By FRANCO PANIZO
Slowly and steadily, Danny Williams is recapturing the stellar form he showed last season before an untimely injury forced him out of action.
Williams continued his comeback last year’s knee injury by lifting Reading to victory on Saturday, scoring the game-winner in a 2-1 triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers. The veteran midfielder struck in the 70th minute when the match was deadlocked at 1-1, giving him his first goal for the Royals since April 5, 2014. Williams’ performance helped Reading move up into 13th place in the Championship, and should raise his chances of getting recalled into the U.S. Men’s National Team ahead of this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Bobby Wood did not find the back of the net in his respective match, but he did debut for his new club. Just days after being loaned out to FC Erzgebirge Aue, Wood made his first appearance by starting and turning in a 69-minute shift in a 2-0 win over RB Leipzig on Friday. The victory marked Wood’s first competitive match at the club level since Oct. 19, when he came off the bench for 1860 Munich and played against who else but Erzgebirge Aue.
Oguchi Onyewu also ended a spell of inactivity, getting his first start for Charlton Athletic in a 3-1 loss to Middlesbrough. Onyewu went the distance in the Saturday showdown, but he and his side failed to come out victorious for the 12th straight league game. The seasoned centerback now has three appearances for the Addicks, who he last played for on Dec. 26.
Here is how the Americans Abroad did this weekend:
ENGLAND
Premiership
- Tim Howard did not dress in Everton’s 0-0 draw vs. Liverpool on Saturday. He is recovering from a calf injury.
- Brad Guzan started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Aston Villa’s 2-1 loss vs. Chelsea on Saturday.
- Brad Friedel did not dress in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 win vs. Arsenal on Saturday.
- DeAndre Yedlin did not dress for Tottenham Hotspur. He is with the U.S. Men’s National Team.
- Geoff Cameron came off the bench, played 39 minutes and had an ASSIST in Stoke City’s 1-1 draw vs. Newcastle United on Sunday.
- Gedion Zelalem did not dress in Arsenal’s 2-1 loss vs. Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Championship
- Jonathan Spector started and played 90 minutes in Birmingham City’s 1-1 draw vs. Fulham on Saturday.
- Will Packwood did not dress for Birmingham City. He is recovering from an injury.
- Tim Ream started and played 90 minutes in Bolton Wanderers’ 4-1 loss vs. Derby County on Saturday.
- Eric Lichaj started and played 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 3-2 win vs. Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
- Danny Williams started, played 90 minutes, received a yellow card and scored a GOAL in Reading’s 2-1 win vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
- Emerson Hyndman did not dress in Fulham’s 1-1 draw vs. Birmingham City on Saturday. He is recovering from an injury.
- Zak Whitbread did not dress in Derby County’s 4-1 win vs. Bolton Wanderers on Saturday. He is recovering from an injury.
- Oguchi Onyewu started and played 90 minutes in Charlton Athletic’s 3-1 loss vs. Middlesbrough on Saturday.
GERMANY
Bundesliga
- John Brooks started and played 90 minutes in Hertha Berlin’s 2-0 win vs. Mainz 05 on Saturday.
- Fabian Johnson dressed but did not play in Borussia Moenchengladbach’s 1-0 loss vs. Schalke 04 on Friday.
- Timmy Chandler started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 2-2 draw vs. FC Augsburg on Sunday.
- Julian Green did not dress in Hamburg SV’s 2-1 win vs. Hannover 96 on Saturday.
- Joe Gyau did not dress in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-0 win vs. SC Freiburg on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
2. Bundesliga
- Terrence Boyd did not dress in RB Leipzig’s 2-0 loss vs. FC Erzgebirge Aue on Friday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Alfredo Morales started and played 90 minutes in FC Ingolstadt 04’s 1-0 win vs. SpVgg Greuther Furth on Friday.
- Bobby Wood started and played 69 minutes in FC Erzgebirge Aue’s 2-0 win vs. RB Leipzig on Friday.
- Andrew Wooten started and played 90 minutes in SV Sandhausen’s 0-0 draw vs. St Pauli on Saturday.
- Jann George did not dress in SpVgg Greuther Furth’s 1-0 loss vs. FC Ingolstadt on Friday.
FRANCE
- Alejandro Bedoya started and played 90 minutes in FC Nantes’ 0-0 draw vs. Nice on Sunday.
NETHERLANDS
- Aron Johannsson did not dress in AZ Alkmaar’s 4-2 win vs. FC Groningen on Sunday. He is recovering from an ankle injury.
- Rubio Rubin started and played 67 minutes in FC Utrecht’s 3-1 loss vs. PSV Eindhoven on Saturday.
MEXICO
- Michael Orozco started and played 90 minutes in Puebla’s 1-0 loss vs. Tigres UANL on Saturday.
