Yanks in New Places: Summer 2014 U.S. International Transfers, Loans & Moves

Some prominent USMNT figures were on the move this summer. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

by Roderick MacNeil

The Near Post has been on temporary hiatus over the summer. We’re back now, and as always, there’s plenty to talk about in the universe of American soccer. It was an eventful ten weeks or so, to say the least.

The World Cup happened, for example. Remember that? The USMNT defied the odds and escaped the Group of Death. Yes, that really happened. We’re sure of it. It was televised.

Along the way, we felt the ecstasy of John Brooks’ dramatic winner vs. Ghana, Jermaine Jones’ seeing-eye golazo vs. Portugal, and Julian Green’s first touch extra-time strike vs. Belgium. We also were crushed by Jozy Altidore’s injured hamstring vs. Ghana, Cristiano Ronaldo’s perfect cross at the death vs. Portugal, and Chris Wondolowski’s missed chance to beat Belgium in the Round of 16. We also witnessed Tim Howard ascend to full-flegded superhero status with his 16 saves against Belgium.

Now a new World Cup cycle is upon us. The various Summer 2014 Transfer Windows have closed. There are new faces emerging on the USMNT roster, and many of the familiar faces have found new clubs. We figured, what more appropriate way to get back in the swing of things than to recap recent USMNT transfers and moves?

In that spirit, we’ve provided a spiffy infographic for your indulgence and enjoyment. It’s a taste of what’s ahead here at The Near Post, as we endeavor to bring you even better coverage of all things American soccer. Infographics are fun, so we’re making them. Let us know what you think!

We now proudly present our infographic debut…

“Yanks in New Places” (Summer 2014 – Key U.S. International Transfers, Loans & Moves)

The Near Post: Yanks in New Places (.pdf – full size , 3.2MB) (linked file opens in new tab)

The Near Post: Yanks in New Places (.png – full size, 3.7 MB) (linked file opens in new tab)

(Scaled image below opens image in new tab):

 

Jozy Altidore Earns Game-Winning Penalty Kick for Sunderland

by Roderick MacNeil

Jozy Altidore goes down on the game-winning PK call against Chelsea (Mike Hewitt – Getty Images)

Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Jozy Altidore at Sunderland?

Saturday at Stamford Bridge, the beleaguered USMNT striker played the hero against Chelsea, earning a decisive penalty kick in the 81st minute. The resulting goal put Sunderland ahead 2:1, and the Black Cats held on for a massive upset over the title-chasing Blues. It also gives great hope for cellar-dweller Sunderland to survive relegation.

The penalty call was not without controversy. The sequence began with Altidore intercepting an errant ball just a few yards outside the 18-yard box. He took a few touches toward goal with Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta pursuing closely. Azpilicueta went to ground in a slide-tackling motion and Altidore quickly hit the floor as well. Slow-motion replays showed no clear contact initiated by the defender. Altidore appeared to go down easily, while his left leg ended up on top of the defender’s foot as he fell. From the angle the play was viewed by the official, it’s easy to see how a foul could be called. In truth it was a dubious call at the very best.

Outrage followed on the Chelsea sideline. Assistant coach Rui Faria had to be physically restrained by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and others to keep him from confronting head referee Mike Dean. Faria was ejected from the sideline and escorted down the tunnel before order was restored.

Altidore entered the match as a substitute in the 66th minute. It marked his first appearance in a Premier League match for Sunderland since March 26. He was left off the game day roster entirely for two consecutive matches, including one week suffering the indignity of an assignment to the club’s U-21 side. Three days ago Altidore was an unused substitute in a 2:2 draw at Manchester City.

For Chelsea, the loss was a shocking and devastating blow to its Premier League title hopes. They could potentially drop five points behind first-place Liverpool ahead of the showdown between the two clubs next week at Anfield. Liverpool plays Sunday at Norwich City.

