By FRANCO PANIZO
It’s not as if Club Tijuana and its American contingent are starving for points, but their lead atop the Liga MX table could be made healthier with a win this weekend.
The only problem is the Xolos will be facing a team desperate for a win.
Cruz Azul has gone more than a month without a victory, failing to pick up the maximum points out of its last four games. The club is still in the midst of the playoff battle, and will be keen to pull of the upset when red-hot Tijuana comes into town on Saturday. The Xolos are putting a nine-game unbeaten run on the line, but will have regulars like Greg Garza and Joe Corona available for selection.
If you’re into battles between compatriots, there’s another match in Mexico that might be worth watching this weekend. Queretaro will welcome Atlas on Friday, and the game could pit Jonathan Bornstein against Edgar Castillo. While it is unlikely that the two left-sided defenders will face off directly, they will both be eager to grab a win for different reasons if they see the field. Bornstein and Queretaro are second-to-last in the standings and want to make a push up the table before the season comes to a close, while Castillo and Atlas are still trying to lock down a place in the playoffs.
Another possible duel between Americans could come in the German Bundesliga on Friday, as Hamburg hosts Hertha Berlin. Julian Green made the Hamburg bench for the first time in months in Saturday’s loss to Hoffenheim, and he will aim to come off of it this week. Meanwhile, fellow German-American John Brooks is in need of a bounce-back game after his miscue in the last round of games contributed to Hertha Berlin settling for a draw with Schalke.
Here is who the Americans Abroad rumble with this weekend:
FRIDAY
Zak Whitbread and Derby County play Wolverhampton Wanderers. (Whitbread is out injured.)
Julian Green and Hamburg SV play John Brooks and Hertha Berlin.
Andrew Wooten and SV Sanhausen play FSV Frankfurt.
Rubio Rubin and FC Utrecht play NAC Breda.
Jonathan Bornstein and Queretaro play Edgar Castillo and Atlas.
Ventura Alvarado and Club America play Veracruz.
Jose Torres and Tigres UANL play Santos Laguna. (Torres is out injured.)
SATURDAY
Brad Guzan and Aston Villa play Swansea City.
Gedion Zelalem and Arsenal play Newcastle United.
Geoff Cameron and Stoke City play Crystal Palace.
DeAndre Yedlin and Tottenham Hotspur play Leicester City.
Jonathan Spector and Birmingham City play Cardiff City.
Oguchi Onyewu and Charlton Athletic play Danny Williams and Reading.
Emerson Hyndman and Fulham play Huddersfield Town. (Hyndman is out injured.)
Eric Lichaj and Nottingham Forest play Norwich City.
Tim Ream and Bolton Wanderers play Wigan Athletic.
Joe Gyau and Borussia Dortmund play Hannover 96. (Gyau is out injured.)
Timmy Chandler and Eintracht Frankfurt play VfB Stuttgart.
Alfredo Morales and FC Ingolstadt 04 play TSV Eintracht Braunschweig.
Alejandro Bedoya and FC Nantes play Stade Rennes.
Aron Johannsson and AZ Alkmaar play Cambuur Leeuwarden.
Greg Garza, Joe Corona, Paul Arriola, Alejandro Guido and Club Tijuana play Cruz Azul.
Gabrial Farfan and Jaguares de Chiapas play Universidad de Guadalajara.
SUNDAY
Tim Howard and Everton play Queens Park Rangers.
Fabian Johnson and Borussia Moenchengladbach play Bayern Munich.
Bobby Wood and FC Erzgebirge Aue play Jann George and SpVgg Greuther Furth. (Wood is out injured.)
Terrence Boyd and RB Leipzig play Heidenheimer SB. (Boyd is out injured.)
Conor O’Brien and FC Magna Wiener Neustadt play Rapid Vienna.
Michael Orozco, Herculez Gomez and Puebla play Pumas UNAM.
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Which of these matches are you most anticipating? How do you see Corona, Garza and the Xolos doing? Who will win the matchup between Bornstein’s Queretaro and Castillo’s Atlas?
Share your thoughts below.
Timmy is only reciently (last 3 weeks?) back from an extended injury. It takes a while to get back into the swing of things when you were out for 6+ weeks.
How culpable was Timmy for those five goals?
On the back of a series (season) of sub-par performances, culpable enough apparently.
Maybe his positioning was off on the first one but I don’t think he can be blamed much for the other four. Some atrocious defending.
not very. on one of them, he could’ve done better.
but limey (above) is correct: he’s not the steady presence that he has been in past seasons–where he was usually one of the top 3 players on the team–and so he’s going to draw more blame, even when it’s not really deserved.
After the Kiev meltdown Tim Howard is really in the spotlight in England. It’s hard to believe he is the same goalkeeper who featured so prominently at the World Cup less than a year ago. This must be his worst season at Everton,
I wonder if he will be coming to MLS or if he will stay in the UK as Arlo White’s sidekick.
I think he knew he was hitting the wall, which is why he took a year off the USMNT.
Hurts to see. Personally I hope he comes back to MLS…though I think he’d only do so as a DP, and I do not see an MLS team shelling out DP money for a keeper. Garber would probably have to make some sort of special hero exemption for Howard…and given the climate is trending towards more consistency and transparency I dunno if that would fly either.
I think an MLS team would pay Howard big bucks because he’s a huge name and would sell tickets/jerseys etc.