ASN 100 Update
Joe Gyau and Tim Ream Rising Through the Ranks
Josh Deaver’s weekly report on the top players in the ASN 100 features news and videos from the United States, Brazil, Germany, England, Belgium, and Norway.
Jozy Altidore—ASN rank #2
When the goals aren’t coming, you’ll take the good where you can find it. At least that’s the case with Jozy Altidore, who notched a vital assist in Sunderland’s 2-1 Capital One Cup victory over Southampton on Thursday. Unfortunately, there are no highlights, begging the question: If Jozy does something good for Sunderland and nobody sees, did it really happen? Regardless, there was video evidence of Altidore on the pitch this weekend, making a 13-minute cameo in a shock 1-0 win over Manchester City. Of course, all points are vital for the Black Cats, but the win pulls them within striking distance of safety on the English table. It’s gonna be a long season, guys. Fabian Johnson—ASN rank #6
The 24-year-old defender made his long-awaited return to Bundesliga action this weekend, coming on at halftime for Hoffenheim in a 3-2 loss to Hertha Berlin. The match was Johnson’s first since suffering an ankle injury against Mexico in September. Although the versatile left back was reportedly being held out as a precaution, his inclusion very nearly paid dividends with a late equalizer, only to see his effort go wanting. The loss came against a John Brooks-less Hertha Berlin, which stopped its recent skid with a much-needed win. Hoffenheim, on the other hand, is sinking quickly. With just 13 points earned in twelve matches, the club has one win in its last six. Despite injury concerns, Johnson will meet up with the U.S. national team this week for friendlies against Scotland and Austria.
Aronjo by goalsandmore Aron Johannsson—ASN rank #11
I shudder to think what I was doing on my 23rd birthday, but for star striker Aron Johannsson it was just another day at the office. Getting the start for AZ Alkmaar, which began the weekend on top of the Eredivisie, Johannsson put in a 90-minute shift and bagged a brace in a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Feyenoord. Away in Rotterdam, Johansson put AZ ahead early in the 17th minute, side-footing a well-placed cross from (former?) countryman Johann Gudmundsson for his eighth of the year. After leaking two quick goals to begin the second half, Johannsson managed to peg Alkmaar level in the 57th minute, converting from the penalty spot for goal No. 9 and keeping pace for the Dutch Golden Boot.
Aronjo2 by goalsandmore Sacha Kljestan—ASN rank #14
As Movember nears its halfway point, Kljestan’s 2013 offering has the whole world bristling. You don’t get much higher in the world football ‘Q’ rating than a comment from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, do you? While it’s easy to wax philosophic on the Swedish superstar’s nasal insecurities, we would be remiss if we didn’t comb through the details of Anderlecht’s 1-1 draw with PSG in midweek Champions League action. (Don’t forget to tip your wait staff). Starting in midfield, Kljestan assisted on Anderlecht’s only goal, finding Demy DeZeeuw with a well-timed cross to put the underdogs ahead in the 68th minute. PSG equalized minutes later and unfortunately for the Purple and Whites, the midfielder saw red, preventing a late comeback. In league action Saturday, Kljestan started and played 90 minutes for the club in a 1-0 win against Genk, vaulting the team to fourth place and only three points back from league leaders Standard Liege. Mix Diskerud—ASN rank #15
Coming into the weekend, Mix and co. at Rosenborg needed only a win and for league-leader Stromsgodset to drop points against Haugesund in order to capture back-to-back Norwegian titles. Rosenborg took care of its business against Lillestrom, with Mix playing 90 minutes in the 3-0 win. Despite offering his title bonus to Haugesund players in return for a result—drawing the familiar ire of the Norwegian Federation—it was not to be. Stromsgodset easily dispatched its challengers, aided by a fortunate red card, to capture the Eliteserien title. Heading to national team camp this week, here’s an interesting stat from U.S Soccer: the U.S team is 12-0-2 when Diskerud makes an appearance. It must be the hair. Terrence Boyd—ASN rank #20
The goals continue to flow for the 22-year-old. Boyd added two more to his account in midweek Europa League action, scoring a brace for Rapid Vienna in a 2-2 draw with Belgian side Genk. Down early, Boyd pulled the Green and Whites ahead by burying two towering headers in the final minutes of the first half, giving him 10 in all competitions this season. In weekend domestic action, Boyd started and played 74 minutes in a 2-2 draw with Grodig. Meeting up with the national team this week, the young striker will no doubt be looking for bragging rights—not to mention his first U.S. goal—against some of his Rapid teammates in next Tuesday’s friendly with Austria. Danny Williams—ASN rank #37
