By FRANCO PANIZO
Arsenal was one of the clubs reportedly interested in signing Clint Dempsey during this past summer’s transfer window, but ultimately they lost out to rivals Tottenham in their bid to sign to him.
Now, Dempsey will have an opportunity to show them how big a mistake that was.
Tottenham travel to Emirates Stadium for the first North London derby of the season, and the match will give Dempsey an opportunity to rebound from a string of subpar performances. Dempsey has been known in the past to make an impact on high-profile fixtures, so manager Andre Villas-Boas will likely turn to him again on Saturday.
Mix Diskerud will be in action on Sunday, as he and Rosenborg BK will attempt to knock off Honefoss BK in their Eliteserien season finale. Diskerud is surely brimming with confidence after scoring his first international goal in the U.S. Men’s National Team’s 2-2 draw with Russia on Wednesday and he will be keen on building on that in the final game of his current deal with Rosenborg, who only need a tie on Sunday to assure themselves a place in next year’s Europa League competition.
Another match worth watching will be Tijuana’s game on Sunday against Monterrey, the second leg of their Liga MX quarterfinals series. Joe Corona, Edgar Castillo and Greg Garza could all be in action for Xolos, as they try to keep their 1-0 lead in tact at home against a very-experienced Monterrey side.
Here is who the Americans Abroad play this weekend:
FRIDAY
Michael Parkhurst and FC Nordsjaelland play AGF Aarhus.
SATURDAY
Clint Dempsey, Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play Arsenal.
Brad Guzan, Eric Lichaj and Aston Villa play Manchester City.
Tim Howard and Everton play Reading.
Jonathan Spector, Will Packwood and Birmingham City play Hull City.
Tim Ream, Stuart Holden and Bolton Wanderers play Barnsley. (Holden is out injured.)
Conor Doyle and Derby County play Crystal Palace. (Doyle is out injured.)
Zak Whitbread and Leicester City play Ipswich Town.
Robbie Findley and Nottingham Forest play Sheffield Wednesday.
Frank Simek and Carlisle United play Leyton Orient.
Mike Grella and Scunthorpe United play Notts County.
Robbie Rogers and Stevenage play Sheffield United.
Oguchi Onyewu and Malaga play Osasuna.
Carlos Bocanegra and Racing Santander play Villarreal. (Bocanegra is out injured.)
Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 play SC Freiburg.
Timmy Chandler and FC Nurnberg play Bayern Munich.
David Yelldell and Bayer Leverkusen play Jermaine Jones and Schalke 04.
Jozy Altidore and AZ Alkmaar play FC Groningen.
Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht play KV Kortrijk.
Terrence Boyd and Rapid Vienna play SV Mattersburg.
Conor O’Brien and SonderjyskE play Silkeborg IF.
Ventura Alvarado and Club America play Morelia.
SUNDAY
Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim play VfL Wolfsburg.
Andrew Wooten and SV Sandhausen play VfL Bochum.
Caleb Patterson-Sewell and Vitoria Setubal play Vitoria Guimaraes in the fourth round of Taca de Portugal.
Eugene Starikov and FK Rostov play Anzhi Makhachkala.
Clarence Goodson and Brondby IF play Esbjerg.
Josh Gatt and Molde FK play Fredrikstad.
Sean Cunningham and Stabaek IF play Stromsgodset. (Cunningham is out injured.)
Steve Clark and Honefoss BK play Mix Diskerud and Rosenborg BK.
Chad Barrett and Valerenga play Viking.
Joe Corona, Edgar Castillo, Greg Garza and Club Tijuana play Monterrey.
MONDAY
Geoff Cameron, Maurice Edu and Stoke City play West Ham United.
Michael Bradley and AS Roma play Torino.
Alfredo Morales, John Anthony Brooks and Hertha Berlin play Joe Gyau and St Pauli.
Charlie Davies and Randers FC play Odense BK.
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Which of these games are you most looking forward to? Think Dempsey will have a big game against Arsenal? How do you see Corona, Castillo and Garza doing in Xolos’ second leg versus Monterrey?
Share your thoughts below.