U.S. players finally get their chance; more Americans Abroad
For five Americans, the wait is over.
Freddy Adu's wait to open his account with Caykur Rizespor ended in the 31st minute of his match on Sunday. After taking a pass about 20 yards out on the right, Adu turned and curled a beautiful left-footed shot inside the far post for his first goal in a competitive match since Feb. 14, 2010.
Clarence Goodson, who could very well be a starting center back for the United States in this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, had the wait to kick off his career in Denmark come to a close. As the Danish Superliga resumed its season over the weekend, Goodson turned in a 90-minute shift in his first match since transferring to Brondby from Norway's IK Start.
Michael Bradley's wait to start for Aston Villa expired last Wednesday, although neither he nor Villa could make the most of it in a shoddy FA Cup effort against Manchester City.
Ricardo Clark's wait to return from the ranks of the injured ended, as he found his way back to the matchday roster for the first time since breaking his cheekbone at the end of January, although he did not play.
Finally, Adrian Ruelas, a 19-year-old U.S. Under-20 striker with dual Mexican-U.S. citizenship, concluded his wait for first-team action. He made his senior-team debut for Santos Laguna, coming on as a late substitute against Club America.
Whether it was a landmark first or just another day at the office, here's how the Americans playing abroad fared over the past week (statistics encompass all competitions):
Premier League
Michael Bradley, M, Aston Villa -- Started, played 71 minutes in Aston Villa's 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday. It was Bradley's first start since joining the club on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach. Bradley was in the 18 but did not play in Villa's 3-2 loss to Bolton in league play on Saturday. SEASON: 24 games, 21 starts, 4 goals
Clint Dempsey, M/F, Fulham -- Started, played 90 minutes in Fulham's 3-2 victory over Blackburn on Saturday. SEASON: 34 games, 31 starts, 10 goals
Brad Friedel, GK, Aston Villa -- Started, played 90 minutes and made five saves in Villa's 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday. Friedel also started, played 90 minutes and made one save in Villa's 3-2 loss to Bolton in league play on Saturday. SEASON: 33 games, 33 starts, 104 saves, 53 goals allowed, 5 clean sheets
Brad Guzan, GK, Aston Villa -- Not in the 18 for Villa's 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday or for Villa's 3-2 loss to Bolton in league play on Saturday. Guzan has been sent back to Hull City for another monthlong loan after the Tigers lost keeper Vito Mannone to a thigh injury and loaned their other keeper, Matt Duke, to Derby County. SEASON: 14 games, 14 starts, 62 saves, 15 goals allowed, 4 clean sheets
Marcus Hahnemann, GK, Wolverhampton -- In the 18, did not play in Wolves' 3-3 draw with Tottenham on Sunday. SEASON: 17 games, 17 starts, 59 saves, 28 goals allowed, 1 clean sheet
Stuart Holden, M, Bolton -- Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Bolton's 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday. SEASON: 27 games, 25 starts, 2 goals
Tim Howard, GK, Everton -- Started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Everton's 1-0 loss to Reading in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Tuesday. Howard also started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Everton's 2-1 victory over Newcastle in league play on Saturday. SEASON: 32 games, 32 starts, 92 saves, 41 goals allowed, 6 clean sheets
Jermaine Jones, M, Blackburn -- Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Blackburn's 3-2 loss to Fulham on Saturday. SEASON: 22 games, 21 starts, 1 goal
Jonathan Spector, M/D, West Ham -- In the 18, did not play in West Ham's 3-0 victory over Stoke City on Saturday. SEASON: 15 games, 11 starts, 4 goals
Championship
