Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
After a rough few months, Joe Corona is starting to turn things around at Club Tijuana.
Corona has moved past his recent spell of inactivity with Xolos and strung together a few solid performances, with his freshest outing coming in Wednesday’s 1-0 CONCACAF Champions League loss to the LA Galaxy. The 23-year-old midfielder will now try to carry that form over into Tijuana’s challenging visit to first-place Cruz Azul, which will be desperate to bounce back from the first defeat of the Clausura campaign.
Brad Guzan also has a stern test ahead of him, as he leads Aston Villa into battle at Villa Park to take on Premiership leaders Chelsea. The Villans snapped a four game winless streak last weekend, and will try and carry that momentum over into a Saturday match they hope ends in an upset of the Blues.
Wondering what other matches might be worth watching? Look no further than Sunderland’s showdown with Crystal Palace, as it will provide a clearer picture as to where Jozy Altidore currently stands with the Black Cats. Another match of intrigue takes place on Sunday, with DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Orozco and Puebla welcoming Jose Torres and Tigres UANL in a clash of Americans.
Here is who the Americans Abroad play with this weekend:
FRIDAY
Alfredo Morales and FC Ingolstadt 04 play Andrew Wooten and FSV Frankfurt.
SATURDAY
Tim Howard and Everton play Cardiff City.
Cody Cropper and Southampton play Norwich City.
Geoff Cameron, Brek Shea and Stoke City play Sebastian Lletget and West Ham United.
Jozy Altidore and Sunderland play Crystal Palace.
Brad Guzan and Aston Villa play Chelsea.
Tim Ream, Stuart Holden and Bolton Wanderers play Brighton & Hove Albion. (Holden is out injured.)
Gboly Ariyibi and Leeds United play Burnley.
Eric Lichaj and Nottingham Forest play Doncaster Rovers. (Lichaj is out injured.)
Duane Holmes and Yeovil Town play Queens Park Rangers.
Danny Williams and Reading play Zak Whitbread and Derby County.
Oguchi Onyewu and Sheffield Wednesday play Jonathan Spector, Will Packwood and Birmingham City.
John Brooks and Hertha Berlin play Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96. (Cherundolo is out injured.)
Fabian Johnson and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim play Mainz 05.
David Yelldell and Bayer Leverkusen play Bayern Munich.
Bobby Wood and TSV 1860 Munich play FC Erzgebirge Aue.
Alejandro Bedoya and FC Nantes play Lille.
Jermaine Jones and Besiktas play Rizespor.
Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht play KV Oostende.
Terrence Boyd and Rapid Vienna play SV Josko Ried.
Herculez Gomez, Joe Corona, Edgar Castillo, Greg Garza, Paul Arriola, Alejandro Guido and Club Tijuana play Cruz Azul.
Alonso Hernandez and Monterrey play Morelia.
Gabriel Farfan and Jaguares de Chiapas play Club America.
SUNDAY
Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play Arsenal.
Timmy Chandler and FC Nurnberg play Hamburg SV. (Chandler is out injured.)
Aron Johannsson and AZ Alkmaar play Twente Enschede.
Juan Agudelo and FC Utrecht play NEC Nijmegen.
Conor O’Brien and Odense BK play Babajide Ogunbiyi and Viborg FF.
DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Orozco and Puebla play Jose Torres and Tigres UANL.
Jonathan Bornstein and Atlante play Pumas UNAM.
—–
Which of these matches are you most anticipating? Like the way Corona has been playing as of late? What are the chances that Guzan and the Villans grab a result vs. Chelsea?
Share your thoughts below.