U.S. players shine in lower-division play; more Americans Abroad
With England's Premier League taking the weekend off save for those teams still alive in the FA Cup -- including Stuart Holden's Bolton -- a number of Americans in the country's lower divisions made some headlines.
Eric Lichaj not only started two more matches and played them in their entirety, but he also had his loan to Leeds United extended through the end of the League Championship's regular season. Lichaj was brought in as a temporary replacement for the club's first-choice right back, who is nearing his return from injury; however, the extension will afford Lichaj more first-team minutes for a team in the thick of a promotion hunt.
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan returned to action after getting a second loan to Hull City and turned in a 13-save masterpiece in the Tigers' 1-0 result over Coventry City on Saturday.
U.S. U-20 forward Conor Doyle earned a start for Derby County on Tuesday -- his first appearance in 10 matches -- and then came off the bench on Saturday to deliver an assist on the eventual game-winning goal off a corner kick.
A step down in League One, Mike Grella scored his first goal since being loaned to Swindon Town from Leeds, and Plymouth Argyle's Anton Peterlin made his first appearance since November in a rare start against Hartlepool United.
The biggest development to occur outside of England involved U.S. international center back Clarence Goodson, who broke his toe and had to miss Brondby's second match since the Danish Superliga resumed its season. Goodson is expected to miss a few weeks, which would seemingly rule him out of the upcoming friendlies against Argentina and Paraguay.
As for all of the Americans in action overseas during the past week, here's how they fared (statistics encompass all competitions):
Premier League
Michael Bradley, M, Aston Villa -- Villa did not have a match this past week. SEASON: 24 games, 21 starts, 4 goals
Clint Dempsey, M/F, Fulham -- Fulham did not have a match this past week. SEASON: 34 games, 31 starts, 10 goals
Brad Friedel, GK, Aston Villa -- Villa did not have a match this past week. SEASON: 33 games, 33 starts, 104 saves, 53 goals allowed, 5 clean sheets
Marcus Hahnemann, GK, Wolverhampton -- Wolves did not have a match this past week. SEASON: 17 games, 17 starts, 59 saves, 28 goals allowed, 1 goal
Stuart Holden, M, Bolton -- Started, played 90 minutes in Bolton's 3-2 victory over Birmingham in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Saturday. SEASON: 28 games, 26 starts, 2 goals
Tim Howard, GK, Everton -- Started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Everton's 1-1 draw with Birmingham on Wednesday. SEASON: 33 games, 33 starts, 94 saves, 42 goals allowed, 6 clean sheets
Jermaine Jones, M, Blackburn -- Blackburn did not have a match this past week. SEASON: 22 games, 21 starts, 1 goal
Jonathan Spector, M/D, West Ham -- In the 18, came on as a 35th-minute substitute in West Ham's 2--1 loss to Stoke City in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Sunday. SEASON: 16 games, 11 starts, 4 goals
Championship
Conor Doyle, F, Derby County -- Started, played 77 minutes in Derby County's 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough on Tuesday. It was the first appearance for Doyle in 10 matches. Doyle was in the 18, came on as a 50th-minute substitute and assisted on a goal in Derby County's 2-1 victory over Swansea City on Saturday. SEASON: 13 games, 5 starts
Brad Guzan, GK, Hull City -- Started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Hull City's 1-0 loss to Burnley on Tuesday. Guzan also started, played 90 minutes, made 13 saves and earned the clean sheet in Hull's 1-0 victory over Coventry City on Saturday. SEASON: 16 games, 16 starts, 77 saves, 16 goals allowed, 5 clean sheets
