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Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Clint_dempsey_2_ap

Attention all U.S. national team fans, if you have seen Clint Dempsey please contact SBI. He has gone missing since returning to Fulham. At least missing on the field.

Dempsey has found a seemingly permanent place on the bench at Fulham, making him one of several key American players to ride the pine last weekend without getting a single minute of action. Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu, Maurice Edu and Bobby Convey all registered DNPs (Did Not Play) despite being in uniform. That isn’t exactly progress but a small consolation is the fact that Mexico saw the quartet of Pavel Pardo, Giovani Dos Santos, Carlos Vela and Carlos Salcido aslo registered DNPs.

It wasn’t a completely wasted weekend for Americans Abroad. Heath Pearce and Michael Orozco both registered their first starts of the season while Michael Bradley made his Bundesliga debut, starting for Borussia Moenchengladbach. We also saw young winger Sal Zizzo get off the bench and earn his first minutes of the season, albeit in a blowout loss for Hannover 96.

Here is how all the Americans Abroad did this weekend:

ENGLAND

PREMIER LEAGUE

  • Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Everton’s 2-2 tie vs. Hull on Sunday. 
  • Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Aston Villa’s 2-1 win vs. West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
  • Brad Guzan dressed but did not play for Aston Villa.
  • C!int Dempsey dressed but did not play in Fulham’s 1-0 loss to Blackburn on Saturday.
  • Jonathan Spector did not dress in West Ham’s 3-1 win vs. Newcastle on Saturday.

COCA COLA CHAMPIONSHIP

  • Marcus Hahnemann started, played 90 minutes and made six saves in Reading’s 2-2 vs. Watford on Saturday.
  • BobbycConvey dressed but did not play for Reading.
  • Jay DeMerit started and played 90 minutes in Watford’s 2-2 tie vs. Reading on Saturday.
  • Frank Simek did not dress in Sheffield Wednesday’s 0-0 tie vs. Ipswich on Saturday. He is still recovering from ankle surgey.
  • Eddie!Johnson came off the bench and played 12 minutes in Cardiff City’s 1-1 tie vs. Derby County on Saturday.

SCOTLAND

  • DaMarcus Beasley started and played 72 minutes in Rangers’ 2-1 win vs. Motherwell on Sunday..
  • Maurice Edu dressed but did not play for Rangers.
  • Mike Videira did not dress in Hamilton’s 1-0 loss to Hibernians on Saturday.

GERMANY

BUNDESLIGA

  • Michael Bradley started and played 65 minutes in BorussiaIMoenchengladbach’s 1-0 loss to Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
  • Brian Arguez did not dress for Hertha Berlin’s
  • Neven Subotic started and played 90 minutes in Borussia Dortmund’s 4-1 loss to TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday. 
  • Sal Zizzo came off the bench and played 40 minutes in Hannover 96’s 4-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.
  • Steve Cherundolo did not dress for Hannover 96. He is sidelined with an abdominal strain.

BUNDESLIGA 2

  • Heath Pearce started and played 90 minutes in Hansa Rostock’s 2-2 tie vs. Ahlen on Friday.
  • Grover Gibson did not dress for Ahlen.
  • David Yelldell started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in TUS Koblenz’s 2-1 win vs. FC Augsburg on Friday.
  • Matt Taylor came off the bench and played two minutes for TUS Koblenz.
  • Gregg Berhalter started, played 90 minutes and drew a yellow card in 1860 Munich’s 1-0 loss to St. Pauli on Friday.
  • Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern play SpVgg Gruether Fuerth on Monday.

SPAIN

  • Jozy Altiore dressed but did not play in Villarreal’s 2-1 win vs. Numancia on Sunday.
  • Giuseppe Rossi did not dress for Villarreal. He missed the match with an ankle injury.

ITALY

SERIE B

  • Danny Szetela started and played 90 minutes in Brescia’s 2-1 win vs. Ascoli on Saturday.

