not dress in West Ham United’s 3-1 loss vs. Stoke City on Saturday.

CHAMPIONSHIP

  • Oguchi Onyewu started and played 90 minutes in Sheffield Wednesday’s 4-1 win vs. Birmingham City on Saturday.
  • Danny Williams did not dress in Reading’s 0-0 draw vs. Derby County on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
  • Duane Holmes started and played 29 minutes in Yeovil Town’s 3-0 loss vs. Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
  • Will Packwood started, played 90 minutes and scored an own goal in Birmingham City’s 4-1 loss vs. Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
  • Jonathan Spector started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card for Birmingham City.
  • Tim Ream started and played 90 minutes in Bolton Wanderers’ 2-0 loss vs. Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
  • Stuart Holden did not dress for Bolton. He is recovering from a knee injury.
  • Eric Lichaj did not dress in Nottingham Forest’s 0-0 draw vs. Doncaster Rovers on Saturday. He is recovering from a groin injury.
  • Zak Whitbread dressed but did not play in Derby County’s 0-0 draw vs. Reading on Saturday.
  • Gboly Ariyibi did not dress in Leeds United’s 2-1 loss vs. Burnley on Saturday.

GERMANY

Bundesliga

  • Fabian Johnson started, played 90 minutes and had an ASSIST in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s 4-2 loss vs. Mainz 05 on Saturday.

https://dailymotion.com/video/x1h83m3


  • John Brooks dressed but did not play in Hertha Berlin’s 3-0 loss vs. Hannover 96 on Saturday.
  • Timmy Chandler did not dress in FC Nurberg’s 2-1 loss vs. Hamburg SV on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
  • Steve Cherundolo did not dress in Hannover 96’s 3-0 win vs. Hertha Berlin on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
  • David Yelldell dressed but did not play in Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-1 loss vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday.

Bundesliga 2

  • Alfredo Morales started and played 90 minutes in FC Ingolstadt 04’s 1-0 loss vs. FSV Frankfurt on Friday.
  • Bobby Wood dressed but did not play in TSV 1860 Munich’s 2-2 draw vs. FC Erzgebirge Aue on Saturday.
  • Andrew Wooten started and played 90 minutes before being substituted in FSV Frankfurt’s 1-0 win vs. FC Ingolstadt 04 on Friday.

FRANCE

  • Alejandro Bedoya dressed but did not play in FC Nantes’ 0-0 draw vs. Lille on Saturday.

NETHERLANDS

  • Aron Johannsson started and played 60 minutes in AZ Alkmaar’s 2-1 loss vs. Twente Enschede on Sunday.
  • Juan Agudelo started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in FC Utrecht’s 2-2 draw vs. NEC Nijmegen on Sunday.

TURKEY

  • Jermaine Jones dressed but did not play in Besiktas’ 2-2 draw vs. Rizespor on Saturday.

BELGIUM

  • Sacha Kljestan started and played 90 minutes in RSC Anderlecht’s 4-0 win vs. KV Oostende on Sunday.

DENMARK

  • Conor O’Brien did not dress in Odense BK’s 1-1 draw vs. Viborg FF on Sunday.
  • Babajide Ogunbiyi dressed but did not play in Viborg FF’s 1-1 draw vs. Odense BK on Sunday.

AUSTRIA

  • Terrence Boyd started and played 90 minutes in Rapid Vienna’s 1-0 win vs. SV Josko Ried on Saturday.

MEXICO

  • DaMarcus Beasley started and played 90 minutes in Puebla’s 1-0 loss vs. Tigres UANL on Sunday.
  • Michael Orozco started and played 90 minutes for Puebla.
  • Jose Torres started and played 90 minutes in Tigres UANL’s 1-0 win vs. Puebla on Sunday.
  • Jonathan Bornstein dressed but did not play in Atlante’s 5-0 loss vs. Pumas UNAM on Sunday.
  • Edgar Castillo started and played 90 minutes in Club Tijuana’s 2-1 loss vs. Cruz Azul on Saturday.
  • Paul Arriola started and played 90 minutes for Club Tijuana.
  • Alejandro Guido started and played 90 minutes for Club Tijuana.
  • Herculez Gomez started and played 64 minutes for Club Tijuana.
  • Fernando Arce Jr came off the bench and played nine minutes for Club Tijuana.
  • Joe Corona did not dress for Club Tijuana.
  • Greg Garza did not dress for Club Tijuana.
  • Joaquin Alonso Hernandez did not dress in Monterrey’s 1-0 loss vs. Morelia on Saturday.
  • Gabriel Farfan started and played 68 minutes in Jaguares de Chiapas’ 2-2 draw vs. Club America on Saturday.

