Americans Abroad fail to produce results on Thanksgiving weekend

The upset bug made its way around Europe over the weekend, with Mainz beating German power Bayern Munich and Getafe taming the all-mighty Barcelona, but for a few U.S. national team starters, their teams couldn't quite come up with the efforts necessary to stake claims to landmark Thanksgiving weekend victories against top competition.

Starting in Italy, Michael Bradley's Chievo Verona was always going to have a difficult time controlling an AC Milan team hitting on all cylinders, but the Flying Donkeys were blitzed out of the gate, yielding four goals before halftime in a 4-0 loss. Bradley, stationed on the wing as he has been throughout his brief foray into Serie A, had one of Chievo's rare opportunities on the day, but his volley attempt just missed the target, and Chievo was resigned to maintaining its mid-table position.

In Germany, Jermaine Jones' Schalke missed an opportunity to climb into the top three of the Bundesliga by dropping a 2-0 result to defending champion and hard-charging table leader Borussia Dortmund. While Jones has secured his place in Schalke's starting lineup after an uncertain start to the season, the hard-tackling midfielder continues to be a card liability whenever he steps onto the field. He was booked in the first half of the loss for a hard challenge, marking the fifth consecutive league game in which he has picked up a yellow card.

An unfortunate scene unfolded in Portugal, where fans of Oguchi Onyewu and Sporting Lisbon set fire to the stands at the Estadio da Luz following Sporting's 1-0 loss to rival Benfica in a matchup of top-three sides. The loss snapped Sporting's seven-game winning streak, and it also prevented Onyewu's side from keeping pace with Porto and Benfica in the three-team race atop the league standings. For Onyewu, though, the game marked his second straight 90-minute outing after returning from a groin injury that kept him out of the U.S. friendlies against France and Slovenia.

It was not an entirely bad day at the office for Clint Dempsey and Fulham, even though they missed their chance to claim London bragging rights against in-form Arsenal. The Cottagers managed to take a point off the Gunners while slowing down the red-hot Robin van Persie in the process, but they still remain perilously close to the drop zone more than a third of the way through the Premier League season.

Even though those teams featuring high-profile Americans could not fully deliver, a few others were helped by individual American efforts. Timmy Chandler made the biggest impact, scoring the only goal in FC Nurnberg's victory over Kaiserslautern for his first tally of the year.

Fabian Johnson, Jonathan Spector, Mike Grella and Michael Parkhurst all played the role of provider to assist on key goals that led directly to points for their respective teams in a week chock-full of action for Americans playing abroad. Here's how everybody fared (season statistics encompass all competitions):

Premier League

Clint Dempsey, M, Fulham - Started, played 90 minutes in Fulham's 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Saturday. SEASON: 19 games, 19 starts, 5 goals

Brad Friedel, GK, Tottenham - Started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Tottenham's 3-1 victory over West Brom on Saturday. SEASON: 12 games, 12 starts, 56 saves, 16 goals allowed, 3 clean sheets

Brad Guzan, GK, Aston Villa - In the 18, did not play in Villa's 0-0 draw with Swansea City on Sunday. SEASON: 1 game, 1 start, 3 saves, 0 goals allowed, 1 clean sheet

Marcus Hahnemann, GK, Everton - Not in the 18 for Everton's 2-0 victory over Bolton on Saturday. SEASON: 0 games

Tim Howard, GK, Everton - Started, played 90 minutes, made three saves and earned the clean sheet in Everton's 2-0 victory over Bolton on Saturday. SEASON: 12 games, 12 starts, 30 saves, 15 goals allowed, 2 clean sheets

Eric Lichaj, D, Aston Villa - Not in the 18 for Villa's 0-0 draw with Swansea City on Sunday. SEASON: 1 game, 1 start, 1 goal

Zak Whitbread, D, Norwich City - Not in the 18 for Norwich City's 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday. According to Norwich City's website, Whitbread is nearing his return from a hamstring injury and suffered no setbacks after playing in a midweek scrimmage. SEASON: 3 games, 3 starts

League Championship

Conor Doyle, F, Derby County - In the 18, came on as a 79th-minute substitute in Derby County's 3-1 loss to West Ham on Saturday. SEASON: 5 games, 1 start

Robbie Findley, F, Nottingham Forest - Started, played 78 minutes in Nottingham Forest's 1-0 loss to Cardiff City on Saturday. SEASON: 18 games, 10 starts, 5 goals

Jonathan Spector, M/D, Birmingham City - Started, played 90 minutes in Birmingham's 2-1 victory over Burnley on Tuesday. Spector also started, played 90 minutes, picked up a yellow card and assisted on the game-tying goal in the waning moments of Birmingham's 2-2 draw with Blackpool on Saturday. Spector's cross from the left found Nikola Zigic in the center of the area, where he finished from close range to rescue the point. SEASON: 19 games, 19 starts