FRANCE

LIGUE 1

  • Carlos Bocanegra started and played 90 minutes in Rennes’ 0-0 tie vs AS Nancy Lorraine on Sunday.
  • Freddy Adu dressed but did not play in Monaco’s 0-0 tie vs. Marseille on Sunday.
  • Andrew Jacobson did not dress for Lorient.

LIGUE 2

  • Quentin Westberg dressed but did not play in Troyes’ 1-0 loss to Lens on Sunday.

BELGIUM

  • Oguchi Onyewu started and played 90 minutes in Standard Liege’s 1-0 win vs. A.F.C. Tubize on Sunday.

DENMARK

  • Danny Califf started and played 90 minutes FC Midtjylland’s 0-0 tie vs. Randers on Sunday.
  • Lee Nguyen came off the bench and played 16 minutes for Randers.
  • Jeremiah White started and played 90 minutes in AGF Aarhus’ 2-1 win vs. Sonderjyske on Sunday.
  • Benny Feilhaber did not play for AGF Aarhus.

NORWAY

FIRST DIVISION

  • Troy Perkins started and played 90 minutes in Valarenga’s 0-0 tie vs. Aalesunds on Sunday.
  • Adin Brown did not play for Aalesunds. He is out for the season with an injury.

SECOND DIVISION

  • Clarence Goodson did not dress in IK Start’s 2-1 loss to Bryne on Saturday.
  • Joe Lapira came off the bench and played 28 minutes in Nybergsund’s 1-1 tie vs. Sandefjord on Sunday.
  • Kyle Veris started, played 90 minutes and drew a yellow card in Hodd’s 4-2 loss to Kongsvinger on Sunday.
  • Jay Needham started, played 90 minutes and drew a yellow card in Alta’s 3-2 loss to Notodden on Sunday.
  • Cam Weaver started and played 90 minutes in Haugesund’s 1-0 win vs. Lov-Ham on Sunday.

SWEDEN

  • Charlie Davies and Hammarby play Elfsborg on Tuesday.

MEXICO

  • Michael Orozco started and played 90 minutes in San Luis’ 1-0 win vs. UNAM Pumas.
  • Jose Francisco Torres and Pachuca did not play last weekend.
  • Daniel Hernandez started and played 90 minutes in Chiapas’ 1-0 loss to Chivas de Guadalajara on Saturday.
  • Jesus Padilla{did not dress for Chivas de Guadalajara.
  • Marco Vidal came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Indios de Ciudad de Juarez’s 4-2 loss to Atlas on Saturday.
  • Sonny Guadamara dressed but did not play in Morelia’s 4-0 win vs. Monterrey on Saturday.
  • Sammy Ochoa and Tecos did not play last weekend.

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If there are players I forgot to list feel free to list them below. Please remember that I’m trying to focus on first divisions and, in some cases, second divisions, so keep that in mind when suggesting players for the list. (And PLEASE stop asking about Giuseppe Rossi’s inclusion. He is an American. This is Americans Abroad, not U.S. national team abroad, so deal with it. I’m not changing it any time soon.)

Share your thoughts on how the Americans Abroad did this past weekend in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. Ives, do you possibly know a good source for info on Serie C1? I can’t seem to find out if Ferrari is getting playing time at Perugia. Their official website is literally a glorified blog.

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  2. I have to say I’m confused by Dempsey’s lack of PT as well. Fulham could surely use another scoring threat. It may be time for him to move on. Sometimes there are players and coaches that just don’t jibe, and that may be what’s going on here.

    Where to? If not another EPL team, maybe the Bundesliga. Anybody’s guess is as good as mine. I don’t really see him in any other leagues that wouldn’t be a step down at this point, and I don’t think he would be very suited for, or good enough for, Serie A.

    On another note, I think the Donovan/Bayern Munich talk is really picking up, with a transfer fee somewhere in the $8-15 million range. I think that would be a move that could make Landon a true world class player, especially under the tutelage of Klinsman.

