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Americans Abroad: Tuesday Rewind

By FRANCO PANIZO

Eric Lichaj may not be starting for Aston Villa on a regular basis, but he made a case for himself on Tuesday.

Starting in his first game since Sept. 15, Lichaj went the distance and made an impact on the game by setting up the winning goal in the Villans’ 3-2 Capital One Cup victory over Swindon Town. Lichaj, who was playing left back, helped secure Aston Villa’s passage to the next round of the tournament when he broke the deadlock with a pass to Christian Benteke moments before the game was set to go into a 30-minute extra time.

For Lichaj, the match marked his fifth start of the season across all competitions and his performance may help convince U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann that he is ready for a call-up in next month’s friendly in Russia. Lichaj has yet to be selected while Klinsmann has been in charge.

Another player who played on Tuesday that has been in and out of his respective team’s starting lineup is Sacha Kljestan. The Anderlecht midfielder made his first start since Sept. 15, going the distance in the club’s 5-0 mauling of KAA Gent. The league start was Kljestan’s fourth of the season.

Here is how the Americans Abroad who were involved in games on Tuesday fared:

CAPITAL ONE CUP

  • Brad Guzan dressed but did not play in Aston Villa’s 3-2 win vs. Swindon Town.
  • Eric Lichaj started, played 90 minutes and had a GAME-WINNING ASSIST for Aston Villa.

DFB POKAL

  • Jermaine Jones started and played 90 minutes in Schalke 04’s 3-0 win vs. SV Sandhausen.
  • Andrew Wooten came off the bench and played 19 minutes in SV Sandhausen’s 3-0 loss vs. Schalke 04.

JUPILER LEAGUE

  • Sacha Kljestan started and played 90 minutes in RSC Anderlecht’s 5-0 win vs. KAA Gent.

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What do you think of these performances? Think Lichaj will get called into the U.S. Men’s National Team’s friendly against Russia next month? Do you see Kljestan breaking back into Anderlecht’s starting lineup soon?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. While I, like many of y’all, are a bit confused about why JK hasn’t included Lichaj in the mix of call-ups. Let’s not pop the champagne bottle yet for his imminent call-up just because he got an assist for Villa against a team they barely beat in Swindon Town, who labors in 3rd tier England and are not exactly world beaters.

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  2. Lichaj deserves a call up irrespective of what happened today. While he is not a regular starter, he has been getting regular playing time in the world’s top league. Given his relatively youthful age and the USMNT’s need to develop defensive talent, he is a guy that must be worked into the line up. His omission to date has been somewhat dumbfounding.

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  3. Seb Hines put in a solid 60 min shift for Middlesbrough before going off injured (again). He was largely responsible for keeping Steven Fletcher and Louis Saha quiet all night. Hope this injury isn’t too serious because lately he’s been making a serious case for himself at Boro.

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      • Actually he said said he spends lots of time in the states and thinks of it as his second home and he’d be willing to suit up if given the chance but he would have to file a one time switch

      • His talent has never been in question. The kid played for England at multiple youth levels. The problem has been his track record with injuries. If Seb can remain healthy for the majority of the season and keep a spot in Boro’s 1st team I think he deserves a look at next year’s Gold Cup. He’s every bit as good as Tim Ream, and he’s playing for a better club.

      • I think he’d have to prove his health over a long period of time before he gets a call. Hard to work from off the radar if you aren’t healthy consistently.

  4. Nothing to do with anything here but…my Gunners were down 4-0 in the League Cup against Reading…and came back to win 7-5. Giroud was apparently a monster when he came in. COuld it be that he has finally found his form…?

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  5. Could get a call-up against Russia. Bennet hasn’t shown all that well at LB, and wil be serving a suspension this weekend. Lichaj will be able to further his case to solidify himself as the starting LB. Really Lowton hasn’t been that good at RB either.

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  6. Hopefully we’ll see Lichaj get a string of EPL games since his competition at the LB spot (can’t remember his name…bennett?) got a 2nd yellow (red card) ejection in last week’s match.

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  7. I do believe Lichaj will be called up and it’s about time…also it would be nice if we could see Gatt as well….Ives doesn’t think Omar is likely to be called up but I would love to see him there as well…but with the playoffs I suppose maybe I should just wait till January….

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  8. I belive Lichaj will get a callup for the Russia match because from a managers standpoint it makes sense to use the opportunity to see him.

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  9. anybody see, or have video of, Lichaj’s assist? Glad he had a better run out (at least from the looks of it). He looked like he had lost all confidence the last couple times I’d seen him…

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