By FRANCO PANIZO
Jozy Altidore has reason to celebrate, and not just because it's his birthday.
Altidore found the back of the net for the first time since Sept. 29 by capping the scoring in AZ Alkmaar's 3-0 victory over ADO Den Haag on the day he turned 22 years old. Altidore initiated a give-and-go sequence before rounding the goalkeeper and finishing with his right foot. The goal was Altidore's eighth of the season across all competitions and fourth in Eredivisie.
Brad Friedel also had a noteworthy performance on Sunday, coming up with 13 saves as Tottenham Hotspur held off Fulham's attempt at a second-half rally in a 3-1 win for the Spurs. Friedel not only came up with several quality blocks in the second half, he also denied fellow American Clint Dempsey from making history with a superb stop in the opening 45 minutes.
One player who made news this weekend but did not play was 17-year-old West Ham United defender Daniel Potts. The U.S. U-20 national team player, who was not called up for the upcoming camp in Germany, dressed for the first time this season in West Ham's 2-0 win against Hull City. Potts making the bench for the Hammers comes two weeks after fellow U.S. youth player Terrence Boyd dressed for the first time for Borussia Dortmund.
Here is how the Americans Abroad performed this weekend:
- Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made 13 saves in Tottenham Hotspur's 3-1 win vs. Fulham on Sunday.
- Brad Guzan dressed but did not play in Aston Villa's 3-2 win vs. Norwich City on Saturday.
- Eric Lichaj did not dress for Aston Villa. He is recovering from a hip injury.
- Stuart Holden did not dress in Bolton Wanderers' 5-0 win vs. Stoke City on Sunday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Zak Whitbread did not dress in Norwich City's 3-2 loss vs. Aston Villa on Saturday. He is recovering from a hamstring injury.
Championship
- Jonathan Spector started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Birmingham City's 1-0 loss vs. Reading on Sunday.
- Conor Doyle started and played 64 minutes in Derby County's 3-2 loss vs. Peterborough United on Saturday.
- Robbie Findley started and played 89 minutes in Nottingham Forest's 3-0 loss vs. Portsmouth on Saturday.
- Daniel Potts dressed but did not play in West Ham United's 2-0 win vs. Hull City on Saturday.
League One
- Frank Simek did not dress in Carlisle United's 0-0 draw vs. Exeter City on Saturday. He is recovering from a hip injury.
- Anton Peterlin started and played 55 minutes in Walsall's 1-1 draw vs. Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
- Mike Grella came off the bench and played 4 minutes in Brentford's 0-0 draw vs. Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
SCOTLAND
Premier League
- Maurice Edu started and played 90 minutes in Rangers' 3-1 win vs. Dundee United on Saturday.
- Carlos Bocanegra started and played 90 minutes for Rangers.
- Alejandro Bedoya came off the bench and played 16 minutes for Rangers.
First Division
- Dominic Cervi started and played 90 minutes in Greenock Morton's 1-0 win vs. Ayr United on Saturday.
ITALY
- Michael Bradley started and played 90 minutes in Chievo Verona's 1-0 win vs. Fiorentina on Sunday.
GERMANY
Bundesliga
- Jermaine Jones started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Schalke 04's 2-2 draw vs. Hannover 96 on Sunday.
- Steve Cherundolo dressed but did not play in Hannover 96's 2-2 draw vs. Schalke 04 on Sunday.
- Timmy Chandler started and played 90 minutes in FC Nurnberg's 2-1 loss vs. SC Freiburg on Saturday.
- David Yelldell dressed but did not play in Bayer Leverkusen's 2-2 draw vs. Hamburg SV on Saturday.
- Alfredo Morales did not dress in Hertha Berlin's 2-1 loss vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
- Fabian Johnson started and played 90 minutes in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim's 1-1 draw vs. Kaiserslautern on Saturday.
- Danny Williams came off the bench, played 30 minutes and received a yellow card for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
- Terrence Boyd did not dress in Borussia Dortmund's 5-1 win vs. VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday.
Bundesliga 2
- Ricardo Clark and Eintracht Frankfurt play FC Erzgebirge Aue on Monday.
- Luis Robles started and played 90 minutes in Karlsruher SC's 3-2 win vs. FC Ingolstadt 04 on Friday.
- Edson Buddle started and played 45 minutes in FC Ingolstadt 04's 3-2 loss vs. Karlsruhe on Friday.
- Bobby Wood dressed but did not play in TSV 1860 Munich's 3-1 loss vs. VfL Bochum on Saturday.
- Matt Taylor came off the bench and played 23 minutes in SC Paderborn 07's 2-0 win vs. Energie Cottbus on Sunday.
FRANCE
- Quentin Westberg did not dress in Evian Thonon Gaillard's 1-1 draw vs. Lille on Saturday.
