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Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Sacha Kljestan 4 (Getty Images)

By FRANCO PANIZO

Sacha Kljestan will never forget what he accomplished this weekend.

Kljestan won his first trophy as a professional on Sunday, as RSC Anderlecht secured the Pro League championship with a 1-1 draw versus Club Brugge despite two games still left to play in the season. Kljestan started and played 73 minutes in the match that gave Anderlecht their first league title since 2010, and getting a winner's medal should help him in his quest to make the U.S. men's national team for this summer's fixtures.

Clint Dempsey celebrated for a different reason this weekend. Dempsey was the lone Americans Abroad goal-scorer, netting the opener in Fulham's 2-1 win over Sunderland on Sunday. The goal, which came on a beautiful free kick, was Dempsey's 50th career strike in the Premiership and 17th this season. 

Jozy Altidore did not find the back of the net, but he fought off the scary knock he sustained on Wednesday en route to delivering a game-winning assist in AZ Alkmaar's 1-0 win over FC Groningen on Sunday. Altidore started and played 66 minutes in the match.

It was not all good news this weekend. Oguchi Onyewu was ejected 67 minutes into Sporting CP's 2-0 loss to FC Porto after picking up a second yellow card, while Tim Ream and Bolton Wanderers surrendered a late goal that forced the relegation battlers to settle for a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion.

Here is how the Americans Abroad performed this weekend:

ENGLAND

Premiership

  • Tim Howard started and played 90 minutes in Everton's 0-0 draw vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

  • Marcus Hahnemann did not dress for Everton.
  • Clint Dempsey started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in Fulham's 2-1 win vs. Sunderland on Sunday.

 

  • Brad Friedel started and played 90 minutes in Tottenham Hotspur's 1-1 draw vs. Aston Villa on Sunday.
  • Brad Guzan dressed but did not play in Aston Villa's 1-1 draw vs. Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
  • Eric Lichaj started and played 90 minutes for Aston Villa.
  • Tim Ream started and played 90 minutes in Bolton Wanderers's 2-2 draw vs. West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
  • Stuart Holden did not dress Bolton Wanderers. He is recovering from a knee injury. 
  • Zak Whitbread did not dress in Norwich City's 3-3 draw vs. Arsenal on Saturday. He is recovering from a groin injury.
  • Adam Henley and Blackburn Rovers play Wigan Athletic on Monday.

Championship

  • Jonathan Spector came off the bench and played 16 minutes in Birmingham City's 1-0 loss vs. Blackpool in the first leg of the promotion playoffs on Friday.

  • Conor Doyle and Derby County's season is over.
  • Robbie Findley and Nottingham Forest's season is over.

  • Robbie Rogers and Leeds United's season is over.

League One

  • Frank Simek started and played 90 minutes in Carlisle United's 2-1 loss vs. Oldham Athletic on Saturday.
  • Anton Peterlin did not dress in Walsall's 1-0 win vs. Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday.
  • Mike Grella started and played 62 minutes in Bury's 3-0 loss vs. Stevenage on Saturday.

SCOTLAND

  • Maurice Edu started and played 90 minutes in Rangers' 0-0 draw vs. Motherwell on Saturday.
  • Carlos Bocanegra started and played 90 minutes for Rangers.
  • Alejandro Bedoya came off the bench and played 24 minutes for Rangers.
  • Dominic Cervi did not dress in Celtic's 1-0 loss vs. Dundee United on Sunday.

ITALY

  • Michael Bradley dressed but did not play in Chievo Vorona's 4-4 draw vs. Palermo on Sunday.

GERMANY

Bundesliga

  • Steve Cherundolo started and played 90 minutes in Hannover 96's 2-1 win vs. Kaiserslautern on Saturday.
  • Jermaine Jones started and played 90 minutes in Schalke 04's 3-2 win vs. Werder Bremen on Saturday.
  • Timmy Chandler did not dress in FC Nurnberg's 4-1 loss vs. Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. He was serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation.
  • Fabian Johnson started and played 90 minutes in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim's 3-1 loss vs. Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

  • Danny Williams did not dress for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. He is recovering from a shoulder injury.
  • Joe Gyau did not dress for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
  • Terrence Boyd did not dress in Borussia Dortmund's 4-0 win vs. SC Freiburg on Saturday.
  • Alfredo Morales did not dress in Hertha Berlin's 3-1 win vs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday.
  • David Yelldell did not dress in Bayer Leverkusen's 4-1 win vs. FC Nurnberg on Saturday.
  • Andrew Wooten came off the bench and played 22 minutes in Kaiserslautern's 2-1 loss vs. Hannover 96 on Saturday.

2. BUNDESLIGA

  • Luis Robles did not dress in Karlsruher SC's 1-0 win vs. Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
  • Bobby Wood did not dress in TSV 1860 Munich's 2-1 loss vs. Alemannia Aachen on Sunday.
  • Matt Taylor dressed but did not play in SC Paderborn 07's 1-0 win vs. FSV Frankfurt on Sunday.
  • Villyan Bijev did not dress in Fortuna Dusseldorf's 2-2 draw vs. MSV Duisburg on Sunday.

FRANCE

  • Quentin Westberg did not dress in Evian Thonon Gaillard's 2-1 win vs. AC Ajaccio on Sunday.
  • Charlie Davies and Sochaux play AS Nancy Lorraine on Monday.

