Mixed Bag For American Players In Europe

It hasn't exactly been a banner weekend for American soccer players in Europe with too many sitting the bench or being on the losing side.

Friday night, Landon Donovan made a late substitute appearance in Bayern Munich's 1-0loss to Hamburg. The result has proven that Bayern has not become an invincible juggernaut over the break, as Kicker magazine had touted it.

Over in England, Clint Dempsey shined in Fulham's 3-1 win over Portsmouth, playing a key role in two of the Cottagers' goals.

Michael Bradley went the distance for Borussia Moenchengladbach in a 2-0 loss to Stuttgart, a team which rebounded well from its 5-1 German Cup drubbing against Bayern.

Neither Steve Cherundolo nor Sal Zizzo played for Hannover in today's 1-0 win over Schalke.

Freddy Adu matched from the bench tonight (again) as AS Monaco topped Grenoble 1-0.

But there is some good news but its no surprise: as usual, Carlos Bocanegra started at left back for Stade Rennais against Toulouse - game which is still underway.

Monaco: Park And Adu Doubtful For Sunday

AS Monaco will probably go into Sunday night's match against Nice after the club announced that strikers Chu-Yong park and Freddy Adu have picked up similar injuries in training this week. Park is suffering from pain to the patellar tendon of the right knee while Adu is experiencing hip pain after taking some hard knocks during practice. Both are sitting out training for 48 hours and are doubtful for Sunday's match unless they pass a last minute fitness test.

Bernardo Loan Deal Drawing Closer

SSC Napoli primavera striker Vincenzo Bernardo appears even closer to a loan deal for the second half of the season.

The new twist, as he told LFV, is that instead of possibly going to a Serie C side, there is a good chance the 18 year-old New Jersey native could end up in Serie B.

We'll find out more in the coming weeks as he and his agent consider options, bearing in mind their priority to find a club where he can play every week - but also one which will support any possible callups for US U-20 World Championship qualifiers. Stay tuned.

Speaking of Serie B, American Danny Szetela and his Brescia team were snowed out of their match with Sassuolo which will be rescheduled for January 27th. Brescia has been tinkering with a 4-3-3 formation which may leave Szetela as the odd man out. We'll find out more this weekend in their match against Pisa. Meanwhile, in Serie C action, Gabe Ferrari and his Perugia team will be looking for three points in today's road match at Benevento.

In other news, Carlos Bocanagra went the full 90 for Rennes as they vaulted themselves into second place (at least for today) with a 1-0 home win over upstart Grenoble. Freddy Adu did not dress for AS Monaco's 2-1 loss to FC Nantes. And, rounding out the Americans in southern Europe, Jozy Altidore did not play in Villarreal's 3-3 draw with Valencia. A late penalty by Villarreal's other New Jersey native, Giuseppe Rossi, saved the point for the Yellow Submarine.

Adu Shines in Monaco-Juventus Friendly

Freddy Adu put in a strong performance for AS Monaco tonight in a friendly match against Juventus, played in Sicily. During the match he showed a few reasons why he deserves a chance in this Saturday's league match against Nantes, including a 13th minute attack in which he beat two defenders and nearly scored.

His pièce de résistance came in the 35th minute when he once again infiltrated the Juventus penalty area but was taken down for a penalty. His Croatian teammate Jerko Leko nailed the penalty shot past Gigi Buffon to give his team the 1-0 lead.

Adu helped to create a few more dangerous chances in the second half before being replaced by youngster Valère Germain in the 68th minute. Juve's Vincenzo Iaquinta saved the home team's honor by brilliantly one-touching a long ball past Yohann Thuram in the 90th minute to make it a 1-1 draw, leading to penalty kicks (for some odd reason). Thuram then redeemed himself by stopping two penalty kicks, giving Monaco the win with a 6-5 advantage.

Elsewhere, American Danny Szetela played 62 minutes at left midfield in Brescia's 2-1win over Monza on Saturday.

