Photo by ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Clint Dempsey has had a difficult time finding his feet since joining Tottenham, but his performance on Sunday might just be what sparks his first string of strong outings with Spurs.
Dempsey enjoyed a stellar showing against West Ham United, assisting on one goal and taking part in the buildup of another in Tottenham’s 3-1 win. Dempsey, who was starting in his eighth league game for Spurs, also had a shot smack off the post in what may have been his best game for the club.
Fabian Johnson did not set up a goal, but he did find the back of the net for Hoffenheim on Sunday. Johnson scored his career-high third goal of the Bundesliga season by netting Hoffenheim’s lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen. The strike gave Hoffenheim a glimmer of hope after falling behind, 2-0, but they never found an equalizer.
Johnson’s former Hoffenheim teammate, Joe Gyau, also had a noteworthy weekend. Gyau earned his first start for St Pauli in the club’s 4-1 win over MSV Duisburg on Sunday and he played 64 minutes before being substituted.
More good news came out of Germany, as former U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team forward Bobby Wood played in his first game in more than a year in TSV 1860 Munich’s 2-2 draw with FC Union Berlin. Wood came off the bench and played the final 16 minutes of the match to officially put an end to the knee problems that have been hampering him in recent months.
Here’s how the Americans Abroad performed this weekend:
ENGLAND
Premiership
- Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Everton’s 1-1 draw vs. Norwich City on Saturday.
- Brad Friedel dressed but did not play in Tottenham’s 3-1 win vs. West Ham United on Sunday.
- Clint Dempsey started, played 90 minutes and had an ASSIST for Tottenham.
- Brad Guzan started, played 90 minutes and made one save in Aston Villa’s 0-0 draw vs. Arsenal on Saturday.
- Eric Lichaj came off the bench and played 39 minutes for Aston Villa.
- Geoff Cameron started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Stoke City’s 1-0 win vs. Fulham on Saturday.
- Maurice Edu did not dress for Stoke City.
Championship
- Tim Ream started and played 78 minutes in Bolton Wanderers’ 1-1 draw vs. Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
- Stuart Holden did not dress for Bolton Wanderers. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Jonathan Spector started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Birmingham City’s 3-2 loss vs. Derby County on Saturday.
- Will Packwood did not dress for Birmingham City.
- Conor Doyle did not dress in Derby County’s 3-2 win vs. Birmingham City on Saturday. He is recovering from an appendix injury.
- Zak Whitbread started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Leicester City’s 2-0 win vs. Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
- Robbie Findley did not dress in Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 win vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
League One
- Frank Simek started and played 90 minutes in Carlisle United’s 3-1 win vs. Yeovil Town on Saturday.
- Robbie Rogers dressed but did not play in Stevenage’s 1-1 draw vs. Tranmere Rovers on Saturday.
- Mike Grella dressed but did not play in Scunthorpe United’s 4-0 loss vs. Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.
SPAIN
La Liga
- Oguchi Onyewu dressed but did not play in Malaga CF’s 4-0 win vs. Valencia on Saturday.
Segunda Division
- Carlos Bocanega did not dress in Racing Santander’s 4-1 loss vs. Barcelona B on Sunday. He is recovering from a hamstring injury.
ITALY
- Michael Bradley started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in AS Roma’s 1-0 win vs. US Pescara on Sunday.
GERMANY
Bundesliga
- Steve Cherundolo started and played 90 minutes in Hannover 96’s 5-0 loss vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday.
- Jermaine Jones started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Schalke 04’s 1-1 draw vs. Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
- Fabian Johnson started, played 83 minutes and scored a GOAL in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s 2-1 loss vs. Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
- Danny Williams dressed but did not play for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
- Timmy Chandler started and played 90 minutes in FC Nurnberg’s 0-0 draw vs. SpVgg Greuther Furth on Saturday.
- David Yelldell did not dress in Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-1 win vs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Sunday.
2. Bundesliga
- John Anthony Brooks dressed but did not play in Hertha Berlin’s 4-0 win vs. FC Erzgebirge Aue on Sunday.
- Alfredo Morales did not dress for Hertha Berlin.
- Andrew Wooten came off the bench and played 24 minutes in SV Sandhausen’s 1-1 draw vs. FC Ingolstadt 04 on Sunday.
- Joe Gyau started and played 64 minutes in St Pauli’s 4-1 win vs. MSV Duisburg on Sunday.
- Bobby Wood came off the bench and played 16 minutes in TSV 1860 Munich’s 2-2 draw vs. FC Union Berlin on Saturday.
NETHERLANDS
- Jozy Altidore started and played 90 minutes in AZ Alkmaar’s 2-0 loss vs. Feyenoord Rotterdam on Sunday.
PORTUGAL
- Tony Taylor came off the bench and played six minutes in G.D. Estoril Praia’s 1-0 loss vs. CD Nacional de Madeira on Sunday.
- Caleb Patterson-Sewell dressed but did not play in Vitoria Setubal FC’s 5-3 loss vs. Rio Ave on Sunday.
BELGIUM
- Sacha Kljestan started, played 82 minutes and received a yellow card in RSC Anderlecht’s 4-1 win vs. Germinal Beerschot on Saturday.
RUSSIA
- Eugene Starikov started and played 72 minutes in FK Rostov’s 2-0 win vs. Mordovia Saransk on Friday.
AUSTRIA
- Terrence Boyd did not dress in Rapid Vienna’s 2-0 win vs. FC Trenkwalder Admira on Sunday. He was serving a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation.
DENMARK
- Michael Parkhurst started and played 90 minutes in FC Nordsjaelland’s 1-0 loss vs. Esbjerg on Sunday.
- Clarence Goodson dressed but did not play in Brondby IF’s 2-0 win vs. AC Horsens on Sunday.
- Conor O’Brien came off the bench and played 15 minutes in SonderjyskE’s 2-1 loss vs. FC Copenhagen on Sunday.
- Charlie Davies came off the bench, played eight minutes and received a RED CARD in Randers FC’s 1-0 loss vs. Aalborg BK on Friday.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3fEOoPepj8?feature=player_embedded]
MEXICO
- Edgar Castillo started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Club Tijuana’s 3-0 win vs. Leon in the second leg of their semifinals series on Sunday. Club Tijuana won on aggregate, 3-2.
- Joe Corona started and played 61 minutes for Club Tijuana.
- Greg Garza did not dress for Club Tijuana.
- Ventura Alvarado did not dress in Club America’s 2-1 win vs. Toluca in the second leg of their semifinal series on Sunday. Club America lost on aggregate, 3-2.
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What do you think of these performances? How impressed were you with Dempsey’s outing? How many more goals do you see Johnson scoring this season?
Share your thoughts below.