Photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com
Another week, another bout of speculation over whether Tim Ream will make his Bolton debut.
At the very least, he appears destined for a place on the bench for the first time since making his move from the New York Red Bulls to the Premier League.
Manager Owen Coyle confirmed on Bolton's website that Ream will make the matchday roster for the first time, but he stopped short of proclaiming him a surefire starter for Saturday's FA Cup battle against Millwall.
"I think it's fair to say that Tim Ream will definitely be involved in the matchday 18, as will (fellow new signing) Ryo Miyaichi," Coyle said. "They have a bit of training to do before that game, but we will pick the best team available to us to go and win a difficult FA Cup tie. We have a squad of very good players and we may make one or two changes. We will have a look, see how we train today and Friday and make a decision from there."
Here are a few more items involving Americans Abroad:
JOHN, LLETGET PLAY FOR WEST HAM RESERVES
West Ham's first team is off until next weekend, but George John got another chance to prove himself for the club's technical staff by playing in Friday's reserve match. John started West Ham's 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers and "looked solid throughout" according to a West Ham match report. West Ham's first team plays on Tuesday, the next chance John has to make his official debut as time ticks away on his loan from FC Dallas.
American youth international Sebastian Lletget appeared as a substitute in the reserve match for West Ham, which is a curious development considering that sources confirmed to SBI on Thursday that he had recently broken his nose and suffered a concussion and was being held out of action as a precaution with the concussion.
EUROPA LEAGUE RECAP
Jozy Altidore's AZ Alkmaar got the best of Sacha Kljestan's Anderlecht in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 32 tie on Thursday, holding serve at home with a 1-0 victory.
Altidore appeared as a 76th-minute substitute, while Kljestan started and went the distance for Anderlecht.
Jermaine Jones made his temporary return to Schalke's lineup, starting and playing 90 card-free minutes in Schalke's 1-1 draw with Viktoria Plzen. Jones is still in the midst of his eight-game domestic suspension for his stomp on Borussia Monchengladbach's Marco Reus, but that suspension does not include European competitions.
Steve Cherundolo and Oguchi Onyewu both started and received yellow cards in their respective matches. Hannover 96 came from behind to top Club Brugge, 2-1, a game in which Cherundolo was subbed off in the 76th minute.
Onyewu played the entire 90 in Sporting Lisbon's 2-2 draw with Legia Warsaw, as the Portuguese side got an 88th-minute equalizer to pull level on aggregate and take two away goals into the return leg.
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What do you make of these developments? Hope to see Ream against Millwall? Curious as to how Lletget played in a reserve match despite coming off a concussion? What did you think of the Americans' Europa League performances on Thursday?
Share your thoughts below.