Bradley Own Goal Helps Foals To 3-1 Loss

Just a week after scoring his first Bundesliga goal, American Michael Bradley scored another this week, just not for his team. So, when things were looking up for his new stint at Borussia Moenchengladbach, an own goal against Energie Cottbus didn't help. In the early going, a 3rd minute header by Bradley could have put the Foals ahead early if not for a good save by Cottbus keeper Gerhard Tremmel.

Cottbus put 'Gladbach under lots of pressure early and a 17th minute give-and-go put Ivica Iliev parallel to the goal where he lashed in a flat cross which glanced off Bradley and into the home team's goal for a 1-0 lead which the visitors carried into halftime.

"Gladbach got some good chances early in the second half on combinations from Bradley and Alex Baumjohann but could not equalize. In the 51st minute, Cottbus scored again for a 2-0 lead before 59th minute Baumjohann goal got the Foals back in the game, making it 2-1.

Bradley was substituted in the 70th minute by Tony Jantschke and later an 85th minute Cottbus goal sealed the win at 3-1. The loss put 'Gladbach into the relegation zone in 16th place with 11 points and a minus 14 goal differential. The Foals now have 23 matches left to score at least 38 total points, otherwise its a trip back to the Second Bundesliga.

Eleswhere in Europe, Freddy Adu watched from the bench as AS Monaco picked up a 1-0 win over Auxerre. Carlos Bocanegra and fourth place Stade Rennais take on fifth place Paris Saint-Germain tomorrow. A win for either side could mean taking over second place behind Olympique Lyon, provided Nice and Marseille stumble this weekend.

In Serie B, Danny Szetela went the distance in midfield for Brescia in their 2-0 win over Mantova in the Lombardia derby. The win bumped Brescia up to fifth place in Serie B with 26 points, just two behind leaders Sassuolo.

Bocanegra and Rennes Top Adu's Monaco

Stade Rennais' Carlos Bocanegra went the full 90 and AS Monaco's Freddy Adu came on in the 69th minute in a 2-1 home win for Rennes. Bocanegra was among the match's most efficient players with 73% of his passes being successful. Adu had only a handful of touches in the late going but did manage to take a shot which went wide of the Rennes goal.

Monaco did well to maintain possession but continue to struggle to create dangerous scoring chances, producing only one shot on goal today. Their attack still seems static and without much creative flair.

The win put Rennes into 3rd place in Ligue 1 on 25 points while Monaco continue to struggle in 14th place with 16 points. Bocanegrea has established himself well as the mainstay of the Red and Blacks as they continue to pick up points at a respectable pace but are still five points shy of league leader Olympique Lyon.

Adu continues to struggle for minutes at Monaco, making it less likely the team will decide to take the buy option on his loan deal from Benfica. That said, the longer the team floats in the lower half of the table, the more pressure there will be on coach Ricardo Gomes to shake things up, especially in their lackluster midfield. Whether that shakeup leaves room for Adu remains to be seen.

Extra Callups To US Camp?

Has US coach Bob Bradley decided to callup a few more players in addition to the 19 US and Norway based ones announced earlier this week?

Word on the street in Monaco is that Freddy Adu may have headed to Colorado to join the US camp. Is the rumor true? We'll find out soon enough.

Follow Onyewu and Standard vs Beerschot: Live Ticker

Brush up on your high school French and follow along with Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege as they visit Beerschot tonight in Jupiler League play. The match starts in 10 minutes (at 8:30 PM CET) here. Need translation help? No problem.

UPDATE: IT LOOKS LIKE GOOCH IS NOT PLAYING TONIGHT.

Elsewhere in the French-speaking world today, Carlos Bocanegra went the full 90 as Stade Rennais pounded three goals past Saint Etienne for a 3-0 win today at Stade Geoffroy Guichard. The win elevated Rennes to 4th place in Ligue 1 with 22 points.

