USMNT Watch: Howard Stars for Everton, Injury Concerns Grow in Defense
With friendlies against Peru and Brazil ahead during the international window, this weekend marked the final time players in the United States men's national team setup could impress manager Jurgen Klinsmann before the pair of September matches.
The standout American abroad was a player who is set to rejoin the squad in the coming days and challenge for a starting position.
While plenty of good news was spread across certain positions, things got more bleak at full-back, as two key players left their respective club games with injuries on Saturday.
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We'll have more on those headlines and updates on all the USMNT stars playing across the globe below in our latest USMNT Watch.
Howard Turns in Man of the Match Performance for Everton
Tim Howard delivered his best showing of the Premier League season to date in Everton's 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The goalkeeper, whose one-year leave from the international stage is now up, made six saves in the scoreless draw at White Hart Lane. Howard received rave from Toffees boss Roberto Martinez after the match:
Howard's main competition for the USMNT No. 1 shirt, Brad Guzan, started between the pipes for Aston Villa in their 2-2 draw with Sunderland. If Klinsmann were to choose his starter in goal for Friday's match versus Peru based on form this season, Guzan would have the upper hand. But if he uses the most recent outings as the basis for selecting his netminder, Howard would earn the call.
Days after he made his first-team debut in the Capital One Cup for Sunderland, Lynden Gooch was named to the Black Cats' bench for the match with Villa. Although he did not feature, earning a spot in the matchday squad is a great achievement for the 19-year-old.
Geoff Cameron and Stoke City fell to West Bromwich Albion 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium in a match that saw the Potters drop down to nine men.
In the Championship, Tim Ream made his Fulham debut, while Eric Lichaj, Danny Williams and Jonathan Spector earned their normal starting spots on Saturday.
Beasley, Chandler Go Down with Injuries
Klinsmann was already going to face a selection issue at full-back because of Fabian Johnson's injury, but things went from bad to worse on Saturday, when DaMarcus Beasley and Timmy Chandler left matches early with injuries.
Beasley exited Houston's match with Vancouver in the 24th minute with a calf injury, while Chandler did not return after half-time for Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. The club announced on he would require surgery for a meniscus injury.
Those injuries, combined with Johnson's knock, leave Klinsmann in a hard place when it comes to roster selection over the next month. With Greg Garza not receiving playing time at the moment, DeAndre Yedlin may be forced to step up on the defensive side of the ball, while Ream and Cameron may have to shift out wide from center-back.
Altidore, Bradley Hot Streak for Toronto
The dynamic duo of Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley once again impressed for Toronto FC in MLS action on Saturday. Bradley opened the scoring against Montreal in the 35th minute, while Altidore came off the bench and put home a strike in the 55th minute.
In Friday night's California Clasico, Marc Pelosi put in a strong performance in the defensive half of midfield for the San Jose Earthquakes. Quincy Amarikwa, Chris Wondolowski, Robbie Rogers, Gyasi Zardes and Sebastian Lletget all started in San Jose's 1-0 win over the Galaxy.
Another defensive midfielder who stood out in MLS was Jermaine Jones, who was an absolute force in the middle of the park for the New England Revolution in their 1-0 road win over Philadelphia.
It was a light week for American-born scorers, but Ricardo Clark did net a goal for Houston in its 2-0 win over Vancouver.
Benny Feilhaber, Matt Besler and Graham Zusi were on the wrong end of the most surprising result of the weekend as Sporting Kansas City fell to Colorado 2-1.
Morales Helps Ingolstadt Earn Road Win
Alfredo Morales started and played 90 minutes for Ingolstadt in their 1-0 win over Augsburg. The victory was the second on the road this season for the promoted side and moved them up to seventh in the Bundesliga .
Aron Johannsson scored from the spot during his 70-minute shift for Werder Bremen against Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday. John Brooks started for Hertha Berlin on Sunday as well.
Down in the 2. Bundesliga, Andrew Wooten once again led the line for Sandhausen, while Bobby Wood and Union Berlin drew with Red Bull Leipzig on Friday.
News and Notes
Michael Orozco and Jonathan Bornstein started for their respective clubs south of the border, while Ventura Alvarado was left on the bench by Club America.
Alejandro Bedoya played 90 minutes in Nantes' first loss of the Ligue 1 season to Bordeaux.
USMNT U23 boss Andreas Herzog named 24 players to the roster on Thursday. The U23 squad will play England and Qatar in friendlies in the upcoming days.
USMNT U20 manager Tab Ramos selected 23 players to make up his squad for the Stevan Vilotic Tournament in Serbia.
Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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