USMNT Watch: Cameron and Guzan Start New Year on Wrong Note

The new year did not begin well for a pair of United States men's national team regulars who ply their trade in the Premier League. Geoff Cameron and Brad Guzan both experienced rough days at the office for Stoke City and Aston Villa respectively during Saturday's slate of matches in England. 

Down in the lower divisions of English football, an American defender scored his first goal in over two years, while a former USMNT player continued his push for the middle of the table as a manager in the Championship.

Below we'll have a recap of all the USMNT news to come out over the last week in the latest edition of the USMNT Watch.

Cameron Sent Off, Guzan Struggles

Saturday was far from a banner day for the USMNT contingent in the Premier League as Cameron was sent off and Guzan made a key positioning error on a crucial goal.

In the 84th minute of Stoke City's clash with West Bromwich Albion, Cameron lightly shrugged off Claudio Yacob, but he saw red because his hands went in the direction of Yacob's face. 

Dave Thompson/Getty Images

After looking at replays of the incident, the call appeared to be harsh from referee Lee Mason. The Potters will surely appeal the decision in the upcoming days, but for now Cameron faces a three-game suspension.

In Aston Villa's vital relegation six-pointer with Sunderland, Guzan positioned himself poorly on Jermain Defoe's game-winner. Guzan left plenty of space open at the near post for Defoe to strike Sunderland's second goal of the match into that area of the net. The 3-1 loss to the Black Cats put the Villans seven points behind Sam Allardyce's team in the race for survival.

Stu Forster/Getty Images

DeAndre Yedlin did not feature for Sunderland. Tim Howard and Everton are set to play Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Whitbread Scores First Goal Since 2013

Down in League One on Saturday, American defender Zak Whitbread, who was formerly with Norwich City, scored in Shrewsbury Town's 7-1 defeat to Chesterfield. 

The goal had little significance for the 20th-place side in the English third tier, but it carried plenty of individual meaning for Whitbread, who scored for the first time since 2013.

Since leaving Norwich City in 2012, the former USMNT U20 international has struggled to find playing time in the lower tiers of English football.

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

In the Championship, former USMNT player David Wagner is leading Huddersfield Town to a push away from the relegation zone. Wagner's men completed their holiday fixture list with a 2-0 road win over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday. After two wins in three games, the Terriers sit in 18th place in the Championship table with a home match against Reading in the third round of the FA Cup ahead on Saturday.

As for the USMNT-eligible players in the Championship, Eric Lichaj, Tim Ream, Emerson Hyndman and Danny Williams all started for their respective sides. Jonathan Spector did not play for Birmingham City. 

USMNT Camp Set to Start on January 10

Unlike past years, the annual January camp for MLS-based players, as well those who play in Scandinavia, will start on January 10, per Steven Goff of the Washington Post.

Because of the late start of the camp, the roster announcement for the three-week training sessions and the friendlies against Iceland and Canada will not come until this week. 

Expect to see plenty of familiar faces such as Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore, but manager Jurgen Klinsmann should also bring in plenty of young stars, who will try and make a name for themselves like Gyasi Zardes did a year ago.

News and Notes

Jorge Villafana scored in his first friendly for Santos Laguna on Saturday. The former Portland Timbers man found the back of the net for his new club in 55th minute. 

Gedion Zelalem came off the bench for an 18-minute shift for Rangers in their 6-0 thumping of Dumbarton in the Scottish Championship on Saturday. 

Alejandro Bedoya did not feature in Nantes' 2-0 Coupe de France win over sixth-division side Le Blanc-Mesnil on Saturday. Nantes fielded a mixture of squad players and youngsters in the 2-0 road win.

Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.