- Herculez Gomez came off the bench and played 27 minutes for Puebla.
- Greg Garza started and played 90 minutes in Club Tijuana’s 2-2 draw vs. Jaguares de Chiapas on Saturday.
- Joe Corona came off the bench and played 32 minutes for Club Tijuana.
- Paul Arriola did not dress for Club Tijuana.
- Jose Torres did not dress in Tigres UANL’s 1-0 win vs. Puebla on Saturday. He is recovering from an injury.
- Edgar Castillo started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Atlas’ 2-0 win vs. Universidad de Guadalajara on Sunday.
- Ventura Alvarado started and played 90 minutes in Club America’s 2-2 draw vs. Morelia on Friday.
—–
What do you think of these performances? Do you see Williams making the USMNT’s Gold Cup roster? How are things going to go for Wood at Erzgebirge Aue?
Share your thoughts below.
Is AJ hurt?
Not that I’m aware of.
In fact, he just scored the winner against Ajax. It could be the quick turn around (their last match was 2-3 days prior to the FC Groningen match) or the quality of the opponent that warranted a day off? Just speculation on my part.
i had already turned the game off, but i did read he went off injured after his goal against ajax.
and i just found an article over at mls that confirms he has a “big egg” on his ankle. (no idea.)
I really Arriola, Wooten and Maars get called for the next friendlies, rest Altidore and continue 3-5-2.
3-5-2 abroad lineup:
Any keeper but Rimando
Alvarado Cameron Brooks
Yedellin Williams Morales Johnson
Bedoya
Arriola Novakovich
Lichaj, Ream, and Williams play in Europe, have overcame challenges like injuries and competition for playing time, and are acutally starting week in and week out. Didn’t Kilnsmann want players to challenge themselves and improve? Seems to me these three guys have done just that but they can’t get a cap to save their lives. Doesn’t make much sense.
Lichaj and Ream are average athletes. I don’t understand why anybody can’t see that. They’re OK players, but physically limited, and neither of them have really done much to impress on the International level. There’s about 500 players just like ’em in the Championship, and another 250 or so on the bottom end of the Premiership.
Danny Williams has more upside than that. He could fight his way back onto the NT and he did have some moments – at times.
Its hard to say they haven’t impressed at the international level when they have not played at the international level. The only time they have been in was in they have played little to no minutes. The last time they got a true run in with the national team was the Gold Cup in 2011. If you are holding their form from 4ish years ago as your assessment of them I would argue thats a bit out of scope.
Also, Ream is one of the best distributors the USMNT has. In 2011 it was his defence that needed work. Ream has tremendous potential as a distributing CB if given the chance. Lichaj, better fits your description of an athlete, but he has a special talent at man marking players. Not a lot of contribution to attack but could have been very useful when, maybe a certain best player in the world in the dying minutes of the match is on the wing looking to put in a cross.
I am not arguing they are the answer, but I am arguing they deserve a look.
Also, Ream is one of the best distributors the USMNT has.
For far too long, this has been the biggest selling point for Ream. Not his defense, but his distribution.
I don’t watch the Championship streams or on TV unless it’s the FA Cup. Has he improved? You can certainly say so, but he still gets beat by superior talent every time I watch him play, and that’s the on the club level.
Ream has tremendous potential as a distributing CB if given the chance.
Ream is 27. He either has the talent necessary or does not. It’s hard to use the adjective potential for someone that’s nearing the age of 30.
Being able to distribute from the back line is a luxury but being able to defend is a necessity. For me, Ream lacks the latter on the next level.
i don’t know; i think that, even at 27, defenders can substantially improve their games (more so than attackers) simply by becoming more intelligent and experienced. “talent” is not where ream’s potential for growth lies, but in his decision-making.
if indeed he has improved his decision-making (awareness, positioning, etc.), i’d love to see him get another callup. i do agree, however, that our cbs should be able to defend first and foremost, so if he can’t do that, then i don’t give a f— how great his distribution is.
I can agree with that.
I think where I disagree is whether or not Ream has the quality necessary. I simply don’t see him being an asset defensively.
Beckerman, Wondolowski, and Davis are all guys who I think you could classify as average athletes and all of them went to Brazil. Not only that but they play in the backwater of world soccer (gasps!) MLS. As for the 500 guys in the Championship and the 250 in the Premiership they don’t have American passports. Out of the group you mention only a tiny fraction can play for the Stars and Stripes and to write them off is detrimental to the national team. I believe they have something to contribute. They are prevented from doing so though because the team is coached by a guy gives new definition to the term cognitive dissonance.
Just have to say, that’s not the greatest example…just for the fact that 2 out of those 3 had no business being on a world cup team haha.