ASN 100 Update
Guzan Shines in Net, Cameron Storms the Goal
The future United States national team No. 1 continues to show off his stellar form in Europe, while the former Houston Dynamo star demonstrates his nose for the net. Those and more in the ASN 100 update.
Brad Guzan—ASN rank #10
America’s No. 2 goalkeeper put on another clinic Saturday. Guzan earned Man of the Match honors along with his first clean sheet of the season, making two saves in Aston Villa's 1-0 victory over Norwich. He had a slow afternoon but came up huge when needed. In the 6th minute, Guzan stepped up and made an emphatic save on a penalty attempt from Robert Snodgrass. Up 1-0 and under siege late, Guzan saved three points for the Villains with a ridiculous, one-handed sprawling save. For his efforts, Guzan earned a 9.0 on the scoring aggregator WhoScored.com and was named to the EPL Best XI for the week. Geoff Cameron—ASN rank #11
While he didn’t have to wait nearly as long as Jon Obi Mikel, the defender also notched his first career Premier League goal on the weekend during Stoke City’s 3-1 loss to Arsenal. Starting again at right back for the club, Cameron found himself in the right place at the right time. When Marco Anautovic’s headed attempt rattled off the post in the 26th minute, Cameron latched on the rebound, calmly slotting it past the Arsenal defense from the top of the box. The strike leveled the score line, but unfortunately the Potters couldn’t capitalize. They currently sit 10th in the EPL on seven points. Eddie Johnson—ASN rank #13
If he’s proven one thing over the past year, it’s that you can’t leave Eddie Johnson unmarked on set pieces. In a match contested under playoff levels of intensity, Johnson found the score sheet once again, heading home his eighth goal of the year during Saturday night’s 1-1 draw with LA Galaxy. Johnson capitalized on an Omar Gonzalez marking mistaking, rising to head home a perfectly placed Mauro Rosales corner. The point is huge for Seattle as the Sounders sit atop the Western conference on 50 points with two games in hand on second place Real Salt Lake. Herculez Gomez—ASN rank #15
Gomez made his return to competitive action on Friday, playing 45 minutes for Club Tijuana’s under-20 reserve squad in a 3-1 win over Cruz Azul. Gomez has missed more than two months of action, including the most recent round of World Cup qualifiers but is reportedly scheduled to make his first team return for the Xolos on Thursday against Victoria in CONCACAF Champions League action. Terrence Boyd—ASN rank #21
Boyd earned his fifth start of the season on Saturday, playing 90 minutes and scoring his 5th goal of the campaign in a 2-0 win over Reid. The 22-year old has been on a roll as of late, scoring in his last three appearances for Rapid. Already up 1-0, Boyd added to the deficit in the 17th minute, finding the back of the net with a powerful header after out-jumping his defender on the near post. Boyd has now scored in every game he has started for the Green and Whites and is tied for—you guessed it—fifth in league scoring. John Brooks—ASN rank #30
The 20-year old Hertha Berlin center back could find himself out of action for a few weeks after suffering a dislocated elbow during the club’s 1-1 draw with Freiburg on Sunday. Trailing 1-0 in the 20th minute, Brooks stayed on the ground after making what seemed to be a fairly benign challenge. Replays later show Brooks catching himself awkwardly on the play, which forced the early substitution for Hertha. There is no timetable for his return to action, but the injury could mean missing the final round of the Hexagonal and his last chance to be cap tied to the United States before next summer’s World Cup. Will Bruin—ASN rank #46
After more than a month of incredible misses and some poor fortune, the scoring drought is finally over for Will Bruin. For the 23-year old, who last scored against Seattle in mid-August, Saturday was the perfect time for league punching bag Chivas USA to come to town. Up 2-1 midway through the second half, Bruin got on the end of perfectly weighted pass from Giles Barnes, before talking a touch and sliding it past Dan Kennedy for his seventh goal of the season. Bruin also picked up his seventh assist of the year in the 79th minute, finding Boniek Garcia unmarked after some fancy footwork inside the box. The win puts Houston three points clear of New England for the fourth playoff spot in the Eastern conference. Eric Lichaj—ASN rank #49
Lichaj made his seventh and eighth consecutive start for Nottingham Forest this week, playing the full 90 minutes in a pair of 2-2 draws. On Tuesday, down 2-1 to Doncaster Rovers, Lichaj helped deliver Forest a share of the spoils late in the match when his low driving cross found the feet of Darius Henderson who easily turned his effort home. On Saturday, Lichaj put in another 90 minute shift against Middlesbrough, helping earn another point as the club fights to remain in the top six of the English Championship. Tim Ream—ASN rank #56