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  3. Ives, isn’t Lapira on Irish MNT? People like him, Lee Nguyen, Feilhaber should have played in MLS and got minutes instead of riding the bench and Norwegian 2nd and Danish division leagues

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  4. yes, because playing for another national team, one you spent your whole youth idolizing, is exactly the same thing as taking up arms against the US in time of war. Guiseppe Rossi holds a US passport, therefore he is an American.

    but what I REALLY want to know is what the heck John O’Brien is up to these days?

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  5. Jon E, i hear what u saying, but if u ask Clint what position he thinks he’s best at and what position he would prefer and feels most comfortable playing, he will tell u, offensive midfield, right behind the 2 fowards. Realistic, can u see him playing that in the EPL? That’s some big shoes to fill and i dont see him YET being that player that can do that week in,week out. He isn’t good on the wing, maybe he gets away with it on the USMNT, but not in the EPL. Hey, I hope the best for him cuz he’s american, other than that forget it, after talking crap about the MLS before he left. But thats besides the point.

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  6. I suggest Ives include Giuseppe Rossi into the CONCACAF Abroad post as “America.”

    And officially name Americans Abroad to “Americans & US-MNT-ers Abroad.” or something similar.

    Reply
  7. Dempsy is a average player, good in the US, but average abroad. Its thats simple.

    Posted by: Erik Abarca | September 22, 2008 at 12:37 PM

    ——–

    I actually don’t think it’s that simple. Yes, I do think US fans overrate Dempsey, but I also think that he’s in a weird situation a) at Fulham in particular and b) in the EPL in general.

    In some ways, he seems to fit the mid/lower-table EPL style. He’s (usually) a fighter and can score opportunistic goals. He’s big enough. But in other ways he doesn’t fit especially well (not all that fast, for example) and not so dazzlingly technical he can play well as, say, a #10. But I suspect that if he went to another European league (Spain maybe, Holland), managers would have a better sense of what to do (and not do) with him, and he’d get more regular playing time.

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  8. While disappointed with his lack of minutes so far, I think Dempsy is good enough to find a place at Fulham. Over the course of the season players like Murphy will get injured, and others underperform, allowing Clint a chance to win a spot back in the first 11.

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  9. It’s likely Dempsey will see at least some time tomorrow in Fulham’s Carling Cup tie with Burnley. The same goes with Maurice Edu with Rangers facing Partick Thistle in a Scottish League Cup tie on Wednesday.

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  10. @kpugs: it is a shame considering what Fulham DOES need is to score some goals. I think the problem that Hodgson has with him is the same issue regarding his position with the USMNT. He kinda defies description…play him as a right attacking mid, a winger, a striker, in the middle?

    Even if he doesn’t start because he doesn’t exactly fit into their system, it’s silly to think he’s not a valuable tool to use as a sub.

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  11. Too bad Dempsey can’t get a game. I wish I at least knew why. Without him they wouldn’t be in the Premiership this season…in fact, without him they wouldn’t have been in the Premiership LAST season either.

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  12. Joe Lapira, didn’t he get a full national cap with Ireland? I think he came on as a sub in thier game verse Ecuador at Giants Stadium last year. Doesn’t that tie him to Ireland?

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  13. @Stanley Villa: Interesting idea. But I may be wrong here but I seem to remember an awful lot of subs coming in during Euros with teams that have not conceded a goal. Might be faulty memory though. In any case, the busy football press should be carving him a new one for that oversight.

    @Ives: Thanks for the clarification. We’ll see if they get some time. Lane is really the 3rd string keeper so I don’t expect to even see him on the bench unless there is an injury.

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  14. Ok I for one will stop asking about his inclusion but will continiue to state that Benedict Arnold Rossi is no more American than Aldrich Ames, Robert Hansen or Tokyo Rose

    It seems like most of the REAL American Abroad are regressing.

