By FRANCO PANIZO
Days after his head coach cited a lack of progress as a reason for his benching, Jozy Altidore
responded in a big way.
In his first start for AZ Alkmaar in 2012, Altidore bagged a brace in the club's 3-3 draw with
Heerenveen. Altidore scored the game's opener when he received the ball with his back to goal,
turned and fired a shot to the near post.
By FRANCO PANIZO
It took Clint Dempsey nine years to score the first hat-trick of his career, a feat he
accomplished on January 7 in an FA Cup win over Charlton Athletic.
It did not take much longer for him to do it again.
Dempsey became the first American to net a hat-trick in the Premiership on Saturday.
photo by ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
In a week that saw several young and inexperienced players make their cases for more playing
time on the U.S. men's national team, it was the veterans of the United States who shined
brightly.
Landon Donovan was one of those players, as he inspired Everton to victory by setting up both
of its goals in a 2-1 win over Fulham in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday.
By FRANCO PANIZO
If there were fears and concerns from fans and pundits over Tim Ream's move to Bolton Wanderers,
you would have been hard-pressed to identify why this weekend.
Three weeks after completing his move to Bolton, Ream made his debut for the club by earning a
start and going the distance in a 2-0 FA Cup win over Millwall.
By FRANCO PANIZO
If there was an award for the best goal scored in a season by an American Abroad, Jozy
Altidore's latest strike would surely be up for contention.
Altidore scored his 14th league goal and 18th across all competitions on Saturday when he
rocketed a shot from distance in AZ Alkmaar's match against PSV Eindhoven.
photo by Gerhard Steenkamp/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Aston Villa finished 2011 with a big upset victory over Chelsea, and Brad Guzan played a part in
making that happen.
In his fifth start of the season, Guzan helped the Villans stun Chelsea, 3-1, on Saturday.
photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
A trio of Americans saw the field for one team this weekend, but it is not the trio you might
first think of.
Mexican-Americans Edgar Castillo, Joe Corona and Greg Garza received minutes for Club Tijuana in
its Clausura opener, a 1-1 draw with Morelia.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht returned to league action this weekend for the first time
since December, and they both picked up right where they left off.
RSC Anderlecht continued its winning ways with a 3-0 victory over third-place Club Brugge on
Sunday.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Sacha Kljestan has quietly put together a solid season for RSC Anderlecht, but he made some
noise in the club's latest win on Sunday.
Kljestan scored his third goal of the season (fourth across all competitions) in Anderlecht's
4-2 win over Racing Genk when he fired home a free kick from 30 yards out.
photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Nearly two and a half years after the accident that almost claimed his life, Charlie Davies made
his official return for Sochaux.
Having last played in a Ligue 1 game on Oct. 3, 2009, Davies completed his return to Sochaux by
coming off the bench in its 1-0 defeat to Stade Rennes.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Clint Dempsey just cannot stop scoring.
Four days after scoring the lone goal in the U.S. men's national team's first-ever win against
Italy, Dempsey buried two chances in Fulham's 5-0 rout of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Dempsey's goal
total now stands at 12 (18 across all competitions), making him the seventh-leading scorer in the
Premiership this season.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Bolton Wanderers climbed out of the relegation zone this weekend, and it can partially thank Tim
Ream for that.
Playing in his fourth game for Bolton since joining the club in January, Ream helped the club
beat Queens Park Rangers in a game with relegation implications for both sides.
By FRANCO PANIZO
If Clarence Goodson is trying to keep himself in the conversation for a spot on the U.S. men's
national team for this summer's World Cup qualifying, he did a good job of that this weekend.
Playing in his third game since Denmark's Superliga's winter break ended, Goodson scored the
winner as Brondby IF knocked off FC Nordsjaelland, 2-1.
photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
For two veteran Americans plying their trade in Mexico, this weekend saw them boost their
chances of getting called in for the U.S. men's national team's friendlies and World Cup qualifiers
this summer.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Seeing Eric Lichaj's name in Aston Villa's starting line-up might become a frequent occurence in
the coming weeks after he put together a performance that he likely will not forget for the rest
of his career.
Making his first Premiership start since December 2010, Lichaj almost single-handedly rescued
Aston Villa from defeat against Chelsea.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Michael Bradley has scored in a number of countries during his eight-year career, and he can now
add Italy to the list.
Bradley opened his Serie A account this past Saturday when he placed a low shot to the bottom
right corner of Chievo Verona's 3-2 win over Catania.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Kaiserslautern might have been officially relegated, but U.S. Under-23 men's national team
forward Andrew Wooten helped the team achieve something it had not done in quite a while.
Wooten scored the winner in the club's 2-1 triumph over Hertha Berlin on Saturday, giving
Kaiserslautern their first league victory since October (a span that stretched over 21 games).
photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
As far as season finales go, DaMarcus Beasley could not have had a much better performance to
close out his first year in Mexico.
Beasley capped his season with Puebla with a Man of the Match-worthy outing, playing a pivotal
role in the club overcoming a one-goal deficit to defeat Tigres UANL, 2-1.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Sacha Kljestan will never forget what he accomplished this weekend.
Kljestan won his first trophy as a professional on Sunday, as RSC Anderlecht secured the Pro
League championship with a 1-1 draw versus Club Brugge despite two games still left to play in the
season.
By FRANCO PANIZO
Josh Gatt made his return to Molde FK's starting lineup this weekend, and he might be staying
there for the foreseeable future after a strong outing in a blowout win.
Molde topped Stabaek 5-0 on Saturday, and Gatt contributed to the rout with a goal and an
assist.