The former Red Bulls defender also pulled double duty this week for Bolton in the English second division. At Reebok Stadium on Tuesday, Ream lined up in central midfield, assisting on a 41st minute strike from Chris Eagles during 2-2 draw with Derby County. On Saturday, the 25-year old picked up his third consecutive start—the first time he’s accomplished that since October 2012—playing another 90 minutes in a 3-1 loss to Brighton Hove and Albion. Despite working his way into the starting XI as of late, the Wanderers currently sit at the bottom of the Championship table, having earned only three points through eight matches. Lee Nguyen—ASN rank #73
New England Revolution continued their playoff push on Saturday night, taking another three points with a 2-1 victory over DC United. The win came thanks in large part to the offensive spark of Nguyen. Active all night for the Revolution, the 26-year old had several chances to put New England on the board. Trailing in the 57th minute, Nguyen was able to draw a foul in the box, only to have his penalty attempt saved by Bill Hamid. Ten minutes later, Nguyen blasted a 20-yard rocket off the crossbar, somehow gathered his own rebound and was able to send another long distance effort just wide of the goal. The breakthrough finally came in the 83rd minute. Nguyen drew another attempt from the penalty spot, but instead of trying to blast it past Hamid, he delivered a clever chip that floated delicately into the net for the game winner. Conor O’Brien—ASN rank #85
Only a week since completing a move from FC Nordsjaelland to Odense, the 25-year old midfielder earned his debut appearance for the club on Monday, playing 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss to a struggling Brondby. The New York native was back in the starting XI on Saturday, playing 73 minutes in a 2-1 loss to FC Copenhagen. The loss is the third straight for Odense, who now find themselves mired in a scrum at the bottom of the Danish league table. Steven Lenhart—ASN rank #88
The blond half of San Jose’s resident Bash Brothers threw his weight around on Saturday night, scoring two goals and propelling the Earthquakes to a much needed 2-1 win over Western Conference front-runners Real Salt Lake. Lenhart opened the scoring in the 18th minute, heading in a Cordell Cato cross for his third goal of the year. The Earthquakes would concede an equalizer less than a minute later, only to pull back in front in the 21st minute with another Lenhart header, this time coming off a free kick effort from Shea Salinas. The win is a vital three points for a resurgent San Jose who now sit four points behind Colorado Rapids for the final playoff seed in the Western Conference.
America’s No. 2 goalkeeper put on another clinic Saturday. Guzan earned Man of the Match honors along with his first clean sheet of the season, making two saves in Aston Villa's 1-0 victory over Norwich. He had a slow afternoon but came up huge when needed. In the 6th minute, Guzan stepped up and made an emphatic save on a penalty attempt from Robert Snodgrass. Up 1-0 and under siege late, Guzan saved three points for the Villains with a ridiculous, one-handed sprawling save. For his efforts, Guzan earned a 9.0 on the scoring aggregator WhoScored.com and was named to the EPL Best XI for the week. Geoff Cameron—ASN rank #11
While he didn’t have to wait nearly as long as Jon Obi Mikel, the defender also notched his first career Premier League goal on the weekend during Stoke City’s 3-1 loss to Arsenal. Starting again at right back for the club, Cameron found himself in the right place at the right time. When Marco Anautovic’s headed attempt rattled off the post in the 26th minute, Cameron latched on the rebound, calmly slotting it past the Arsenal defense from the top of the box. The strike leveled the score line, but unfortunately the Potters couldn’t capitalize. They currently sit 10th in the EPL on seven points. Eddie Johnson—ASN rank #13
If he’s proven one thing over the past year, it’s that you can’t leave Eddie Johnson unmarked on set pieces. In a match contested under playoff levels of intensity, Johnson found the score sheet once again, heading home his eighth goal of the year during Saturday night’s 1-1 draw with LA Galaxy. Johnson capitalized on an Omar Gonzalez marking mistaking, rising to head home a perfectly placed Mauro Rosales corner. The point is huge for Seattle as the Sounders sit atop the Western conference on 50 points with two games in hand on second place Real Salt Lake. Herculez Gomez—ASN rank #15
Gomez made his return to competitive action on Friday, playing 45 minutes for Club Tijuana’s under-20 reserve squad in a 3-1 win over Cruz Azul. Gomez has missed more than two months of action, including the most recent round of World Cup qualifiers but is reportedly scheduled to make his first team return for the Xolos on Thursday against Victoria in CONCACAF Champions League action. Terrence Boyd—ASN rank #21