After making his return to full training earlier this week for Reading, Williams suffered another setback to his injured foot and once again sat out over the weekend. Sidelined since mid-September with a severe bone bruise, Williams was forced to exit training on Friday with soreness ahead of the Royals 1-1 draw with QPR. “It’s been the most frustrating six or seven weeks of my career,” >said Williams. “It’s the worst thing when you watch your team playing and you can’t help or support them.” At this point, the severity is unknown, but the international break will give Williams an extra week to heal up ahead of Reading’s match against Blackburn Rovers in two weeks. Tim Ream—ASN rank #54
Ream—on 'stand-by' for the U.S national team this week—put in another solid shift for Bolton Wanderers last weekend, playing 90 minutes at center back and picking up an assist in a 3-1 victory over Millwall. Ream has upped his game significantly in recent months, earning himself several consecutive appearances in Dougie Freedman’s starting XI. Although partially to blame for Millwall’s lone goal, Ream more than made up for the blunder with a precision throughball in the 43rd minute to assist Jamaican international Jermaine Beckford, who finished with a clever chip for the eventual game winner. It’s a sight seldom seen: CONCACAF synergy in the English Championship. DeAndre Yedlin—ASN rank #56
Yedlin’s strong rookie campaign for Seattle Sounders came to an end Friday night with a 3-2 loss to Portland Timbers in the second leg of its playoff series. Despite his contributions to the scoreline—a goal and an assist—the Sounders couldn’t stop the barrage of Caleb Porter’s men at an electric Jeld-Wen Field. From the onset, the away Sounders found themselves on the back foot, conceding three times in 45 minutes. With all looking lost late in the second half, Seattle finally made a push. In the 74th minute, an unmarked Yedlin received the ball near the back post and cleaned up a rebound for his second league goal. Two minutes later, the teenager found the trusty skull of Eddie Johnson with a perfectly placed cross, cutting the deficit to one. Unfortunately for the Emerald City faithful, another long offseason awaits as the Sounders fell short in its comeback effort. For Yedlin however, national team observers may see him sooner rather than later. Brad Friedel—ASN rank #62
Big Bad Brad broke yet another longevity-based record this week, becoming the oldest player ever to start in a Europa League match at 42 years, 5 months, and 20 days. With regular starter Hugo Lloris benched due to post-concussion symptoms, Friedel oversaw a 2-1 victory against Moldovan club Sheriff, making three saves and leaving Tottenham with a perfect record atop Group K. Over the weekend, Friedel again started in net for Spurs, making his 478th Premier League appearance in a 1-0 loss to Newcastle. The Toons ultimately grabbed the points thanks to an untimely error by Friedel, who got caught too far off his line on a Loic Remy effort. With the loss, Tottenham falls to seventh in the English table. Joe Gyau—ASN rank #82
Through 16 games in the German Regionalliga, Gyau has emerged as a leader for Hoffenheim II and is currently leading the squad in several major statistics: starts, minutes, and goals scored. He added another strike to his tally over the weekend, his fifth of the season, in a 3-0 victory over Ulm. The goal can be seen at the 4:07 mark here. Receiving the ball 25 yards from goal, Gyau deftly dribbled past one defender before unleashing a curling, one-bounce effort from the top of the box, freezing the keeper and deflecting the ball off the far post. American-born teammate Fabian Hurzeler watched from the bench during the victory. Freddy Adu—ASN rank #100
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Freddy Adu’s latest transfer move didn’t go very well. According to local reports, Adu’s time is up for Brazilian side Bahia, where he featured for a grand total of 155 minutes since joining in April. The club announced it will not offer the journeyman a new contract when his current deal ends in December. Unfortunately, it’s just another team to add to the list of disappointments for the well-traveled Adu. If you’ve lost count, that’s nine teams in 10 years in six different leagues. Regardless of Adu’s "technical deficiencies," cited by Brazilian outlets, the Freddy train will likely keep on rolling. And we’ll keep reporting in this column (if he can stay in the ASN 100). Share your thoughts in the Comments below, and be sure to check out the November iteration of the ASN 100. We want your thoughts on the rankings. Josh Deaver is a former academic turned soccer obsessive. Follow him on Twitter,
