By FRANCO PANIZO
Terrence Boyd could not have asked for a much better end to his season.
Boyd stayed red-hot by scoring for the fourth consecutive game on Sunday, netting the third goal in Rapid Vienna’s 5-2 victory vs. SV Josko Ried. The 23-year-old forward with hopes of being on the U.S. Men’s National Team that will head to Brazil for the World Cup joined elite company with the goal – his sixth in Rapid Vienna’s last four games – as he became just the fifth American to net 20 times in a top-division European season. The other four players to do so are Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Aron Johannsson and Earnie Stewart.
Two other players who saw time in their respective season finales were Jozy Altidore and Tim Howard. Altidore came off the bench and played six minutes in Sunderland’s 3-1 loss vs. Swansea City to end his unsatisfactory campaign while Howard started and went the distance as Everton punctuated their strong season with a 2-0 triumph against Hull City.
Timmy Chandler was not in action for FC Nurnberg due to yellow card accumulation, but he witnessed his club get relegated into the 2. Bundesliga. The club needed a win to move past Hamburg SV in the standings and into the Bundesliga’s lone promotion-relegation spot, but Nurnberg suffered an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at Schalke 04 in their final match of the campaign.
Here is how the Americans Abroad did this weekend:
ENGLAND
Premiership
- Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Everton’s 2-0 win vs. Hull City on Sunday.
- Jozy Altidore came off the bench and played six minutes in Sunderland’s 3-1 loss vs. Swansea City on Sunday.
- Geoff Cameron started and played 90 minutes in Stoke City’s 2-1 win vs. West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
- Brek Shea did not dress for Stoke City.
- Brad Guzan started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Aston Villa’s 3-0 loss vs. Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
- Brad Friedel dressed but did not play in Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 win vs. Aston Villa on Sunday.
- Cody Cropper did not dress in Southampton’s 1-1 draw vs. Manchester United on Sunday.
- Sebastian Lletget did not dress in West Ham United’s 2-0 loss vs. Manchester City on Sunday.
CHAMPIONSHIP
- Zak Whitbread dressed but did not play in Derby County’s 4-1 win vs. Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday. Derby Count won the series on a 6-2 aggregate score.
GERMANY
Bundesliga
- Fabian Johnson started, played 75 minutes and had an ASSIST in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s 3-1 win vs. TSV Eintracht Braunchweig on Saturday.
- Joe Gyau dressed but did not play for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
- John Brooks started and played 90 minutes in Hertha Berlin’s 4-0 loss vs. Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
- Timmy Chandler did not dress in FC Nurberg’s 4-1 loss vs. Schalke 04 on Saturday. He was suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
- David Yelldell dressed but did not play in Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-1 win vs. Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Bundesliga 2
- Alfredo Morales came off the bench and played 28 minutes in FC Ingolstadt 04’s 2-0 win vs. Energie Cottbus on Sunday.
- Bobby Wood started and played 70 minutes in TSV 1860 Munich’s 1-1 draw vs. FC Union Berlin on Sunday.
- Andrew Wooten did not dress in FSV Frankfurt’s 2-0 win vs. FC Cologne on Sunday.
FRANCE
- Alejandro Bedoya started and played 78 minutes in FC Nantes’ 3-1 loss vs. St Etienne on Saturday.
NETHERLANDS
- Aron Johannsson did not dress in AZ Alkmaar’s 1-0 loss vs. Heerenveen on Saturday. Alkmaar won the series on a 3-1 aggregate score.
TURKEY
- Jermaine Jones started and played 90 minutes in Besiktas’ 1-0 win vs. Elazigspor on Sunday.
BELGIUM
- Sacha Kljestan dressed but did not play in RSC Anderlecht’s 4-0 win vs. Racing Genk in the Pro League play-offs on Sunday.
AUSTRIA
- Terrence Boyd started, played 76 minutes and scored a GOAL in Rapid Vienna’s 5-2 win vs. SV Josko Ried on Sunday.
DENMARK
- Conor O’Brien started and played 63 minutes in Odense BK’s 3-1 loss vs. Esbjerg on Sunday.
- Babajide Ogunbiyi started and played 90 minutes in Viborg FF’s 3-1 loss vs. FC Nordsjaelland on Sunday.
NORWAY
- Mix Diskerud and Rosenborg BK play Sandnes Ulf on Monday.
- Ethan Horvath dressed but did not play in Molde FK’s 2-2 draw vs. Stromsgodset on Sunday.
- Josh Gatt did not dress for Molde FK. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Zarek Valentin did not dress in FK Bodo/Glimt’s 2-1 win vs. FK Haugesund on Saturday. Valentin is recovering from an injury.
- Michael Stephens came off the bench, played 33 mintues and received a yellow card in Stabaek IF’s 3-2 win vs. Sarpsborg 08 on Sunday.
MEXICO
- Dennis Flores did not dress in Club Leon’s 1-0 win vs. Toluca in the second leg of their Liga MX semifinals series on Saturday. Club Leon won the series via a 2-0 aggregate score.
- Miguel Palafox did not dress for Club Leon.
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What do you think of these performances? Has Boyd all but assured himself a place in the USMNT’s 23-man roster for Brazil with his strong form at the end of the season? How do you look back on Howard and Altidore’s campaigns?
Share your thoughts below.