By FRANCO PANIZO
Not so fast, Edson Buddle.
Herculez Gomez continued to make a case as to why he is arguably the most in-form American striker, scoring a brace in Puebla's 4-1 victory over Cruz Azul on Sunday. Gomez scored with a driven shot just three minutes in, before adding his second off a header late in the first half.
As promising as the game started for Gomez, it ended disappointingly. Gomez received a questionable second yellow card for a dive in the second half and will miss Puebla's season finale. Gomez will finish the season with ten goals in thirteen games, tied for the league lead with Chivas' Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and Atlante's Johan Fano.
Gomez wasn't the only American Abroad to score this weekend. Eric Lichaj scored the first goal of his club career in Leyton Orient's 2-0 win over Stockport County. Lichaj netted with a shot from outside the area, and his goal helped Leyton Orient go four points clear of the drop zone with three games remaining.
It wasn't all good news this weekend. Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 took a step back in their battle for safety by suffering a 7-0 mauling at the hands of Bayern Munich, while relegation-threatened Watford lost Jay DeMerit to injury in its own lopsided loss.
Here is how the Americans Abroad fared this weekend:
England
PREMIERSHIP
- Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Everton's 3-2 win vs. Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
- Jozy Altidore came off the bench and played 14 minutes in Hull City 's 0-0 draw vs. Birmingham on Saturday.
- Clint Dempsey did not dress in Fulham's 0-0 draw vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. He is recovering from a thigh injury.
- Jonathan Spector and West Ham United play Liverpool on Monday.
- Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made five saves in Aston Villa's 2-1 win vs. Portsmouth on Sunday.
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Brad Guzan dressed but did not play in Aston Villa's 2-1 win vs. Portsmouth on Sunday.
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Marcus Hahnemann started and played 90 minutes in Wolverhampton Wanderers' 0-0 draw vs. Fulham on Saturday.
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Stuart Holden did not dress in Bolton Wanderers' 2-1 win vs. Stoke City on Saturday.
COCA COLA CHAMPIONSHIP
- Jay DeMerit started and played 56 minutes in Watford's 4-1 loss vs. Leicester City on Saturday. He left the game with an injury.
- Frank Simek dressed but did not play in Sheffield Wednesday's 1-1 draw vs. Sheffield United on Sunday.
- Kenny Cooper and Plymouth Argyle play Newcastle United on Monday.
LEAGUE ONE
- Eric Lichaj started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in Leyton Orient's 2-0 win vs. Stockport County on Saturday.
- Jemal Johnson started and played 79 minutes in Stockport County's 2-0 loss vs. Leyton Orient on Saturday.
- Jon-Paul Pittman started and played 65 minutes in Wycombe Wanderers' 3-2 loss vs. Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday.
- Mike Grella dressed but did not play in Leeds United's 3-2 loss vs. Gillingham on Saturday.
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Zak Whitbread did not dress in Norwich City's 1-0 win vs. Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
Scotland
- Maurice Edu dressed but did not play in Rangers' 2-0 win vs. Heart of Midlothian on Sunday.
- DaMarcus Beasley did not dress in Rangers' 2-0 win vs. Heart of Midlothian on Sunday.
- Dominic Cervi did not dress in Celtic's 3-2 win vs. Hibernian on Saturday.
Italy
- Oguchi Onyewu did not dress in AC Milan's 2-1 loss vs. Sampdoria on Sunday.
Germany
BUNDESLIGA
- Michael Bradley started and played 90 minutes in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 3-1 loss vs. Schalke 04 on Saturday.
- Steve Cherundolo started and played 90 minutes in Hannover 96's 7-0 loss vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday.
- Sal Zizzo did not dress in Hannover 96's 7-0 loss vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Jermaine Jones did not dress in Schalke 04's 3-1 win vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday. He is recovering from a leg injury.
- Ricardo Clark dressed but did not play in Eintracht Frankfurt's 2-2 draw vs. Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
- Daniel Williams did not dress in SC Freiburg's 2-1 win vs. Nurnberg on Saturday.