    Reply
  15. Adam, I list it as the Coca Cola Championship because people recognize it by that name. No checks from Coke have arrived at SBI headquarters yet.

    And Mig, I won’t be listing players who are youth level players who aren’t close to playing with the first team. When the likes of Vincenzo Bernardo, Eric Lichaj, Preston Zimmerman or Jeffrey dress for a game then they can work their way onto this list.

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  16. Mig,

    “””Good Ole Roy chose to use….zero subs in the game. Yes, not one pair of fresh legs. Imagine the surprise when Rovers netted in the 84th. I would simply love to know the reasoning behind that piece of coaching brilliance.”””

    Roy used to manage a national side, Finland I think it was. Most national team managers (outside of Concacrap that is) don’t make changes to the side if the team hasn’t conceded a goal. The only thing I can think of is that Roy had a sr. moment and forgot he was managing a club on the day, not a national side.

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  17. It’s certainly surprising that the player I’m most encouraged by is Szetela so far. The Brescia move has clearly been a good one for him.

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  18. Ives:

    I kicked you an email but it probably was lost in the flood. Patrick Lane and Jared Jeffrey are both on the roster for Club Brugge. Should they be included? They haven’t played yet, of course.

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  19. @Tom in Neward: I agree with you that Fulham doesn’t seem to want Dempsey now but I do think his time there has strengthened his game. Defensively, he is a far superior player now which adds just one more benefit to his game.

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  20. Dempsey needs to find a new club. Fulham does not fit his style of play and they don’t want him. He needs to go somewhere that he is appreciated and can get minutes. I doubt that is anywhere in England. He’s clearly good enough to play in a top league; but the ideas of trying to remake him as a target striker or wing midfielder is ridiculous when he can contribute in so many other ways. As long as he stays at Fulham, he won’t reach his full potential as a player.

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  21. PS. Zak Whitbread is having a great start to the League 1 season with Millwall. He is the best defender at that league. If Millwall do not get promoted, he will get picked up by a Championship or EPL team.

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  22. Once the Nats seal the deal to the next round Bradley needs to call up some of these kids and mix ’em up with MLS players for the remaining qualifiers before the next round. It’s time to shake things up a bit and see what our youngsters can do.

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  23. It is very good news re: Szetela. Also good news and not talked about is how Bocanegra has had no problem securing a starting position with his new squad. The captain has arguably been the Nats most consistent performer this year – its good to see its starting to carryover in his club play.

    What’s the deal with Jeremiah White. Does he get regular playing time? I see that he played 90 last weekend. WHat position does he play? He’s one of the potential guys in the player pool that I’m least familiar with.

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  24. According to Brescia’s web page Szetela has played every minute of every game so far. Certainly seems to have made a place for himself in midfield. GO DANNY!

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  25. It wasn’t only Dempsey that didn’t see the field for Fulham. Good Ole Roy chose to use….zero subs in the game. Yes, not one pair of fresh legs. Imagine the surprise when Rovers netted in the 84th. I would simply love to know the reasoning behind that piece of coaching brilliance. And, who scored for Rovers? Derbyshire…yes…a substitute. Sigh.

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  26. With Nihat back it looks like PT for Jozy will be tough to come by.

    All the bench warming makes one wonder who BB will call up. We all know he likes to pick players who are not riding the pine, right? So it looks like EJ is back at the top of the list!

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  27. Fulham needs Dempsey to play if they don’t want to continue losing 0-1. No subs at all by Hodgson… ridiculous. Of course I’m biased to putting Dempsey in, but heck, you’re team can’t get anything going and you still don’t sub anyone?

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  28. “This is Americans Abroad, not U.S. national team abroad, so deal with it.”

    Sounds good to me 🙂

    (And for the people just joining our program already in progress, I was one of the most vociferous critics of including Rossi, based on nat’l team affiliations)

    Reply

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