Yanks in Europe Recap

This weekend, like most, was a mixed bag for USMNT players at the club level. Saturday and Sunday provided the last opportunity for players to get in some game minutes before leaving for international duty. Several players got in some quality playing time, while others did not see much of the field. Let's take a look back at how everyone did:

In France, Charlie Davies and Carlos Bocanegra had almost polar opposite days. Davies played 90 minutes for Sochaux in their 1-0 home victory over Le Mans, which helped Les Lionceaux move up the Ligue 1 table and out of the relegation spots. Davies played an active role in the Sochaux attack, helping create several chances throughout the match. Bob Bradley and Nats fans will be pleased that the former Boston College Eagle has been a consistent starter for his team and will be coming into the final two Hex games with plenty of playing time under his belt over the last month.

Bocanegra, meanwhile, had a nightmare of a game for Rennes against Auxerre. In the 16th minute, Bocanegra tugged down an Auxerre attacker who was on a breakaway after a throughball cut through the Rennes backline. Bocanegra hauled down the attacker to prevent the breakaway and a goal-scoring opportunity, earning him a red card. To add insult to that, Auxerre ended up scoring on the resulting free kick from about 22 yards out, giving them a 1-0 lead that they would not relinquish. So Bocanegra, who likely will be playing at centerback for the matches against Honduras and Costa Rica, did not play much this past weekend, but he has started almost every other match for his club and has definitely gotten his minutes in leading up to next week's games.

In England, Tim Howard and Everton were held 1-1 by Stoke City at Goodison Park. Howard had 4 saves in the match, which ended his consecutive EPL clean sheet streak at 2. In London, Clint Dempsey played 84 minutes for Fulham in their 2-2 away draw with West Ham. He left the match after suffering an injury to his arm, but it did not appear to be serious enough to keep him out of next week's matches. Jonathan Spector was an unused substitute for the Hammers in this one, while Eddie Johnson came on as a sub in the 82nd minute, as the former MLS star continues his efforts to climb back to relevance at both the club and international levels. Johnson had an opportunity to win the match late, but put a shot just wide of the post after taking advantage of some sloppy defending.

In Germany, Michael Bradley started and played the full 90 minutes against Borussia Dortmund in Borussia Monchengladbach's 1-0 home loss. Bradley, who had a short spell without much playing time due to several reasons, has been playing regularly once again for his club, but it is unfortunately looking like this season will be another relegation battle for 'Gladbach, as they currently sit in 15th place.

Elsewhere, Benny Feilhaber played 84 minutes for AGF Aarhus in their 2-1 victory. Feilhaber was involved in both goals. The first goal came off a shot by Feilhaber from distance that hit off of a Sonderjyske defender and in, and it was ruled an own goal. The second goal was scored after a Feilhaber backheel in the box found an open teammate, who finished to double the lead. Feilhaber may be called on to provide the US midfield with some attacking spark next week, so it is good to see him contributing on the offensive end for his club team.

Freddy Adu, who is trying to work his way back onto Bob Bradley's radar, entered Belenenses' match against Sporting Lisbon on Sunday in the 65th minute. The 20-year old added poise and quality to a floundering Belenenses attack, while also contributing solid defensive play (which is especially good to hear considering his defense has been a knock against him in years past). Adu had a good performance against one of Portugal's best teams, which should earn him more minutes in the upcoming weeks. He has played well every chance he has gotten, and looks likely to become a starter very soon. Nats fans and coaches alike will be keeping an eye on Freddy in hopes that he can flourish with his new club.

It wouldn't be a weekend without some Yanks sitting on the bench, which brings us to Jozy Altidore and Oguchi Onyewu. Altidore was an unused substitute for Hull City in their 2-1 win over Wigan, one week after only playing 6 minutes as a substitute against Liverpool. Onyewu, meanwhile, did not make the bench for AC Milan's embarrassing 1-1 draw at Atalanta. The Rossoneri had a man advantage for 50 minutes but were unable to take 3 points from the hosts. This just adds to the string of horrid results for Milan, as manager Leonardo will likely be out of a job soon if things to turn around drastically. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact a potential manager change would have on Onyewu's playing time.

With club play done for the weekend, the USMNT players will meet for camp before heading down to Honduras with hopes of earning their spot in South Africa.