League One

Mike Grella, F, Brentford - In the 18, came on as a 70th-minute substitute and assisted on the game-winning goal in the 78th minute of Brentford's 2-1 victory over Rochdale on Saturday. SEASON: 12 games, 2 starts, 4 goals

Frank Simek, D, Carlisle United - Not in the 18 for Carlisle's 1-0 victory over Colchester United on Saturday. SEASON: 1 game, 1 start

Anton Peterlin, M, Walsall - In the 18, came on as an 82nd-minute substitute in Walsall's 3-2, extra-time victory over Exeter City in their FA Cup first-round replay on Wednesday. Peterlin was in the 18 but did not play in Walsall's 0-0 draw with Stevenage in league play on Saturday. SEASON: 16 games, 11 starts

League Two

Jemal Johnson, F, Southend United - In the 18, did not play in Southend's 1-0 victory over Preston North End in their FA Cup first-round replay on Tuesday. Johnson was not in the 18 for Southend's 1-1 draw with Bristol Rovers in league play on Saturday. SEASON: 7 games, 2 starts

Jon-Paul Pittman, F, Crawley Town - In the 18, came on as a 64th-minute substitute and picked up a yellow card in Crawley Town's 2-1 victory over Rotherham United on Saturday. SEASON: 11 games, 1 start, 1 goal (7 games, 1 start with Oxford United)

Bundesliga

Terrence Boyd, F, Borussia Dortmund - Not in the 18 for Dortmund's 2-0 victory over FC Schalke 04 on Saturday. SEASON: 0 games

Timmy Chandler, D, FC Nurnberg - Started, played 90 minutes and scored the lone goal in Nurnberg's 1-0 victory over Kaiserslautern on Saturday. Playing on the right, Chandler pounced on a defender's poor touch, cut centrally into the area and finished with a left-footed shot to give Nurnberg the lead in the 14th minute. SEASON: 16 games, 16 starts, 1 goal

Steve Cherundolo, D, Hannover 96 - Started, played 90 minutes in Hannover's 1-1 draw with Hamburg SV on Saturday. SEASON: 13 games, 12 starts

Fabian Johnson, M/D, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim - Started, played 90 minutes and assisted on the opening goal in Hoffenheim's 1-1 draw with SC Freiburg on Saturday. Johnson one-time volleyed a clearance attempt from outside the area back into the box, where Roberto Firmino settled and finished in the 24th minute. SEASON: 12 games, 9 starts, 1 goal

Jermaine Jones, M, FC Schalke 04 - Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Schalke's 2-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. SEASON: 12 games, 8 starts

Alfredo Morales, D, Hertha Berlin - Not in the 18 for Berlin's 3-3 draw with Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. SEASON: 3 games

Daniel Williams, D, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim - Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Hoffenheim's 1-1 draw with SC Freiburg on Saturday. SEASON: 10 games, 7 starts (1 game, 1 start with Freiburg)

David Yelldell, GK, Bayer Leverkusen - Not in the 18 for Leverkusen's 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League group stage on Wednesday or for Leverkusen's 3-3 draw with Hertha Berlin in league play on Saturday. SEASON: 1 game, 1 start, 1 save, 4 goals allowed

2. Bundesliga

Edson Buddle, F, FC Ingolstadt 04 - Started, played 74 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Ingolstadt's 0-0 draw with Energie Cottbus on Sunday. SEASON: 18 games, 10 starts, 6 goals

Ricardo Clark, M, Eintracht Frankfurt - Not in the 18 for Frankfurt's 2-1 loss to 1860 Munich on Saturday. SEASON: 1 game, 1 start

Luis Robles, GK, Karlsruhe - Started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Karlsruhe's 2-0 loss to Alemannia Aachen on Saturday. SEASON: 4 games, 4 starts, 8 saves, 11 goals allowed

Matt Taylor, F, SC Paderborn 07 - Started, played 65 minutes in Paderborn's 2-2 draw with FSV Frankfurt on Friday. SEASON: 13 games, 5 starts, 4 goals

Serie A

Michael Bradley, M, Chievo Verona - Started, played 90 minutes in Chievo's 4-0 loss to AC Milan on Sunday. SEASON: 11 games, 10 starts

Ligue 1

Quentin Westberg, GK, Evian Thonon Gaillard - Not in the 18 for Evian's 3-2 loss to Stade Rennes on Saturday. SEASON: 3 games, 3 starts, 8 saves, 3 goals allowed, 1 clean sheet

Eredivisie

Jozy Altidore, F, AZ Alkmaar - Started, played 80 minutes in AZ's 2-0 victory over FC Utrecht on Friday. SEASON: 21 games, 17 starts, 8 goals

Primeira Liga

Oguchi Onyewu, D, Sporting Lisbon - Started, played 90 minutes in Sporting's 1-0 loss to Benfica on Saturday. SEASON: 10 games, 10 starts, 1 goal

Jupiler League

Sacha Kljestan, M, RSC Anderlecht - Started, played 90 minutes in Anderlecht's 3-2 victory over Zulte-Waregem on Saturday. SEASON: 20 games, 20 starts, 2 goals

