12913_isi_howardtim_bpi_jt_arsenal_everton_00913.2605851 Joe Toth/isiphotos.com
Americans in Europe

Bedoya, Brooks, Cameron & Howard Sparkle Overseas

It was a quiet week for Americans playing in Europe, but ASN contributing editor found four strong performances to spotlight in this, his weekly look across the Atlantic Ocean.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
December 09, 2013
10:34 AM
WITH THE SCANDINAVIAN LEAGUES now in off-season and the winter breaks fast approaching in others, fewer Americans were in action this weekend in Europe.

Still, there were four performances that were particularly solid and should give American fans reason to smile, and perhaps even provide a jolt of confidence, following Friday’s difficult draw for the 2014 World Cup.

No. 4: Tim Howard

If Everton is going to make a push for the Champions League, it is going to have to come up with big results away from home. In that regard, the past week has been a resounding success. After a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday, Everton traveled to London on Sunday and picked up a point in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal. In a very difficult period of the schedule, Everton walked away with four points and now sits in fifth place with a relatively easy period of the schedule ahead.

In the draw against Arsenal, Howard was once again terrific, coming up with a series of big saves late in the game. At 34 years of age, Howard may in fact be having the best year of his career—which is ideal for Jurgen Klinsmann in a World Cup year.

No. 3: Geoff Cameron

Entering Saturday’s game against Chelsea, few pundits were giving Stoke City much of a chance. After all, the club had been held scoreless its two previous Premier League games and Chelsea was riding a three-game winning streak.

Stoke ended up surprising Chelsea with a 3-2 win, and Cameron put forth a terrific outing defensively at right back. In the final 30 minutes, the U.S. international was particularly effective as Chelsea pushed forward aggressively in pursuit of a goal. With the United States set to face the likes of Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2014 World Cup, it's good to see American defenders succeed against top-level talent.

No. 2: John Brooks

Due to some lingering injuries it has been a good long while since John Brooks has been in Hertha Berlin’s starting lineup. He returned on Saturday, however, and looked solid. In the game, he went a full 90 as Hertha posted a 2-0 away win over Bundesliga cellar-dwellers Eintracht Braunschweig. At times he looked a little rusty with his distribution but his defensive positioning was outstanding.

The next few months will be important for Brooks, who will aim to impress Klinsmann while players like Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, and Clarence Goodson are in the off-season. Yes, the other players have the January camp, but Brooks has the Bundesliga. Good performances on that stage count for a lot.

No. 1: Alejandro Bedoya

It is getting redundant to put Bedoya so high on this list every week but there is no question he deserves it. On Tuesday he scored and set up a penalty for Nantes in a 2-1 win over Valenciennes. On Friday he rose to the occasion again.

With Nantes having a difficult task away against a talented Olympique Marseille team, Bedoya scored the game’s only goal in the first half to give Nantes a valuable three points which moved the club into fourth place in Ligue 1. It was not goal for the highlight reel but he did well to get into a scoring position and made the most of it.

In the game, Bedoya played more centrally in an attacking position as opposed to out on the wing. In his 64 minutes, he had a pass completion of 78%. He also was effective defensively where he forced turnovers and broke up plays.

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.

Post a comment

AmericanSoccerNow.