NETHERLANDS
- Jozy Altidore started, played 86 minute
s and scored a GOAL in AZ Alkmaar's 3-0 win vs. ADO Den Haag on Sunday.
PORTUGAL
- Oguchi Onyewu did not dress in Sporting CP's 1-1 draw vs. Uniao Leiria on Sunday. He is recovering from a groin injury.
RUSSIA
- Eugene Starikov came off the bench and played 32 minutes in FC Tom' Tomsk's 2-1 loss vs. FK Rostov-Na-Donu on Saturday.
BELGIUM
- Sacha Kljestan started and played 90 minutes in RSC Anderlecht's 1-0 loss vs. Cercle Brugge on Sunday.
DENMARK
- Michael Parkhurst started and played 90 minutes in FC Nordsjaelland's 2-0 win vs. HB Koge on Sunday.
- Chris Rolfe started and played 90 minutes in Aalborg BK's 2-0 win vs. AC Horsens on Saturday.
- Clarence Goodson started and played 90 minutes in Brondby IF's 0-0 draw vs. Odense BK on Sunday.
- Brad Rusin started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in HB Koge's 2-0 loss vs. FC Nordsjaelland on Sunday.
- Conor O'Brien and SonderjyskE play AGF Aarhus on Monday.
SWEDEN
- Ryan Miller and Halmstads BK's season is over.
- Samuel Petrone and Mjallby AIF's season is over.
NORWAY
- Mix Diskerud and Stabaek IF did not play this weekend.
- Josh Gatt and Molde FK did not play this weekend.
- Sean Cunningham and Molde FK did not play this weekend.
MEXICO
- Jose Torres did not dress in Pachuca's 2-2 draw vs. Chivas de Guadalajara on Saturday. He is recovering from a foot injury.
- Herculez Gomez started and played 63 minutes in Estudiantes Tecos' 3-0 loss vs. Queretaro on Saturday.
- Edgar Castillo did not dress in Club America's 3-1 loss vs. Cruz Azul on Saturday.
- Sonny Guadarrama started, played 88 minutes and scored a GOAL in Atlante's 3-2 loss vs. Monterrey on Saturday.
- Jonathan Bornstein did not dress in Tigres UANL's 1-0 win vs. Puebla on Sunday. He is recovering from an ankle injury.
- DaMarcus Beasley started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Puebla's 1-0 loss vs. Tigres UANL on Sunday.
- Adrian Ruelas did not dress in Jaguares de Chiapas' 1-0 loss vs. Morelia on Friday.
- Michael Orozco started and played 90 minutes San Luis' 5-1 win vs. Toluca on Saturday.
- Joe Corona started and played 54 minutes in Club Tijuana's 1-1 draw vs. Pumas UNAM on Sunday.
COLOMBIA
- Diego Restrepo dressed but did not play in America de Cali's 1-1 draw vs. Boyaca Chico on Sunday.
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What do you think of these performances? Impressed by Altidore's goal? Still trying to figure out how Friedel came up with more than a dozen saves? Have you already begun Googling Daniel Potts' name?
Share your thoughts below.
Right now the best US Right back is Dolo and the best US Left back is Chandler.
Assuming Lichaj comes back to his best he is still inferior to than those two.
I see no reason to play Lichaj over either of them at either position.
If he reaches his potential we are in for a treat. I thought he’d be a quick starter, but some guys don’t hit their prime, effective years until their mid-to-late 20s. Is Jozy even old enough to go to a bar yet?
Celtic loaned Cervi to a lesser club, Greenock Morton, where he was put right into the starting 11 and got a shutout in a 1-0 win.
Thanks Biff, (how’s mcfly?:))
Good find….I like the quote per my google translator ‘He’s about to break into the starting lineup’….
AZ team is pretty good, unlike most teams in the Dutch league they have only allowed 8 goals this season, only 2 at home, while they haven’t scored as much as PSV and Twente, there defense is pretty dominant.
He needs to leave Aston Villa ASAP and transfer to another team like Leeds United or even a Queen Park Rangers team and start adjusting to the left back position because he was outstanding when he played LB for the USMNT in the Gold Cup. We can use him at RB for emergency purposses, same with Chandler once the full team squad comes back he should be back at RB for US and only play LB for emergency purposses like now since we really don’t have a decent LB until Lichaj comes back from injury.
He does kinda look like Tom Baker AKA the Fourth Doctor.
Trust me Michael Bradley is 100x better than Beckerman!
Agreed. Suarez played for Ajax from -07-11 with an ASTOUNDING appearance/goal ratio (~110/81). Jozy could definitely benefit from another season or two there to build a PROVEN record so he doesn’t linger on the bench in a higher rated league.
thank you. That kid’s got serious skills. Only 18 too.