Premier League

Alejandro Bedoya, M, Rangers FC - In the 18, came on as a 70th-minute substitute in Rangers' 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock on Sunday. SEASON: 24 games, 18 starts, 4 goals (16 games, 15 starts, 4 goals with Orebro SK)

Carlos Bocanegra, D, Rangers FC - Not in the 18 for Rangers' 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock on Sunday. According to The Associated Press, Bocanegra suffered a small tear in his hamstring in training and is expected to be out for two weeks. SEASON: 15 games, 15 starts, 2 goals (1 game, 1 start with St. Etienne)

Maurice Edu, M, Rangers FC - Started, played 70 minutes in Rangers' 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock on Sunday. SEASON: 19 games, 19 starts, 2 goals

First Division

Dominic Cervi, GK, Greenock Morton - Started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Greenock Morton's 2-2 draw with Queen of the South on Saturday. SEASON: 3 games, 3 starts, 12 saves, 4 goals allowed, 1 clean sheet

Primera Division

Jonathan Bornstein, D, Tigres UANL - Not in the 18 for Tigres' 3-0 victory over Pachuca in the second leg of the Apertura Liguilla quarterfinals Sunday. Tigres advanced on a 4-0 aggregate and will play Queretaro in the semifinals. SEASON: 0 games

Adrian Ruelas, F, Jaguares - Not in the 18 for Jaguares' 2-1 loss to Santos Laguna in the second leg of the Apertura Liguilla quarterfinals Sunday. Jaguares were eliminated on a 4-3 aggregate. SEASON: 0 games

Superliga

Clarence Goodson, D, Brondby IF - Started, played 90 minutes in Brondby's 1-0 loss to AC Horsens on Monday SEASON: 20 games, 20 starts, 1 goal

Conor O'Brien, M, Sonderjyske - Started, played 90 minutes in Sonderjyske's 5-1 victory over Naesby in the quarterfinals of the DBU Pokalen (Danish Cup) on Wednesday. O'Brien was in the 18 but did not play in Sonderjyske's 3-1 victory over Lyngby in league play on Sunday. SEASON: 15 games, 8 starts, 2 goals

Michael Parkhurst, D, FC Nordsjaelland - Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Nordsjaelland's 2-0 loss to FC Copenhagen in the quarterfinals of the DBU Pokalen on Thursday. Parkhurst started, played 90 minutes and assisted on the game-winning goal in Nordsjaelland's 2-1 victory over Silkeborg IF in league play Sunday. SEASON: 22 games, 22 starts

Chris Rolfe, F, Aalborg BK - Started, played 90 minutes in Aalborg's 2-0 loss to AGF Aarhus on Sunday. SEASON: 18 games, 16 starts, 4 goals

Brad Rusin, D, HB Koge - Not in the 18 for Koge's 2-1 victory over Vejle-Kolding in the quarterfinals of the DBU Pokalen on Thursday. Rusin was in the 18 and came on as an 81st-minute substitute in Koge's 2-1 loss to FC Copenhagen in league play on Sunday. SEASON: 14 games, 11 starts, 2 goals

Tippeligaen

Sean Cunningham, D, Molde FK - Not in the 18 for Molde's season-ending 2-1 loss to Sogndal on Sunday. Molde finished atop the league table and will be entered in the UEFA Champions League's second qualifying round in the summer. SEASON: 2 games, 2 starts

Mikkel Diskerud, M, Stabaek - Started, played 90 minutes in Stabaek's season-ending, 2-0 loss to Valerenga on Sunday. Stabaek finished in 10th place but well clear of the relegation zone. Diskerud, expected to play a big role in Olympic qualifying, figures to be a lock for the U.S. national team's January training camp as part of his offseason plans. SEASON: 32 games, 32 starts, 3 goals

Josh Gatt, M/D, Molde FK - Not in the 18 for Molde's season-ending, 2-1 loss to Sogndal on Sunday. SEASON: 27 games, 19 starts, 5 goals

The list of MLS-based Americans going overseas to train with European clubs keeps growing by the week. Here's an updated look at where players have either finished training, are currently training or will be training over the coming weeks:

England

Teal Bunbury, F, Sporting Kansas City (Bolton) Bill Hamid, GK, D.C. United (West Brom) Jeff Larentowicz, M, Colorado Rapids (Bolton) Tim Ream, D, New York Red Bulls (Bolton, West Brom) Omar Salgado, F, Vancouver Whitecaps (Fulham) Brek Shea, M, FC Dallas (Arsenal)

Germany

Juan Agudelo, F, New York Red Bulls (VfB Stuttgart) Kyle Beckerman, M, Real Salt Lake (Kaiserslautern) Perry Kitchen, D/M, D.C. United (SC Freiburg) Amobi Okugo, M, Philadelphia Union (SC Freiburg) Robbie Rogers, M, Columbus Crew (Kaiserslautern)