12513_gomezherculez_isi_mlsnt12032802 Nick Turchiaro/isiphotos.com
5 to Watch This Weekend

Watch as Gomez Searches for Goal, Stoke Stops MCFC

It’s a FA Cup weekend in England while LigaMX and the Bundesliga roll on. Which USMNT players should you watch this week? Read on to find out where you can see Gomez, Cameron, Parkhurst, and more.
BY Jon Arnold Posted
January 25, 2013
8:26 AM
FRIDAY
Santos v. Leon
10 p.m. (All times Eastern)
Univision Deportes

Herculez Gomez hasn’t scored for Santos since the opening week, while Mexico's Oribe Peralta has three. Gomez is a guy who doesn’t like to fall behind, so keep an eye on him in this Friday night matchup. Sadly, the American standout won’t face Rafa Marquez, who is out with a leg injury sustained in Leon’s Tuesday Copa Libertadores match.

SATURDAY
Stoke City v. Manchester City
7:45 a.m.
Fox Soccer Plus

Stoke City might not have Brek Shea, who they’re trying to sign but might not be able to ink to a deal. They might not have Maurice Edu, who was loaned to Bursaspor after playing minimal minutes with the Potters. But they do have Geoff Cameron. And if there’s anyone who can put Manchester City’s high-dollar strikers in check, it’s Mr. Cameron, who lines up at right back for Stoke.

Augsburg v. Schalke
9:30 a.m.
GolTV

This could be Michael Parkhurst’s debut with his new club, Augsburg. We know we won’t be seeing Jermaine Jones in uniform because he’s still serving his suspension, but maybe there will be one of those shots of him in a suite, texting a friend and eating fruit. Back to Parkhurst: He’s hoping his move to a bigger league might help him get firmly entrenched in Jurgen Klinsmann’s national team plans. He obviously needs minutes if that’s going to happen.

Cruz Azul v. Puebla
6 p.m.
ESPN Deportes

Puebla features both Michael Orozco Fiscal and DaMarcus Beasley. Both played in Puebla’s victory against Santos last week, with Beasley drawing the free kick that led to the winner. Beasley also showed well in their midweek cup match, but la Maquina provides much stiffer opposition than Club Celaya.

SUNDAY
Leeds United v. Tottenham Hotspur
9:30 a.m.
Fox Soccer

Clint Dempsey has been absolutely phenomenal in cup play for Spurs, and he’s not doing half bad in the league either. This match with Leeds will show if Dempsey can build off both his hot cup form and his equalizer that gave Spurs a point at White Hart Lane with Manchester United.

IF ONLY THERE WERE SOME WAY TO WATCH THIS GAME OF THE WEEK PRESENTED BY FREEFOOTBALLSTREAMZZZZZ.EU.NET.SKETCH.COM
FA Cup: Bolton Wanderers v. Everton (10:00 a.m., Saturday)—I actually don’t think this match is even on television in the UK as the FA Cup continues to be one of the only sporting events left in the entire world that you can’t watch all of on television. Either way, it’s a bummer for U.S. fans, as it’d be some fun to see a match that could potentially be Stuart Holden’s first start since returning from injury and have it come against Tim Howard’s Everton. Add the potential for a Tim Ream sighting and it’s hog heaven for USMNT-viewers. Too bad we’ll never see it.

BEST OF THE REST
Liga MX: Queretaro v. Tigres (5:30 p.m., Saturday, Univision Deportes)—Jose Torres had a solid debut for Tigres last weekend. Can he help key another victory?

Liga MX: Tijuana v. Pachucha (7:30 p.m., Saturday, Unimas)—Tijuana are nearly impossible to beat in Estadio Caliente. The most exciting aspect of this match might be whether or not Joe Corona is fit enough to play after missing last week’s match with a shoulder injury.

A-League: Wellington Phoenix v. Newcastle Jets (10:30 p.m., Saturday, Streaming on Fox Soccer 2 Go)—Last week, American Alex Smith and the Phoenix were taken apart by Alessandro Del Piero and Sydney FC, losing 7-1. See how they bounce back.

NO U.S. ANGLE BUT...
La Liga: Real Madrid v. Getafe (6 a.m., Sunday, beIN Sport)—Real Madrid put a beatdown on Valencia last weekend. Can they continue to find their form?

Copa Centroamericana Final: (6 p.m., Sunday, GolTV)—This should feature Honduras and Costa Rica, two of the United States’ Hex opponents. Get an early read on what to expect when qualifying continues next month.

So what are you watching this weekend? Which matches did we miss that we should tune in for?

Jon Arnold (@ArnoldcommaJon) is a freelance writer based in Phoenix and the co-host of MLS in 30 on NASN.TV.

Post a comment

AmericanSoccerNow.