Clint Dempsey—ASN 100 rank No. 1
Although the star American striker is carving out consistent starts and minutes for Tottenham Hotspur, this was certainly a week to forget for the Texan. On Wednesday in League Cup action, Tottenham was upset late by Norwich who clawed ahead 2-1 in the final moments. Dempsey had a chance to equalize with a late penalty but it was struck poorly—yet again!—and easily saved. Getting the start again on Saturday, Dempsey never really found the game and Tottenham were embarrassed by lowly Wigan, losing 1-0.

Fabian Johnson—ASN rank No. 6
German-Americans saw plenty of action on Saturday as Hoffenheim’s Johnson and Danny Williams took on Jermaine Jones and Schalke. Hoffenheim struck first thanks to a Johnson assist, and the left back gave a solid performance over 90 minutes. Despite getting outplayed by the Champions League contenders, Hoffenheim grabbed a late winner one minute into stoppage time. Williams started and played 90 minutes in the 3-2 win, while Jones saw 77 minutes for Schalke.

Jozy Altidore—ASN rank No. 9
If Jurgen Klinsmann’s terse answers during a midweek conference call are any indication, the U.S boss is tired of answering questions about Altidore. That said, Klinsmann will be hard pressed to ignore the issue as the AZ Alkmaar forward continues to produce in the Netherlands. In midweek KNVB Cup action, Altidore netted two more goals (and nearly a third) bringing his total to 11 goals in 10 matches across all competitions. On Sunday, Altidore put in an admirable performance during a very disappointing 2-1 loss to relegation candidate VV Venlo.

Herculez Gomez (ASN rank No. 11) and Jose Torres (No. 24)
The Santos Laguna forward and the Pachuca midfielder have both been linked to new clubs in recent days. Mexican sports paper Cancha reported Wednesday that Torres has already signed a pre-contract to join UANL Tigres in December. The same day ESPN’s Jorge Ramos said this on his radio show: "In Chivas, there may be interest in two players from Santos Laguna—one of those is Herculez Gomez.”

Sacha Kljestan—ASN rank No. 15
Kljestan received two 90-minute starts this week for Anderlecht, and the Belgian squad won both. After being left out of the starting lineup since the international break, Kljestan performed well and registered an assist in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Mechelen.

Terrence Boyd—ASN rank No. 16
For the second straight week Boyd got into the scoring column for Rapid Vienna. In Austrian Cup action on Tuesday, Boyd got behind the Altach keeper and evened the game at 2 in the 73rd minute with a simple tap in; Rapid Vienna went on to win in overtime, 4-2. On Sunday Boyd started and played 90 minutes in Rapid’s 2-1 loss to Sturm Graz. He now has 9 goals and 3 assists in all competitions.

Timothy Chandler—ASN rank No. 18
It emerged this week that Jurgen Klinsmann has kept in touch with the part-time U.S right back and that the possibility remains open for the Nurnberg defender to commit to the United States. On Saturday Chandler showed why he is still talked about on these shores, delivering the winning assist in a 1-0 victory over Wolfsburg. Nurnberg 1-0 Wolfsburg

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Maurice Edu—ASN rank No. 23
Did not make the 18 for Stoke City. Yet again.

Nick Rimando—ASN rank No. 31
ASN 100 Panelist Alexi Lalas called Rimando’s showing against Seattle “one the greatest goalkeeping performances in MLS playoff history.” We agree. Rimando made a series of incredible saves to preserve a 0-0 draw for Real Salt Lake, and suffered a broken nose along the way.

Oguchi Onyewu—ASN rank No. 34
In midweek Copa Del Ray action, Onyewu started and saw his first significant minutes since joining Spanish side Malaga in the summer. Playing against third division side Cacereno, Onyewu demonstrated his worth early by easily winning a cross and delivering the opening goal in a 4-3 win. In a recent New York Times interview, Onyewu acknowledged that he is not in the mix with the senior squad but hopes to work his way back into Klinsmann’s good graces.

Will Bruin—ASN rank No. 60
Bruin is on fire, and his timing could not be better. He netted both goals in a 2-1 victory over Chicago in the MLS Knockout round and added one more in a 2-0 win over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday. His late strike against SKC put the game away and marked his 15th goal in all competitions this season, setting a new Dynamo record.

Joe Gyau—ASN rank No. 74
Since being loaned from Hoffenheim to 2Bundesliga side St. Pauli, the U-23 winger has gradually earned more playing time. Last week in German Cup action, Gyau received his first start and played the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 loss to Stuttgart. Although St. Pauli was thoroughly outplayed, Gyau’s energy and speed created several chances for St. Pauli, and he could be in line for increased minutes in coming weeks. On Saturday against 1860 Munich, Gyau came on as a late-game substitute.

John Anthony Brooks—ASN rank No. 85
The U.S. U-20 center back has now started four consecutive weeks for 2Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, including Friday’s scoreless draw against Ingolstadt. The 6’7” Brooks has impressed during this stretch, and Hertha has moved up to second place. Call up for the Russia match? Stranger things have happened.

Greg Garza—ASN rank No. 96
After replacing an injured Edgar Castillo last week at left back, Garza was given time in left midfield for Liga MX leaders Tijuana against San Luis on Saturday. In the 0-0 draw, Garza played 45 minutes before ultimately being replaced by fellow American Joe Corona. While still low on the U.S. depth chart, Garza is now cracking the Tijuana lineup more consistently.

QUICK NOTES

After two rough outings, the struggling Tim Ream (No. 40) was removed from the starting XI for Bolton Wanderers in a 2-1 win over Cardiff City.

Alejandro Bedoya (No. 49) continued his excellent run of form in Sweden with two starts this week for Helsingborg. In a 2-0 victory over Goteborg on Wednesday, Bedoya drew a 75th-minute penalty.

Zak Whitbread (No. 67) was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in a 2-1 loss to Watford on Saturday. The loss drops Leicester from second to fourth in the league table.

U-23 defender/midfielder Alfredo Morlaes (No. 69) scored his second goal in three weeks for Hertha Berlin II in the German fourth division.

Josh Deaver is a former academic turned soccer obsessive. Follow him @USFootballGuy for daily updates and musings.