Yanks in Europe: Light Sunday

A lighter Sunday schedule means a shorter Yanks in Europe post.  And a day without much to talk about means an even shorter post, at that.
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Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson started for Aris in their road match against AEK Athens.  Things started well for EJ, who did well to get down to the end line and serve in a ball right to the head of his teammate in the first minute.  With any bit of adequate finishing, EJ would have secured his first assist as an Aris player, but the ensuing shot was right at the goalkeeper, with the rebound blasted well wide.

Overall, EJ had a solid game.  He had some bad first touches in the first half, but he had a high work rate throughout and did well holding up the ball.  He also made a few good runs, with one good opportunity getting called back for offside, and he drew a yellow card on an AEK defender.  In the second half, with Aris trailing 1-0, EJ continued to draw several fouls in the attacking half.  His confidence on the ball seemed to grow as the game progressed, and he continued to work very hard up top.  While he was not able to find a goal, Johnson had some promising plays and was a solid contributor for Aris.  We'll see if Aris manager Hector Cuper rewards his effort with another start next time around.

Adu, meanwhile, did not have a very memorable game (cue the anti-Adu crew).  He was subbed off at half time after a fairly ineffective opening 45.  It's worth noting that Aris primarily attacked down the right wing throughout the half, rarely switching the field quickly so as to catch the AEK defense off balance.  But, when Adu did get the ball, he did not make much of an impact; his crosses and set pieces were uncharacteristically poor, and he looked a little tenative at times.  Adu did not have a terrible game, though, thanks to the work he turned in on the other end of the field.

One of the main knocks against Adu over the past couple of years has been his inadequate defensive play, with many believing he'd be an on-field liability as a result.  But in his time with Aris, he has been tracking very well, and today was no different.  Adu even had a couple of key clearances, including one at the edge of the six yard box.  Like many of his teammates, Adu looked to be a little tired coming off of the midweek Greek Cup fixture, so it's somewhat understandable that his game was a little off.  If anything, it's encouraging that Adu seemed to be conserving the majority of energy for the defensive third, rather than vice versa.  Further, his replacement did little of note in the second half, hardly staking any serious claim to the left side of Aris' midfield.  Nevertheless, let's hope Adu turns in a more complete performance next time around to keep his spot in the starting XI.
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Elsewhere, Carlos Bocanegra started at LB for Stade Rennes in their 2-1 loss to Lille.  He was subbed out at half time after a poor half.  I heard claims from Rennes fans that it was due to an injury (and ESPN Soccernet said the sub was due to said injury), but to this point I have not found anything substantial to back those statements.  With only 10 days to go until the USMNT-Netherlands friendly, let's hope that those claims are unfounded, or Bob Bradley may be forced into starting Clarence Goodson or Frank Simek with Jay DeMerit against a very talented Dutch team.
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Injured/DNP:
Stuart Holden (not in the match day squad)
Brad Guzan (unused substitute)
Clint Dempsey (knee injury)
Oguchi Onyewu (knee injury)
Charlie Davies (numerous injuries)