A handful of Americans learned the next steps of their quests for European glory Friday with the draws for the final qualifying rounds for the UEFA Champions League and Europa League being conducted.
For Sacha Kljestan to join fellow Americans Jermaine Jones and Michael Parkhurst in the Champions League group stage, his club, Anderlecht, will need to get by Cypriot side AEL Limassol. Argentine-American midfielder Bryan Gerzicich and Israeli side Hapoel Kiryat Shmona go up against 2011-12 UCL participant BATE Borisov with a place in the group stage on the line.
In the Europa League, Jozy Altidore's AZ Alkmaar goes up against big-spending Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala and Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o; Terrence Boyd and Rapid Vienna will face Greek side PAOK FC; Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 meet Polish side Slask Wroclaw; Oguchi Onyewu and Sporting Lisbon face Denmark's Horsens; Mix Diskerud and new club Rosenborg drew Polish side Legia Warsaw; and Josh Gatt's Molde, which was eliminated from Champions League qualifying Thursday, dropped down to Europa League and was paired with Dutch club Heerenveen.
The first legs of the Champions League qualifiers will be played Aug. 21-22, while the first legs of the Europa League matches will all be played Aug. 23. The group stage draw for the Champions League is set for Aug. 30, while the Europa League group draw will take place the following day.
Here are the full draws for the final qualifying rounds for the Champions League and Europa League:
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
FC Basel v CFR 1907 Cluj
Helsingborgs vs. Celtic
BATE Borisov vs. Hapoel Kiryat Shmona
AEL Limassol vs. Anderlecht
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Maribor
Braga vs. Udinese
Spartak Moskva vs. Fenerbahçe
Málaga vs. Panathinaikos
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Dynamo Kyiv
Lille vs. FC København
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE
Anzhi Makhachkala vs. AZ Alkmaar
APOEL FC vs. Neftçi PFK
Atromitos FC vs. Newcastle United
Tromsø IL vs. FK Partizan
FC Vaslui vs. Inter Milan
Heart of Midlothian vs. Liverpool
Athletic Bilbao vs. HJK Helsinki
CS Marítimo vs FC Dila Gori or Anorthosis Famagusta
Molde FK vs. Heerenveen
Debreceni VSC vs. Club Brugge
FC Sheriff vs. Marseille
Trabzonspor vs. Videoton FC
FC Midtjylland vs. BSC Young Boys
WKS Slask Wrocław vs. Hannover 96
FC Dinamo Bucuresti vs. FC Metalist Kharkiv
AC Horsens vs. Sporting Lisbon
Hapoel Tel-Aviv vs. F91 Dudelange
Feyenoord vs. Sparta Praha
Motherwell vs. Levante
FK Crvena Zvezda vs. Bordeaux
KSC Lokeren vs. FC Viktoria Plzen
Lazio vs. ND Mura 05
AIK Solna vs. CSKA Moskva
Legia Warsaw vs Rosenborg
Bursaspor vs. FC Twente
FC Steaua Bucuresti vs FK Ekranas
FC Slovan Liberec vs. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
VfB Stuttgart vs. FC Dinamo Moskva
PAOK FC vs. Rapid Vienna
FC Luzern vs. Genk
FK Zeta vs. PSV Eindhoven
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What do you think of the draws? How do you see the teams featuring Americans faring? Do you like Kljestan's prospects of joining Jones and Parkhurst in the Champions League group stage?
Share your thoughts below.
You should write for Leno
Well, don’t know the team Newcastle play, but a pretty brutal start to the season. The first week they have to play Spurs at home, Europa qualifier in Greece on Thursday, then fly back to London to play Chelsea two days later.
I think it’s good that more American’s are learning to draw while in Europe. Really embracing the culture.
Can we all show some love for Steve Cherundolo? 14 seasons with the same club and they’re in the Europa League for the 2nd season running.
Whoa some Americans in the CL. The last 1 was in 2010 with Edu at Rangers.
Maybe next season Bradley will be playing in it with Roma and maybe Dempsey with a CL club.
I think both Gerzicich and Kljestan will join Jones and Parkhurst in the group stages of the Champions League.
Bedoya is likely to sign with Helsingborg and I think they will make the group stages as well.
Terrence Boyd will be the next American to try his luck at Toumba against PAOK. In the 4 1/2 years that I have lived in Greece, no American has gotten the result they needed. Not Troy Perkins (Valarenga), Not Jozy Altidore (Villareal), Not Eddie Johnson and Freddy Adu (Aris).
I will be at the game and I will keep a close eye on TB. I hope he does well but I also hope he loses.