This week Rennes faces Havre AC in a midweek French Cup match before hosting Freddy Adu's AS Monaco side next weekend. Last night, with Adu watching from the bench, Monaco fell to league leader Olympique Lyon 1-0 on a 5th minute goal from Fred.

Lyon- Monaco Starting Soon

Freddy Adu's AS Monaco faces their stiffest test of the season when league leader Olympique Lyon travels to the Rock tonight looking for three points. Adu looks set to start the game on the bench but look for Monaco to throw the kitchen sink at the Lyon juggernaut if they want to salvage at least a point. Follow the match here.

UPDATE: FREDDY ADU WATCHED FROM THE BENCH AS FRED SCORED A 56TH MINUTE GOAL TO GIVE LYON THE LEAD FOR GOOD. FINAL SCORE: LYON 1, MONACO 0.

Probable Lineups (Courtesy of Le Championnat):


AS MONACO FC OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS
Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 19:00
STADE LOUIS II

MONACO

Starters:

16 RUFFIER
12 ADRIANO
14 SIMIC (c)
25 CUFRE
3 NKOULOU NDOUBENA
6 POKRIVAC
19 GOSSO
23 LEKO
26 MOLLO
10 PARK
22 LICATA


Substitutes:

30 ROMA
4 MODESTO
2 MONGONGU
21 MERIEM
9 SAGBO LATTE
11 ADU
27 NIMANI

LYON
Starters:

1 LLORIS
3 CRIS (c)
4 BOUMSONG
11 GROSSO
20 REVEILLERE
6 KÄLLSTRÖM
17 MAKOUN
19 DELGADO
28 TOULALAN
9 FRED
14 GOVOU

Substitutes:

30 VERCOUTRE
32 GASSAMA
7 EDERSON
26 SANTOS
36 FAURE
10 BENZEMA
27 MOUNIER


Eleswhere in France, Carlos Bocanegra and Stade Rennais take on St Etienne Sunday at 5 PM (Central European Time)

Bocanegra, Rennes Top Sochaux

American defender Carlos Bocanegra went the distance for Stade Rennais in a 1-0 win over Sochaux this afternoon. The win vaulted Rennes into 6th place after a slow start to the season.

Elsewhere in France, AS Monaco topped Havre AC 3-2 without Freddy Adu even on the bench. The win, Monaco's first on the road this season, moved the club into mid-table after spending the last 12 weeks hovering just above the bottom of the table.

In Italy, Gabe Ferrari did not dress for Perugia in their 2-1 loss to Paganese. Danny Szetela and Brescia take on Livorno in a Monday night match while Vincenzo Bernardo is on the road with the Napoli reserves after recently battling against their first team in a 4-1 loss.

Speaking of Bocanegra, he'll now go down in history as the first American player to have a car named after him (see below) after Spanish carmaker Seat unveiled its Bocanegra concept car a few months ago. The Bocanegra is set to be the mini-compact replacement for their popular Ibiza model.

The car was designed by former Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke who probably attended a few Fulham matches and remembered the name....not!

Actually, the car is named Bocanegra since the whole front bumper made out of black plastic, just like a 1970s SEAT model, the 1200 Sport, nicknamed the Bocanegra because of its black front end.

OK, so that does it for digressions to discuss Spanish car designs - I promise not to do them again until the Altidore model comes out. Of course references to obscure Soundgarden B-sides are always open game.

Szetela Scores Winner For Brescia

American midfielder Danny Szetela scored his first goal of the Serie B season in a 3-2 Brescia win over Triestina. Szetela's scored the winner in the 82nd minute when Triestina's keeper Michael Aggazzi's poor clearance fell to an onrushing Szetela, enabling him to blast a shot home to make it 3-2.

The much needed win, only Brescia's third of the season, moved Szetela's club into 9th place with 13 points. Next week Szetela and Brescia will be looking to collect three points as they travel to lowly Modena which is hovering just above the relegation zone with five points after nine matches.