NETHERLANDS

  • Jozy Altidore started, played 66 minutes and had an ASSIST in AZ Alkmaar's 1-0 win vs. FC Groningen on Sunday. 

PORTUGAL

  • Oguchi Onyewu started, played 67 minutes and received two yellow cards in Sporting CP's 2-0 loss vs. FC Porto on Saturday.

RUSSIA

  • Eugene Starikov did not dress in Zenit St Petersburg's 3-2 loss vs. Spartak Moscow on Sunday.

BELGIUM

  • Sacha Kljestan started and played 73 minutes in RSC Anderlecht's 1-1 draw vs. Club Brugge in the Pro League playoffs on Sunday.
  • Mikkel Diskerud dressed but did not play in KAA Gent's 3-2 loss vs. KV Kortrijk in the Pro League playoffs on Saturday.

DENMARK

  • Michael Parkhurst started and played 90 minutes in FC Nordsjaelland's 2-0 win vs. Lyngby on Saturday.
  • Clarence Goodson started and played 90 minutes in Brondby IF's 1-0 loss vs. Aalborg BK on Sunday.
  • Conor O'Brien and SonderjyskE play FC Midtjylland on Monday.
  • Brad Rusin started and played 90 minutes in HB Koge's 3-1 loss vs. AGF Aarhus on Sunday.

SWEDEN

  • Samuel Petrone and Mjallby AIF play GAIS on Monday.

NORWAY

  • Josh Gatt came off the bench, played 34 minutes and received a yellow card in Molde FK's 2-1 win vs. Aalesund on Sunday.
  • Steve Clark started and played 90 minutes in Honefoss BK's 1-0 loss vs. Sandnes Ulf on Sunday.
  • Ricardo Clark started and played 90 minutes in Stabaek IF's 3-1 loss vs. Rosenborg on Friday.
  • Sean Cunningham started and played 90 minutes for Stabaek IF.

MEXICO

  • Jose Torres started and played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 1-0 win vs. Club America in the second leg of their liguilla quarterfinal series on Saturday. Pachuca was eliminated on aggregate, 3-2.
  • Herculez Gomez and Santos Laguna play Jaguares de Chiapas in the quarterfinals of the liguilla on Sunday evening.
  • DaMarcus Beasley and Puebla's season is over.
  • Sonny Guadarrama and Atlante's season is over.
  • Jonathan Bornstein and Tigres UANL play Morelia in the quarterfinals of the liguilla on Sunday evening.
  • Adrian Ruelas and Jaguares de Chiapas play Santos Laguna in the quarterfinals of the liguilla on Sunday evening.
  • Michael Orozco Fiscal and San Luis' season is over.
  • Edgar Castillo started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Club Tijuana's 2-2 draw vs. Monterrey in the second leg of their liguilla quarterfinal series on Saturday. Tijuana was eliminated on aggregate, 4-3.
  • Joe Corona started, played 70 minutes and received a yellow card for Club Tijuana.
  • Greg Garza dressed but did not play for Club Tijuana.

——-

What do you think of these performances? Do you see Kljestan getting called into the U.S. men's national team? How many times have you watched Dempsey's goal? Surprised Altidore played after the injury he picked up on Wednesday?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. What about the possibility of Udinese making a run at Clint? Think about it, now that Udinese is probably going to the Champions League Di Natale can’t be the only one scoring. Imagine a small market team with two 20+ goal scorers pairing up together. It would be a great fit for fans as well since ESPN 3 plays just about every Serie A match that’s not on one of the cable channels.

    He can leave the EPL, I don’t know who would turn down an opportunity to play Champions League instead of, best case possible for Fulham, to qualify for the Europa League through the Fair Play rules. Especially for a team who’s squad is fiercely loyal like Udinese.

    Just a thought, I think he’d fin in really well there.

    Reply
  2. The USMNT is an All Star team.

    Playing for it is a great honor and, this year, the start of qualifying and the looming 2014 World Cup are great motivators, especially for Americans who need the opportunities to attract attention from big time scouts.

    However these motivations would all have been in place regardless of who was managing the USMNT.

    Klinsmann has been a real positive influence but to credit JK as the “key” reason for the good to exceptional years some USMNT players have had does not hold up to scrutiny. If anything, JK is lucky to be coming into the job at a time when so much talent, which has been in development for some time before JK took the job, is finally beginning to come to the fore.

    There is a correlation between all these good performances by Americans and JK’s arrival but to assume causation because of his arrival is not sensible.

    Just a few examples:
    – Dempsey- Has been building up to this for some time and given his contract status and age is having what could be called a “playing for a contract” year.
    – Jozy- Finally finds a great situation, a club at a high level that wants to play him and can teach him.
    – MB90- Has to prove Villa, a pretty screwy place as subsequent events have shown was mistaken and now with a club that really needs him.
    – Gooch- Has to prove his injuries have not robbed him of a career at a high level.
    – J Jones- Back with a manager who likes him and was willing to give him a chance to come back from a couple of years of inconsistent performances.

    Your club team is where it all starts and without that you are done.

    With the exception of Dempsey, if any of these guys did not have a good season this year, chance are their careers, at least at the higher club levels of the game, are over.

    That may not be as much motivation as you have to prove MB a crap player and his father a crap manager but for most normal people, it would be the overriding motivation. We all have to eat right?

    Reply

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