When the goals aren’t coming, you’ll take the good where you can find it. At least that’s the case with Jozy Altidore, who notched a vital assist in Sunderland’s 2-1 Capital One Cup victory over Southampton on Thursday. Unfortunately, there are no highlights, begging the question: If Jozy does something good for Sunderland and nobody sees, did it really happen? Regardless, there was video evidence of Altidore on the pitch this weekend, making a 13-minute cameo in a shock 1-0 win over Manchester City. Of course, all points are vital for the Black Cats, but the win pulls them within striking distance of safety on the English table. It’s gonna be a long season, guys. Fabian Johnson—ASN rank #6
The 24-year-old defender made his long-awaited return to Bundesliga action this weekend, coming on at halftime for Hoffenheim in a 3-2 loss to Hertha Berlin. The match was Johnson’s first since suffering an ankle injury against Mexico in September. Although the versatile left back was reportedly being held out as a precaution, his inclusion very nearly paid dividends with a late equalizer, only to see his effort go wanting. The loss came against a John Brooks-less Hertha Berlin, which stopped its recent skid with a much-needed win. Hoffenheim, on the other hand, is sinking quickly. With just 13 points earned in twelve matches, the club has one win in its last six. Despite injury concerns, Johnson will meet up with the U.S. national team this week for friendlies against Scotland and Austria.
Aronjo by goalsandmore Aron Johannsson—ASN rank #11
I shudder to think what I was doing on my 23rd birthday, but for star striker Aron Johannsson it was just another day at the office. Getting the start for AZ Alkmaar, which began the weekend on top of the Eredivisie, Johannsson put in a 90-minute shift and bagged a brace in a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Feyenoord. Away in Rotterdam, Johansson put AZ ahead early in the 17th minute, side-footing a well-placed cross from (former?) countryman Johann Gudmundsson for his eighth of the year. After leaking two quick goals to begin the second half, Johannsson managed to peg Alkmaar level in the 57th minute, converting from the penalty spot for goal No. 9 and keeping pace for the Dutch Golden Boot.
Aronjo2 by goalsandmore Sacha Kljestan—ASN rank #14
As Movember nears its halfway point, Kljestan’s 2013 offering has the whole world bristling. You don’t get much higher in the world football ‘Q’ rating than a comment from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, do you? While it’s easy to wax philosophic on the Swedish superstar’s nasal insecurities, we would be remiss if we didn’t comb through the details of Anderlecht’s 1-1 draw with PSG in midweek Champions League action. (Don’t forget to tip your wait staff). Starting in midfield, Kljestan assisted on Anderlecht’s only goal, finding Demy DeZeeuw with a well-timed cross to put the underdogs ahead in the 68th minute. PSG equalized minutes later and unfortunately for the Purple and Whites, the midfielder saw red, preventing a late comeback. In league action Saturday, Kljestan started and played 90 minutes for the club in a 1-0 win against Genk, vaulting the team to fourth place and only three points back from league leaders Standard Liege. Mix Diskerud—ASN rank #15
Coming into the weekend, Mix and co. at Rosenborg needed only a win and for league-leader Stromsgodset to drop points against Haugesund in order to capture back-to-back Norwegian titles. Rosenborg took care of its business against Lillestrom, with Mix playing 90 minutes in the 3-0 win. Despite offering his title bonus to Haugesund players in return for a result—drawing the familiar ire of the Norwegian Federation—it was not to be. Stromsgodset easily dispatched its challengers, aided by a fortunate red card, to capture the Eliteserien title. Heading to national team camp this week, here’s an interesting stat from U.S Soccer: the U.S team is 12-0-2 when Diskerud makes an appearance. It must be the hair. Terrence Boyd—ASN rank #20
The goals continue to flow for the 22-year-old. Boyd added two more to his account in midweek Europa League action, scoring a brace for Rapid Vienna in a 2-2 draw with Belgian side Genk. Down early, Boyd pulled the Green and Whites ahead by burying two towering headers in the final minutes of the first half, giving him 10 in all competitions this season. In weekend domestic action, Boyd started and played 74 minutes in a 2-2 draw with Grodig. Meeting up with the national team this week, the young striker will no doubt be looking for bragging rights—not to mention his first U.S. goal—against some of his Rapid teammates in next Tuesday’s friendly with Austria. Danny Williams—ASN rank #37
