by FRANCO PANIZO
DaMarcus Beasley has been one of the most criticized players on the U.S. national team this year due to his lack of sharpness and sporadic minutes at the club level, but the Rangers midfielder took a positive step towards resurrecting a career that appeared to be in shambles.
Beasley followed up his midweek Champions League start with another in Rangers' league game against St Johnstone, and he did not take long to make his presence felt. It took less than 30 seconds for Beasley to dish out an assist, setting the tone for Rangers' 3-0 victory. Beasley, who had two shots on goal, also helped set up the final goal of the game with a right-footed pass that looked similar to his assist against Ghana in the 2006 World Cup.
Beasley's performance was just one of a handful of stellar outings this weekend. Jay DeMerit earned his first start for Watford since returning from an eye injury, and a trio of American goalkeepers managed favorable results against top competition.
Here is how the Americans Abroad performed this weekend:
England
PREMIERSHIP
- Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Everton's 3-3 draw vs. Chelsea on Saturday.
- Jozy Altidore came off the bench, played 24 minutes and received a yellow card in Hull City's 0-0 draw vs. Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
- Clint Dempsey started and played 90 minutes in Fulham's 1-1 draw vs. Burnley on Saturday.
- Eddie Johnson did not dress in Fulham's 1-1 draw vs. Burnley on Saturday.
- Jonathan Spector dressed but did not play in West Ham's 1-0 loss vs. Birmingham on Saturday.
- Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Aston Villa's 1-0 win vs. Manchester United on Saturday.
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Brad Guzan dressed but did not play in Aston Villa's 1-0 win vs. Manchester United on Saturday.
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Marcus Hahnemann started, played 90 minutes, made seven saves and received a yellow card in Wolverhampton Wanderers' 1-0 win vs. Tottenham on Saturday.
COCA COLA CHAMPIONSHIP
- Jay DeMerit started and played 90 minutes in Watford's 1-0 loss vs. Derby County on Saturday.
- Frank Simek did not dress in Sheffield Wednesday's 3-0 loss vs. Leicester City on Saturday.
LEAGUE ONE
- Zak Whitbread did not dress in Millwall's 3-2 win vs. Hartlepool United on Saturday.
- Ian Joyce dressed but did not play in Southend United's 1-0 loss vs. Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
- Mike Grella dressed but did not play in Leeds United's 0-0 draw vs. Brentford on Saturday.
- Jemal Johnson did not dress in Milton Keynes Dons' 2-1 win vs. Leyton Orient on Saturday.
- Jon-Paul Pittman came off the bench and played 10 minutes in Wycombe Wanderers' 1-0 loss vs. Carlisle United on Saturday.
Scotland
- Maurice Edu did not dress in Rangers' 3-0 win vs. St Johnstone on Saturday.
- DaMarcus Beasley started, played 73 minutes, assisted on a goal and helped set up another in Rangers' 3-0 win vs. St Johnstone on Saturday.
- Dominic Cervi did not dress in Celtic's 3-2 win vs. Motherwell on Saturday.
Italy
- Oguchi Onyewu did not dress in AC Milan's 2-0 loss vs. Palermo on Sunday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
Germany
BUNDESLIGA
- Michael Bradley started, played 90 minutes, and scored a GOAL in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 5-3 win vs. Hannover 96 on Saturday.
- Steve Cherundolo started and played 69 minutes in Hannover 96's 5-3 loss vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
- Sal Zizzo did not dress in Hannover 96's 5-3 loss vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Jermaine Jones did not dress in Schalke 04's 2-0 win vs. Werder Bremen on Saturday.
BUNDESLIGA 2
- Kenny Cooper did not dress in TSV 1860 Munich's 1-0 win vs. FC Augsburg on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Luis Robles dressed but did not play in Kaiserslautern's 3-0 win vs. TUS Koblenz on Friday.
- Matt Taylor dressed but did not play in FSV Frankfurt's 0-0 draw vs. Ahlen on Saturday.
- David Yeldell started, played 59 minutes and made four saves in TUS Koblenz's 3-0 loss vs. Kaiserslautern on Saturday.
France
- Carlos Bocanegra did not dress in Stade Rennes' 2-1 win vs. AS Nancy Lorraine on Saturday.
Portugal
- Freddy Adu and Belenenses play Vitoria de Guimaraes on Monday.
- Kamani Hill and Vitoria de Guimaraes play Belenenses on Monday.
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What do you think of these performances? Think Beasley is slowly playing himself back into the national team mix? Should he still leave Rangers in the transfer window? Happy to see DeMerit go the distance so quickly?
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