Not all of Europe’s leagues are back from winter break but it was still a busy weekend for Americans abroad.
A total of eight Americans saw action in the FA Cup this weekend. Unfortunately for that group, only Watford’s Jay DeMerit experienced victory. A whopping six played in matches that ended in draws, meaning their FA Cup hopes are still alive.
Here is how American players did in Europe this weekend:
ENGLAND
Clint Dempsey started and played 90 minutes in Fulham’s 2-2 tie with Bristol Rovers in FA Cup action on Sunday. Dempsey had a goal disallowed due to a foul call on teammate Dejan Stefanovic.
Carlos Bocanegra started and played 90 minutes for Fulham.
Bobby Convey (pictured above) started, played 90 minutes and drew a yellow card in Reading’s 2-2 FA Cup draw against Tottenham on Saturday.
Marcus Hahnemann did not dress for Reading, as one of several starters left out of the FA Cup match by Reading manager Steve Coppell.
Eddie Lewis started and played 90 minutes in Derby County’s 2-2 tie against Sheffield Wednesday in FA Cup action on Sunday.
Benny Feilhaber dressed but did not play for Derby County.
Frank Simek missed the match for Sheffield Wednesday with an ankle injury.
Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made one save in Blackburn’s 4-1 FA Cup loss to Coventry on Saturday.
Jonathan Spector came on as a half-time substitute and played 45 minutes in West Ham’s scoreless tie with Manchester City in FA Cup action on Saturday.
Jay DeMerit started and played 90 minutes in Watford’s 2-0 FA Cup win against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Zak Whitbread started and played 90 minutes in Milwall’s 0-0 tie with Walsall in FA Cup play on Saturday.
SPAIN
Giuseppe Rossi started and played 90 minutes in Villarreal’s 3-0 loss to Espanyol on Saturday.
Danny Szetela did not dress in Racing de Santander’s 1-0 win against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
PORTUGAL
Freddy Adu dressed but did not play in Benfica’s 1-1 tie with Vitoria Setubal on Saturday.
SCOTLAND
Andy Dorman dressed but did not play in St. Mirren’s 2-1 win against Hibernian on Saturday. Yes, I know, Dorman is technically Welsh (or English if you ask the English FA) but I figured some of you might be curious about how he’s doing.
That’s all for now. Share your thoughts on these performances below.
Spector had a great half against, probably, the best attacking left midfielder in the Epl right now. Petrov repeatedly burned Neill and Spector did well to keep him somewhat in check. I have seen quite a few games where Spector has played in the center of defence or center of midfield and he has done well, a big improvement over last season, he seems confident and is taking the opportunities given to him. IMO
agreed, thanks for including dorman….i’m curious to see how he does, and wouldn’t mind other former MLSers being included in the future who aren’t American.
Ives, what do you think of Szetela’s situation with Santander? Is he playing for the reserves?
thanks for including dorman ives
Has anybody seen the interview with Giuseppi Rossi on Futbol Mundial? I saw it this weekend. For a guy born and raised in New Jersey, his grasp of English did not seem that great. He seemed to be fumbling for words at times, which surprised me. Did he speak Italian growing up? FYI, I’m not saying this to slam him; I’m just curious about his upbringing since he seems soooooooo intent on playing for Italy.
Ives, I’m not American, but this is one of my favourite features & I’m especially interested in Rossi. I’d love you to expand this to include more than just Americans abroad. You’ve got a (growing)global audience. How about some love for Canadians abroad & maybe a few other notable CONCACAFians.
keep up the great work
Perhaps we can call this segment, “Persons of interest who have some connection to the United States, whether they be a naturalized citizen, or born here and have moved away at some point during there life, and that plays soccer for a non U.S. Club team, and may or may not be involved in the U.S. National team pool.”
Whaddya think?
There were a lot of rumors too that Andy would be getting a green card . . . never heard word if it actually happened though. I imagine he’d have a better chance of playing for Wales than the US but you never know . . .
Damn! Too many people waking up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
Keep on keepin’ on Ives. Love the site.
Thanks for the updates. Looking forward to hearing about the latest transfer news/rumours.
Hey Adu how r U, did I say that it was the only definition for what constitutes an American soccer player? Nope, so save the rhetoric. Adu lived in this country and now has his U.S. citizenship so he is an American, as is Rossi.
I get that people hate Rossi for not choosing to play for the U.S. national team, but that doesn’t mean everybody has to hold that same contempt for him. There are plenty of Americans who grew up with Rossi and knew Rossi and played with and against Rossi who appreciate the fact that he developed his game in this country. That is something that should be embraced and not ignored because he chose to play for Italy.
Hey Ives, by that definition Freddy Adu is not american as he was born and spent nearly the same amount of time in Ghana, Can’t have it both ways.
DJC, just because you don’t consider Rossi an American doesn’t mean he isn’t one. A person’s willingness to play for their national team has never served as the formal definition for someone’s nationality.
Rossi wasn’t just born here. He spent the first 14 years of his life here.
DJC, maybe he should rename it to “People who at one point in their lives lived in America who now play soccer in other parts of the world.” ? Would that satisfy your needs? Hope so.
Rossi IS an American.. even if he decides not to play for the r,w, & b.
Rossi is not an American either. If this is going to be a regular feature, consider renaming it “Players Born in America who Currently Play in Europe,” or else keep Rossi out of it. Otherwise the title is simply not accurate.
Ives,
Thanks for including Dorman in the Americans Abroad update. Even though I despise the Revs with a passion, Dorman is one of their now former players that I have a lot of respect for. I truly enjoy watching him play, I think he’s very talented and hope he does well in Scotland. He’s proof that the college system in America, while flawed, can still produce quality players.
Correction. Fulham had to come back to tie the game. Even WORSE!
How pathetic is it that Fulham had to come back to beat a lowly league one side in Bristol Rovers. They will be relegated for sure. I just hope Demspey can escape this sinking ship.
Shouldn’t the CAPTCHA prevent multiple postings when you refresh the page?
Why would you tell Ives and everyone else that Andy Dorman is not American when he clearly stated Andy Dorman is either Welsh of English?
Andy Dorman is not an American.
Most people are saying that Spector did a better job than Lucas Neill on Petrov (and that was the real reason Neill came off, not a “tight hamstring”).
Friedel was probably just one of 11 uninspired players for Blackburn. Playing down to competetion is all to easy in sports, but they got romped by a team led by a 5’5″ guy nick named Mosquito. Not one to remember
My bad Nic, Convey only drew a yellow.
Ives,
What have you heard about EJ to Benfica? This article has several quotes from Richard Motzkin confirming that it is a strong option. Would you see EJ preferring to play in the EPL over Portugal? I think Benfica would be fantastic for him…
http://www.record.pt/noticia.asp?id=770082&idCanal=11
I think Convey only drew a yellow, unless he was sent off after the conclusion of the match (which, of course, is rare but possible). He did, however, help Huddlestone get sent off.
I wonder who started in front of Friedel. Ouch.