Conor Doyle, F, Derby County -- In the 18, did not play in Derby County's 3-1 loss to Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday. Doyle was also in the 18 but did not play in Derby County's 0-0 draw with Barnsley on Saturday. SEASON: 11 games, 4 starts
Eddie Johnson, F, Preston North End -- Started, played 90 minutes in Preston North End's 1-1 draw with Norwich City on Saturday. SEASON: 19 games, 7 starts
Eric Lichaj, D, Leeds United -- Started, played 90 minutes in Leeds' 5-2 victory over Doncaster Rovers on Saturday. SEASON: 13 games, 11 starts
Zak Whitbread, D, Norwich City -- Started, played 55 minutes in Norwich City's 1-1 draw with Preston North End on Saturday. Whitbread exited with a back injury after falling awkwardly and stayed the match briefly before having to come off. SEASON: 12 games, 10 starts
League One
Mike Grella, F, Swindon Town -- Started, played 90 minutes in Swindon Town's 0-0 draw with Walsall on Saturday. SEASON: 14 games, 9 starts, 3 goals
Anton Peterlin, M, Plymouth Argyle -- In the 18, did not play in Plymouth Argyle's 4-2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. SEASON: 5 games, 4 starts
Frank Simek, D, Carlisle United -- Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Carlisle's 3-1 victory over Charlton Athletic on Tuesday. Simek also started and played 90 minutes in Carlisle's 4-3 loss to Brighton on Saturday. SEASON: 42 games, 42 starts
League Two
Jon-Paul Pittman, F, Wycombe Wanderers -- Started, played 90 minutes and scored an 81st-minute goal in Wycombe's 4-1 loss to Chesterfield on Tuesday. Pittman was in the 18 and came on as an 85th-minute substitute in Wycombe's 2-2 draw with Aldershot Town on Saturday. SEASON: 13 games, 7 starts, 4 goals
Bundesliga
DaMarcus Beasley, M, Hannover 96 -- Not in the 18 for Hannover's 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich on Saturday. SEASON: 4 games
Timothy Chandler, M/D, FC Nurnberg -- Started, played 90 minutes in Nurnberg's 5-0 victory over St. Pauli on Saturday. The 20-year-old Chandler had his contract extended with the club through 2013 earlier in the week. SEASON: 9 games, 4 starts, 1 goal
Steve Cherundolo, D, Hannover 96 -- Started, played 90 minutes in Hannover's 3-1 victory Bayern Munich on Saturday. Cherundolo did a masterful job containing French international Franck Ribery, helping Hannover maintain its hold on third place and the berth in next season's UEFA Champions League that comes along with it. SEASON: 25 games, 25 starts
Ricardo Clark, M/D, Eintracht Frankfurt -- In the 18, did not play in Frankfurt's 0-0 draw with Kaiserslautern on Saturday. SEASON: 7 games, 4 starts
Daniel Williams, D, SC Freiburg -- Not in the 18 for Freiburg's 3-1 loss to Werder Bremen on Sunday. SEASON: 5 games, 2 starts
2. Bundesliga
Edson Buddle, F, FC Ingolstadt 04 -- Started, played 61 minutes in Ingolstadt's 2-1 victory over Alemannia Aachen on Sunday. SEASON: 7 games, 5 starts, 2 goals
Luis Robles, GK, Karlsruhe SC -- In the 18, did not play in Karlsruhe's 1-1 draw with VfL Bochum on Saturday. The match marked the first time in 18 matches that Robles failed to start. SEASON: 18 games, 18 starts, 65 saves, 37 goals allowed, 4 clean sheets
Bobby Wood, F, TSV 1860 Munich -- In the 18, came on as an 88th-minute substitute in Munich's 1-1 draw with RW Oberhausen on Friday. SEASON: 5 games
David Yelldell, GK, MSV Duisburg -- Started, played 90 minutes made two saves in Duisburg's 2-1 victory over Energie Cottbus in the semifinals of the DFB Pokal (German Cup) on Tuesday. Duisburg will play FC Schalke 04 in the cup final on May 21. Yelldell also started but only played 12 minutes and did not make a save in Duisburg's 2-1 loss to Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday. Yelldell picked up an early hand injury and had to be subbed off. According to the team's website, the injury to his left hand is being deemed a contusion, and X-rays on the hand came back negative. SEASON: 30 games, 30 starts, 72 saves, 23 goals allowed, 11 clean sheets
3. Liga
Matt Taylor, F, Rot Weiss Ahlen -- Started, played 90 minutes and scored goals in the 28th and 43rd minutes of Rot Weiss Ahlen's 3-3 draw with Carl Zeiss Jena on Saturday. SEASON: 18 games, 18 starts, 12 goals
