Altidore, Beasley lead way in good week for Americans abroad

Veteran goalkeeper Brad Friedel played his first club game as a professional in 1995. At the time, Andrew Wooten was 6, and Greg Garza was 4. Fast forward to 2012, and all three Americans can look back on this past weekend as a landmark in their careers, no matter how far along each one is.

Friedel, who turns 41 next month, made his record 300th straight Premier League start, extending his ironman stretch of almost eight years. Unfortunately for Friedel, he could not mark his milestone with a victory, as he was beaten by a free for the only goal in Tottenham's 1-0 loss to Queens Park Rangers, a loss that has Spurs on the outside of the UEFA Champions League picture looking in after a berth in the competition seemed like a certainty just weeks ago.

On the other end of the career spectrum, Wooten and Garza, a pair of up-and-coming U.S. prospects, celebrated some worthwhile firsts. Wooten, another in a line of German-American prospects, marked his first start in the Bundesliga with his first top-flight goal. After lighting it up as a striker for Kaiserslautern's reserve team, the 22-year-old Wooten has become a fixture on the matchday roster for the soon-to-be relegated club, and he has planted the seeds for a bigger role going forward. Garza, a 20-year-old left back/winger, is doing the same at Club Tijuana in Mexico, where he made his first start for the club at which Americans Edgar Castillo and Joe Corona are already enjoying fine seasons.

As big as the achievements were for those three players, they are not likely to be involved with the U.S. national team (Friedel is long retired internationally, and Garza and Wooten are a bit too green for the main stage) when Jurgen Klinsmann calls in his 23 players to participate in three friendlies and two World Cup qualifiers at the end of May and beginning of June. For a trio in the mix for Klinsmann's roster, however, the weekend was also noteworthy.

There are few Americans not named Clint Dempsey in better form than Jozy Altidore and DaMarcus Beasley, and each scored yet again over the weekend. Altidore is doing what he can to keep AZ Alkmaar in the mix for a berth in next year's Champions League, scoring in his fourth straight league game, this one a game-winner that kept AZ in second place with three games to go. Beasley scored for the fourth time in his last seven matches for Puebla to match another in-form American, striker Herculez Gomez, with five goals in league play.

Oguchi Onyewu, meanwhile, made his return to the field for Sporting Lisbon after a two-month layoff following knee surgery, emerging from a 90-minute performance unscathed. A healthy Onyewu remains the first choice alongside Carlos Bocanegra in central defense for the national team, and he'll have as many as six more club matches -- including a potential UEFA Europa League final -- to show Klinsmann that his fitness is where it needs to be and that he merits a place on the roster for when the U.S. matches start to really matter.

Those were just some of the highlights of a productive week for non-domestic-based Americans. Here's how the above, two-goal scorer Mike Grella and the rest of the Americans playing abroad fared (season statistics encompass all competitions):

Premier League

Clint Dempsey, M, Fulham -- Started, played 90 minutes and assisted on a goal in Fulham's 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic on Saturday. Dempsey touched a pass to Pavel Pogrebnyak at the top of the box for an equalizer in the 58th minute. Dempsey had scored in three straight games before Saturday. SEASON: 43 games, 43 starts, 22 goals

Brad Friedel, GK, Tottenham -- Started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Tottenham's 1-0 loss to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, which marked Friedel's 300th consecutive start in the Premier League. SEASON: 33 games, 33 starts, 112 saves, 38 goals allowed, 12 clean sheets

Brad Guzan, GK, Aston Villa -- In the 18, did not play in Villa's 0-0 draw with Sunderland on Saturday. SEASON: 9 games, 8 starts, 30 saves, 8 goals allowed, 2 clean sheets

Marcus Hahnemann, GK, Everton -- Not in the 18 for Everton's 4-4 draw with Manchester United on Sunday. SEASON: 0 games

Tim Howard, GK, Everton -- Started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Everton's 4-4 draw with his former club Manchester United on Sunday. SEASON: 40 games, 40 starts, 109 saves, 41 goals allowed, 13 clean sheets