—–

What do you think of these performances? How impressed are you by Guzan and the Villans’ win over Chelsea? Think Johnson should be looked at as a possible solution to the right back dilemma on the U.S. Men’s National Team?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Ives, do you see Jose Torres fitting into any of Klinsmann’s rosters in the next two months? Or, is he buried behind Beckerman, Danny Williams, Kjlestan, and Joe Corona.

    Reply
  2. Guido assisted on Arriola’s goal while Arriola i believe had an assist on Ruiz’s goal. really strong performance from both.

    Reply
  3. Jones is good enough that he will determine with his play what JK will do with regards to his presumed starting spot in Brazil. Right now, it is up to Jones to perform, something he is capable of doing, but the future is uncertain, so we’ll see.

    Reply
    • When Jones is in form and playing well he is without a doubt the best defensive mid by far in the USMNT player pool and that is including mikey-cakes. But I agree, Jones not able to get playing time in Turkey followed by the troubles he was having a Schalke are worrisome and he is in danger of losing his guaranteed starting slot, and that would be a massive blow to the USMNT’s chances of success in Brazil. Any true fan of the USMNT should be hoping like heck that JJ-0-yy can start getting playing time in Turkey and find his best form because when he is in beast mode the chances of the USMNT winning are much higher, especially against top teams like Portugal and Germany. We need an in form Jermaine Jones.

      Reply
      • 100% agreed. I’d say his presence is most important in game 1 vs Ghana, big strong fast yet not as disciplined as the other two opponents… he’s gotta show well as those three points are mandatory

      • I agree, tracking those runs out of the midfield from players like KPB (who Jones played with at Schalke) is so important for us to have success.

  4. We know Klinsi loves Mr. Jones. However, given Mr. Jones’ lack of consistent playing time…along with Klinsi’s affinity for Beckerman, i would not be surprised to see the dreadlocked one actually starting next to Junior. Not saying i’m for or against it. Just saying that it’s beginning to look that way.

    WC still a ways off though.

    Reply
  5. No goals for Dozy Antiscore again. At least he’s getting minutes again.
    If you struggle for playing time in the worst BPL team maybe it’s time to come home. He’ll be back in MLS by the end of the year.

    Reply
    • We have a winner!!!!! IT took approximately 45 minutes for someone to bash and prognosticate about his career.

      And I thought the day would be just like all the rest…

      Reply
  6. This website completely sucks now. I used to go here all the time for Ives’ soccer news when he had the old site up via the NJ Herald, and I find myself never coming back here anymore. Such a shame, ESPNFC being my only resort now.

    Reply
    • I, for one, am sick and tired of the lack of articles about Jozy scoring goals. If I don’t get an article about Jozy scoring a game winner soon, I will NEVER go to this site again! Last year, this site had them in bundles, but sigh, it’s just not the same

      Reply
  7. I do find it annoying when someone points out a flaw in the article, you all then go and change the article and delete the comments. Cmon…

    Reply
    • i agree. i’ve never understood this site’s reluctance to use the ‘strikethrough and EDIT’ option that tons of other sites do; it’s not really that hard.

      at worst, it can smack of dishonesty–like covering up a mistake–and at best, it gets confusing in the comments.

      Reply
  8. It seems like Bedoya’s minutes have been declining and today no playing time at all. And I wonder why Corona didn’t play. A couple of disturbing developments for me. Our Mexican contingent seems like the most promising right now. According to an LA Times article today, there are now 20 Americans in League MX. I wonder what other country outside of Mexico has more.