Ligue 1
Carlos Bocanegra, D, St. Etienne -- Started, played 90 minutes in St. Etienne's 1-0 loss to Caen on Saturday. SEASON: 24 games, 24 starts, 2 goals
Eredivisie
Oguchi Onyewu, D, FC Twente Enschede -- In the 18, did not play in Twente's 2-1 victory over FC Utrecht in the semifinals of the KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup) on Wednesday. Twente will face Ajax in the final on May 8. Onyewu started and played 90 minutes in Twente's 2-0 victory over NAC Breda in league play on Saturday. SEASON: 9 games, 9 starts
Super Lig
Jozy Altidore, F, Bursaspor -- Started, played 76 minutes in Bursaspor's 1-1 draw with Istanbul BB on Sunday. SEASON: 16 games, 10 starts, 2 goals
1. Lig
Freddy Adu, M, Caykur Rizespor -- Started, played 90 minutes and scored the game-winning goal in the 31st minute of Rizespor's 1-0 victory over Gaziantep BB on Sunday. Adu received pass 20 yards out on the right, turned and hooked a left-footed shot inside the far post for his first goal in Turkey. SEASON: 3 games, 3 starts, 1 goal
Eerste Klasse
Sacha Kljestan, M, RSC Anderlecht -- In the 18, did not play in Anderlecht's 1-1 draw with Racing Genk on Friday. SEASON: 24 games, 19 starts, 3 goals
Liga de Honra
Greg Garza, D, G.D. Estoril Praia -- Not in the 18 for Estoril's 2-0 victory over Fatima on Saturday. SEASON: 1 game
Tony Taylor, F, G.D. Estoril Praia -- In the 18, did not play in Estoril's 2-0 victory over Fatima on Saturday. With 10 league matches remaining, Estoril is just three points off the pace from promotion to Portugal's Primeira Liga. SEASON: 17 games, 3 starts, 4 goals
Premier League
Dominic Cervi, GK, Celtic FC -- In the 18, did not play in Celtic's 1-0 victory over Rangers in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup on Wednesday. Cervi was not in the 18 for Celtic's 2-0 victory over Hamilton Academical in league play on Saturday. SEASON: 0 games
Maurice Edu, M, Rangers FC -- Started, played 90 minutes in Rangers' 1-0 loss to Celtic in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup on Wednesday. Edu also started and played 90 minutes in Rangers' 1-0 victory over St. Mirren in league play on Sunday. SEASON: 32 games, 25 starts, 5 goals
Primera Division
Daniel Antunez, M/D, Estudiantes Tecos -- Not in the 18 for Tecos' 1-0 victory over Pachuca on Friday. SEASON: 2 games, 1 start
Jonathan Bornstein, M/D, Tigres UANL -- In the 18, did not play in Tigres' 0-0 draw with Chivas de Guadalajara on Saturday. SEASON: 4 games, 4 starts
Edgar Castillo, D, Puebla -- In the 18, came on as a 90th-minute substitute in Puebla's 2-0 victory over Atlas on Sunday. SEASON: 5 games, 3 starts
Herculez Gomez, F, Pachuca -- In the 18, came on as a 63rd-minute substitute in Pachuca's 1-0 loss to Estudiantes Tecos on Friday. SEASON: 8 games, 3 starts
Sonny Guadarrama, M, Atlante -- In the 18, did not play in Atlante's 2-0 loss to Pumas UNAM on Saturday. SEASON: 6 games
Sammy Ochoa, F, Estudiantes Tecos -- Not in the 18 for Tecos' 1-0 victory over Pachuca on Friday. SEASON: 0 games
Adrian Ruelas, F, Santos Laguna -- In the 18, came on as an 81st-minute substitute in Santos' 3-2 loss to Club America on Saturday. The appearance marked the first-team debut for Ruelas. SEASON: 1 game
Jose Francisco Torres, M, Pachuca -- Started, played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 1-0 loss to Estudiantes Tecos on Friday. SEASON: 6 games, 5 starts
Superliga
Clarence Goodson, D, Brondby IF -- Started, played 90 minutes in Brondby's 1-1 draw with Lyngby on Sunday. The match was Goodson's first in Denmark after transferring from Norway's IK Start during the winter. SEASON: 1 game, 1 start
Michael Parkhurst, D, FC Nordsjaelland -- Started, played 90 minutes in Nordsjaelland's 4-0 loss to Randers on Sunday. SEASON: 18 games, 17 starts
Chris Rolfe, F, Aalborg BK -- Not in the 18 for Aalborg's 1-1 draw with Silkeborg IF on Saturday. SEASON: 0 games
Marcus Tracy, F, Aalborg BK -- Not in the 18 for Aalborg's 1-1 draw with Silkeborg IF on Saturday. SEASON: 0 games