Boyd earned his fifth start of the season on Saturday, playing 90 minutes and scoring his 5th goal of the campaign in a 2-0 win over Reid. The 22-year old has been on a roll as of late, scoring in his last three appearances for Rapid. Already up 1-0, Boyd added to the deficit in the 17th minute, finding the back of the net with a powerful header after out-jumping his defender on the near post. Boyd has now scored in every game he has started for the Green and Whites and is tied for—you guessed it—fifth in league scoring. John Brooks—ASN rank #30
The 20-year old Hertha Berlin center back could find himself out of action for a few weeks after suffering a dislocated elbow during the club’s 1-1 draw with Freiburg on Sunday. Trailing 1-0 in the 20th minute, Brooks stayed on the ground after making what seemed to be a fairly benign challenge. Replays later show Brooks catching himself awkwardly on the play, which forced the early substitution for Hertha. There is no timetable for his return to action, but the injury could mean missing the final round of the Hexagonal and his last chance to be cap tied to the United States before next summer’s World Cup. Will Bruin—ASN rank #46
After more than a month of incredible misses and some poor fortune, the scoring drought is finally over for Will Bruin. For the 23-year old, who last scored against Seattle in mid-August, Saturday was the perfect time for league punching bag Chivas USA to come to town. Up 2-1 midway through the second half, Bruin got on the end of perfectly weighted pass from Giles Barnes, before talking a touch and sliding it past Dan Kennedy for his seventh goal of the season. Bruin also picked up his seventh assist of the year in the 79th minute, finding Boniek Garcia unmarked after some fancy footwork inside the box. The win puts Houston three points clear of New England for the fourth playoff spot in the Eastern conference. Eric Lichaj—ASN rank #49
Lichaj made his seventh and eighth consecutive start for Nottingham Forest this week, playing the full 90 minutes in a pair of 2-2 draws. On Tuesday, down 2-1 to Doncaster Rovers, Lichaj helped deliver Forest a share of the spoils late in the match when his low driving cross found the feet of Darius Henderson who easily turned his effort home. On Saturday, Lichaj put in another 90 minute shift against Middlesbrough, helping earn another point as the club fights to remain in the top six of the English Championship. Tim Ream—ASN rank #56
The former Red Bulls defender also pulled double duty this week for Bolton in the English second division. At Reebok Stadium on Tuesday, Ream lined up in central midfield, assisting on a 41st minute strike from Chris Eagles during 2-2 draw with Derby County. On Saturday, the 25-year old picked up his third consecutive start—the first time he’s accomplished that since October 2012—playing another 90 minutes in a 3-1 loss to Brighton Hove and Albion. Despite working his way into the starting XI as of late, the Wanderers currently sit at the bottom of the Championship table, having earned only three points through eight matches. Lee Nguyen—ASN rank #73
New England Revolution continued their playoff push on Saturday night, taking another three points with a 2-1 victory over DC United. The win came thanks in large part to the offensive spark of Nguyen. Active all night for the Revolution, the 26-year old had several chances to put New England on the board. Trailing in the 57th minute, Nguyen was able to draw a foul in the box, only to have his penalty attempt saved by Bill Hamid. Ten minutes later, Nguyen blasted a 20-yard rocket off the crossbar, somehow gathered his own rebound and was able to send another long distance effort just wide of the goal. The breakthrough finally came in the 83rd minute. Nguyen drew another attempt from the penalty spot, but instead of trying to blast it past Hamid, he delivered a clever chip that floated delicately into the net for the game winner. Conor O’Brien—ASN rank #85
Only a week since completing a move from FC Nordsjaelland to Odense, the 25-year old midfielder earned his debut appearance for the club on Monday, playing 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss to a struggling Brondby. The New York native was back in the starting XI on Saturday, playing 73 minutes in a 2-1 loss to FC Copenhagen. The loss is the third straight for Odense, who now find themselves mired in a scrum at the bottom of the Danish league table. Steven Lenhart—ASN rank #88
The blond half of San Jose’s resident Bash Brothers threw his weight around on Saturday night, scoring two goals and propelling the Earthquakes to a much needed 2-1 win over Western Conference front-runners Real Salt Lake. Lenhart opened the scoring in the 18th minute, heading in a Cordell Cato cross for his third goal of the year. The Earthquakes would concede an equalizer less than a minute later, only to pull back in front in the 21st minute with another Lenhart header, this time coming off a free kick effort from Shea Salinas. The win is a vital three points for a resurgent San Jose who now sit four points behind Colorado Rapids for the final playoff seed in the Western Conference.
