by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

With most people (including those of us on SBI) focused on the MLS Draft and Landon Donovan's performances with Bayern Munich last week, you might have missed the other American player who beautifully scored for his German club side. The author of the fascinating goal?

German soccer weekly Kicker has just put out its annual mid season list of "Tops and Flops" and Borussia Moenchengladbach's Michael Bradley made the list - the wrong one.
The annual list is complied based on interactive results from the magazine's fantasy soccer managerspiel but the results are usually pretty reliable.

Two young Americans faced off in Bundesliga action this weekend as Michael Bradley's Borussia Moenchengladbach hosted Hannover 96 and Sal Zizzo (Steve Cherundolo is still out with a hip injury). Bradley went the full 90 for Gladbach, which collected all three points in a 3-2 win. Zizzo entered the match in the 62nd minute for Hannover, making only his third appearance of the season.

Its been awhile since we've had some gratuitous transfer rumors about Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu so let's fix that right now.
Kicker is now reporting that Michael Bradley's Borussia Moenchengladbach, which tried to acquire Gooch last winter, has renewed its interest in the 26 year-old Onyewu with a view toward picking him up on a free transfer this summer.

Michael Bradley has found his scoring touch again and all signs are that he is not letting it go anytime soon. Tonight against 1FC Cologne, he opened up a 1-0 lead for Borussia Moenchengladbach with a left footed tap from a Marko Marin pass in the 25th minute (see Morin's brilliant run in the video below).

by FRANCO PANIZO

Carlos Bocanegra has made a career out of solid defending and timely tackles, and this weekend he prevented a potential goal with a last-second challenge.

Unfortunately for Stade Rennes, Bocanegra did so with his hands.

by FRANCO PANIZO

Clint Dempsey has found his scoring touch again, netting in Fulham's previous two league matches, and this weekend he gets a chance to extend that streak against a familiar foe.

Dempsey and Fulham battle Wigan Athletic on Sunday, a team the U.

 

                                                               Photo by ISIphotos.com

U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley followed up his stellar two-goal performance against Mexico on Wednesday with another solid showing in Germany.

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Michael Bradley's career-month could not have ended any better. The U.S. national team midfielder scored from the penalty spot in Borussia Moenchengladbach's league match against Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

While Bradley's 69th-minute goal was not enough to help his club avoid a 2-1 loss to Hertha Berlin, it did cap off a magnificent month for the 21-year-old.

U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley played his first club match in almost a month, starting and going the full 90 minutes in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 1-0 victory vs. Duisburg in the German League Cup action on Tuesday.

Bradley, who had not played for Moenchengladbach since being subbed out at halftime of a loss to Werder Bremen on Aug.

by FRANCO PANIZO

If there was any doubt about Michael Bradley having returned to his top form, he surely killed off that uncertainty this weekend.

Bradley capped off his impressive October on Saturday, starting and going the distance in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 3-2 victory over Hamburg SV.

Injured forward Brian Ching was left off the U.S. roster for the Confederations Cup in South Africa along with defender Frankie Hejduk.

And how this further affects your MLS roster:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England), Luis Robles (Kaiserslautern, Germany)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (Midtjylland, Denmark), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege, Belgium), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, Germany), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England), Marvell Wynne (Toronto)
Midfielders: Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus, Denmark), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca, Mexico)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Xerez, Spain), Conor Casey (Colorado), Charlie Davies (Hammarby, Sweden), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles)

Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Jan Versleijen has selected a squad of 20 players to participate in the Copa Ciudad de Rosario in Argentina as part of his team's preparations for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Egypt starting in two months time. The Qantas Young Socceroos will face fellow FIFA U-20 World Cup finalists Uruguay and the United States of America as well as Argentinean Youth team C.

The United States v Mexico rivalry continues on August 12th as they play in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying. The match is important for both teams who have not clinched a spot to next year's World Cup yet. There are a few players from the Gold Cup including Chad Marshall and Stuart Holden. The rest of the roster is similar to the Confederations Cup roster with names like Howard, Donovan, Dempsey, Onyewu, and Bocanegra.

It is one of the more quiet Sundays in recent memory in the soccer world, but even on a slow day there are plenty of matches to watch.

The Under-20 World Cup is in full swing, while leagues from Italy to France round out their weekend's schedules. Americans Abroad are in action as well, with Oguchi Onyewu hoping to get some first-team league action with AC Milan and Carlos Bocanegra looking to help Rennes stop mighty Bordeaux.

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

While there were few positives to draw from the U.S. U-20 national team's World Cup opener, there were reasons for optimism from some of the Americans Abroad this weekend.

Tim Howard once again provided Everton with a solid performance, making three saves en route to a 1-0 win over Portsmouth.

US and Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Michael Bradley is on a roll; scoring two in the USA's 2-0 win over Mexico, then scoring for Gladbach upon his return. Check it out here.

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by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Goals for a pair of national team starters, coupled with a key victory for the team of another starter, made the past weekend a memorable one for Americans Abroad.

With the Coupe de France up for grabs, Carlos Bocanegra gave Rennes a lead this weekend when he got on the end of a free kick from the right side in the 70th minute.