Eric Lichaj, D, Aston Villa -- Started, played 90 minutes in Villa's 0-0 draw with Sunderland on Saturday. SEASON: 7 games, 6 starts, 2 goals

Tim Ream, D, Bolton -- Started, played 90 minutes in Bolton's 1-1 draw with Swansea City on Saturday. SEASON: 10 games, 9 starts

Zak Whitbread, D, Norwich City -- Not in the 18 for Norwich City's 2-0 loss to Blackburn on Saturday. SEASON: 21 games, 21 starts

League Championship

Conor Doyle, F, Derby County -- Not in the 18 for Derby County's 2-1 victory over Portsmouth on Saturday. SEASON: 6 games, 1 start

Robbie Findley, F, Nottingham Forest -- In the 18, came on as a 41st-minute substitute in Nottingham Forest's 2-1 loss to Hull City on Saturday. SEASON: 27 games, 14 starts, 6 goals

Robbie Rogers, M, Leeds United -- Not in the 18 for Leeds United's 1-1 draw with Cardiff City on Saturday. Rogers fractured his ankle in the 12th minute of an April 14 match against Peterborough United -- his first start since joining the club -- and has been ruled out for the rest of the season. SEASON: 4 games, 1 start

Jonathan Spector, M/D, Birmingham City -- Not in the 18 for Birmingham City's 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. SEASON: 45 games, 44 starts

League One

Mike Grella, F, Bury -- Started, played 88 minutes and scored two goals in Bury's 4-2 victory over Notts County on Saturday. Grella scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goals on second-half shots from inside the area, and he has scored in three straight games, netting four times in that span. SEASON: 24 games, 9 starts, 8 goals (16 games, 3 starts, 4 goals with Brentford)

Frank Simek, D, Carlisle United -- Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Carlisle's 2-1 loss to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. SEASON: 23 games, 23 starts

Anton Peterlin, M, Walsall -- Not in the 18 for Walsall's 4-2 loss to Exeter City on Saturday. SEASON: 31 games, 22 starts

League Two

Jon-Paul Pittman, F, Oxford United -- Not in the 18 for Oxford's 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle on Saturday. SEASON: 19 games, 5 starts, 4 goals (4 games, 1 goal with Crawley Town)

Bundesliga

Timmy Chandler, D/M, FC Nurnberg -- Started, played 90 minutes in Nurnberg's 1-1 draw with Hamburg SV on Saturday. SEASON: 32 games, 32 starts, 1 goal

Steve Cherundolo, D, Hannover 96 -- Started, played 90 minutes in Hannover's 0-0 draw with SC Freiburg on Sunday. SEASON: 33 games, 32 starts

Joe Gyau, M, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim -- Not in the 18 for Hoffenheim's 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. SEASON: 1 game

Fabian Johnson, D/M, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim -- Started, played 90 minutes in Hoffenheim's 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. SEASON: 30 games, 26 starts, 3 goals

Jermaine Jones, M, FC Schalke 04 -- Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Schalke's 1-1 draw with FC Augsburg on Sunday. Jones has amassed an astounding 16 yellow cards in all competitions for Schalke this season -- and that's with being suspended for an eight-week stretch over the winter. SEASON: 29 games, 25 starts, 1 goal

Alfredo Morales, D, Hertha Berlin -- Not in the 18 for Berlin's 2-1 loss to FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday. SEASON: 10 games, 3 starts

Daniel Williams, D/M, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim -- In the 18, did not play in Hoffenheim's 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. SEASON: 27 games, 19 starts (1 game, 1 start with SC Freiburg)

Andrew Wooten, F, FC Kaiserslautern -- Started, came off in the 90th minute and scored his first-career goal in Kaiserslautern's 2-1 victory over Hertha Berlin on Saturday. Wooten, who had been scoring repeatedly for Kaiserslautern's reserve side, made good on his first-career start by latching onto a deflected cross and hitting a low side volley for the 2. Bundesliga-bound side's eventual game-winning goal. Kaiserslautern had not won a game in any competition since an Oct. 26 triumph in the German Cup -- a span of 23 matches. SEASON: 5 games, 1 start, 1 goal

