By FRANCO PANIZO
Nearly a month after suffering a knee injury that initially looked to threaten his season, Brek Shea made his Stoke City return on Wednesday.
Shea started for the Potters in their 3-1 victory over Walsall in the Capital One Cup, starting and playing 45 minutes in the match played at Britannia Stadium. The outing marked Shea’s first official appearance for Stoke since March, and came almost a month to the day that he suffered an MCL sprain in a friendly against the Philadelphia Union due to a tackle from Matt Kassel.
Another player to receive a long-awaited start during the midweek action was Freddy Adu. The 24-year-old midfielder got the nod for the first time since joining Brazilian club Bahia in April, playing 71 minutes in the club’s scoreless draw with Portuguesa de Desportos in the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday.
Jozy Altidore also had a memorable moment earlier this week, as he scored his first official goal for Sunderland on Tuesday. Altidore sparked a late Black Cats’ rally that kept the club’s Capital One Cup hopes alive, scoring the first of four unanswered Sunderland goals in a 4-2 triumph over Milton Keynes Dons.
Jermaine Jones did not have as enjoyable of a performance on Tuesday. Jones helped set up a goal in Schalke 04’s Champions League qualifier vs. PAOK Salonika, but was sent off with a second yellow card in the 64th minute. Fortunately for Jones, Schalke still managed to pick up a 3-2 win that gave them a 4-3 aggregate victory despite playing with 10 men.
Here is how the Americans Abroad performed during the midweek action:
- Tim Howard dressed but did not play in Everton’s 2-1 extra-time win vs. Stevenage in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday.
- Jozy Altidore started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in Sunderland’s 4-2 win vs. Milton Keynes Dons in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBxRvdx3fEk?feature=player_embedded]
- Brek Shea started and played 45 minutes in Stoke City’s 3-1 win vs. Walsall in the Capital One Cup on Wednesdayday.
- Maurice Edu did not dress for Stoke City. He is recovering from a sports hernia.
- Geoff Cameron did not dress for Stoke City.
- Brad Guzan dressed but did not play in Aston Villa’s 3-0 win vs. Rotherham United in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday.
- Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play Dinamo Tbilisi in the Europa League on Thursday afternoon.
- Sebastian Lletget dressed but did not play in West Ham United’s 2-1 win vs. Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.
- Jonathan Spector started, played 120 minutes and received a yellow card in Birmingham City’s 3-2 penalty kick win after a 3-3 draw vs. Yeovil Town in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.
- Will Packwood did not dress for Birmingham City. He is recovering from a leg injury.
- Tim Ream did not dress in Bolton Wanderers’ 4-2 penalty kick loss after a 1-1 draw vs. Tranmere Rovers in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.
- Stuart Holden did not dress for Bolton Wanderers. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Zak Whitbread started and played 90 minutes in Leicester City’s 5-2 win vs. Carlisle United in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.
- Eric Lichaj did not dress in Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 win vs. Millwall in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday.
- Danny Williams started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Reading’s 6-0 loss vs. Peterborough United in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.
GERMANY
- Jermaine Jones started, played 64 minutes and received TWO YELLOW CARDS in Schalke 04’s 3-2 win (4-3 aggregate win) vs. PAOK Salonika in the Champions League on Tuesday.
NETHERLANDS
- Aron Johannsson started in AZ Alkmaar’s abandoned Europa League match vs. Atromitos on Thursday.
AUSTRIA
- Terrence Boyd dressed but did not play in Rapid Vienna’s 3-0 win (4-0 win on aggregate) vs. Dila Gori in the Europa League on Thursday.
NORWAY
- Josh Gatt did not dress in Molde FK’s 3-0 loss (5-0 loss on aggregate) vs. Rubin Kazan in the Europa League on Thursday.
- Ethan Horvath did not dress in Molde FK’s 3-0 loss (5-0 loss on aggregate) vs. Rubin Kazan in the Europa League on Thursday.
MEXICO
- Joe Corona started and played 59 minutes in Club Tijuana’s 1-0 win vs. Firpo in the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday.
- Paul Arriola started and played 90 minutes for Club Tijuana.
- Greg Garza started and played 90 minutes for Club Tijuana.
- Edgar Castillo dressed but did not play for Club Tijuana.
- Herculez Gomez did not dress for Club Tijuana. He is recovering from a knee injury.
BRAZIL
- Freddy Adu started and played 71 minutes in Bahia’s 0-0 draw vs. Portuguesa de Desportos in the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday.
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What do you think of these performances? What did you see from Shea in his first 45 minutes back with Stoke? Think Adu will start seeing more minutes with Bahia?
Share your thoughts below.