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Americans Abroad

Yanks Struggle in Europe, Shine in Mexico's Liga MX

Plagued by injuries, poor form, and competition for minutes, Americans in Europe did not have a stellar weekend. But Brian Sciaretta reports that the news is better south of the border.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
September 22, 2014
12:02 PM
IN THE ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, the English Championship, the Bundesliga, the 2.Bundesliga, the Austrian Bundesliga, the Norwegian Tippeligaen, and the Czech Liga, 20 Americans played in 17 games.

Their collective record: one win, 10 draws, six losses.

Yes, some Americans played well, but that is a brutal statistic. What’s odd is that some of the best and most consistent Americans struggled. Tim Howard was not sharp in Everton’s loss. Tim Ream and Bolton continued to struggle in the Championship. Jozy Altidore still can’t buy a goal. Julian Green is on an HSV team that has yet to score this season (although it did earn a scoreless draw with Bayern Munich on Saturday), and Mix Diskerud and Rosenborg lost to a team near the bottom of the Norwegian table.

Andrew Wooten, take a bow

The one American in a major league in Europe who won yesterday? Andrew Wooten.

He scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute for Sandhausen in a 1-0 victory over Aalen—his second late-game winner in a row. Last weekend Wooten tallied in the 83rd minute goal in Sandhausen’s 1-0 triumph over Greuther Furth.

The 24-year-old German-born Wooten has always been an extremely streaky player but he his hitting his stride now and it will be interesting to see how far he can take it. His only international appearances to date have been a pair of U.S. U-23 callups in 2011 but if he can start playing well now, perhaps he can finally get that look from Klinsmann. After all, he is playing in the same league as U.S. internationals Bobby Wood and Terrence Boyd.

Chandler Gets His First Start

On Saturday, Timothy Chandler earned his first start for Eintracht Frankfurt, going the distance at right back in a 2-2 draw with Schalke. By any measure, it was a success.

Chandler was heavily involved—securing more touches, 61, than anybody else on the Frankfurt squad. He also completed 39 out of 41 passes for an outstanding 95% success rate.

Alfredo Morales Looking Good

Ingolstadt is an ambitious club targeting promotion to the Bundesliga for next season and Alfredo Morales is one player the club is counting on to help it get there. The central midfielder is a regular starter and is finding ways to contribute offensively. On Saturday, the German-born Morales notched an assist in Ingolstadt’s 1-1 away draw against 1860 Munich.

As a result, Ingolstadt now sits in second place in the 2.Bundesliga and trail leaders Bochum only on a slim goal differential.

Morales' recent run of form could pay dividends on the international scene as the two top central midfielders on Jurgen Klinsmann's U.S. national team, Kyle Beckerman and Jermaine Jones, are both on the wrong side of 30.

Weekend Winners in Mexico

As bad as things were in Europe for Americans, it was the opposite situation in Mexico. Greg Garza and Joe Corona each played 90 minutes for Tijuana in a 4-1 win over Santos Laguna. Jose Torres and Herculez Gomez saw the field for Tigres in a 1-0 win over Universidad.

Even more impressive, Edgar Castillo played the entire game for Atlas in a 2-1 win over Cruz Azul to remain in second place in Liga MX. Meanwhile, central defender Ventura Alvarado saw the field for the final few minutes for first-place Club America in its 2-1 win over Pachuca. Alvarado is certainly a player to keep an eye on because at 21 years of age he is aiming to break through into an extremely talented Club America team.

Introducing Bjorn Maars Johnsen

Never heard of Bjorn Maars Johnson? Don't worry—you're not alone. The 22-year-old Norwegian-American striker has never suited up in the United States and currently plays for Atletico CP, a small team in Portugal’s second tier.

Obscurity may become a thing of the past for the North Carolina native who spent the majority of his youth in Norway. He is the leading scorer in Portugal’s Segunda Liga with nine goals in seven games, and he has 11 tallies in all competition. This past week alone he struck four times in two games, including two goals in Atletico CP’s 4-2 loss to Sporting Braga II on Sunday.

Maars Johnsen played in Spain in 2012 and headed to Portugal in 2013, and he has always in the lower leagues. If he maintains his current form, however, he will likely be snapped up by a top division team in January.

Minor League Report

  • Danijal Brkovic remains hot in the Bosnian Premier League, scoring his third goal in four games for Olimpic Sarajevo. Unfortunately it was not enough as Olimpic lost to cross-town rivals FK Sarajevo 4-2.

  • Will John is an extremely interesting guy who should write about his journey as an American player throughout Europe. After leaving MLS following the 2007 season, the former Kansas City Wizard has played with Randers in Denmark; FK Cukaricki in Serbia; MŠK Žilina in Slovakia; NK Vinogradar in Croatia; FC Oleksandriya in Ukraine; and AZAL in Azerbaijan.

    And he's not done yet. Over the weekend John signed with Maghreb de Fes of the Moroccan Premier League, where he believes he is the first American to play. John, 29, is a former member of the U.S. U-20 national team and his unique journey throughout the globe has made him fluent in seven languages.

  • In the Armenian Premier League, former Chivas USA forward Cesar Romero is tied for the league scoring lead with four goals in seven games. His 78th-minute goal from the penalty spot on Sunday gave Pyunik an equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Mika. Pyunik is now in second place in the Armenian Premier League and will visit league leaders Ulisses this Saturday.

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