David Yelldell, GK, Bayer Leverkusen -- Not in the 18 for Bayer Leverkusen's 1-0 victory over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday. SEASON: 1 game, 1 start, 1 save, 4 goals allowed

2. Bundesliga

Luis Robles, GK, Karlsruhe -- Not in the 18 for Karlsruhe's 2-0 victory over SC Paderborn 07 on Sunday. SEASON: 5 games, 5 starts, 14 saves, 13 goals allowed

Matt Taylor, F, SC Paderborn 07 -- In the 18, came on as a 65th-minute substitute in Paderborn's 2-0 loss to Karlsruhe on Sunday. SEASON: 25 games, 6 starts, 7 goals

Serie A

Michael Bradley, M, Chievo Verona -- Started, played 90 minutes in Chievo's 0-0 draw with Udinese on Saturday. SEASON: 32 games, 30 starts, 1 goal

Ligue 1

Charlie Davies, F, FC Sochaux -- Not in the 18 for Sochaux's 6-1 loss to Paris-St. Germain on Sunday. SEASON: 2 games

Quentin Westberg, GK, Evian Thonon Gaillard -- Not in the 18 for Evian's 2-1 victory over Toulouse on Saturday. SEASON: 3 game, 3 starts, 8 saves, 3 goals allowed, 1 clean sheet

Eredivisie

Jozy Altidore, F, AZ Alkmaar -- Started, played 89 minutes and scored the game-winning goal in AZ's 2-1 victory over VVV Venlo on Sunday. Altidore met a cross to the far post with a free header from six yards out to put AZ in front in the 65th minute. With every match rising in importance as the league season winds down, Altidore has scored in four straight league matches, tallying five goals in that time. His 15 league goals are good for seventh-most in the Eredivisie. SEASON: 49 games, 35 starts, 19 goals

Primeira Liga

Oguchi Onyewu, D, Sporting Lisbon -- In the 18, did not play in Sporting's 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semifinal tie on Thursday. Onyewu started and played 90 minutes in Sporting's 3-2 victory over C.D. Nacional Madeira in league play on Sunday. It marked Onyewu's return to the Sporting lineup for the first time since undergoing knee surgery two months ago. SEASON: 28 games, 28 starts, 5 goals

Jupiler League

Mikkel Diskerud, M, KAA Gent -- Not in the 18 for Gent's 4-1 victory over Kortrijk on Saturday. SEASON: 4 games, 3 starts

Sacha Kljestan, M, RSC Anderlecht -- Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Anderlecht's 1-0 victory over Club Brugge on Sunday. Halfway through Belgium's playoff hexagonal, Anderlecht maintains a four-point edge for the league title. SEASON: 44 games, 44 starts, 5 goals

Premier League

Alejandro Bedoya, M, Rangers FC -- In the 18, did not play in Rangers' 3-0 victory over Heart of Midlothian on Saturday. SEASON: 26 games, 20 starts, 4 goals (16 games, 15 starts, 4 goals with Orebro SK)

Carlos Bocanegra, D, Rangers FC -- Started, played 90 minutes in Rangers' 3-0 victory over Heart of Midlothian on Saturday. SEASON: 32 games, 32 starts, 3 goals (1 game, 1 start with St. Etienne)

Dominic Cervi, GK, Celtic -- Not in the 18 for Celtic's 3-0 victory over Motherwell on Sunday. SEASON: 7 games, 7 starts, 37 saves, 8 goals allowed, 2 clean sheets (all with Greenock Morton)

Maurice Edu, M, Rangers FC -- Started, played 90 minutes in Rangers' 3-0 victory over Heart of Midlothian on Saturday. SEASON: 38 games, 36 starts, 3 goals