In a development that seemed improbable just a month ago, Michael Bradley's Borussia Moenchengladbach avoided relegation from the German Bundesliga thanks to a 1-1 tie vs. Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

A 57th minute goal from Dante held up for Moenchengladbach, which finished one point ahead of Energie Cottbus and two points ahead of Karlsruhe, which both were relegated along with Arminia Bielefeld.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

U.S. national team striker Charlie Davies is just one of several Americans who will see their European league seasons start this weekend.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

With more European leagues getting their seasons underway this past weekend, it was no surprise to see impressive performances from the Americans Abroad.

UEFA Super Cup on Fox Soccer Channel: Barcelona - Shakhtar Donetsk at 2:30pm. Bundesliga on GolTV: Borussia Moenchengladbach - Mainz at 2:30pm. USL-1 on Fox Soccer: Portland - Charleston at 8pm. All Times Eastern

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

If you're a big fan of fierce rivalries and heavyweight brawls then this is the weekend for you.

The Milan Derby will set the stage on a weekend full of high profile match-ups, including Arsenal-Manchester United, AS Roma-Juventus and Olympique Marseille-Bordeaux.

by FRANCO PANIZO

The scoring drought is over.

After numerous scoreless weekends, the Americans Abroad killed the near month-long streak as two players found the back of the net this weekend.

Michael Bradley, who scored midweek in the U.S.

by FRANCO PANIZO

When November began, Hull City and Borussia Moenchengladbach were two European clubs entrenched in their respective relegation zones after poor starts. The tide has turned for both teams as each club capped undefeated Novembers with the help of a pair of young Americans.

American midfielder Michael Bradley continues to solidify his place in the Borussia Moenchengladbach lineup, going the full 90 in today's 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim.

Elsewhere in Germany, Landon Donovan and Bayern Munich will be taking on Borussia Dortmund while Sal Zizzo and Steve Cherundolo may see action in Hannover's Sunday match against Energie Cottbus.

As the pitches are being watered, facilities cleaned and balls tested, our eyes gaze towards South Africa. After all, the Confederation's Cup is only days away. We thought it would be fun to take an MLS-centric look at the rosters highlighting players who are playing or have played in MLS.

Here's the group Bradey has called up for the Mexico qualifier:

Goalkeepers - Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)

Defenders - Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

Midfielders - Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca)

Forwards- Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Charlie Davies (Sochaux)

Looks like a pretty good group.

It's time to get ready for some World Cup qualifiers. Here are the troops Bob Bradley called into camp.

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton).
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Jonathan Spector (West Ham).

Borussia Moenchengladbach are lining up a cheeky bid to take Liverpool defender Daniel Agger on loan.
The Bundesliga side's sporting director Max Eberl confirmed he had sent scouts to watch Denmark beat Sweden 1-0 on Saturday, but refused to confirm they were looking at the centre half.

by FRANCO PANIZO

If you were looking for battles between Americans then this weekend is perfect for you.

Up to five different matches pit Americans against each other, including Edgar Castillo and Tigres UANL's tilt against Michael Orozco's San Luis.

Michael Bradley isn't regarded as a goal-scoring machine, at least not since his dream season at Heerenveen, but the U.S. national team midfielder has shown during his time in the Germany Bundesliga that he can certainly finish when given the opportunity.

Bradley scored his latest goal today, and the score wound up being the game-winner, in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 5-3 win vs.

 

                                                               Photo by ISIphotos.com

U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley followed up his stellar two-goal performance against Mexico on Wednesday with another solid showing in Germany.

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Michael Bradley's career-month could not have ended any better. The U.S. national team midfielder scored from the penalty spot in Borussia Moenchengladbach's league match against Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

While Bradley's 69th-minute goal was not enough to help his club avoid a 2-1 loss to Hertha Berlin, it did cap off a magnificent month for the 21-year-old.

As we enter May we are winding down the number of weekends full of quality league soccer action. This weekend isn't skimping on the great games and today has a loaded slate of games to get you through the day.

With 'El Clasico', between Real Madrid and Barcelona, looming, the day has been kicked off by the English clubs, including Clint Dempsey's Fulham, which takes on Chelsea in an all-London affair.

Photo by ISI photos.com

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Michael Orozco scored the lone goal of the Americans Abroad contingent this weekend when he netted in San Luis' 3-1 loss to Santos.

Photo by ISI photos.com

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Michael Orozco scored the lone goal of the Americans Abroad contingent this weekend when he netted in San Luis' 3-1 loss to Santos.

Manchester United moved to within a point of repeating as English Premier League champions after another trademark comeback, this time against Wigan.

Carlos Tevez equalized in the second half before Michael Carrick knocked home the game-winning goal. to give Man Utd a 2-1 victory that leaves United a point from the EPL title with two matches to go.

(Will update with U.S. games)
Times you need to know for the weekend's decisive games (all times ET):
Saturday
9:30 a.m. - All Bundesliga teams in action, with three teams still realistically contending for the championship and Michael Bradley's Borussia Moenchengladbach side trying to avoid disaster and relegation (table and TV info below).