By FRANCO PANIZO
Jozy Altidore proved to be a handful for centerback Johnny Heitinga in the U.S. men's national team's friendly vs. the Netherlands, and Altidore will look to replicate that performance this weekend, when he'll likely face the Dutch defender again.
Round two of Altidore-Heitinga could take place when Hull City takes on Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, and a positive outing from Altidore could mean a favorable result for the Tigers, who currently sit in the relegation zone with 24 points.
Heitinga won't be the only familiar face Altidore sees, as compatriots Tim Howard and Landon Donovan are expected to play for Everton. If all three Americans earn starts, it could be one of the more intriguing American battles in recent memory.
There could also be another encounter between Americans when Aalborg BK hosts FC Nordsjaelland in the first week of Danish League action since December. Marcus Tracy and Michael Parkhurst may square off if each gets a start, while former Chicago Fire attacker Chris Rolfe will be looking to make his Americans Abroad debut for Aalborg.
Here is a rundown of who Americans Abroad will be playing this weekend:
FRIDAY
David Yeldell and TUS Koblenz play RW Oberhausen.
SATURDAY
Clint Dempsey and Fulham play Tottenham Hotspur in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. (Dempsey is out injured.)
Marcus Hahnemann and Wolverhampton Wanderers play Manchester United.
Jonathan Spector and West Ham United play Stuart Holden and Bolton Wanderers. (Holden is out injured.)
Kenny Cooper and Plymouth Argyle play Preston North End.
Jay DeMerit and Watford play Derby County.
Frank Simek and Sheffield Wednesday play Leicester City.
Jemal Johnson and Stockport County play Charlton Athletic.
Zak Whitbread and Norwich City play Yeovil Town.
Ian Joyce and Southend United play Hartlepool United.
Jon-Paul Pittman and Wycombe Wanderers play Carlisle United.
Mike Grella and Leeds United play Brentford.
DaMarcus Beasley, Maurice Edu and Rangers play St Mirren.
Oguchi Onyewu and AC Milan play AS Roma. (Onyewu is out injured.)
Ricardo Clark and Eintracht Frankfurt play Jermaine Jones and Schalke 04. (Jones is out injured.)
Michael Bradley and Borussia Moenchengladbach play Borussia Dortmund.
Daniel Williams and SC Freiburg play Steve Cherundolo, Sal Zizzo and Hannover 96. (Zizzo is out injured.)
Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern play Matt Taylor and FSV Frankfurt.
Charlie Davies and Sochaux play Toulouse. (Davies is out injured.)
Carlos Bocanegra and Stade Rennes play Monaco.
Freddy Adu, Eddie Johnson and Aris Salonika play Kavala.
Michael Hoyos and Estudiantes La Plata play Lanus.
Jose Francisco Torres and Pachuca play Monterrey.
SUNDAY
Brad Friedel, Brad Guzan and Aston Villa play Reading in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Everton play Jozy Altidore and Hull City.
Dominic Cervi and Celtic play Falkirk.
Benny Feilhaber and AGF Aarhus play FC Copenhagen. (Feilhaber is out injured.)
Herculez Gomez and Puebla play Pumas UNAM.
Marco Vidal and Indios de Ciudad Juarez play Edgar Castillo and Tigres UANL.
MONDAY
Marcus Tracy, Chris Rolfe and Aalborg BK play Michael Parkhurst and FC Nordsjaelland.
—————–
Which Americans Abroad match are you most looking forward to? Which players do you see having a big impact? Do you see Altidore being a handful for Heitinga again? Think Donovan will impress against Hull? Who wins the Parkhurst-Tracy match-up? Expecting Rolfe to make his debut?
Share your thoughts below.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~s/SoccerByIves?i=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soccerbyives.net%2Fsoccer_by_ives%2F2010%2F02%2Famericans-abroad-a-look-ahead-3.html http://feeds.feedburner.com/~s/SoccerByIves?i=http%3A//www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2010/02/americans-abroad-a-look-ahead-3.html&showad=true