USMNT Watch: Brad Guzan Saves Aston Villa; Mix Diskerud Still out of Contract

It was a busy week for many Americans playing abroad as United States men’s national team stars Brad Guzan and Mix Diskerud dominated the headlines.

Guzan put in a stellar performance for Aston Villa against Manchester United, while John Anthony Brooks, Sacha Kljestan and Rubio Rubin all got on the scoresheet for their respective clubs.

In the transfer headlines, Mix Diskerud is still officially without a club, despite a flurry of midweek rumors, and Americans Alejandro Bedoya and Bobby Wood may also be on the move.

There were also moves this week for Herculez Gomez, Will Packwood and Omar Salgado.

Check it all out in this week’s edition of the “USMNT Watch.”

The English Premier League Boys

Brad Guzan made eight saves in Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United and earned Man of the Match honors.

Tim Howard and Everton lost to Southampton, 3-0.

Not surprisingly, after a couple of difficult starts, Jozy Altidore was relegated to the bench this week for Sunderland.

Geoff Cameron and Stoke play Chelsea on Monday.

Ze Germans

After scoring a goal in Hertha Berlin’s midweek draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, John Anthony Brooks had a rough weekend. Against Hoffenheim, Brooks scored an own goal and conceded a penalty in the 5-0 loss.

Timmy Chandler played 90 minutes as Eintracht Frankfurt tied Bayer Leverkusen, 1-1.

Fabian Johnson came on for the last 12 minutes of Borussia Monchengladbach’s 2-1 loss to Augsburg.

Julian Green made the bench but did not play in Hamburger SV’s 0-0 draw with Schalke.

In Bundesliga 2, Alfredo Morales went the distance in Ingolstadt’s 2-2 draw with Darmstadt.

Bobby Wood’s 1860 Munich plays RB Leipzig on Monday, but Wood is unlikely to feature as speculation continues that he will be moving in the January transfer window. Leipzig’s Terrence Boyd is out injured.

Andrew Wooten was not in the squad this week for Sandhausen.

In the English Championship

Will Packwood has had his loan to Colchester United cut short by injury and will be returning to Birmingham. He is expected to be out eight weeks. Jonathan Spector is also still out injured for the Blues.

Tim Ream and Bolton beat Millwall 1-0 with Ream going the distance at left-back.

Eric Lichaj went 90 minutes for Nottingham Forest as they tied Leeds, 1-1.

Danny Williams started and played 90 minutes for Reading as they lost 1-0 to Watford.

Emerson Hyndman dressed but did not play for Fulham this weekend.

Elsewhere in Europe

Rubio Rubin picked up an assist in Utrecht’s 3-0 win over AZ Alkmaar. Rubin came off in the 82nd minute, while Aron Johannsson went the distance for AZ.

Early in the week, it looked as if Mix Diskerud, who is currently out of contract, would be moving to Tijuana. However, those rumors were later nixed by ESPN’s Alex Labidou.

Alejandro Bedoya started and played 49 minutes of Nantes’ 2-1 win over Lorient. Bedoya may be on the move this January, as Ligue 1 reporter Jonathan Johnson claimed that Nantes and Bedoya still have not agreed to a new contract.

Sacha Kljestan dressed but did not play for Anderlecht this weekend. In midweek Belgian Cup action, Kljestan managed to bungle in an ugly goal in Anderlecht’s 3-0 win.

Josh Gatt (Molde) is still out injured.

Conor O’Brien and Wiener Neustadt are on winter break.

South of the Border

It was announced this week that Herculez Gomez will be rejoining Puebla, the club he started with when he first moved to Mexico.

There was also news regarding former USMNT prospect Omar Salgado, with Sports Illustrated reporting he has joined Tigres in Liga MX.

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