By FRANCO PANIZO
The skies have been shining on John Brooks in recent days, and he will be hoping they continue to do so for just a little longer.
After putting together a pair of headline-grabbing performances in the past week, Brooks will attempt to close out the year with another when he and Hertha Berlin welcome Hoffenheim on Sunday. Plenty of eyeballs will be on Brooks in his final game until February after the impressive week that he has had, a week that has seen him draw positive reviews from his head coach and score a goal in an eight-goal shootout. The 21-year-old centerback seems a shoo-in to start given his recent outings, and could further cement his place in the Old Lady’s lineup with another strong showing.
Brooks’ U.S. Men’s National Team teammate Jozy Altidore is less of a certainty to get the nod, and it will be interesting to see what role the veteran forward has in Sunderland’s meeting with Newcastle United. Altidore was handed a start last weekend, but was involved in a nightmare play in which he misjudged the flight of a cross on a golden look in front of goal. Now, we will see if Black Cats manager Gus Poyet’s confidence in Altidore has at all wavered as Sunderland head into St. James Park trying to snap a six-game winless run.
If you’re looking for another intriguing game to watch, look no further than the battle of Americans in the Eredivisie. Aron Johannsson and AZ Alkmaar are set to host Rubio Rubin and FC Utrecht on Saturday in their final match before the league’s winter break. Utrecht will be keen on trying to pull off the upset, especially after winning just once in their last five league games, but have quite a challenge on their hands as they take on an AZ side that is unbeaten in its last seven.
Here is who the Americans Abroad take on this weekend:
FRIDAY
Tim Ream and Bolton Wanderers play Millwall.
SATURDAY
Brad Guzan and Aston Villa play Manchester United.
Cody Cropper and Southampton play Tim Howard and Everton.
Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play Burnley.
Zak Whitbread and Derby County play Norwich City.
Oguchi Onyewu and Charlton Athletic play Blackburn Rovers.
Emerson Hyndman and Fulham play Sheffield Wednesday.
Jonathan Spector, Brek Shea and Birmingham City play Huddersfield Town. (Spector is out injured.)
Danny Williams and Reading play Watford.
Eric Lichaj and Nottingham Forest play Leeds United.
Will Packwood and Colchester United play Yeovil Town.
David Yelldell and Bayer Leverkusen play Timmy Chandler and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Fabian Johnson and Borussia Moenchengladbach play FC Augsburg.
Julian Green and Hamburg SV play Schalke o4.
Joe Gyau and Borussia Dortmund play Werder Bremen. (Gyau is out injured.)
Jann George and SpVgg Greuther Furth play FC Nurnberg.
Alejandro Bedoya and FC Nantes play Lorient.
Aron Johannsson and AZ Alkmaar play Rubio Rubin and FC Utrecht.
Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht play Waasland-Beveren.
SUNDAY
Jozy Altidore and Sunderland play Newcastle United.
John Brooks and Hertha Berlin play TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Andrew Wooten and SV Sandhausen play Kaiserslautern.
Alfredo Morales and FC Ingolstadt 04 play SV Darmstadt 98.
MONDAY
Geoff Cameron and Stoke City play Chelsea.
Terrence Boyd and RB Leipzig play Bobby Wood and TSV 1860 Munich. (Boyd is out injured.)
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Which of these matches are you most anticipating? Do you see Brooks delivering another headline-grabbing performance? Think Altidore will start for Sunderland?
Share your thoughts below.