by GIANFRANCO PANIZO
Freddy Adu has not played club soccer in quite some time, but that could all change this weekend.
Adu and his new club Belenenses take on Academica de Coimbra on Sunday, and a debut for Adu could potentially signal the beginning of the end to the club drought that has plagued him throughout the majority of 2009.
Adu is not the only player hoping to make his debut. AC Milan defender Oguchi Onyewu will be looking to get his first taste of Serie A action when the Rossoneri face Bologna.
Looking for a battle of Americans? Then look no further than the Danish league, where Benny Feilhaber and Jeremiah White lead AGF Aarhus against Dan Califf and FC Midtjylland. Also, in Mexico, U.S. national team prospect Edgar Castillo and Tigres will meet Marcio Vidal and Indios.
Here is a rundown of who the Americans Abroad will be facing this weekend:
FRIDAY
Frank Simek and Sheffield Wednesday play Sheffield United.
Jermaine Jones and Schalke 04 play VfL Wolfsburg (Jones is out injured).
Kamani Hill and Guimaraes play Leixos.
Matt Taylor and FSV Frankfurt play Karlsruhe. (Taylor is out injured)
David Yeldell and TUS Koblenz play FC Union Berlin.
SATURDAY
Jozy Altidore and Hull City play Birmingham.
Brad Friedel, Brad Guzan and Aston Villa play Portsmouth.
Jonathan Spector and West Ham play Liverpool.
Jay DeMerit and Watford play Leicester City.
Ian Joyce and Southend United play Brighton.
Mike Grella and Leeds United play Gillingham.
Zak Whitbread and Millwall play Huddersfield Town.
Jon-Paul Pittman and Wycombe Wanderers play Jemal Johnson and Milton Keynes Dons.
DaMarcus Beasley, Maurice Edu and Rangers play Kilmarnock.
Michael Bradley and Borussia Moenchengladbach play TSG Hoffenheim.
Steve Cherundolo, Sal Zizzo and Hannover 96 play Borussia Dortmund.
Charlie Davies and Sochaux play Valenciennes.
Carlos Bocanegra and Stade Rennes play Grenoble.
Marcus Tracy and Aalborg play Silkeborg IF.
Michael Orozco and San Luis play Cruz Azul.
Edgar Castillo and UANL play Marco Vidal and Indios de Ciudad Juarez.
Jose Francisco Torres and Pachuca play Monterrey.
Mikkel Diskerud and Stabaek play Odd Greenland. (Diskerud is with the U.S. under-20 team)
SUNDAY
Tim Howard and Everton play Blackburn Rovers.
Marcus Hahnemann and Wolverhampton Wanderers play Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson and Fulham.
Oguchi Onyewu and AC Milan play Bologna.
Kenny Cooper and TSV 1860 Munich play Alemania Aachen.
Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern play St. Pauli.
Freddy Adu and Belenenses play Academica de Coimbra.
Michael Parkhurst and FC Nordsjaelland play Esbjerg.
Alejandro Bedoya and Orebro SK play Kalmar FF.
Troy Perkins and Valerenga play Lyn.
MONDAY
Benny Feilhaber, Jeremiah White and AGF Aarhus play Danny Califf and FC Midtjylland.
Clarence Goodson, Hunter Freeman and IK Start play Viking.
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Which Americans Abroad match are you most looking forward to? Which player(s) do you see having a big impact this weekend? Think Adu and Onyewu make their debuts? Still wondering why Dempsey plays better for Fulham than the U.S.?
Share your thoughts below.
hey ives,
what’s your thinking about lee nguyen? he did have a couple of starts for the USMNT last year, i think. He’s having a trial at arsenal these next weeks. Any idea how much his game may have suffered/improved while in vietnam?
GOOOOO Wolverhampton.
Going to see Jozy and Hull City tomorrow. I’ll take pictures and post for all to see when I return.
Great 14-year-old athletes don’t always turn into great adult athletes. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s the way it is.
Posted by: Roger Allaway
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Yeah, but not-so-great 14 year old athletes sometimes used to turn into great adult athletes (late blooomers). Nowadays, that’s a thing of the past with the USYSL “competitive” (darwinist) programs. A shame, really.
It’s too early to write Freddy off. However, it’s fair to say he’s dissappointed, even if you replace the “future Pele” title with reasonable standards. This is his big chance to get back in the U.S. team and if he utilizes it there is definitely hope.