Sunderland now finds itself with emboldened hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League. Despite still sitting at the bottom of the table, the club is a mere three points below the drop zone. The remaining schedule also seems to favor Sunderland.

The Black Cats have three remaining home matches against Cardiff City, West Brom and Swansea City, along with a single away fixture at Manchester United. Meanwhile, fellow relegation-battler Norwich City faces the very real prospect of not earning another point the rest of the season, with a daunting schedule: home vs. Liverpool, at Manchester United, at Chelsea, home vs. Arsenal. Even a surprise draw or two would likely prove insufficient for Norwich.

More importantly for the United States Men’s National Team, there are signs of life from Jozy Altidore. First of all, just the fact that he got the field is a huge step in the right direction. Entering with the scored tied in such a critical match shows that he’s slowly regaining the trust of Sunderland manager Gus Poyet. Even better is that Altidore made good use of the minutes he spent on the pitch. He was active and involved, causing problems for the Chelsea defense. In addition to the key turnover leading to the PK call, Altidore found himself in dangerous positions on several occasions. He also showed flashes of the quality holdup play that has been so effective in USMNT matches.

There’s still plenty of reason to be concerned about Altidore’s longer term future at Sunderland. Whether Sunderland survives relegation will play a big part in answering those questions. But in the short term leading up to the 2014 World Cup, Jurgen Klinsmann has to be pleased to see Altidore getting minutes again. A productive appearance today could bode well for Altidore’s playing time in the final weeks of the Premier League season.

Sunderland next plays on Sunday, April 27 at home in a massive relegation battle vs. Cardiff City.

Terrence Boyd Scores for Rapid Wien; Americans in Europe Weekend Roundup

Terrence Boyd continues to show well and make his World Cup case. (Photo: GEPA)

Forward Terrence Boyd continued his strong season for Rapid Wien (Vienna) of the Austrian Bundesliga on Sunday. Boyd scored in first half stoppage time against Red Bull Salzburg to draw Rapid within a 2:1 margin at halftime. However, a late flurry of Salzburg goals put the game away for the runaway league leaders as Rapid fell 6:3. It was the 14th goal of the season for Boyd across all competitions. He’ll look to help solidify a World Cup roster spot with USMNT this week vs. Ukraine.

Aron Johannsson didn’t score on Sunday, but he did have a rather pretty assist to add to his resume. Johannsson set up teammate Steven Berghuis’s 48th minute goal on the way to AZ Alkmaar’s 4:0 win over RKC Waalwijk. Johannsson dribbled at the top of the 18-yard box, drawing the attention of several defenders before laying off to a charging Berghuis, who finished with a low blast across goal. Here’s a look at the goal sequence:

It was disappointing news for Jozy Altidore on Sunday. The USMNT starting striker was left off the game day squad for Sunderland’s massive League Cup Final contest against Manchester City. There was no word on any injury problem, so we’re left to conclude it was simply the manager’s decision. The absence continues a difficult campaign for Altidore, who has just two Premier League goals on the season.

Elsewhere in the Premier League this weekend:

Clint Dempsey was a surprise inclusion in Fulham’s starting lineup vs. Chelsea. Dempsey had been left out of the 18-man roster for each of Fulham’s previous three matches. Dempsey has several good chances on goal, but wasn’t able to find the scoring column, leaving him without a single goal in nearly 600 minutes with Fulham. His two-month loan term expired with the end of the match. He’ll return to the Seattle Sounders for the start of the MLS season after a midweek stint with the USMNT in Germany and Cyprus.

Geoff Cameron put in another solid performance for Stoke City, doing his part to deal a crushing 1:0 loss to title hopefuls Arsenal. Cameron nearly scored himself in the first half. A bouncing ball in the box found its way to Cameron’s feet, but the USMNT defender/midfielder couldn’t put the shot on frame. He projects to start at right back on Wednesday vs. Ukraine.

