ASN 100 Update
Big Weeks for Feilhaber, Diskerud, and Cameron
Each week American Soccer Now columnist Josh Deaver obsessively scours the Internet looking for updates and videos featuring players in the ASN 100. Here's the latest edition.
Aron Johannsson—ASN rank #11
His performances have been incredible, but it’s gotten somewhat routine, hasn’t it? The 23-year-old continued to NOT surprise this weekend, playing 77 minutes and picking up a goal and an assist for AZ Alkmaar in a 2-2 draw with Roda JC. It was an admirable result considering the chippy affair saw Alkmaar—which entered the weekend second in the Eredivisie—pick up two red cards inside the opening quarter hour. Even with the disadvantage, AZ tallied first with Johannsson (ours; two ‘n’s’) feeding Johansson (the other one) with a lay-off in the box. After a quick response by Roda, Johannsson pulled AZ in front with his 15th of the season on the end of what is fast becoming his patented move: an un-defendable cutback in the box. A late Roda goal spoiled the day, however, sending AZ down to fourth in the Dutch table.
Aronjo by goalsandmore Geoff Cameron—ASN rank #12
If only one positive can be taken away for last week’s 1-0 loss to Austria, it’s this: Geoff Cameron might be the best right back on the U.S. men’s national team. Long considered a central defender by Klinsmann and staff, the Stoke City defender got the start and put in a commanding performance in place of an injured Brad Evans, earning top ratings from ASN and others. This past weekend Cameron was once again in top form in the Potters’ 2-0 win over hapless Sunderland. Granted it was only Sunderland, but Cameron showed the mettle required to unseat Evans on Klinsmann’s depth chart. According to statistics actuator WhoScored.com, the 28-year-old led all field players in touches, successful crosses, and accurate long balls—to go along with several key passes in the win. On the other side of the pitch, the tragedy of Jozy Altidore continued unabated, with the beleaguered striker making only a late substitute appearance for the Black Cats. Mix Diskerud—ASN rank #15
It was heartbreak again for the Trolls from Trondheim on Sunday. A week removed from missing out on the Eliteserien title by a single point, Diskerud saw his club’s quest for silverware come up wanting once again in the Norwegian Cup final. Despite a stunning first half strike from the 23-year-old—who told ASN the match would be his “biggest game”—Rosenborg conceded three late goals, falling 4-2 to Molde. Despite the result, it was a goal to remember, capping off a breakout year for the young midfielder. Diskerud won’t get much rest however, as he will no doubt be part of the group joining up with the U.S. national team for a pre-World Cup training camp in January. Eddie Johnson—ASN rank #17
Eddie Johnson’s time in Seattle appears to be over. Bolstered by the news that midfielder Osvaldo Alonso would be signing a Designated Player contract, reports have already hit the street that the Sounders are shopping the 29-year-old striker. Johnson was not subtle about his desire for a new contract (remember this?), but with all three DP slots now taken in the Emerald City, he will be looking for greener pastures next season. In his second season since returning to MLS, Johnson led Seattle in scoring with 14 goals in all competitions. Resigned to his fate, Johnson tweeted a farewell message or sorts, saying simply, “When one door closes another door opens," followed by a bunch of hashtags. John Brooks—ASN rank #23
Fresh off his second stint with the national team, Brooks got the start and scored a goal for Hertha Berlin II in a dominant 5-2 win over Babelsberg. Apparently back from injury, Brooks’ continued absence from the Hertha Berlin first XI may raise some eyebrows but, fear not, German reports indicate the 20-year-old was left off against Leverkusen due to a short week in training as a result of the international break. Alejandro Bedoya—ASN rank #25
You can’t really blame him for losing sleep on Sunday night. Mired in a scoreless contest with AC Monaco, Bedoya entered as a second-half substitute for Nantes and quickly saw the game-winning strike—a long range beauty from Mounir Obbadi—take an unfortunate deflection off his knee to secure the 1-0 win for Monaco. Even worse: Pushing late on, Bedoya found himself easily behind back four with a golden chance to equalize, only to send his effort over the bar with a heavy touch. The loss drops Nantes to fifth place in Ligue 1. Brek Shea—ASN rank #40