I think that Eddie Johnson is doing great and will prove his worth to Fulham and get 5 minutes of playing time every three games or so… he’ll score 2-3 goals this year for sure and he must be included in the WC roster, because the one area where we are clearly lacking is out of game shape forward,s who have lost the instinct to combine with teammates and cannot finish near the goal… clearly he’ll be in South Africa in 2010… or watching it in TV like the rest of us… could go either way…
Freddy and his representative screwed the pooch when they decided to go to MLS and make him a celebrity instead of going to Inter and letting him develop without so much fanfare.
I am sure he realizes that now (though he is living comfortably because of that decision) and I believe he is genually just trying to build a reputable career a professional without anymore hype.
just so people know… Eddie Johnson scored for Fulham’s reserves last Monday, their only goal to tie Birmingham reserves. See http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2009/September/Birmingham1-1Reserves.aspx
Hopefully Hodgson sees some potential in him and was resting him for upcoming games. Hard to say though.
As for EJ coming back to MLS, that would be unwise. He got little attention at home and probably makes a whole lot more for Fulham.
Freddy’s actually the exact player the Red Bulls need. I’d take him in a ****ing heartbeat.
All you Freddy dismissers are going to be eating your words in future. lol
Who puts a 14-year old in a League dominated by Physical hacking beasts. USSF certainlty does have alot of say in what happens to Freddy….They used him as Marketing plan for MLS and needed a face for ESPN. When you put a 14-year old in a league, he has to produce rather than learn the game similar to a 14-year old spending the next 3-4 years in Barcelona’s Acadmey before making a first team debut. Although i give alot of Credit to Nowak, since he played Freddy on the Wing which allowed him to score some goals of the week as a 15-year old by pinching with the ball and also creating.
(SBI-Harry, seriously, can you PLEASE stop posting nonsense? Please? What the heck did the USSF have to do with Freddy Adu signing with MLS? Nobody made him sign with MLS. He and his agents decided it was the move for him to make, not USSF. He could have gone and signed with Inter or with teams in England, but chose MLS. Stop looking for people to blame for Freddy Adu not living up to expectations. Yes, they were unfair and unrealistic expectations, but your excuse-making isn’t much better.)
I bet the NYRB would take Adu in a heartbeat.
I wish I didn’t know who Reggie Bush and Adrian Peterson are.
“Freddy = Reggie Bush
Jozy = Adrian Peterson
Sometimes talent doesnt translate to success on the next level.”
Point taken but in no way is Jozy even close to AD’s talent level in his respective sport.
Troy Perkins and Valerenga play Lyn and Tyrel Lacey
Ives and Gianfranco, this will be a battle of Yank keepers. Lacey, recently signed by Lyn, has been manning the posts since his arrival. We need to track him. A Revs draftee in ’09 and a former Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Supposedly pretty good, too.
“Integrate slowly” = earn it in training
If a coach believes in you, he throws you out there.
Freddy = Reggie Bush
Jozy = Adrian Peterson
Sometimes talent doesnt translate to success on the next level.
Not sure there is an MLS team that would want Adu right now.
I agree with one of the posts above. Not all 14 year old superstars turn out to be great pros. Not all top players at youth WCs turn into top pros. Not many 5’6” 120lbs top pros.
Yes Freddy has sick skills, but its not nearly enough to overcome his size and mediocre pace at the top level. Being able to do seven stepovers doesnt help if you cant then blow by people. That was apparent in the GC where he was clearly our worst player on the pitch against two minnows.
Its not his fault and its not US Soccer’s. Thats just how it goes.
Adu should be getting some playing time this week. Belenenses is also a playing a Carlsberg Cup game on Wednesday against Rio Ave, that should help his odds.
Adu said on Twitter that the coach wants to integrate him slowly to the team these first few games.
Rossi played 35 minutes yesterday vs Levski.
Adu should have returned to the MLS with Beasley and EJ. Beasley’s career might be done and over, but Adu and EJ have enough time to play a season or two in MLS, get their confidence back (and get some actual PT), and then go back to Europe. They’re not helping anyone by sitting on the bench of these mid- to low-level teams in Europe.
Lol Ives, serious. Adin was in norway wasn’t he? What happened to him?
Ives I thought Kamani was still injured? He didn’t play last week either because of an injury. Is he fit now?
I’m excited for the Pittman vs JJ matchup. Pittman is Wycombe’s top scorer so far this season. He has been doing well. I hope he can terroize the defense with his pace and creativity.
If anyone is to score against Wycombe I’m hoping it will be JJ.
Agree on Advocott’s early drinking. What bar are you at? i assume it’s got a wireless connection. Adu’s a product of the Ghana youth system…since he came here when he was actually 18 and is 26 now. It’s their fault. PLus, i heard that Adu actually born in Hawaii and his Ghanan birth certificate is a fake.
