By FRANCO PANIZO
For Herculez Gomez and Santos Laguna, this weekend could not have gone any better. Not only did they clinch a playoff spot with a 1-0 victory on Friday, but they did so against the team they will soon face in the CONCACAF Champions League final.
Gomez and Santos defeated Monterrey at home on Friday and that match gave them a taste of what is in store for them this upcoming Wednesday when they again host Los Rayados in the first leg of the CCL final. The win, which Gomez played 74 minutes in, is sure to inspire plenty of confidence in Los Guerreros, who are now assured of a place in the Liga MX postseason and just three points shy of league leaders Tigres UANL.
The game also marked the professional debut of Joaquin Alonso Hernandez, a 19-year-old midfielder who is originally from El Paso, Texas. Hernandez came off the bench for Monterrey in the 63rd minute and came close to finding an equalizer two minutes later with a potent shot that Santos goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez did well to save.
Clint Dempsey also had an eventful match, scoring the equalizer that inspired Tottenham to a 3-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday. Dempsey netted for the sixth time this season in Premiership play and 11th across all competitions when he stretched out to knock in a Gareth Bale cross at the far post in the 75th minute of a match that kept Spurs within two points of an automatic UEFA Champions League spot.
It was not all good news this weekend. Club Tijuana continued to struggle in Liga MX, failing to win for a seventh straight game in a 2-1 defeat to Morelia, and what made matters worse was that Joe Corona and Edgar Castillo were both sent off late in the Satuday match. Corona was ejected in the 89th minute with a red card while Castillo picked up his second yellow card in second-half stoppage time.
Here’s how the Americans Abroad performed this weekend:
ENGLAND
Premiership
- Geoff Cameron came off the bench and played one minute in Stoke City’s 2-0 win vs. Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
- Brek Shea did not dress for Stoke City.
- Sebastian Lletget did not dress in West Ham United’s 2-0 win vs. Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
- Clint Dempsey started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in Tottenham’s 3-1 win vs. Manchester City on Sunday.
- Brad Friedel dressed but did not play for Tottenham.
- Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Everton’s 1-0 loss vs. Sunderland on Saturday.
- Brad Guzan and Aston Villa play Manchester United on Monday.
- Eric Lichaj and Aston Villa play Manchester United on Monday.
Championship
- Jonathan Spector did not dress in Birmingham City’s 1-0 win vs. Leeds United on Saturday. He is recovering from an ankle injury.
- Will Packwood did not dress for Birmingham City. He is recovering from a leg injury.
- Conor Doyle did not dress in Derby County’s 3-1 win vs. Peterborough United on Saturday.
- Tim Ream dressed but did not play in Bolton Wanderers’ 2-1 win vs. Middlesbrough on Saturday.
- Stuart Holden did not dress for Bolton Wanderers.
- Zak Whitbread dressed but did not play in Leceister City’s 2-2 draw vs. Crystal Palace on Saturday.
League One
- Frank Simek did not dress in Carlisle United’s 3-1 loss vs. AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.
- Mike Grella dressed but did not play in Scunthorpe United’s 1-0 win vs. Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday.
SPAIN
La Liga
- Oguchi Onyewu did not dress in Malaga CF’s 5-1 loss vs. Valencia on Saturday.
Segunda Division
- Carlos Bocanega started and played 90 minutes in Racing Santander’s 1-0 loss vs. Villarreal on Sunday.
ITALY
- Michael Bradley came off the bench and played 18 minutes in AS Roma’s 1-1 draw vs. US Pescara on Sunday.
GERMANY
Bundesliga
- Fabian Johnson started and played 90 minutes in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s 5-0 loss vs. Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
- Danny Williams did not dress for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
- Timmy Chandler started and played 45 minutes in FC Nurnberg’s 1-0 loss vs. SpVgg Greuther Furth on Sunday.
- Michael Parkhurst did not dress in FC Augsburg’s 1-0 loss vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday.
- Jermaine Jones came off the bench and played 26 minutes in Schalke 04′s 1-0 loss vs. Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
- David Yelldell did not dress in Bayer Leverkusen’s 5-0 win vs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday.
- Steve Cherundolo started and played 66 minutes in Hannover 96′s 6-1 loss vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday.