Eddie Johnson, F, Preston North End -- Started, played 90 minutes in Preston North End's 2-1 loss to Leeds United on Tuesday. SEASON: 20 games, 8 starts
Eric Lichaj, D, Leeds United -- Started, played 90 minutes in Leeds' 2-1 victory over Preston North End on Tuesday. Lichaj also started and played 90 minutes in Leeds' 0-0 draw with Ipswich Town on Saturday. Lichaj had his loan with the club extended through May 7, the end of the regular season. SEASON: 15 games, 13 starts
Zak Whitbread, D, Norwich City -- Started, played 90 minutes in Norwich City's 3--2 victory over Leicester City on Tuesday. Whitbread also started and played 90 minutes in Norwich City's 3-1 victory over Bristol City on Tuesday. SEASON: 14 games, 12 starts
League One
Mike Grella, F, Swindon Town -- Started, played 90 minutes in Swindon Town's 1--0 loss to Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday. Grella also started, played 79 minutes, picked up a yellow card and scored a 44th-minute goal in Swindon Town's 1-1 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday. Grella fought off a defender while running onto a long goal kick and chipped over the opposing keeper from the edge of the area to give Swindon Town the lead. The goal was Grella's first since joining the club on loan from Leeds. SEASON: 16 games, 11 starts, 4 goals
Anton Peterlin, M, Plymouth Argyle -- In the 18, did not play in Plymouth Argyle's 1-0 victory over Swindon Town on Tuesday. Peterlin started and played 90 minutes in Plymouth Argyle's 2-0 loss to Hartlepool United on Saturday. It was his first action since Nov. 6 and just his second game since September. SEASON: 6 games, 5 starts
Frank Simek, D, Carlisle United -- Started, played 90 minutes in Carlisle's 1-0 victory over Hartlepool United on Tuesday. Simek also started and played 90 minutes in Carlisle's 6--0 loss to Peterborough United on Saturday. SEASON: 44 games, 44 starts
League Two
Jon-Paul Pittman, F, Wycombe Wanderers -- In the 18, did not play in Wycombe's 1-0 victory over Barnet on Tuesday. Pittman was also in the 18 and came on as a 68th-minute substitute in Wycombe's 1-0 loss to Stevenage on Saturday. SEASON: 14 games, 7 starts, 4 goals
Bundesliga
DaMarcus Beasley, M, Hannover 96 -- Not in the 18 for Hannover's 4-0 loss to FC Cologne on Friday. SEASON: 4 games
Timothy Chandler, M/D, FC Nurnberg -- Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Nurnberg's 2-1 victory over VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. SEASON: 10 games, 5 starts, 1 goal
Steve Cherundolo, D, Hannover 96 -- Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Hannover's 4-0 loss to FC Cologne on Friday. SEASON: 26 games, 26 starts
Ricardo Clark, M/D, Eintracht Frankfurt -- Started, played 45 minutes in Frankfurt's 2-1 loss to FC Schalke 04 on Saturday. SEASON: 8 games, 5 starts
Daniel Williams, D, SC Freiburg -- Not in the 18 for Freiburg's 2-1 loss to Kaiserslautern on Saturday. SEASON: 5 games, 2 starts
2. Bundesliga
Edson Buddle, F, FC Ingolstadt 04 -- In the 18, came on as a 72nd--minute substitute in Ingolstadt's 2-1 victory over FSV Frankfurt on Friday. SEASON: 8 games, 5 starts, 2 goals
Luis Robles, GK, Karlsruhe SC -- In the 18, did not play in Karlsruhe's 3-1 victory over MSV Duisburg on Friday. SEASON: 18 games, 18 starts, 65 saves, 37 goals allowed, 4 clean sheets
Bobby Wood, F, TSV 1860 Munich -- In the 18, did not play in Munich's 3-0 victory over Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday. SEASON: 5 games
David Yelldell, GK, MSV Duisburg -- Started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Duisburg's 3-1 loss to Karlsruhe on Friday. SEASON: 31 games, 31 starts, 74 saves, 26 goals allowed, 11 clean sheets