JOE B. in NYC. Great point about Dolo. I’ve never thought of Dolo as a right mid. Makes some sense. He actually reminds (looks and play) me of Dempsey’s FFC mate, Simon Davies.
What about Rossi? No update on him? (ha! j/k)
What’s up with Preston Zimmerman? Is he still in the Austrian league?
Ives, isn’t Diskerud in Egypt with the U20’s? I think they have camp going, prepping for the Germany game in a week.
(SBI-I believe you are correct.)
Did an armadillo bite Freddy’s foot there?
Hopefully Double B will be looking at J. White while he monitors Feilhaber this weekend. Actually, I’d like to see Cherundolo on that right-sided midfielder spot to light a fire under Dempsey. At the present time, I doubt Clint is gonna worry about Holden just yet. What do you think Ives?
Just for kicks, does anyone have a list of Englishmen playing abroad for comparison? Much has been made of the unwillingness / inability of the English to play in Europe but I have never seen a list like this to back up that claim.
It would make for an interesting comparison.
Great 14-year-old athletes don’t always turn into great adult athletes. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s the way it is.
lets go Davies and Jozy!!!
wut wut
2 players that are exciting and are sure to get PT, lets go boyz.
Adu ………………. did not play
Adu ………………. did not dress
It’s here. It’s not going away. Get used to it.
Ives, I know exactly why Dempsey plays better for Fulham: he knows Roy Hodgson will drop him from the XI if he plays the way he does for the USMNT. Regardless of how poorly Dempsey plays for the USMNT, he knows Bob Bradley doesn’t have the balls to drop him.
Well I’m most looking forward to Jozy and Hull City. Although he looks unlikely for a starting role, which will most likely be handed to Venegoor of Hesselink.
And I like Freddy Adu, but I’m just rooting for him to get some regular play at this point. That would be a start.
EJ hasn’t been sent on loan yet so I am sure he will get some PT. Kamara isn’t leaving on loan either so I guess EJ is still #5 on the depth chart.
Can you Freddy lovers do us all a favor….if he does get some time on the field this weekend…can you please not start calling for him to be included in the USMNT games coming up? He needs to do more than play a few games before he deserves a call up. He actually needs to produce good performances and nail down a starting role. Score and create goals for his team. Call me crazy, but he has to earn his way into the squad. And BTW – whose minutes would you suggest he take anyway…Holdens?…Benny?
EJ isn’t on the Europa roster for Fulham, so don’t be too disappointed he didn’t play.
I may have had too many bloody-marys this morning as well, but I put more faith in Eddie coming good than Adu at this point. Eddie’s learned that you gotta bust your a$$ all the freakin’ time – Adu’s not there yet in my book. But again, the bloody marys…
If by “grown-ass man” you’re referring to Eddie Johnson, I sure hope you’re right that he’ll get playing time. The fact that he didn’t even make the bench for the game last night was not a good sign in my book. When I read before the match that they would be resting key starters, I thought for sure this was a chance for EJ to possibly start and shine…no dice.
I hope Adu get’s playing time. The US needs an x-factor player. That player could be Adu.
Wait, wait a minute!!! Does Adu have six fingers on his right hand?
Don’t feed the troll.
I would be surprised to see Adu play this weekend.
Also, I predict the “grown-ass man” will make the 2010 WC roster for the USMNT. He’s moving up in the Fulham pecking order and will be on the bench against Wolves, and rumor has it, starting in the Carling Cup vs. Man City next week.
Oh, and I really think Adu is going to get serious playing time. Why would Belenenses pay Benfica’s player if they didn’t intend to play him? He’s going to have to do something for them to offset the fact that they’re freeing up more money for Benfica to use against them.
So, assuming they think he’s fit enough, I would expect Belenenses to play Adu this weekend.
just because freddy’s team is playing, doesnt mean he’s going to play….
advocat, its too early in the day to be drinking that much.
Dempsey plays better for Fulham, allegedly, because he’s utilized properly by Roy Hodgson and doesn’t have two DMs sitting behind him all of the time and a backline pumping balls over his head.
It seems like Adu was developing fine until he went to Benfica, and you can hardly blame the USSF for that. I still think Adu can be an asset to the national team if he gets enough playing time at the club level.
What happened to Aden Brown? Is he abroad?
(SBI-No, he’s a MAN Babyyy. LOL. Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
Adu? a US soccer player development disgrace. and he wasnt even born her but in Ghana,Africa. and barely lived in the US. And now he couldnt make it to a USl team. There is now way he could make the roster legitimately to a USL team. None. I blame the USSF for this.