By FRANCO PANIZO
Clint Dempsey had seemingly no problem finding the back of the net at Craven Cottage during his time with Fulham, and Tottenham will be hoping that old habit kicks in again this weekend.
Dempsey is set to face his former club for the first time since transferring from Fulham to Spurs this past August, and the match should be an emotional one for him. Dempsey spent the last five-and-a-half years making a name for himself in Europe with the Cottagers before an ugly departure during the last transfer window, so the match will provide him an opportunity for payback while also playing in front of the same fans that adored him not long ago.
Another player who is set to take part in a big Premiership game this Saturday is Tim Howard. The U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper and Everton will travel to take on Manchester City, and a big performance from him and the rest of the Toffees will be needed in order to put an end to a three-game winless skid.
The trio of Americans over at Club Tijuana also have a big match looming. Edgar Castillo, Joe Corona, Greg Garza and Xolos are set to visit Toluca in the decisive leg of the Liga MX finals on Sunday, and a win there could give Club Tijuana a historic first championship.
Here is who the Americans Abroad face off against this weekend:
Jonathan Spector, Will Packwood and Birmingham City play Middlesbrough.
Bobby Wood and TSV 1860 Munich play VfR Aalen.
Conor O’Brien and SonderjyskE play AC Horsens.
SATURDAY
Sebastian Lletget and West Ham United play Chelsea.
Clint Dempsey, Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play Fulham.
Tim Howard and Everton play Manchester City.
Brad Guzan, Eric Lichaj and Aston Villa play Queens Park Rangers.
Geoff Cameron, Maurice Edu and Stoke City play West Bromwich Albion.
Tim Ream, Stuart Holden and Bolton Wanderers play Ipswich Town. (Holden is out injured.)
Robbie Findley and Nottingham Forest play Hull City.
Zak Whitbread and Leicester City play Conor Doyle and Derby County. (Doyle is out injured.)
Frank Simek and Carlisle United play AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
Oguchi Onyewu and Malaga play Getafe.
David Yelldell and Bayer Leverkusen play Timmy Chandler and FC Nurnberg.
Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 play Mainz.
Jermaine Jones and Schalke 04 play Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Andrew Wooten and SV Sandhausen play FC Erzgebirge Aue.
Joe Gyau and St Pauli play Kaiserslautern.
Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht play Cercle Brugge KSV.
Terrence Boyd and Rapid Vienna play SV Josko Ried.
SUNDAY
Carlos Bocanegra and Racing Santander play Almeria (Bocanegra is out injured.)
Michael Bradley and AS Roma play Siena.
Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim play Werder Bremen.
Jozy Altidore and AZ Alkmaar play FC Utrecht.
Eugene Starikov and FK Rostov play PFK Samara Kryliya Sovetov.
Charlie Davies and Randers FC play FC Copenhagen. (Davis is suspended due to the red card he received last weekend.)
Michael Parkhurst and FC Nordsjaelland play Clarence Goodson and Brondby IF.
Joe Corona, Edgar Castillo, Greg Garza and Club Tijuana play Toluca in the second leg of their Liga MX finals.
MONDAY
Alfredo Morales, John Anthony Brooks and Hertha Berlin play Energie Cottbus.
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Which of these games are you most looking forward to? Do you see Dempsey scoring against Fulham? How do you think Howard and Everton will fare versus Manchester City?
Share your thoughts below.