2. Bundesliga
- Joe Gyau dressed but did not play in St Pauli’s 3-0 loss vs. VfL Bochum on Friday.
- John Anthony Brooks started and played 25 minutes in Hertha Berlin’s 1-0 win vs. SV Sandhausen on Sunday.
- Alfredo Morales dressed but did not play for Hertha Berlin.
- Andrew Wooten came off the bench and played seven minutes in SV Sandhausen’s 1-0 loss vs. Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
- Bobby Wood dressed but did not play in TSV 1860 Munich’s 2-1 loss vs. FSV Frankfurt on Saturday.
NETHERLANDS
- Jozy Altidore started and played 54 minutes in AZ Alkmaar’s 3-1 loss vs. PSV Eindhoven on Saturday.
PORTUGAL
- Tony Taylor came off the bench and played 13 minutes in G.D. Estoril Praia’s 1-0 loss vs. Vitoria Setubal on Sunday.
- Caleb Patterson-Sewell dressed but did not play in Vitoria Setubal’s 1-0 win vs. G.D. Estoril Praia on Sunday.
RUSSIA
- Eugen Starikov and FK Rostov play Terek Grozny on Monday.
TURKEY
- Maurice Edu did not dress in Bursaspor’s 1-0 win vs. Antalyaspor on Sunday.
BELGIUM
- Sacha Kljestan started and played 74 minutes in RSC Anderlecht’s 2-1 loss vs. Zulte-Waregem on Sunday.
DENMARK
- Clarence Goodson dressed but did not play in Brondby IF’s 2-2 draw vs. Silkeborg IF on Sunday.
- Charlie Davies dressed but did not play in Randers FC’s 0-0 draw vs. FC Nordjsaelland on Sunday.
- Conor O’Brien started, played 67 minutes and received a yellow card in FC Nordsjaelland’s 0-0 draw vs. Randers FC on Sunday.
AUSTRIA
- Terrence Boyd did not dress in in Rapid Vienna’s 2-2 draw vs. Austria Vienna on Sunday. He was suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
SWEDEN
- Alejandro Bedoya started, played 90 minutes before being substituted in stoppage time and received a yellow card in Helsingborg IF’s 2-0 win vs. Brommapojkarna on Sunday.
- Brian Span and Djurgarden IF play Elfsborg on Monday.
NORWAY
- Josh Gatt started and played 72 minutes in Molde FK’s 1-1 draw vs. Odd on Saturday.
- Mix Diskerud started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in Rosenborg BK’s 3-1 loss vs. Haugesund on Sunday. You can see the goal here.
- Steve Clark started and played 90 minutes in Honefoss BK’s 1-1 draw vs. Sandnes Ulf on Sunday.
MEXICO
- Herculez Gomez started and played 74 minutes in Santos Laguna’s 1-0 win vs. Monterrey on Friday.
- Benji Joya did not dress for Santos Laguna.
- Joaquin Alonso Hernandez came off the bench, played 27 minutes and received a yellow card in Monterrey’s 1-0 loss vs. Santos Laguna on Friday.
- Michael Orozco Fiscal started and played 90 minutes in Puebla’s 2-0 loss vs. Atlante on Sunday.
- DaMarcus Beasley came off the bench and played 45 minutes for Puebla.
- Jose Torres started and played 85 minutes in Tigres UANL’s 3-1 win vs. Pachuca on Saturday.
- Jonathan Bornstein did not dress for Tigres UANL.
- Edgar Castillo started, played 90 minutes and received TWO YELLOW CARD (one in second-half stoppage time) in Club Tijuana’s 2-1 loss vs. Morelia on Saturday.
- Joe Corona came off the bench, played 18 minutes and received a RED CARD for Club Tijuana.
- Greg Garza did not dress for Club Tijuana.
- Ventura Alvarado did not dress in Club America’s 1-0 win vs. Pumas UNAM on Saturday.
BRAZIL
- Freddy Adu came off the bench and played five minutes in Bahia’s 0-0 draw vs. Juazeirense in the Baiano group stages on Sunday.
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What do you think of these performances? Think Gomez and Santos’ win over Monterrey will be a big factor heading into the first leg of the CCL final on Wednesday? Surprised to see Corona and Castilla get sent off in one game?
Share your thoughts below.