By FRANCO PANIZO
There were several noteworthy performances from the Americans Abroad contingent this weekend, but none was better than the match put in by Oguchi Onyewu.
Onyewu was the only American to find the back of the net this past weekend, as he hit the winner in Sporting CP's 1-0 victory over CD Nacional de Madeira. The goal came on a leaping header following a free kick and was Onyewu's second of the season. Onyewu started and went the distance in the match.
Brad Guzan also had a notable showing. In his first ever start in the Premiership, Guzan helped Aston Villa defeat Bolton Wanderers by making six saves. Aston Villa is currently in ninth place in England's top flight.
Fabian Johnson delivered another noteworthy outing, setting up two goals with his left foot in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim's 2-0 victory against FC Nurnberg. Johnson sent in a beautiful cross from the left flank in the first half, and followed that up with a pinpoint low cross in the second.
Johnson may have shone, but that match also provided one of the low points of the weekend. Timmy Chandler was shown a straight red in the game, leaving Nurnberg a man down for more a half.
Here is how the Americans Abroad fared this weekend:
ENGLAND
Premiership
- Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made 2 saves in Everton's 1-0 loss vs. Arsenal on Saturday.
- Marcus Hahnemann did not dress for Everton.
- Clint Dempsey started, played 90 minutes and had a penalty kick saved in Fulham's 2-0 loss vs. Swansea City on Saturday.
- Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made 4 saves in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 loss vs. Stoke City on Sunday.
- Brad Guzan started, played 90 minutes and made 6 saves in Aston Villa's 2-1 win vs. Bolton Wanderers 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' 2-1 loss vs. Aston Villa on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Zak Whitbread started and played 83 minutes in Norwich City's 4-2 win vs. Newcastle United on Saturday.
Championship
- Jonathan Spector started and played 90 minutes in Birmingham City's 2-1 win vs. Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.
- Conor Doyle did not dress in Derby County's 2-1 win vs. Bristol City on Saturday.
- Robbie Findley dressed but did not play in Nottingham Forest's 1-0 loss vs. Crystal Palace on Saturday.
- Daniel Potts did not dress in West Ham United's 3-0 loss vs. Reading on Saturday.
League One
- Frank Simek did not dress in Carlisle United's 2-1 win vs. Scunthorpe United on Saturday. He is recovering from a hip injury.
- Anton Peterlin came off the bench and played 6 minutes in Walsall's 1-1 draw vs. Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
- Mike Grella dressed but did not play in Brentford's 2-1 win vs. Hartlepool United on Saturday.
SCOTLAND
Premier League
- Maurice Edu started, played 88 minutes and received a yellow card in Rangers' 2-0 win vs. Hibernian on Saturday.
- Carlos Bocanegra started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card for Rangers.
- Alejandro Bedoya did not dress for Rangers.
First Division
- Dominic Cervi started and played 90 minutes in Greenock Morton's 2-1 loss vs. Partick Thistle on Saturday.
ITALY
- Michael Bradley started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Chievo Verona's 2-1 loss vs. Udinese on Sunday.
GERMANY
Bundesliga
- Jermaine Jones started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Schalke 04's 2-1 win vs. Hertha Berlin on Friday.
- Steve Cherundolo dressed but did not play in Hannover 96's 0-0 draw vs. Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
- Timmy Chandler started, played 43 minutes and received a red card in FC Nurnberg's 2-0 loss vs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday.
- David Yelldell dressed but did not play in Bayer Leverkusen's 0-0 draw vs. Hannover 96 on Saturday.
- Alfredo Morales did not dress in Hertha Berlin's 2-1 loss vs. Schalke 04 on Friday.
- Fabian Johnson started, played 90 minutes and had TWO ASSISTS in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim's 2-0 win vs. FC Nurnberg on Saturday.
- Danny Williams came off the bench and played 24 minutes for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
- Terrence Boyd did not dress in Borussia Dortmund's 1-1 draw vs. Kaiserslautern on Sunday.
Bundesliga 2
- Ricardo Clark and Eintracht Frankfurt play SpVgg Greuther Furth on Monday.
- Luis Robles dressed but did not play in Karlsruher SC's 3-1 loss vs. MSV Duisburg on Friday.
- Edson Buddle did not dress in FC Ingolstadt 04's 1-0 win vs. St Pauli on Sunday.
- Bobby Wood did not dress in TSV 1860 Munich's 3-0 win vs. Eintracht Braunschweig on Friday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Matt Taylor came off the bench and played 1 minute in SC Paderborn 07's 2-0 win vs. Hansa Rostock on Friday.
FRANCE
- Quentin Westberg dressed but did not play in Evian Thonon Gaillard's 2-1 loss vs. Toulouse on Saturday.
NETHERLANDS
- Jozy Altidore started and played 90 minutes in AZ Alkmaar's 4-0 win vs. De Graafschap on Saturday.
PORTUGAL
- Oguchi Onyewu started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in Sporting CP's 1-0 win vs. CD Nacional de Madeira on Saturday.
BELGIUM
- Sacha Kljestan started and played 90 minutes in RSC Anderlecht's 2-1 loss vs. Mechelen on Friday.
MEXICO
- Jonathan Bornstein did not dress in Tigres UANL's 3-1 win vs. Santos Laguna in the second leg of the Mexico Apertura Liguilla final on Sunday. Tigres UANL won on aggregate, 4-1.
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What do you think of these performances? How smart a move was it for Onyewu to join Sporting CP? Which of Johnson's assists did you like better? How impressed were you by Guzan in his first EPL start?
Share your thoughts below.