By FRANCO PANIZO
Jay DeMerit and Watford have won just once in their last eight games, leaving the club in serious danger of being relegated, but the Hornets will hope to change that in their crucial game against Middlesbrough.
Watford is currently just three points above the Championship's drop zone, and could sorely use a win at home over Middlesbrough to boost its chances of avoiding relegation. In order for that to happen DeMerit will likely need to help glue together a defense that has had the recent tendency of falling apart and surrendering second half goals.
Jonathan Spector will also be fighting relegation this weekend, as West Ham United sits just three points above the drop zone in the Premier League. Spector and the Hammers will look to end a five-game losing streak against Stoke City in order to prevent from dropping further down the table, and to alleviate some of the pressure currently on under-fire manager Gianfranco Zola.
Relegation battles aren't the only intriguing matches on tap, either. Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley will be aiming to build off their midweek 90-minute performances when Rangers locks horns with Heart of Midlothian, while Eric Lichaj could make a quick Leyton Orient debut just one day after being loaned out by Aston Villa.
Here is a rundown of who Americans Abroad will be playing this weekend:
FRIDAY
Ricardo Clark and Eintracht Frankfurt play VfL Bochum.
Matt Taylor and FSV Frankfurt play FC Union Berlin.
David Yeldell and TUS Koblenz play MSV Duisburg.
Michael Hoyos and Estudiantes La Plata play Godoy Cruz de Mendoza.
SATURDAY
Jonathan Spector and West Ham United play Stoke City.
Brad Friedel, Brad Guzan and Aston Villa play Chelsea.
Marcus Hahnemann and Wolverhampton Wanderers play Tim Howard and Everton.
Jozy Altidore and Hull City play Clint Dempsey and Fulham.
Stuart Holden and Bolton Wanderers play Manchester United. (Holden is out injured.)
Kenny Cooper and Plymouth Argyle play Blackpool.
Frank Simek and Sheffield Wednesday play Coventry City.
Jay DeMerit and Watford play Middlesbrough.
Eric Lichaj and Leyton Orient play Brentford. Lichaj joined the club from Aston Villa on a one-month loan on Thursday.
Jon-Paul Pittman and Wycombe Wanderers play Colchester United.
Jemal Johnson and Stockport County play Millwall.
Zak Whitbread and Norwich City play Mike Grella and Leeds United.
DaMarcus Beasley, Maurice Edu and Rangers play Heart of Midlothian.
Dominic Cervi and Celtic play Kilmarnock.
Jared Jeffrey and Mainz 05 play VfL Wolfsburg.
Steve Cherundolo, Sal Zizzo and Hannover 96 play FC Cologne. (Zizzo is out injured.)
Jermaine Jones and Schalke 04 play Bayer Leverkusen. (Jones is out injured.)
Gale Agbossoumonde and Sporting Braga play Benfica.
Michael Parkhurst and FC Nordsjaelland play
Marcus Tracy, Chris Rolfe and Aalborg BK.
(Tracy is out injured.)
Clarence Goodson, Hunter Freeman and IK Start play Molde.
Jose Francisco Torres and Pachuca play Morelia.
Marco Vidal and Indios de Ciudad Juarez play Atlante.
Edgar Castillo and Tigres UANL play Toluca.
SUNDAY
Oguchi Onyewu and AC Milan play Lazio.
Daniel Williams and SC Freiburg play TSG Hoffenheim.
Michael Bradley and Borussia Moenchengladbach play Hamburg SV. Bradley is suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Carlos Bocanegra and Stade Rennes play Le Mans.
Freddy Adu, Eddie Johnson and Aris Salonika play Levadiakos.
Benny Feilhaber and AGF Aarhus play FC Copenhagen. (Feilhaber is out injured.)
Mikkel Diskerud and Stabaek play Aalesunds.
Herculez Gomez and Puebla play America.
MONDAY
Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern play TSV 1860 Munich.
Alejandro Bedoya and Orebro SK play Mjallby.
—————–
Which Americans Abroad match are you most looking forward to? Which players do you see having a big impact? Do you see DeMerit and Watford pulling out the win? Are Spector and West Ham doomed for relegation? Think Beasley and Edu will play 90 minutes again? How do you see Lichaj doing?
Share your thoughts below.
They may not have that option. One simple reason is money.
Adu,for example, signed a very lucrative deal with Benfica and I suspect coming back to Philly would be a drastic paycut.
Besides, I’m sure Adu believes he will eventually be a regular for Aris or some other European team.