Toiling with the Stoke City reserves since arriving in January, Brek Shea made his first appearance on a Premier League game day roster this weekend during the Potters’ 2-0 win over Sunderland. This isn’t necessarily the kind of victory to be celebrating, but we’ll take progress where we can find it. Despite Shea’s mixed bag of performances against Scotland and Austria during the international break, presumably manager Mark Hughes, who was in attendance for the match with Austria, saw something that impressed him about the 23-year-old. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come. Benny Feilhaber—ASN rank #59
Although inconsistency cut into his playing time this season, Feilhaber stepped up and put in his match of the season on Saturday night, piloting Sporting KC to a 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo and booking the club’s return to the MLS Cup Final. For 84 minutes, Feilhaber was all over the field, pulling the midfield strings for SKC in front of a raucous home crowd. Down 1-0 in the 14th minute, Feilhaber’s run through midfield forced a poor clearance from Houston that C.J. Sapong pounced on to draw the host’s level. In another darting run in the 63rd minute, Feilhaber scooped a clever through ball into the path of Dom Dwyer, who slotted the eventual game-winner with aplomb. Sporting KC will host MLS Cup against Real Salt Lake in two weeks on December 7th. Dillon Powers—ASN rank #86
Beating out DeAndre Yedlin and teammate Deshorn Brown, Colorado Rapids’ midfielder Dillon Powers was named 2013 MLS Rookie of the Year on Monday. Highly touted out of Notre Dame, Powers slipped at the SuperDraft when reports surfaced that he was out of shape for the pre-draft combine and may not have the athleticism needed for MLS. Nevertheless, Colorado took the Texas-born midfielder with the 11th pick, plugging him straight into the starting XI at the onset of the season. Powers excelled playing in a variety of roles, picking up five goals, including the one in the video above, and five assists in 31 appearances for the #RapKids. QUICK HITS:Fabian Johnson (ASN rank #6) made his full 90-minute return to Hoffenheim on Saturday, starting on the left in a 2-0 loss to Augsburg. With three consecutive losses, the club continues to flirt with danger at the bottom of the Bundesliga.
On Saturday, Jose Torres (ASN rank #24) came off the bench, playing 40 minutes for Tigres UANL in the home leg of its Apertura quarterfinal series with regular season champions Club America. The match ended in a 2-2 draw after a dramatic late equalizer from Tigres.
Out since mid-September, Danny Williams (ASN rank #37) made his return to action for Reading FC on Saturday, playing the second half of a scoreless draw with Blackburn Rovers. After an initial scare regarding a nagging foot injury, the 24-year old seemed no worse for wear, receiving positive reviews in his return to the Royals.
According to reports, after suffering a strained thigh last month, Jonathan Spector (ASN rank #47) is “running again” and could make his return for Birmingham City as earlier as this weekend against Barnsley.
In an interview with the Seattle Sounders website, DeAndre Yedlin (ASN rank #56) revealed this week that he may take an offseason training spell with Bundesliga club Hannover 96—home to America’s elder right back Steve Cherundolo. We like this move. And you have much to learn, young grasshopper.
Which of these updates excites you the most? Let us know below.
Josh Deaver is a former academic turned soccer obsessive. Follow him on Twitter,
His performances have been incredible, but it’s gotten somewhat routine, hasn’t it? The 23-year-old continued to NOT surprise this weekend, playing 77 minutes and picking up a goal and an assist for AZ Alkmaar in a 2-2 draw with Roda JC. It was an admirable result considering the chippy affair saw Alkmaar—which entered the weekend second in the Eredivisie—pick up two red cards inside the opening quarter hour. Even with the disadvantage, AZ tallied first with Johannsson (ours; two ‘n’s’) feeding Johansson (the other one) with a lay-off in the box. After a quick response by Roda, Johannsson pulled AZ in front with his 15th of the season on the end of what is fast becoming his patented move: an un-defendable cutback in the box. A late Roda goal spoiled the day, however, sending AZ down to fourth in the Dutch table.
