Yanks in Europe: EJ's Brace

There aren't many US players in action today, with just Eddie Johnson, Freddy Adu, and Alejandro Bedoya taking the field.  But that small group made their presence known on the day:

Both Adu and Johnson got the start for Aris in the first of their Greek League playoff matches against Olympiakos (teams 2-5 in the final standings play a mini league to determine who gets the second Champions League berth and who goes into what qualifying rounds of the Europa League next season).  Aris got their playoff campaign off on the right foot, earning a 2-0 victory on the strength of an Eddie Johnson brace.

The first goal (which can be seen below) came in the 39th minute.  Aris swung the ball around until it reached Adu on the left wing.  Freddy freed up just enough space for himself to get a cross off from the edge of the box, which EJ headed home to open the scoring:



The score stayed at 1-0 all the way until the 90th minute, when Johnson pounced on a weak back pass, rounded the keeper, and finished past a defender to secure the full three points for Aris.  It was an opportunistic goal created by defensive pressure and hustle (@ 2:18):





All in all, Freddy Adu had a strong game on the wing, getting forward well and even contributing a couple of good tackles and timely clearances on the defensive end.  He set up EJ's first and drew a PK in the second half after flicking a ball over the head of his defender (@ 1:33 of the second video above), though the ensuing attempt by one of his teammates was saved.  It's also worth noting that manager Hector Cuper had a substitute warming up and was planning to replace Adu early, but Freddy responded well and remained on the field deep into the match, a nice sign from a player whose ability to respond to tough situations has been questioned frequently over the years.  He eventually left the match in the 89th minute to a warm ovation, capping off one of his best performances in an Aris uniform. 

EJ, meanwhile, also played well, beyond just the two goals.  He put himself in good spots throughout the match and caused the Olympiakos back line a good deal of trouble in the final 25 minutes or so, drawing two yellow cards along the way.  His play earned him Man of the Match honors, and it should earn him some more minutes in Aris' remaining matches.

While EJ and Adu are still a good ways away from the World Cup picture, they both benefit from the fact that Aris have a handful of games in the weeks leading up to the May camp, providing them with some chances to make one final push for Bob Bradley's attention.  Prior to the May 11 deadline for preliminary 30 man World Cup rosters, Aris will play three times: May 2 @ PAOK, May 5 @ AEK, and May 9 v. AEK.  Now, I'm not saying that I think either have good odds of making the cut, but I'll still keep an eye on it; if EJ can put together a nice run of goals a la Buddle against the top teams, it shouldn't go unnoticed.  He remains on the fringes of the picture because of the question marks at the forward position and his previous international experience, despite that dreadful performance in Amsterdam last March.  Adu, meanwhile, would have to unseat someone like DaMarcus Beasley or Alejandro Bedoya to muscle his way into the picture, and I think it's just too little, too late for that to happen.  Regardless, he seems to have found a good situation at Aris under Hector Cuper, and I expect him to be on the radar for the next cycle.

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Beyond EJ and Adu, Alejandro Bedoya once again got the start for Orebro in a road match against Kalmar FF today.  Orebro lost to 4-1, a disappointing result given that Kalmar was previously winless, though Bedoya did set up their lone goal.  He played the full 90 and picked up a yellow card in the 37th minute, which will keep him out of the next match due to accumulation.