By FRANCO PANIZO
Seeing German-Americans playing along one another on the U.S. men's national team is becoming quite the trend, but for one weekend we'll see a portion of them doing battle.
Jermaine Jones is set to face off against fellow United States pool players Danny Williams and Fabian Johnson when Schalke 04 and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim play on Saturday. Jones has seen increasing playing time in recent weeks, and that should continue against Williams and the recuperated Johnson. Jones will likely be deployed in his usual central midfield position, which means he'll be partially responsible for containing Williams and Johnson's surging runs forward.
Another good battle of Americans this weekend will be when Chris Rolfe and Clarence Goodson play one another in Aalborg BK's game against Brondby IF. Rolfe is coming off a two-goal performance, but Goodson will need to help stymie the former Chicago Fire player as Brondby is in desperate need of a win.
Wondering what other game to keep an eye on? Look no further than Mix Diskerud and Stabaek IF's match against Sogndal. Diskerud is fresh off of a 90-minute outing on Thursday, so seeing how he fares after such a short turnaround will be something his fans will want to keep tabs on, especially considering that the Norwegian season is nearing its conclusion.
Here is who the Americans Abroad face this weekend:
David Yelldell and Bayer Leverkusen play SC Freiburg.
SATURDAY
Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann and Everton play Manchester United.
Zak Whitbread and Norwich City play Blackburn Rovers. (Whitbread is out injured)
Brad Guzan, Eric Lichaj and Aston Villa play Sunderland. (Lichaj is out injured.)
Stuart Holden and Bolton Wanderers play Swansea City. (Holden is out injured.)
Clint Dempsey and Fulham play Wigan Athletic.
Jonathan Spector and Birmingham City play Brighton.
Conor Doyle and Derby County play Portsmouth.
Robbie Findley and Nottingham Forest play Hull City.
Mike Grella and Brentford play Chesterfield.
Frank Simek and Carlisle United play Oldham Athletic. (Simek is out injured.)
Anton Peterlin and Walsall play Milton Keynes Dons.
Maurice Edu, Alejandro Bedoya, Carlos Bocanegra and Rangers play Aberdeen.
Dominic Cervi and Celtic play Hibernian.
Timmy Chandler and FC Nurnberg play Bayern Munich.
Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 play Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Jermaine Jones and Schalke 04 play Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Terrence Boyd and Borussia Dortmund play VfB Stuttgart.
Alfredo Morales and Hertha Berlin play VfL Wolfsburg.
Luis Robles and Karlsruher SC play Dynamo Dresden.
Matt Taylor and SC Paderborn 07 play FC Erzgebirge Aue.
Quentin Westberg and Evian Thonon Gaillard play AJ Auxerre.
Adrian Ruelas and Jaguares de Chiapas play Pumas UNAM.
Jose Torres and Pachuca play Monterrey. (Torres is out injured.)
Jonathan Bornstein and Tigres UANL play Santos Laguna.
Sonny Guadarrama and Atlante play Morelia.
SUNDAY
Brad Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur play Queens Park Rangers.
Michael Bradley and Chievo Verona play Siena.
Edson Buddle and FC Ingolstadt 04 play Ricardo Clark and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bobby Wood and TSV 1860 Munich play MSV Duisburg.
Jozy Altidore and AZ Alkmaar play SC Heracles Almelo.
Oguchi Onyewu and Sporting CP play Feirense.
Eugene Starikov and FK Tom' Tomsk play Dinamo Moscow.
Sacha Kljestan and RSC Anderlecht play Lierse SK.
Brad Rusin and HB Koge play AGF Aarhus.
Clarence Goodson and Brondby IF play Chris Rolfe and Aalborg BK.
Michael Parkhurst and FC Nordsjaelland play Lyngby.
Mix Diskerud and Stabaek IF play Sogndal.
Josh Gatt, Sean Cunningham and Molde FK play Stromsgodset. (Gatt is out injured.)
Herculez Gomez and Estudiantes Tecos play Cruz Azul.
Joe Corona and Club Tijuana play Michael Orozco and San Luis.
Edgar Castillo and Club America play DaMarcus Beasley and Puebla.
MONDAY
Conor O'Brien and SonderjyskE play FC Midtjylland.
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Which matches are you most looking forward to? Which German-American do you see having the biggest game this weekend? Expecting Rolfe to continue his solid play against Goodson? What kind of an impact do you see Diskerud having on Sunday?
Share your thoughts below.