Elsewhere, Freddy Adu played 11 substitute minutes for Monaco after the team was already down 2-1, a score which stood until the final whistle. Carlos Bocanegra and Stade Rennais take on Auxerre in a Sunday afternoon match.

*The goal was also Szetela's first ever goal for Brescia since joining the club last year.

Bocanegra and Rennes Crush Lyon

Going the full 90 in central defense, Carlos Bocanegra and his Stade Rennais teammates shocked the French league tonight topping almighty Lyon 3-0. Mickaël Pagis scored a hat trick for the home side to hand Lyon their first loss of the season.

Meanwhile, Freddy Adu watched from the bench as his Monaco side dropped a 2-0 decision to Saint Etienne.

Monaco: Adu Ready For A League Start?

Freddy Adu finally made a start for AS Monaco, putting in a solid effort in a League Cup match against Paris Saint-Germain. Unfortunately, Monaco fell to the resurgent PSG 1-0 on a 36th minute goal by Fabrice Pancrate. Adu was replaced in the 70th by Park Ju-Young who was also unable to produce an equalizer.

Adu's performance and good understanding with his teammates bodes well for his chances to start Sunday against Lille. Park still seems to be finding his feet on The Rock so this may be the opening Adu has been waiting for.

The question now is whether coach Ricardo Gomes is ready to pair Adu up top with the 6' 3" Frederic Nimani or start his two new (but smaller) players up top, Adu and Park. Since Monaco traditionally prefers to have a muscular target up front (formerly Jan Koller, now Nimani) with a speedy supporting striker, we could see an Adu-Nimani pairing on Sunday.

Americans Abroad: Sunday Results

It remained a busy weekend for American players in Europe today as Carlos Bocanegra put in a good 90s minutes for Stade Rennais as they drew Nancy 0-0. Rennes is off to a slow start, currently sitting in 12th place with seven points.

Down in Spain, Jozy Altidore dressed but did not play for Villarreal in their 2-1 win over Numancia. Up in England yesterday, Clint Dempsey watched from the bench as Fulham, fell to Blackburn Rovers 1-0. With Brad Friedel between the pipes, Aston Villa won the midlands derby with West Brom 2-1. While beaten once in the 33rd minute, Friedel made several good saves to preserve the lead and the win.

In Germany, Neven Subotic and Borussia Dortmund took a beating from Bundesliga newcomer TSG Hoffenheim in a 4-1 drubbing. Subotic was beat on the 4th Hoffenheim goal by Luis Gustavo while Felipe Santana prevented a goose egg for Dortmund during injury time.

AS Monaco's Freddy Adu is listed in the first 18 for tonight's big match against arch rival Olympique Marseille. A win puts Monaco in the top three while a Marseille win would solidify their second place position and pull them within two points of leader Olympique Lyon. Its not clear yet if Adu will start or make a substitute appearance but the word from Monaco is that they are planning to get some offensive production from the young American tonight.

Update: Freddy Adu did not play in the lackluster 0-0 draw but given how poorly playmaker Park Chu-Young played, he may get his chance next week.

Americans In Action All Over Europe This Weekend

American Jozy Altidore was named to the squad for tonight's match against Primera newcomer Numancia. Given that coach Manuel Pelligrini is without three starters due to injury and is just coming off a midweek Champion's League draw with Manchester United, and Altidore's encouraging debut last week against Deportivo, there is a good chance that Altidore will see more playing time this week.

Villarreal's current predicament is exactly the reason Pellegrini decided not loan out Altidore at the beginning of the season. If the young American can make a positive impact in the coming weeks, it will reduce the chance that he is loaned out in January - the club's current plan.

Playing center-left midfield of a 3-5-2 for Brescia, Danny Szetela went the distance again in a 2-1 win over Ascoli this afternoon. Meanwhile, Gabe Ferrari and Perugia are set to take on Pescara tomorrow in Lega Pro (Serie C) action. Elsewhere in Italy, Napoli reserve team player Vincenzo Bernardo picked up an injury while training with the first team and missed the last two reserve matches. Nonetheless, his performances in training with the first team has seen his stock rise, leading some locals to speculate on a future role with the senior squad.

