102314_isi_johannssonaron_usmnt063014166 John Todd/isiphotos.com
ASN 100 Update

Heroic Goals and Lost Souls Fill U.S. Soccer Landscape

Please allow ASN contributor Josh Deaver to take you on a guided tour of the ASN 100 diaspora, complete with updates from England's second city, Saxony, the Republic of Cyprus, and Foxboro, Mass.
BY Josh Deaver Posted
October 23, 2014
9:57 AM
Clint Dempsey—ASN #2
Deuce was in rare form during the Sounders' 2-2 draw with Pacific Coast rivals the L.A. Galaxy on Sunday. While the home fans were celebrating Landon Donovan’s final home regular season appearance, Dempsey was intent on spoiling the party. Exasperated arm flailing after a poor pass? Check. On-field shouting matches with Obafemi Martins regarding said pass? Check. His patented "fuck all of you" scowl? Double check. He also scored a pretty nice goal. Latching on to a flick from Martins off a DeAndre Yedlin cross, Dempsey buried his chance in the 69th minute to spark the Seattle comeback.

Michael Bradley—ASN #4
Toronto FC’s #bloodybigdeal has turned into a bloody, big disaster. A record signing for the club and a watershed moment for the league, the Reds missing the playoffs in such ignominious fashion was not supposed to happen after an influx of high-profile signings. With Cesar gone, Gilberto being meh, and Defoe wanting out (who could blame him?), Bradley is now left to pick up the pieces. This is the darkest timeline.

Geoff Cameron—ASN #6
An American field player in the Premier League? These days it’s a sight more rare than a tempered, even-handed discussion on promotion and releblahhhhh[fart sound]. I can’t even finish the preceding sentence without losing control of my bodily functions. Anyway, Cameron made his return for Stoke City on Monday, playing the final 29 minutes in a 2-1 win over Swansea City. Narrative alert! Cameron is “not competing for right back position,” instead gunning for a more central role. [Klinsmann nods in approval].

Aron Johannsson—ASN #11
In his first competitive match since the World Cup, where he was probably injured to begin with (YOLO), Johannsson returned to the field with the AZ reserves for some tune-up fitness work on Monday. He scored on a penalty kick.

John Brooks—ASN #13
Following his stint with the national team, which included a start in a 1-1 draw with Ecuador, Brooks has apparently returned to the good graces of the Hertha Berlin staff. Making his return from reserve duty after some suspect performances, Brooks made a late substitute appearance over the weekend, playing the final 20 minutes in 2-0 loss to Schalke.

Terrence Boyd—ASN #19
Joining Cameron and Johannsson on the comeback trail is the Red Bull Leipzig striker, who made his return on Saturday, playing 29 minutes in 1-0 loss to Nurnberg. The loss drops Red Bull to fifth on the very competitive 2.Bundesliga table.

Joe Corona—ASN #24
Having a solid season for Tijuana and securing two recent national team appearances, it appears the 24-year-old could miss a few months of action after suffering a fracture in his right foot during the Xolos 2-1 win over Queretaro last week. Tijuana currently sits one spot out of the Apertura playoffs with four matches remaining.

Juan Agudelo—ASN #27
The struggle is all too real. Agudelo’s Anglophile tendencies are on full display after reports surfaced that the 22-year-old is trying to purchase land in Cyprus in order to obtain an EU passport to—hopefully—make his name across the pond. He’ll have to wait a bit longer after his attempt to land a spot with Wolverhampton Wanderers was squashed by manager Kenny Jackett. “To get him up to Championship standard he would need to play games and it is hard to go from nothing straight into the Championship,” the manager told the club’s official website. Turns out not playing a competitive match in five months can affect your play. Who knew?

Lee Nguyen—ASN #28
The tally keeps increasing for the New England Revolution midfield maestro. On Saturday, Nguyen’s two strikes against the Dynamo—part of a 2-1 win—not only locked the Revs into a playoff spot in the East, but also bolstered his own burgeoning MVP candidacy. His 17 league goals, including 11 in the last 13 matches, ties him for fourth for the season to go along with his five assists. Most notable: In New England’s 16 wins, Nguyen has registered eight game-winning goals. I’d say that’s fairly valuable. Also…#USMNT. Eric Lichaj—ASN #34
Eric Lichaj is not a left back. After being taken off a half-time last week in a 2-1 loss to Cardiff City, where he was at least partially culpable for both goals, the Illinois native returned to the starting XI on his preferred right side during a 2-2 draw with Watford on Tuesday. Lichaj performed much better and nearly set up a late game-winner.

Will Packwood—ASN #50
Jonathan Spector—ASN #53
Brek Shea—ASN #71
Manager turnover?! In England?! Surely, you jest. With Birmingham City manager Lee Clark shown the door—rightly so, given the club's abject start to the season—it leaves three Americans in the lurch. Spector has been injured; Packwood has just made his return to the game day roster after a lengthy stint with the reserves; and Shea…poor, poor Brek Shea. Bussed down to the reserve ranks (again), Shea has not seen a game day roster for the Blues in its last four matches. Outlook: not so good. Birmingham dropped another three points to Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday, 1-0.

Emerson Hyndman—ASN #58
The 18-year-old made his sixth start of the year on Wednesday for struggggggggling Fulham, playing 73 minutes in an exciting 3-3 draw with Rotherham United. The Whites looked intent on giving up two points, but hung on admirably to secure a result with a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer. Still firmly in the drop zone, the club desperately needs a good run of form to avoid falling (even further) behind the curve.

Rubio Rubin—ASN #75
Perhaps the biggest success story of the Americans Abroad contingent is 18-year-old attacker Rubio Rubin. After starting against the Brazil under-23 team last week, Rubin returned to Utrecht where he started and played 58 minutes in a 3-1 win over Dordrecht on Sunday. Head coach Robby Alfen is also full of praise for the Oregon native. “It is incredible what Rubio, being just 18 years old, already shows on the pitch and so is the progress he makes,” Alfen told the Utrecht website. “Rubio is a man on a mission. He walks around like he is already 25 years old; very impressive.”

Lamar Neagle—ASN #76
Who’d of thunk it? Playing with good players really does help. [Klinsmann nods sagely]. Already in the midst of a career season, Lamar Neagle surpassed his all-time goal tally on Sunday by notching a 71st-minute equalizer in a 2-2 draw with the Galaxy. Sitting with nine goals and nine assists going into Saturday’s Supporter’s Shield-deciding return match with the Galaxy, Neagle has a chance to be only the sixth player this season to register double figures in both goals and assists. (The list is a who’s who of the league’s elite playmakers: Henry, Donovan, Valeri, Keane, and Morales.)

ASN Contributing Editor Josh Deaver is a former academic turned soccer obsessive. Follow him on Twitter already.

Post a comment

AmericanSoccerNow.