By FRANCO PANIZO
Jonathan Spector's time at West Ham United may be numbered, but the U.S. national team defender is doing his best to make sure he leaves with a bang.
Spector continued his cup heroics this weekend, scoring the winner in West Ham's 2-0 victory over Barnsley in the third round of the FA Cup. Playing as a central midfielder, Spector found the back of the net when he got on the end of a deflected shot and buried a right-footed finish to the far post. The goal was Spector's third across all competitions this season.
Tim Howard also enjoyed FA Cup success as Everton advanced to the fourth round of the tournament with a 5-1 win against Scunthorpe United. Howard started, went the distance and made four saves in the match.
This weekend wasn't just about the FA Cup. The Mexican Clausura kicked off, and Herculez Gomez came off the bench and played 22 minutes in Pachuca's season-opening win against America. Teammate Jose Torres did not dress.
Here is how the Americans Abroad did this weekend:
England
PREMIERSHIP
- Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Everton's 5-1 win vs. Scunthorpe United in the FA Cup on Saturday.
- Clint Dempsey started and played 61 minutes in Fulham's 6-2 win vs. Peterborough United in the FA Cup on Saturday.
- Eddie Johnson dressed but did not play for Fulham.
- Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Aston Villa's 3-1 win vs. Sheffield United in the FA Cup on Saturday.
- Eric Lichaj did not dress for Aston Villa.
- Marcus Hahnemann started, played 90 minutes and made three saves in Wolverhampton Wanderers' 2-2 draw vs. Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup on Saturday.
- Jonathan Spector started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in West Ham United's 2-0 win vs. Barnsley in the FA Cup on Saturday. You can see the goal here.
- Stuart Holden did not dress in Bolton Wanderers' 2-0 win vs. York City in the FA Cup on Saturday. He is recovering from a thigh injury.
CHAMPIONSHIP
- Conor Doyle and Derby County play Crawley Town in the FA Cup on Monday.
- Zak Whitbread started and played 90 minutes in Norwich City's 1-0 loss vs. Leyton Orient in the FA Cup on Saturday.
- Brad Guzan did not dress in Hull City's 3-2 loss vs. Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on Saturday (Guzan is cup-tied to Aston Villa).
- Mike Grella did not dress in Leeds United's 1-1 draw vs. Arsenal in the FA Cup on Saturday.
LEAGUE ONE
- Frank Simek started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Carlisle United's 1-0 loss vs. Torquay United in the FA Cup on Saturday.
- Anton Peterlin dressed but did not play in Plymouth Argyle's 3-0 loss vs. AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.
- Jemal Johnson did not dress in Milton Keynes Dons' 1-1 draw vs. Exeter City on Saturday.
Scotland
PREMIER LEAGUE
- Maurice Edu and Rangers play Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup on Monday.
DIVISION ONE
- Dominic Cervi did not dress in Dundee's 4-0 loss vs. Motherwell in the Scottish Cup on Sunday.
Spain
- Jozy Altidore dressed but did not play in Villarreal's 4-2 loss vs. Real Madrid on Sunday.
Italy
- Oguchi Onyewu did not dress in AC Milan's 4-4 draw vs. Udinese on Sunday.
Mexico
- Jose Torres did not dress in Pachuca's 2-0 win vs. America on Sunday.
- Herculez Gomez came off the bench and played 22 minutes for Pachuca.
- Edgar Castillo started, played 45 minutes and received a yellow card in Puebla's 1-1 draw vs. Chivas de Guadalajara on Sunday.
- Sammy Ochoa did not dress in Estudiantes Tecos U.A. de G.'s 4-1 loss vs. Cruz Azul on Saturday.
- Sonny Guadarrama came off the bench and played 24 minutes in Atlante's 2-1 loss vs. Santos on Saturday.
- Jonathan Bornstein did not dress in Tigres UANL's 2-2 draw vs. Queretaro on Sunday. He is recovering from a thigh injury.
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What do you think of these performances? Expecting Spector to transfer this winter? Where? How far do you think Howard and Everton can go in the FA Cup? Do you see Gomez playing a bigger role for Pachuca this season?
Share your thoughts below.
