FC Union Berlin distanced itself from the relegation zone with a win on Saturday, and it was Bobby Wood that played a big part in making that happen.
Wood turned in his latest goal-scoring outing to push Union Berlin to victory, as he bagged a brace in a 3-0 road triumph over Fortuna Dusseldorf. The U.S. Men’s National Team striker opened the scoring 13 minutes into the game, and doubled his club’s lead in the 69th minute before an own goal from Fortuna Dusseldorf punctuated the win. Wood now has seven league goals in the 2. Bundesliga campaign, and Union Berlin is four points clear of the drop zone.
John Brooks did not score a game-winner for his team, but did contribute on the offensive side for the second straight week by setting up a goal in Hertha Berlin’s 4-0 rout of SV Darmstadt. Brooks assisted on the third goal of the road victory in the 50th minute, and also helped Hertha Berlin post a shutout with a 90-minute shift at centerback. The result kept Brooks and Hertha Berlin in third place and in possession of the Bundesliga’s last guaranteed UEFA Champions League spot.
It was not all good news, however. DeAndre Yedlin was given the nod in Sunderland’s Saturday meeting with Watford, but lasted only until the 19th minute before being substituted. Yedlin struggled during his brief spell on the field, and gave the ball away twice in dangerous spots. Sunderland conceded while Yedlin was on the field, and lost, 1-0, to fall to 19th place in the English Premier League table.
Here is how the Americans Abroad did this weekend:
ENGLAND
Premiership
- Tim Howard started and played 90 minutes in Everton’s 1-1 draw vs. Norwich City on Saturday.
- Brad Guzan started and played 90 minutes in Aston Villa’s 2-0 loss vs. Arsenal on Sunday.
- Geoff Cameron started and played 68 minutes in Stoke City’s 0-0 draw vs. West Ham United on Saturday.
- DeAndre Yedlin started and played 19 minutes in Sunderland’s 1-0 loss vs. Watford on Saturday.
- Lynden Gooch did not dress for Sunderland.
Championship
- Jonathan Spector started and played 90 minutes in Birmingham City’s 0-0 draw vs. Middlesbrough on Saturday.
- Eric Lichaj started and played 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 draw vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday.
- Danny Williams started and played 90 minutes in Reading’s 1-0 loss vs. Preston North End on Saturday.
- Andrija Novakovich did not dress for Reading.
- Tim Ream started and played 90 minutes in Fulham’s 2-2 draw vs. Brentford on Saturday.
- Emerson Hyndman dressed but did not play for Fulham.
- Cody Cropper dressed but did not play in Milton Keynes Dons’ 1-0 loss vs. Ipswich Town on Saturday.
SCOTLAND
- Gedion Zelalem started and played 61 minutes in Rangers’ 2-2 draw vs. Greenock Morton on Saturday.
GERMANY
Bundesliga
- John Brooks started, played 90 minutes, and had an ASSIST in Hertha Berlin’s 4-0 win vs. SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday.
- Fabian Johnson did not dress in Borussia Moenchengladbach’s 5-0 loss vs. Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
- Timmy Chandler came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 4-1 loss vs. Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.
- Aron Johannsson did not dress in Werder Bremen’s 1-1 draw vs. FC Cologne on Saturday. He is recovering from a hip injury.
- Alfredo Morales did not dress in FC Ingolstadt 04’s 2-0 loss vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday. He was suspended due to yellow-card accumulation.
2. Bundesliga
- Terrence Boyd did not dress in RB Leipzig’s 3-1 win vs. FSV Frankfurt on Sunday.
- Bobby Wood started, played 90 minutes before being substituted, and scored TWO GOALS in FC Union Berlin’s 3-0 win vs. Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday.
- Andrew Wooten started and played 90 minutes in SV Sandhausen’s 2-0 loss vs. TSV Eintracht Braunschweig on Friday.
- Caleb Stanko started and played 90 minutes in SC Freiburg’s 2-1 loss vs. FC Nurnberg on Sunday.
- Shawn Barry came off the bench and played 11 minutes in FSV Frankfurt’s 3-1 loss vs. RB Leipzig on Sunday.
FRANCE
- Alejandro Bedoya started and played 72 minutes in FC Nantes’ 1-1 draw vs. Toulouse on Saturday.
NETHERLANDS
- Rubio Rubin did not dress in FC Utrecht’s 1-0 win vs. Ajax on Sunday. He is recovering from an injury.
- Desevio Payne dressed but did not play in FC Groningen’s 1-1 draw vs. Feyenoord on Sunday.
MEXICO
- Jose Torres and Tigres UANL play Pumas UNAM in the second leg of the Liga MX Apertura Liguilla Finals.
- Ventura Alvarado dressed but did not play in Club America’s 2-1 loss vs. Guangzhou Evergrande in the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday.
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What do you think of these performances? How many more goals do you see Wood scoring this season? Surprised to see Yedlin struggle and get removed so early from Sunderland’s game?
Share your thoughts below.
The secobd goal was finished very nicely as well.
Anyone have any insight into Andrija Novakovich? Reading held him out of the U-20 World Cup this summer, when we really needed him, citing their plan to use him in the first team this year. But seems like he has only played in a couple games, at best. Has he been injured? Just not progressed? Would love an update.
I’m almost positive he’s on a short-term loan like Zelalems. I think he returns to Reading at the new year.
On loan at Cheltenham (fifth division) until January.
Also, what’s going on with Wood? All of the sudden he’s our best goal scorer in Europe and with the NT. For a couple years it didn’t look like he could even get into a position to score goals.
This list gets smaller and smaller each year…
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3hvbm2_wood-goal-dusseldorf-0-1-union-berlin-12-12-2015_sport
Almost class (little heavy on that first touch) but I like it!
Thanks for that man
Touching the ball softly over the keeper is hard to do at a full gallop.
Gringo Castro Campeon with Tigres. The one American abroad actually accomplishing something.
is the first game he played in the whole season and he was terrible today, was at fault for at least two goals.
What’s deal with Fabian not playing? Rest, knock, something else?
The match announcer was tallying all the injuries the club was suffering from and mentioned that FJ got a knock in the midweek CL game. No other info that I heard, but I didn’t watch much without him playing and with his team getting thoroughly beaten.
Yeah, Fabian did limp off the field when he was substituted in the 75th min or so, but it looked to be a minor knock more than anything. And then of course City promptly went on to score 3 goals.
Yedlin yikes!
Would the guy from KAA Gent be added?
Until he’s called up to a USMNT camp or until he’s filed his one time switch with FIFA he is a player for Israel and not the USA.