Craven Cottage welcomes Clint Dempsey as he returns to play his old squad as a member of Tottenham. That sentence may have been too friendly as Dempsey held out waiting for a team near London to grab him up. Fulham has not won in seven games and Spurs are unbeaten in their last four at the Cottage. Fulham coach Martin Jol was not too happy with the Dempsey saga. There is still frustration in the words of Jol ahead of the match.
"We did everything we could do so there are no regrets. He wanted to be appreciated financially and he wanted a bigger club, a Champions League club, and that is what he probably got with Spurs. … Even when I said in my last conversation with him that I loved him, it was not good enough to keep him here."
Dempsey has not scored in five games, but had an assist in Tottenham’s midweek victory over Liverpool. Brad Friedel expects to be on the bench. The match kicks off at 10 am EST Saturday.
Here are some other matches featuring U.S. players.
In other Premier League action Tim Howard and Everton head to Manchester City at 10 AM EST Saturday. Everton has left points on the board by drawing six of their last eight matches. Howard has struggled at times as a couple of those draws came from late equalizers by the opponent. Still, this may be a great time for Howard to find his club form as he has won eight of his last 10 against City. The men in blue come in one point behind Manchester United at the top of the table.
Aston Villa has a chance to give itself some breathing room away from the relegation
Jun 4, 2011; Foxborough, MA, USA; Team USA including (LtoR) (Back to Front) USA midfielder Maurice Edu (7), defender Jonathan Spector (2), goalkeeper Tim Howard (1), defender Oguchi Onyewu (5), defender Tim Ream (15), midfielder Sacha Kljestan (16), midfielder Robbie Rogers (19), forward Jozy Altidore (17), forward Juan Agudelo (9), midfielder Jermaine Jones (13) and defender Eric Lichaj (14) pose for a group photo before the start of the game against Spain at Gillette Stadium. Spain defeated the USA 4-0. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE
zone when they take on Queens Park Rangers at 10 am EST on Saturday. Villa beat Reading 1-0 in midweek action but stand just one point ahead of the bottom three. Brad Guzan has a clean sheet in three of five November matches and Eric Lichaj could have a major role because of injuries.
Also of note in the Barclay’s Premier League is Stoke City playing its best soccer of the year taking on West Bromwich Albion tomorrow. Geoff Cameron should start for Stoke with Maurice Edu not in the 18.
In the German Bundesliga Jermaine Jones looks to be back in the lineup for Schalke after a midweek break. Schalke takes on Borussia Mönchengladbach and looks to rebound from a three match winless streak. Schalke is currently in fourth place, four points clear of M’gladbach.
Mainz 05 takes on Hannover 96 with Steve Cherundolo back healthy and in the lineup. This match should not end in a draw according to this fact from the folks at Yanks Aboard: Hannover is the only team in the Bundesliga to not record a tie on the road, going 2-4. That record is matched only by Mainz, who is one of three Bundesliga teams to not record a tie at its home stadium. Mainz has a 4-2 record at home. U.S. eligible player Shawn Parker could see time for Mainz after a goal and assist in his last match.
Timothy Chandler and Nürnberg travel to Bayer Leverkusen tomorrow. Chandler is dealing with some injury concerns. Fabian Johnson and Danny Williams looks to turn around the Hoffenheim season as they have allowed 21 goals in the last nine games before traveling to Werder Bremen this weekend.
Elsewhere, Jozy Altidore and AZ Alkmaar take on a team he has not scored upon going to FC Utrecht on Sunday. Michael Bradley and AS Roma take on Siena on Sunday. Roma is three points out of a Europa League spot. In Denmark Michael Parkhust will see Clarence Goodson as FC Nordsjælland travels to Brøndby Sunday. Sacha Kljestan and Anderlecht take on Cercle Bruges on Saturday. Oguchi Onyewu and Málaga are at Getafe in Spain.