Hannover got a spanking at BayArena as they fell to Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 on Friday night. American Sal Zizzo came on the 50th minute for Hannover with the team already down 2-0 while Steve Cherundolo did not play due to injury. Neven Subotic and Borussia Dortmund take on Bundesliga newbie Hoffenheim on Sunday. Heath Pearce went the distance for Hansa Rostock as they drew Rot-Weiss Ahlen 2-2. Ahlen's Grover Gibson did not play due to a nagging injury.

Also in Germany, Borussia Monchengladbach dropped its second straight match, this time to Hertha Berlin 1-0. Michael Bradley made his Bundesliga debut as started and played a solid 65th minutes but was not able to convert any chances for the Foals. Bryan Arguez did not play for Hertha.

Up in France, Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes will be looking to earn a much-needed three points tonight against Nancy while word out of Monaco is that Adu may have a larger role in tomorrow's match against arch rival Marseilles.

Update: Adu Named To Squad For Match Against Caen

It looks like AS Monaco's American newcomer Freddy Adu may see his first Ligue 1 action tonight against Caen after being named to the 18 man squad. Fellow newcomer Dario "The Pitbull" Simic, a Croatian defender, transfered in from AC Milan, was also named to the Monaco squad in its third week of competition where they are in 4th place at 1-0-1 with 4 points.

The other 16 named to tonight's squad of Les Monégasques are: Roma, Ruffier - Mongongu, Nkoulou, Modesto, Muratori - Pokrivac, Leko, Perez, Gosso, Meriem, Diaz - Ménez, Pino, Nimani, and Bakar.

At the same time, Toro News is predicting American Danny Szetela will be in the starting lineup for Brescia in tonight's Coppa Italia match with Torino.



UPDATE: Freddy Adu came on in the 86th minute in a 1-1 draw with Caen before a half-full stadium of 9,000 spectators. Monaco's Frédéric Nimani was the main man for the home side, scoring a 51st minute goal and constantly causing problems for the Caen defense. Next week Monaco travels up to the Alps for a battle with Ligue 1 newcomer Grenoble, a team which is curently in third place while ASM sits in fifth.

Danny Szetela started and went the distance for Brescia in a 2-1 loss to Torino to end their Coppa Italia campaign.

Lazio and PSG Links to Onyewu: Nothing But Rumors?

Since the news and rumors linking Oguchi Onyewu came out over the weekend, I've had my feelers out (and been scouring the Italian and French papers piling on my desk) to confirm them both -to no avail.

The first report linking Onyewu to Lazio came out at about 1PM (Western Europe time) on Sunday by the Lyon, France branch of Eurosport and we all did our share of speculation. Since then, while Lazio has been very public about the players it is pursuing, Onyewu does not appear to be one of them. There was interest back in 2007 but any talk of current interest from Lazio remains an unconfirmed rumor. While I'd love to see Gooch playing in Serie A, where I think he could help Inter in their time of need, its not looking very likely right now.

On the PSG rumor, Matthieu Margueritte of French football website Footmercato cleared it up when he reported yesterday that Onyewu's agent, said: “It is only one rumour. Paris did not come into contact with the player, nor with me.” Some have mentioned that another French club may be in the hunt but the other club has never been named. Again, Ligue 1 is a competition where I think Onyewu could do very well and given his agent's strong connections to French football, I still think a move to France may be in the works - its just not clear where that could be. Lyon anyone?

So, the only confirmed interest in Gooch this summer remains at FC Koeln and Fulham but in the transfer game, for every two clubs you know about, there are usually 3-4 more quietly in the mix. In any case, LFV hopes to see Gooch, who is not only a great player but a very good guy, get into a situation where he can achieve great things.

Speaking of transfer rumors, things seem to be quieting down on Heerenveen's Michael Bradley but friend of LFV Greg Seltzer breaks the situation down better than anyone.