Tim Howard bounced back from a difficult 93rd minute own-goal last weekend to post a clean sheet in Everton’s 1:0 victory over West Ham. Howard wasn’t tested often, only requiring one save along the way. The win keeps Everton in 7th position in the league table and still very much in contention to earn a spot in the 2014-15 Europa League.

Brad Guzan‘s Aston Villa notched an important 4:1 over Norwich City. Villa surrendered an early 3rd minute goal off a corner kick, but fought back with a four-goal barrage to take a 4:1 lead into halftime. USMNT backup goalkeeper Guzan made three saves along the way for the winning side, which climbed into 11th place, a seemingly safe 7 points above the relegation zone.

Tim Howard’s Own-Goal Headlines Disappointing Premier League Day for USMNT

Everton was mere seconds away from earning an important draw at Chelsea. Tim Howard was seconds away from being declared Man of the Match. One poorly handled free kick later, everything changed, and Chelsea had a 1:0 victory. For the first 93+ minutes, Howard was spectacular. Then a Frank Lampard chip into the box seemed to cross up Howard as a sliding John Terry attempted to put a foot on it. In live action, it appeared that Terry had tapped it in behind Howard, but replays clearly showed that Terry never touched the ball and that Howard has essentially swatted and deflected it into his own net. Perhaps the own-goal ruling was harsh; Howard had an active player directly in front of him to contend with. But he probably should have come out more aggressively off his line to field the ball cleanly in the air. A tough way to end an otherwise outstanding day in net for the USMNT keeper.

Elsewhere across England, Jozy Altidore’s Sunderland club was shredded by a superior Arsenal side 4:1. Altidore played a relatively anonymous 45 minutes before being subbed at halftime. Some may ask whether manager Gus Poyet was saving fresher legs for the League Cup final against Manchester City, but that’s eight days away and really shouldn’t be a factor.

Geoff Cameron once again went 90 minutes for Stoke City. Cameron put in a mostly average performance as the Potters lost at Manchester City by a 1:0 margin. He wasn’t especially involved in the attack and only completed 50% of his passes on the day. But then again, Stoke didn’t appear particularly interested in attacking at all, with only 26% possession for the match.

And finally, it was more of the same (or perhaps, less of the same) for Clint Dempsey at Fulham. Dempsey was once again not named to the 18-man game day roster, instead watched his club surrender a crushing late goal to draw at West Brom 1:1. It was the third consecutive match  spent in the stands for Dempsey, who has only seen 25 minutes of Premier League action for the entire month of February. His disappointing loan term expires March 1 after Fulham hosts Chelsea; and there’s no reason to believe he’ll see the field again. Dempsey is expected to join the USMNT in Frankfurt, Germany ahead of the March 5 match at Ukraine, before finally rejoining the Seattle Sounders. Seattle kicks off their MLS season on March 8 vs. Sporting Kansas City.

American Outposts: Johannsson Strikes Again, Dempsey’s Fulham Out

Two prominent U.S. Internationals were in action yesterday:

Forward Aron Johannsson continued his torrid scoring pace for the Eredivisies’s AZ Alkmaar. The USMNT striker tallied his 21st goal of the season for the Dutch side, leading them to a crucial 2-0 victory at second place Vitesse. Johannsson later suffered a mild thigh strain and exited the game at halftime as a precaution. The injury is not considered serious. He continues his improbable rise from an Iceland international just seven months ago, to a near-lock to make the United States World Cup roster. Here’s Johannsson’s 42nd minute goal:

Clint Dempsey’s underwhelming loan to Fulham took another disappointing turn, as the Premier League side was eliminated from the FA Cup by third division club Sheffield United, who scored the winning goal in extra time. Adding insult to injury, a deflected corner kick to the head of Dempsey’s mark provided the winning margin. Concern over Dempsey’s play will surely continue to mount in the aftermath of his latest performance. Last place Fulham’s daunting battle to avoid relegation continues on Sunday, February 9, when it plays at Manchester United.