Primera Division

DaMarcus Beasley, M, Puebla -- Started, played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Puebla's 3-2 loss to Club America on Sunday. Beasley ran onto a long ball over the top, took a touch inside the box and finished with his left foot to the far corner to knot the score at 2-2 at the time. It was Beasley's fourth goal in his last seven games. SEASON: 16 games, 13 starts, 5 goals

Jonathan Bornstein, D, Tigres UANL -- Not in the 18 for Tigres' 3-0 loss to Santos Laguna on Saturday. SEASON: 2 games, 2 starts

Edgar Castillo, D, Tijuana -- Started, played 64 minutes in Tijuana's 1-0 victory over San Luis on Saturday. SEASON: 16 games, 16 starts

Joe Corona, M/F, Tijuana -- Started, played 90 minutes in Tijuana's 1-0 victory over San Luis on Saturday. SEASON: 13 games, 8 starts, 2 goals

Michael Orozco Fiscal, D, San Luis -- Started, played 90 minutes in San Luis' 1-0 loss to Tijuana on Saturday. SEASON: 13 games, 13 starts

Greg Garza, D/M, Tijuana -- Started, played 90 minutes in Tijuana's 1-0 victory over San Luis on Saturday. Garza is becoming more of a regular in Tijuana's matchday roster and Saturday marked his first-career start with the club. SEASON: 4 games, 1 start

Herculez Gomez, F, Santos Laguna -- Started, played 57 minutes in Santos' 3-0 victory over Tigres UANL on Saturday. SEASON: 14 games, 9 starts, 11 goals

Sonny Guadarrama, M, Atlante -- Not in the 18 for Atlante's 1-1 draw with Morelia on Friday. SEASON: 2 games

Jose Francisco Torres, M, Pachuca -- Started, played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 1-1 draw with Monterrey on Saturday. SEASON: 15 games, 15 starts

Tippeligaen

Ricardo Clark, M, Stabaek IF -- Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Stabaek's 2-1 loss to Sandness Ulf on Sunday. SEASON: 6 games, 6 starts (1 game, 1 start with Eintracht Frankfurt)

Steve Clark, GK, Honefoss BK -- Started, played 90 minutes and made seven saves in Honefoss' 3-1 victory over Aalesund on Sunday. SEASON: 5 games, 5 starts, 19 saves, 2 goals allowed, 3 clean sheets

Sean Cunningham, D, Stabaek IF -- Started, played 90 minutes in Stabaek's 2-1 loss to Sandnes Ulf on Sunday. SEASON: 5 games, 5 starts

Josh Gatt, M, Molde FK -- Not in the 18 for Molde's 3-2 victory over Lillestrom on Monday. Gatt has missed the last two matches with a muscle strain. SEASON: 3 games, 3 starts, 1 goal

Superliga

Clarence Goodson, D, Brondby IF -- Started, played 90 minutes in Brondby's 2-0 loss to FC Midtjylland on Sunday. SEASON: 29 games, 29 starts, 2 goals

Conor O'Brien, F, Sonderjyske -- Started, played 90 minutes in Sonderjyske's 2-1 victory over HB Koge on Sunday. SEASON: 24 games, 15 starts, 4 goals

Michael Parkhurst, D, FC Nordsjaelland -- Not in the 18 for Nordsjaelland's 2-0 victory over Aalborg BK on Saturday. Parkhurst has missed the last couple of weeks with a toe injury. SEASON: 29 games, 29 starts, 1 goal

Brad Rusin, D, HB Koge -- In the 18, came on as a 58th-minute substitute in Koge's 2-1 loss to Sonderjyske on Sunday. SEASON: 20 games, 11 starts, 2 goals

Allsvenskan

Samuel Petrone, F, Mjallby -- Not in the 18 for Mjallby's 4-3 victory over Djurgardens IF on Friday. SEASON: 0 games

Brian Span, M, Djurgardens IF -- Not in the 18 for Djurgardens' 4-3 loss to Mjallby on Friday. SEASON: 0 games