After making his return to full training earlier this week for Reading, Williams suffered another setback to his injured foot and once again sat out over the weekend. Sidelined since mid-September with a severe bone bruise, Williams was forced to exit training on Friday with soreness ahead of the Royals 1-1 draw with QPR. “It’s been the most frustrating six or seven weeks of my career,” >said Williams. “It’s the worst thing when you watch your team playing and you can’t help or support them.” At this point, the severity is unknown, but the international break will give Williams an extra week to heal up ahead of Reading’s match against Blackburn Rovers in two weeks. Tim Ream—ASN rank #54
Ream—on 'stand-by' for the U.S national team this week—put in another solid shift for Bolton Wanderers last weekend, playing 90 minutes at center back and picking up an assist in a 3-1 victory over Millwall. Ream has upped his game significantly in recent months, earning himself several consecutive appearances in Dougie Freedman’s starting XI. Although partially to blame for Millwall’s lone goal, Ream more than made up for the blunder with a precision throughball in the 43rd minute to assist Jamaican international Jermaine Beckford, who finished with a clever chip for the eventual game winner. It’s a sight seldom seen: CONCACAF synergy in the English Championship. DeAndre Yedlin—ASN rank #56
Yedlin’s strong rookie campaign for Seattle Sounders came to an end Friday night with a 3-2 loss to Portland Timbers in the second leg of its playoff series. Despite his contributions to the scoreline—a goal and an assist—the Sounders couldn’t stop the barrage of Caleb Porter’s men at an electric Jeld-Wen Field. From the onset, the away Sounders found themselves on the back foot, conceding three times in 45 minutes. With all looking lost late in the second half, Seattle finally made a push. In the 74th minute, an unmarked Yedlin received the ball near the back post and cleaned up a rebound for his second league goal. Two minutes later, the teenager found the trusty skull of Eddie Johnson with a perfectly placed cross, cutting the deficit to one. Unfortunately for the Emerald City faithful, another long offseason awaits as the Sounders fell short in its comeback effort. For Yedlin however, national team observers may see him sooner rather than later. Brad Friedel—ASN rank #62
Big Bad Brad broke yet another longevity-based record this week, becoming the oldest player ever to start in a Europa League match at 42 years, 5 months, and 20 days. With regular starter Hugo Lloris benched due to post-concussion symptoms, Friedel oversaw a 2-1 victory against Moldovan club Sheriff, making three saves and leaving Tottenham with a perfect record atop Group K. Over the weekend, Friedel again started in net for Spurs, making his 478th Premier League appearance in a 1-0 loss to Newcastle. The Toons ultimately grabbed the points thanks to an untimely error by Friedel, who got caught too far off his line on a Loic Remy effort. With the loss, Tottenham falls to seventh in the English table. Joe Gyau—ASN rank #82
Through 16 games in the German Regionalliga, Gyau has emerged as a leader for Hoffenheim II and is currently leading the squad in several major statistics: starts, minutes, and goals scored. He added another strike to his tally over the weekend, his fifth of the season, in a 3-0 victory over Ulm. The goal can be seen at the 4:07 mark here. Receiving the ball 25 yards from goal, Gyau deftly dribbled past one defender before unleashing a curling, one-bounce effort from the top of the box, freezing the keeper and deflecting the ball off the far post. American-born teammate Fabian Hurzeler watched from the bench during the victory. Freddy Adu—ASN rank #100
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Freddy Adu’s latest transfer move didn’t go very well. According to local reports, Adu’s time is up for Brazilian side Bahia, where he featured for a grand total of 155 minutes since joining in April. The club announced it will not offer the journeyman a new contract when his current deal ends in December. Unfortunately, it’s just another team to add to the list of disappointments for the well-traveled Adu. If you’ve lost count, that’s nine teams in 10 years in six different leagues. Regardless of Adu’s "technical deficiencies," cited by Brazilian outlets, the Freddy train will likely keep on rolling. And we’ll keep reporting in this column (if he can stay in the ASN 100). Share your thoughts in the Comments below, and be sure to check out the November iteration of the ASN 100. We want your thoughts on the rankings. Josh Deaver is a former academic turned soccer obsessive. Follow him on Twitter,