Also the MLS teams have to want these returning players. If I’m Philly, I’d rather spend the time, money and effort on Roger Torres, who is 18, looks good and would probably be cheaper. He seems to carry a lot less baggage and drama around with him.
Adu is so much yesterday’s news.
M. Bradley + soccer mask= phantom of the opera.
Danny Callff w/ sideburns= Count Dracula
just thought i’d say it.
Hope coop can get some time. I think a fit Cooper can contribute more in a big game than Ching. He’s just as big, has a bit of pace, and a good shot on him.
I submit Das Bundesliga could also be whispered if it were done by drawing out the syllables and in a sinister German accent, e.g., “daaas buuundessssliiiigaaaa.” Try it a couple of times. I think it works. Okay, so the people in my cubicle are beginning to stare . . .
Michael Bradley is not only suspended but he broke his nose and will have to wear a mask next time he plays. Scary
5 bucks says Rico’s butt doesn’t get off the pine
Rico has been predicted to start the past 3 games or so, and he hasn’t. He hasn’t even gotten on the field yet!
Rico on the bench, as per Soccernet.
I actually want West Ham to drop. Now hear me out. West Ham drops, Milwall will most likely promote. Boom, two instant must see classics next season in the Colaship.
I’m sure the Milwall fans are pulling hard for the Hammers to drop
As for Adu,I’m shocked at how much he’s deteriorated. Watching him at Aris (when he’s played), despite his 2 goals and 1 assist, he looks extremely ‘heavy-legged’. Adu’s never been a burner, but he’s always had a very quick first couple of steps. For Aris, I simply haven’t seen that quickness at all. His feet are heavy and he really can’t beat anyone off of the dribble.
A number of EPL sides showed interest in Demerit during and shortly after Watford’s season in the Premiership, but he chose to stay with Watford and remain loyal to the side that originally took a chance on him. After that train-wreck of a season, Jay was hailed as one of the Hornets that really battled against the odds for the entire season.
I agree, Demerit’s first touch is not very good and he is not the best at distributing the ball from the back, but he plays all-out every match. After the WC, he can risk some instability and possibly give up some playing time to challenge himself at a higher level. As a matter of fact, the relegation of Watford might be the best thing for Demerit as the ownership would certainly not expect him to stay with the team in League One.
LOL
I don’t think teams would risk it. He’s getting old and has only been up there once, and went straight back down. He’s a good player, but I just don’t think so. Maybe a team that gets promoted might pick him up, but not an already established prem side.
Perhaps it’s ambition, league system/parameters or inflated sense of skill.
I think it varies from case to case but the situation can be frustrating.
While I’d love to see it too, Brooklyn, I hated seeing Chris Rolfe leave Chicago but I understand why.
Ah well, progression (albeit slow at times), right?
Yes, and they are battling relegation with “The Shireans” (Geek alert) 🙂
That’s funny…Isn’t that the case with most German phrases, it doesn’t seem right to whisper any German in a soft voice…. DAS BUNDESLIGA!!! 🙂
Heart of Midlothian? Is that some team representing Middle Earth?
DeMerit’s top quality at defending, but he sure can’t pass for shite sadly
Im most excited about Eric Lichaj…. I wanna see this youngster in action……
Sidenote, why dont all players not getting burn in Europe come play in MLS…. the quality of play would increase tremendously….. Adu is exactly the type of play that The Union need…. an attacking mid with skills…. The Union would be monsters in a few years, just a thought
A+
I hope so. Although at this point — with him having played for Watford for a few years — I wonder why he hasn’t really had any serious offers (that we’ve heard about). Maybe PL clubs assume he’s Championship caliber, and nothing more.
Ouch. Relegation from the Championship. He’ll definitely need to upgrade from that unless Sir Elton is willing to give him a big pay boost.
That’s just awesome.
I think DeMerit is a quality player. A good WC showing should have some EPL teams looking at him.
I feel like you need to scream das bundesliga angrily.
I’m just wondering why he’s referencing a previous thread’s comments section.
I think he means there are loads and not there is loads
Gol tv has possibly ricardo clark first start in das bundesliga! Today @ 130.
Pardon?
only have to watch one game this weekend – Jozy v Clint
There are indeed loads, professional editor
The annual Yanks in relegation battles countdown has begun. There’s loads this year.
Good to see a few more additions to the Yanks Abroad List. Hope Jozy gets some minutes out there and Cooper can finally find the field once more. Come on Adu!!
So is Gooch back, or did you just forget to say he’s injured? We haven’t had any updates from Milan on him…I thought I heard the MLS pregame say he was getting checked out by doc’s in LA.