Aronjo by goalsandmore Geoff Cameron—ASN rank #12
If only one positive can be taken away for last week’s 1-0 loss to Austria, it’s this: Geoff Cameron might be the best right back on the U.S. men’s national team. Long considered a central defender by Klinsmann and staff, the Stoke City defender got the start and put in a commanding performance in place of an injured Brad Evans, earning top ratings from ASN and others. This past weekend Cameron was once again in top form in the Potters’ 2-0 win over hapless Sunderland. Granted it was only Sunderland, but Cameron showed the mettle required to unseat Evans on Klinsmann’s depth chart. According to statistics actuator WhoScored.com, the 28-year-old led all field players in touches, successful crosses, and accurate long balls—to go along with several key passes in the win. On the other side of the pitch, the tragedy of Jozy Altidore continued unabated, with the beleaguered striker making only a late substitute appearance for the Black Cats. Mix Diskerud—ASN rank #15
It was heartbreak again for the Trolls from Trondheim on Sunday. A week removed from missing out on the Eliteserien title by a single point, Diskerud saw his club’s quest for silverware come up wanting once again in the Norwegian Cup final. Despite a stunning first half strike from the 23-year-old—who told ASN the match would be his “biggest game”—Rosenborg conceded three late goals, falling 4-2 to Molde. Despite the result, it was a goal to remember, capping off a breakout year for the young midfielder. Diskerud won’t get much rest however, as he will no doubt be part of the group joining up with the U.S. national team for a pre-World Cup training camp in January. Eddie Johnson—ASN rank #17
Eddie Johnson’s time in Seattle appears to be over. Bolstered by the news that midfielder Osvaldo Alonso would be signing a Designated Player contract, reports have already hit the street that the Sounders are shopping the 29-year-old striker. Johnson was not subtle about his desire for a new contract (remember this?), but with all three DP slots now taken in the Emerald City, he will be looking for greener pastures next season. In his second season since returning to MLS, Johnson led Seattle in scoring with 14 goals in all competitions. Resigned to his fate, Johnson tweeted a farewell message or sorts, saying simply, “When one door closes another door opens," followed by a bunch of hashtags. John Brooks—ASN rank #23
Fresh off his second stint with the national team, Brooks got the start and scored a goal for Hertha Berlin II in a dominant 5-2 win over Babelsberg. Apparently back from injury, Brooks’ continued absence from the Hertha Berlin first XI may raise some eyebrows but, fear not, German reports indicate the 20-year-old was left off against Leverkusen due to a short week in training as a result of the international break. Alejandro Bedoya—ASN rank #25
You can’t really blame him for losing sleep on Sunday night. Mired in a scoreless contest with AC Monaco, Bedoya entered as a second-half substitute for Nantes and quickly saw the game-winning strike—a long range beauty from Mounir Obbadi—take an unfortunate deflection off his knee to secure the 1-0 win for Monaco. Even worse: Pushing late on, Bedoya found himself easily behind back four with a golden chance to equalize, only to send his effort over the bar with a heavy touch. The loss drops Nantes to fifth place in Ligue 1. Brek Shea—ASN rank #40
Toiling with the Stoke City reserves since arriving in January, Brek Shea made his first appearance on a Premier League game day roster this weekend during the Potters’ 2-0 win over Sunderland. This isn’t necessarily the kind of victory to be celebrating, but we’ll take progress where we can find it. Despite Shea’s mixed bag of performances against Scotland and Austria during the international break, presumably manager Mark Hughes, who was in attendance for the match with Austria, saw something that impressed him about the 23-year-old. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come. Benny Feilhaber—ASN rank #59
Although inconsistency cut into his playing time this season, Feilhaber stepped up and put in his match of the season on Saturday night, piloting Sporting KC to a 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo and booking the club’s return to the MLS Cup Final. For 84 minutes, Feilhaber was all over the field, pulling the midfield strings for SKC in front of a raucous home crowd. Down 1-0 in the 14th minute, Feilhaber’s run through midfield forced a poor clearance from Houston that C.J. Sapong pounced on to draw the host’s level. In another darting run in the 63rd minute, Feilhaber scooped a clever through ball into the path of Dom Dwyer, who slotted the eventual game-winner with aplomb. Sporting KC will host MLS Cup against Real Salt Lake in two weeks on December 7th. Dillon Powers—ASN rank #86
Beating out DeAndre Yedlin and teammate Deshorn Brown, Colorado Rapids’ midfielder Dillon Powers was named 2013 MLS Rookie of the Year on Monday. Highly touted out of Notre Dame, Powers slipped at the SuperDraft when reports surfaced that he was out of shape for the pre-draft combine and may not have the athleticism needed for MLS. Nevertheless, Colorado took the Texas-born midfielder with the 11th pick, plugging him straight into the starting XI at the onset of the season. Powers excelled playing in a variety of roles, picking up five goals, including the one in the video above, and five assists in 31 appearances for the #RapKids. QUICK HITS:
