USMNT Watch: Rubin Breaks Dry Spell with Goal in Eredivisie
The players in the United States men's national soccer team's talent pool received one more chance to impress manager Jurgen Klinsmann this weekend in order to secure a spot on the roster for the friendlies against Denmark and Switzerland.
One player who did take advantage of his opportunity was Rubio Rubin. The 19-year-old, who impressed at the end of 2014 for the Yanks, scored for Utrecht in a rare extended appearance.
Elsewhere across Europe, few players jumped into the headlines for their performances. Neither did the Major League Soccer contingent, which was a part of a dull Saturday slate.
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Before we take a look at what the rest of the USMNT stars across the globe did this weekend, we begin our weekly USMNT watch in the Netherlands.
Rubin Nets a Late Goal for Utrecht
In Utrecht's 4-3 loss to NAC Breda on Friday, Rubin came off the bench and scored in the 87th minute.
The goal was the first in league play for the young forward since December 12, 2014 against Ajax. Since that time, Rubin has only earned two starts.
Rubin, who before the match had played in 14 minutes of league action in the last month, saw 26 minutes in his club's home defeat.
Aron Johannsson also earned a significant amount of playing time in the Eredivisie this weekend, as he played the first 70 minutes of AZ Alkmaar's 2-1 win over SC Cambuur.
Klinsmann was in attendance to watch Johannsson play before the USMNT manager finalized his roster for the upcoming matches in Europe.
Guzan Suffers Relegation Setback
A week after Aston Villa blitzed through the Stadium of Light, they ended up on the wrong end of the final score.
Brad Guzan conceded a single goal to Swansea City as the Villans failed to distance themselves from their relegation rivals.
With eight games to go in the English Premier League season, Villa sit three points above 18th-place Burnley.
Geoff Cameron returned to Stoke City's starting lineup on Saturday and played 90 minutes in the Potters' 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace.
Tim Howard was in between the pipes for Everton in their 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers, which helped distance them further from the relegation zone.
Tim Ream and Eric Lichaj both played 90 minutes in their respective matches this weekend in the Championship. Both are on the fringe of the USMNT roster at the moment.
Danny Williams was sent off in the 85th minute of Reading's loss to Charlton Athletic, while Jonathan Spector earned 85 minutes of playing time before he left Birmingham City's defeat to Cardiff City.
Quiet MLS Weekend Brings Consistent Playing Time
Saturday's MLS matches failed to produce a ton of excitement, but they did hand some USMNT regulars valuable playing time ahead of the upcoming friendlies.
Gyasi Zardes and Omar Gonzalez started in the LA Galaxy's 1-1 draw with Houston, Lee Nguyen played 90 minutes in the New England Revolution's 0-0 home draw and Mix Diskerud earned 85 minutes of playing time for New York City FC.
Graham Zusi, Matt Besler and Benny Feilhaber all received starts for Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night, while Brek Shea once again played left-back for Orlando City.
Shea could fill the USMNT's void at left-back over the next few months if no one else thrives in a defensive role at the club level.
German Contingent Earns Regular Starts
John Brooks and Timothy Chandler once again earned starts for their respective clubs in the Bundesliga.
Brooks, who has to be seen as a contender for one of the two USMNT center-back slots, helped Hertha BSC earn a 1-0 road win over Hamburg on Friday.
Chandler and Eintracht Frankfurt dropped a game on the road to Stuttgart on Saturday, which left them four points out of the race for the European spots.
Fabian Johnson and Borussia Monchengladbach earned a shocking 2-0 win at the Allianz Arena over league leaders Bayern Munich.
News and Notes
Joe Corona played 58 minutes for Club Tijuana before he was replaced by USMNT teammate Greg Garza.
Edgar Castillo and Jonathan Bornstein both earned starts in Queretaro's 2-0 win over Atlas on Friday night.
Alejandro Bedoya entered Nantes' 0-0 draw with Rennes on Saturday in the 76th minute.
Follow Joe on Twitter @JTansey90.
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