Americans Abroad recap: Altidore hits a quarter-century

Jozy Altidore's dream season reached a crest over the weekend as he tallied in the 74th minute, as AZ's comeback attempt fell short at home. The striker helped his side climb back from 3-1 down to make it 3-2 but the scoreline remained stagnant until the final whistle.

Altidore now has 25 goals in all competitions, 18 of which have come in league play. AZ has only amassed 38 goals the entire season in the Eredivisie, which means that Altidore is the prime reason the club is even in contention to remain in the top division past this season. The club currently resides in 14th, just one point above the relegation zone.

Howard still out for Everton

Tim Howard missed Saturday’s contest against Manchester City due to his back injury. Jan Mucha played great in his absence as Everton shocked City 2-0.

Guzan tops for Villains

Brad Guzan made five saves on Saturday as Aston Villa continued its strong run, defeating Queens Park Rangers 3-2. The keeper notably halted a pair of Christopher Samba attempts in the first half and also kept out a Bobby Zamora shot. With two straight wins, the Birmingham outfit is now three points clear of the relegation zone.  

Friedel starts as Spurs progress while Dempsey returns

Brad Friedel started on Thursday and made 12 saves as Tottenham fell 4-1 to Inter, ultimately winning the Europa League tie 4-4 on aggregate thanks to Emmanuel Adebayor’s clutch goal in extra time. Inter dominated the match, going up 3-0, however the late away goal sent the London side through to the quarterfinals, where it will play Swiss outfit FC Basel. Clint Dempsey, still out with a calf injury, did not suit up.

On Sunday Friedel played his usual backup role while Dempsey returned from his injury, coming on to play the entire second half as Spurs fell 1-0 at home to Fulham. The Texas native took a few chances at goal but was off target.

Bradley subs in as Roma gets stronger

Michael Bradley came on to play the final 23 minutes on Sunday as Roma defeated Parma 2-0. The midfielder was relatively quiet, failing to attempt a shot, however, the victory propelled the club into fifth place with the win.

Jones rusty in return

Jermaine Jones was suspended due to yellow card accumulation on Tuesday as Schalke was eliminated from the Champions League by Galatasaray, losing the second leg 3-2. On Saturday, the midfielder was back in action and played the full match as Schalke looked awful, losing 3-0 at Nurnberg.

Cameron starts while Shea sits for Stoke

Geoff Cameron started on Saturday while Brek Shea did not dress as Stoke drew 0-0 with West Bromwich Albion. Cameron did take one shot during the contest but it was off target.

Williams in, Johnson out for Hoffenheim

Danny Williams started on Saturday while Fabian Johnson remained out with a hip injury as Hoffenheim drew 0-0 with Mainz. Williams played aggressively and was involved in quite a few tackles. He also attempted a shot during the contest.

Chandler plays well in victory

Timothy Chandler started on Saturday, playing 83 minutes as Nurnberg bested Schalke 3-0. While Chandler wasn’t heavily involved in any of his team’s goals, he did do a solid job in the midfield, helping his squad extend its unbeaten streak to seven.

Kljestan sees yellow in draw

Sacha Kljestan started and received a yellow card as Anderlecht drew 1-1 with Gent on Saturday. The defending champs closed the regular season but will begin their title defense in the coming weeks.

Boyd silenced

Striker Terrence Boyd came up empty on Saturday as Rapid Vienna drew 1-1 with lowly FC Trenkwalder Admira. The young American went the distance in the draw.

Edu starts in victory

Maurice Edu started on Friday night and played the full 90 as Bursaspor outlasted Trabzonspor 3-2. The club sits fifth in the Turkish Super League.