    Reply
    • That country would be the USA. Exactly how do you define “most promising right now”? We do have a mixed contingent of capped USA players who have reached their ceiling, along with a decent but not spectacular group of potential prospects plying their trade down there. And they have options.

      I just don’t get your point. Corona is a promising player but if he can’t earn his way into the starting group at a mid-table Mexican team why do we care? Are you suggesting some sort of bias? If they aren’t playing, they should earn a spot or else move. Liga MX is just another league that will be clearly less attractive than MLS in 5-10 years if it isn’t already. As long as they continue harboring Bornstein, I suppose they serve a purpose.

      Reply
    • I heard he and Julian Green were working on an interplanetary jetpack. My drinking buddies in Munich say it’s awesome so yeah of course.

      Reply
      • saw something right after I posted this on mlssoccer.com. not just his first 90, but first start in league play since they were resting of few starters for second leg of the LA tie. big guido fan here, though.

  9. Don’t kill me over this, but I didn’t know the USMNT is playing Mexico on April 2nd.

    How did I miss that?

    BTW, the MLS is looking GOOD! I am impressed with the level of play.

    Reply
  10. No one really making a push for that last striker spot on the roster at the moment. I don’t think Herc has a goal for TJ yet, Agudelo has just one in 7 appearances now, Boyd had one a couple weeks ago I guess but the door still seems open for someone to step up.

    Reply
    • I am a big fan of Herc Gomez, but he has not been able to recapture his form after his injuries and I don’t see him going to Brazil or even getting a call-up in April against Mexico. And no way is Agudelo going to Brazil. Jozy and Johansson are going, with Eddie Johnson, Boyd and Wondow all in the running. I think Wondow will end up with a ticket. Chris-thebassplayer had a comment a few days ago saying how well Wondow and Landy-Cakes work together, and that will tip the balance toward Klinsmann choosing Wondow. It was a convincing argument.

      Reply
  11. Also a perfomance of note was Tim Howard’s color commentary for the Liverpool v United fixture. Of course I’m biased but I thought he was steller.

    Reply
    • After listening to Timmy, well Twellman,and Lalas look and sound like first year interns next to to him. He’s made a very good start to his post playing career.

      Reply
      • For real, Twellman comes off as the overly-excited A/V student in high school. The guy thinks he’s insightful but is a headache to listen to and honestly adds nothing to the match. Maybe a little harsh, but I can’t stand him.

        I don’t mind Lalas, he’s just a little too arrogant and so assured that his opinion is always right.

      • One reason Timmy was so good, besides the fact that he is well spoken and an appealing character, is because he is a current player in the EPL .

        That gives him the kind of credibility, especially tactically, that guys who have been out of the game for a while and never hit the heights Timmy has simply do not have.

      • Alexi reminds me of Bill Walton, and not because of the color of his hair. He feels a need to inject controversy over his role to analyze… There also seems to be some spite and jealousy that rears its ugly head often, and I don’t say that because he didn’t pick us to go through the qualifying round, he’s been like that the last few years. TT is just a toolbox
        Timmy outshines them both

      • Oh thank goodness I’m not alone on Lalas! I really loved him as a player and he’s not bad on the mic, but he’s just so flippin arrogant it’s kinda getting to me.

        I don’t quite have the hate for TT, I just pretty much ignore him since the only thing I get from him is a lightning bolt of jealousy every time he analyzes a young striker.

  12. Hey now don’t forget Tim Howard’s follow up performance on Sunday. He did a pretty good job as a commentator as well.

    Reply
    • you should test your critical reading skills, it lists Shea as not dressing for Stoke City (although it lists him as well as not dressing for Barnsley). nonetheless, if you went to the trouble of commenting, at least double check the article.

      Reply
  13. Gooch with 90 mins for Sheffield. Sure it’s a mid-table club in the Championship, but show some RESPECT.

    Our 2 best centerbacks play in MLS. Gooch is arguably a 4th option for CB. 5th if you include Cameron. Heck 6th if u include Ream, but I doubt it. but still show some love for the big guy

    Reply

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