3. Liga
Matt Taylor, F, Rot Weiss Ahlen -- Started, played 90 minutes in Rot Weiss Ahlen's 2-0 victory over Stuttgart II on Tuesday. Taylor also started, played 82 minutes and scored on a 47th--minute penalty kick in Rot Weiss Ahlen's 3-1 victory over Heidenheim on Saturday. SEASON: 20 games, 20 starts, 13 goals
Ligue 1
Carlos Bocanegra, D, St. Etienne -- Started, played 90 minutes in St. Etienne's 2-0 victory over Brest on Saturday. SEASON: 25 games, 25 starts, 2 goals
Eredivisie
Oguchi Onyewu, D, FC Twente Enschede -- In the 18, did not play in Twente's 3-0 victory over Zenit-St. Petersburg in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie on Thursday. Onyewu started and played 90 minutes in Twente's 2-1 victory over VVV Venlo in league play on Sunday. SEASON: 10 games, 10 starts
Super Lig
Jozy Altidore, F, Bursaspor -- Started, played 71 minutes in Bursaspor's 1-1 draw with Karabukspor on Saturday. SEASON: 17 games, 11 starts, 2 goals
1. Lig
Freddy Adu, M, Caykur Rizespor -- Started, played 68 minutes in Rizespor's 0-0 draw with Giresunspor on Sunday. SEASON: 4 games, 4 starts, 1 goal
Eerste Klasse
Sacha Kljestan, M, RSC Anderlecht -- Started, played 90 minutes in Anderlecht's 1-1 draw with AS Eupen on Saturday. SEASON: 25 games, 20 starts, 3 goals
Liga de Honra
Greg Garza, D, G.D. Estoril Praia -- Not in the 18 for Estoril's 2-2 draw with Varzim on Sunday. SEASON: 1 game
Tony Taylor, F, G.D. Estoril Praia -- In the 18, did not play in Estoril's 2-2 draw with Varzim on Sunday. SEASON: 17 games, 3 starts, 4 goals SCOTLAND
Premier League
Dominic Cervi, GK, Celtic FC -- Celtic's scheduled Scottish Cup quarterfinal against Inverness Caledonian Thistle for Sunday was postponed until Wednesday due to a waterlogged pitch. SEASON: 0 games
Maurice Edu, M, Rangers FC -- Started, played 90 minutes in Rangers' 0-0 draw with PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie on Thursday. Edu also started and played 90 minutes in Rangers' 2-1 victory Kilmarnock in league play on Sunday. SEASON: 34 games, 27 starts, 5 goals
Primera Division
Daniel Antunez, M/D, Estudiantes Tecos -- Not in the 18 for Tecos' 2-0 victory over Chiapas on Saturday. SEASON: 2 games, 1 start
Jonathan Bornstein, M/D, Tigres UANL -- In the 18, did not play in Tigres' 1-1 draw with San Luis on Saturday. SEASON: 4 games, 4 starts
Edgar Castillo, D, Puebla -- Not in the 18 for Puebla's 2-1 loss to Queretaro on Saturday. SEASON: 5 games, 3 starts
Herculez Gomez, F, Pachuca -- In the 18, came on as a 58th-minute substitute in Pachuca's 4-0 loss to Atlante on Saturday. SEASON: 9 games, 3 starts
Sonny Guadarrama, M, Atlante -- In the 18, did not play in Atlante's 4-0 victory over Pachuca on Saturday. SEASON: 6 games
Sammy Ochoa, F, Estudiantes Tecos -- Not in the 18 for Tecos' 2-0 victory over Chiapas on Saturday. SEASON: 0 games
Adrian Ruelas, F, Santos Laguna -- Not in the 18 for Santos' 3-1 loss to Toluca on Sunday. SEASON: 1 game
Jose Francisco Torres, M, Pachuca -- Started, played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in Pachuca's 4-0 loss to Atlante on Saturday. SEASON: 7 games, 6 starts
Superliga
Clarence Goodson, D, Brondby IF -- Not in the 18 for Brondby's 2-0 victory over Sonderjyske on Sunday. Goodson has a broken toe and will be out for the next few weeks. SEASON: 1 game, 1 start
Michael Parkhurst, D, FC Nordsjaelland -- In the 18, did not play in Nordsjaelland's 2-2 draw with FC Midtjylland on Saturday. SEASON: 18 games, 17 starts
Chris Rolfe, F, Aalborg BK -- In the 18, did not play in Aalborg's 1-0 loss to FC Copenhagen on Saturday. SEASON: 0 games
Marcus Tracy, F, Aalborg BK -- Not in the 18 for Aalborg's 1-0 loss to FC Copenhagen on Saturday. SEASON: 0 games