103114_isi-johannsonaron_usmnt061614213 John Todd/isiphotos.com
Americans in Europe

Boyd and Johannsson Look Ready to Make an Impact

A slow start to the European season—for American players anyway—should take a turn for the better as Terrence Boyd and Aron Johannsson are now back with their clubs (and looking lively too).
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 31, 2014
10:51 AM
THE CURRENT EUROPEAN soccer season has been relatively quiet for Americans but that is likely to change soon as both Terrence Boyd and Aron Johannsson are finally back on the field and contributing.

Boyd has been back for a few weeks for RB Leipzig but he finally looked like his old self on Wednesday, scoring an extra-time goal in a 3-1 win over Aue in the German Cup. Wednesday also marked the return for Johannsson who made his first appearance with AZ Alkmaar in a 5-0 Dutch Cup win over GVVV Veenendaal.

Boyd's goal came in the 108th minute (at 1:22 of the video below) and gave RB Leipzig a much needed cushion to advance to the next round of the German Cup. Boyd entered the game in the 61st minute and played 59 minutes in the win. And yes, he performed his cyclops celebration. RB Leipzig is a well-funded club and has its sights set on consecutive promotions to move to the Bundesliga next year. Boyd is a seen as an important part of the club’s ambitions and his return to action is welcome news. The club will resume 2.Bundesliga play on Monday with a home game against Kaiserslautern.

Johannsson started and scored a penalty for AZ’s reserve game last week but Wednesday marked his return to first team action against GVVV Veenendaal—which plays in the third tier of the Dutch pyramid.

Johannsson looked lively throughout the contest. In the 36th minute he forced a nice save and in the 44th minute he hit a shot that rattled off the post. He was substituted out of the game in the 61st minute with AZ Alkmaar leading 2-0 but the club would score three more times for a 5-0 win. On Sunday, Johannsson could make his first Eredivisie appearance of the season when 10th place AZ host 12th place Excelsior.

While Michael Bradley is on the mend following surgery this week, the November friendlies should be a lot more interesting as Boyd and Johannsson should be fit to make their first appearances since the World Cup. In addition, Geoff Cameron is now healthy and most MLS clubs will be done for the year, thereby freeing up more players.

Addendum
It came as a bit of a surprise but Sacha Kljestan started yesterday for Anderlecht in a 3-2 league win over Kortrijk. The Californian had been struggling for minutes this season but he made the most of the opportunity with an 85th-minute goal that gave Anderlecht a 3-1 lead. It proved to be the match winner and the victory lifted Anderlecht into sole position of first place in Belgium. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrcB_uP5Uj0

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