- Jared Jeffrey did not dress in Mainz 05's 1-0 win vs. Hamburg SV on Saturday.
BUNDESLIGA 2
- Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern play Arminia Bielefeld on Monday.
- Matt Taylor did not dress in FSV Frankfurt's 2-1 win vs. Hansa Rostock on Saturday.
- David Yeldell did not dress in TUS Koblenz's 2-2 draw vs. Karlsruhe on Friday. He is recovering from a season-ending ankle injury.
France
- Carlos Bocanegra did not dress in Stade Rennes' 0-0 draw vs. AS Nancy Lorraine on Saturday. He returned to training from a groin injury on Thursday.
- Charlie Davies did not dress in Sochaux's 2-2 draw vs. Grenoble on Saturday.
Portugal
- Gale Agbossoumonde did not dress in Sporting Braga's 3-1 win vs. Leixoes on Saturday.
Greece
- Freddy Adu dressed but did not play in Aris Salonika's 2-1 loss vs. Olympiakos on Sunday.
- Eddie Johnson started and played 61 minutes in Aris Salonika's 2-1 loss vs. Olympiakos on Sunday.
Denmark
- Benny Feilhaber started and played 90 minutes in AGF Aarhus' 1-0 loss vs. Brondby on Sunday.
- Michael Parkhurst started and played 90 minutes in FC Nordsjaelland's 4-1 win vs. Silkeborg IF on Monday.
- Marcus Tracy and Aalborg BK play Esbjerg on Monday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Chris Rolfe and Aalborg BK play Esbjerg on Monday.
Sweden
- Alejandro Bedoya and Orebro BK play Gefle on Monday.
Norway
- Clarence Goodson started and played 90 minutes in IK Start's 3-1 loss vs. Stromsgodset on Sunday.
- Hunter Freeman started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in IK Start's 3-1 loss vs. Stromsgodset on Sunday.
- Mikkel Diskerud started and played 71 minutes in Stabaek's 4-2 win vs. Kongsvinger on Sunday.
Mexico
- Jose Francisco Torres came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Pachuca's 1-1 draw vs. Toluca on Saturday.
- Edgar Castillo did not dress in Tigres UANL's 2-1 win vs. Atlante on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Marco Vidal started and played 90 minutes in Indios de Ciudad Juarez's 1-0 loss vs. Chiapas on Saturday.
- Herculez Gomez started, played 65 minutes, scored two GOALS and received two yellow cards in Puebla's 4-1 win vs. Cruz Azul on Sunday.
Argentina
- Michael Hoyos did not dress in Estudiantes La Plata's 2-1 win vs. Tigre on Saturday.
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What do you think of these performances? Think Gomez is the hottest American striker right now? Do you see Lichaj as a potential U.S. national team defender for next cycle? Surprised by Hannover's lopsided loss? Think Watford will get relegated if DeMerit misses any games?
Share your thoughts below.
yet folks expect davies to come in and score goals… can someone please explain
totally agree! don’t know why people keep bringing up Davies. until he plays and scores goals, he has to stay home. we’re going off stuff he did before the european season even started. stop with the nonsense
You sir are straight wrong. The reason gooch is so big for us is his aerial prowess, also i wouldn’t expect him to mark rooney, as i would expect all of our defenders to put a good amount of time doing that but i would expect our faster defenders like the wingbacks to mark him while he is outside the area and not our centerbacks. However if gooch isn’t fit and ready then i absolutely have no problem with demerit filling in for him. I feel demerit is a very underrated player, however if gooch is fit then i want him back there all day for us.
Beta,
Gooch is the most athletic of the CB pool. Think about it.
Who do you want marking Rooney? Boca, the captain of the ‘hoof it’ strategy? Demerit with one eye? Goodson or Spector …all 200 pounds of them combined?
Gooch is signed by AC Milan for a reason. For all his drawbacks, and I don’t rate him as low as you do… he is the best in the MNT pool bar none.
OK, bring that too!
he’s not coming back, nor should you want him to. If you’re looking for a substitute spot, he’s not the guy you should want. A sub should be a spark player, someone who can make things happen, which is not mcbride. He’s also lost at least two steps and isn’t anything like the player we saw for the USMNT for so long.
yes, that game he played 45 min and 30 seconds. Before that, he played 90 min in sept at trinidad and played well. Again, did you read my post? I said that he is the presumed starter provided he is fit. People, LOOK FOR CONTEXT CLUES. phrases like “he owns the position” and “should be the presumed starter”
did you even read my post? i said I think he’s too green and not ready. The reading comprehension on this board is awful lately.
micah, i said just that in my post
Gooch’s last game for the US was the game he got hurt. He looked bad in that game before he got hurt. At his peak (Spain) he’s an automatic starter–not the best central defender in the world, but our best. The question is where he will be in terms of fitness and confidence on June 12th.
Landon said in an interview that players who are playing now, and well should be called in. That means Buddle, Gomez, Bedoya, in, and some of his old friends out.
Right Sammy, 6 defenders are not enough.
Getting paid big bucks to play 5-6 games a year ain’t a drag. I believe Rangers want to end it.
Well, I don’t entirely agree with your assessment of Oneywu overall as a player, but in this particular circumstance, you may have a point. He hasn’t played in months, and given his injury, I worry about his game form, especially against top strikers like Rooney, who is simply on fire right now.
Our back line may look better with the following:
–Spector–DeMerit–Bocanegra–Cherundolo
Or dare we say it, BRING BACK MCBRIDE, after seeing him impact immediately in the Chicago game. I’m not saying to start, at his age, but to be a good veteran sub to be a menace holding up the ball and in the air. He can’t run the whole game anymore at the international level, but give him a half or less, and he’ll be a more then dependable sub compared to what Bradley has at his disposal right now. I say Altidore, Ching or McBride, Davies, and either Buddle or Gomez. Just please NO CASEY, FINDLEY, CUNNINGHAM, or E. JOHNSON! Also, here’s to hoping Bedoya gets his call!!!!!!
I do not think that Jozy will be all to productive by himself up front. I do not think that will be good for him to be up by himself. It will tire him out to much. He needs a partner up front with him.
I start Clark because the Clark-Bradley tandem is a proven entity against two of the top five teams in the world, Spain and Brazil, in a full strength international competition- see last summer’s Confed Cup.
As well, Dempsey should not play up top, as he has a tendency to disappear in games there. He’s a much stronger attacking midfielder.
I start Clark because the Clark-Bradley tandem in central midfield is a proven entity against two of the top five teams in the world, Brazil and Spain, in a full-strength international competition- see last summer’s Confed Cup.
As well, Dempsey should not be up top, as he tends to disappear in games there. He’s a much stronger attacking midfielder.
You are indeed correct, no Buddle.
If you’ll notice AP, I don’t actually have Orozco in my final 23. However, he must be mentioned as a possibility because of Bornstein’s sometimes erratic play.
You’re probably correct about Bocanegra. He’ll start, and Spector or Dolo will come off the bench.
No Buddle?
Funny how this guy (Gomez) is labeled a bust in MLS and yet it goes to a much better league and turns out to be outstanding. Better couching maybe?
balls to jermaine jones
I have a feeling Davies and Gooch won’t be match fit… we haven’t herd anything it weeks.
Gomez has proved he is definitely not a midfielder as a few MLS coaches mis-labeled him as. The guy is a striker! It doesn’t matter if you’re not the size of the big target man, if you get it done, you get it done, and Gomez is proving that! HE MOST DEFINITELY DESERVES A LOOK IN THE UPCOMING MNT CAMP! Buddle deserves a look as well, even if it’s just a look. I could see him and Gomez as dependable subs during the World Cup. Gomez has the ege in that department though. I say start Altidore with Dempsey up top and have Gomez/Buddle as the backups. Buddle has good chemistry with Donovan which should give him at least a look.