In other news, Freddy Adu has arrived back in Monaco and is eager to play in Saturday's match against SM Caen, telling France Football; "I'm ready to play." Monaco president Jérôme de Bontin also seems excited to finally have his new signing available when he told the Monaco press today; " I am convinced that his presence will have an significant impact on the level of our offensive sector. He will be able clearly to give a new dimension to our attack."

All of this chasing transfer rumors has left little time to think about tonight's (or here in Naples, tomorrow morning's) US Men's World Cup qualifier against Guatemala. Luckily, my good friend Bob Wagman, who is in Guatemala for the match, has a great preview here.

Benfica: Adu Transfer To Monaco Complete

According to the official websites of both Benfica and Monaco, American Freddy Adu has been loaned to AS Monaco (French first division) for one year with an option to buy. The deal was struck Monday night after several weeks of negotiations. Adu is expected to join his teammates at "The Rock" after the Olympics.

He will be one of three Americans playing in Ligue 1 this year, along with Carlos Bocanegra at Stade Rennais, and Andrew Jacobson at FC Lorient.

Monaco last won the French championship in 2000 and most recently were finalists in the 2004 UEFA Champion's League beating Real Madrid and Chelsea along the way.

What remains to be seen is whether Monaco will continue to pursue Heerenveen's Michael Bradley, who at last report was too expensive Monaco's taste (the club was asking 8.5 million Euros). Bradley is also being pursued by several English and German clubs, including Middelsbrough, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen.

AS Monaco: Still Interested in American Duo

According to the Nice Matin, AS Monaco is still leaning toward bringing in Americans Michael Bradley and Freddy Adu but under different arrangements. Benfica's young American appears to be close to a deal to be loaned to Monaco with an option to buy. Initially, Benfica had upped his price to €4 million after there was also interest from Bologna and Genoa.

Heerenveen midfielder Michael Bradley had been in ASM's cross hairs recently with reports of an offer in the neighborhood of €8.5 million. Bradley is also being pursued by Middelsbrough, Bayer Leverkusen, and perhaps other clubs working behind the scenes. Monaco remains interested in Bradley but is indicating that his price would need to come down before they will buy him (which means Heerenven are asking for more than Monaco has already offered). Any transaction for Bradley or Adu will need to happen before the August 17th French League transfer deadline and even then, Monaco would need to wait until after the Olympics before either one showed up to Stade Louis II. Personally, I think only one of these two will ever pull on a Monaco jersey (and his name isn't Bradley).

Adu to Monaco: Loan With An Option to Buy?

According to several French press reports, AS Monaco boss Jerome de Bontin is still working to bring Benfica's Freddy Adu to his club. The arrangement reportedly being discussed is a loan with an option to buy since Monaco was not prepared to pay the €4 million Benfica was asking. Observers think the deal is close to done and could be announced within the near future.

Meanwhile up in Austria for pre-season training with his team, Hertha Berlin's Bryan Arguez continues to see significant playing time with the first team due to injuries of veteran defenders. Saturday in Stegersbach against FC Copenhagen, Arguez continued to prove his value to the team in a 0-0 draw. Based on his performance, coach Lucien Favre voiced his satisfaction with Arguez (and four others), that "I'm very happy with these players."

Hertha faces its first real challenge of the season on Thursday in the home leg of a UEFA Cup qualification match against Moldavian side FC Nistru Otaci. The road leg will be played on July 31st in Chisinau before the team heads off to a preseason tourney in Mallorca where they will face Newcastle United and Steve Cherundolo and Sal Zizzo's Hannover 96. Barring injury or a drop in form, Arguez is expected to start each of these early matches in central defense.

Today, Danny Szetela and his Brescia teammates head up north to the Alto Adige region to start their training camp. There, coach Serse Cosmi will put the team through its paces before playing a series of pre-season matches. According to Brescia Oggi, Szetela stands a good chance to earn more playing time this season if he can continue to show improvement.