It was Maher.
Who witch Dr?
I personally would love to see Altidore head to France or Italy following his time in Holland. Say in 2-3 years
It depends. If he’s coming into the EPL off a dominating season in Holland with a large transfer bonus to a manager who really wants him, and a mid-table or better team, it will probably work out just fine. If it’s another Hull type of situation, he will struggle.
Morales played 90 minutes Sunday on Hertha’s U-23 team against Halle FC. There is an interview with Klinsmann on the Hertha web site, with Klinsmann saying that Morales will play on the US Olympic team. Here is a link the Klinsmann interview:
http://www.herthabsc.de/index.php?id=413&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=11521&cHash=366066d771e3e433a8ea975d982ef858
1) Love to see three defenders clustered around Jozy, leaving Holman 1-v-1 vs keeper. The Dutch defenders clearly have a ton of respect for Jozy’s ability.
2) Love the disguise on Jozy’s pass that started his goal sequence. The sophistication of AZ’s offense is sick. For Jozy’s teammate (was it Beerens?) to step over that ball, knowing Jozy was coming in? That takes such a high level of trust and skill and preparation. They’re fun to watch. Jozy’s very lucky to have found a home with AZ. It’s a great place for him to learn the subtleties of the game.
+1
+1. The finish was great. Nice little move and quick feet on the shot. Great goal Jozy… in any league.
So, you’re conceding he hasn’t been the best holding midfielder for the Nats recently?
I’d agree.
I thought that was a pretty sweet goal by Jozy. Was he given too much space on the 18? Sure, but it was still a nice interchange and finish.
He does not hardly ever get minutes. And usually does not dress. I am also wondering why did Alfredo Morales not make the bench for Hertha ?
Thanks for these AA posts, Franco. With the thoroughness and the highlight vids, they have become my favorite thing on SBI.
+1
Yes, so nice to have ESPN3 (even though my feed cut out a bunch of times). The announcer was awesome. Best commentator I’ve heard in ages.
Yeah, that team is dam good. Don’t forget Maher. That kid is only like 18 and several EPL teams are interested. I even heard the name Barca mentioned.
Way to exaggerate.
Groin injury won’t keep Gooch out of USA camp, right?
Which doctor?
I’d rather see a little fire in MB. I thought he’s looks a bit flat when playing for the US lately – like something was missing. When he’s on his game I think he’s signifanctly better than Beckerman. Good to see him fitting in with the Flying Donkeys.
No he doesn’t. Not even close.
Any reason Cherundolo was a DNP?
Doesn’t Potts play left back….sign him up
Mid December I have seen people speculate when he will be back.
Steve Potts is Daniels father.
Does Jermaine Jones ever go a full match without drawing a yellow card?
Just curious… any updates on Lichaj’s injury?
Yeah… Kudos to ESPN3 for showing the match.
Why wasnt adrian ruales called up for the olymic team?
When isn’t Bradley getting in a shoving match with someone?
That’s our MB90.
Is Daniel Potts related to Steve Potts, who the US team once tried to recruit, but was unsuccessful?
AZ Alkmaar’s manager looks like Doctor Who.
I saw the last part of the Chievo game Sunday and Chievo did not look bad, had two shots late in the game that just barely missed. Actually could have won 3-0. After the final whistle, it appeared that Michael Bradley got into a shoving match with a Fiorentina player. Anyone know what that was about?
Beerens looked good as well.
Isn’t Chievo supposed to be a doormat? MB just attached himself to a wonderful thing if they can continue to be a decent team.
I finally got to see an AZ Alkmaar game this season yesterday. Damn, they are a lot of fun to watch. Jozy fits in so well with those guys. Elm & Holman are very talented players, and the 1-2 for Jozy’s goal was sublime.
If teams in the EPL started playing defense like ADO Den Haag he would do great in the EPL along with every other striker.
I understand progression is natural thing to project but I’m not entirely sure a move to the EPL in 2 years would be a good thing.
I’m more concerned about consistent playing time, starts and above all…form. If he is able to retain all three while remaining in the Eredevisie then so be it.
I tire of watching American after American make the jump only to be met with DNP’s.
quickness, skill, and class from Jozy
Really starting to see Jozy begin to flourish. He is in a great situation. People forget that Americans take a little bit more time to get it going.
In 2 years I feel that Jozy (if he stays injury free and grows at AZ) will be back in the PL with a mid table team. 8 goals in 16 matches for AZ is a solid start for the kid. thats right KID he is 22. Where was Dempsey when he was 22?
Does Tom Tomsk ever win? Does Nordsjaelland ever concede goals?
Just getting garbage time minutes will Morales, Boyd, and Wood soon pass Ricardo Clark in total minutes played (the first two at a higher level)?