With the international break in full swing and the top flight teams not suiting up, Yanks Abroad has decided to bring you recaps of some of the league games that we do not cover on a regular basis but still keep track of.
With over 80 Americans playing the beautiful game in Europe, it’s just difficult to keep up with all of them. But here is a breakdown of some of the weekend action for our boys in the trenches.
Westernhausen 0 – 2 Hallescher FC
Terrence Boyd and his 3. Liga German team were in action in the regional cup for the state of Sachsen-Anhalt over the weekend.
In Germany, the cup competitions for the various states come with automatic entry into the DFB Pokal first round with a guaranteed home game against a 1. or 2. Bundesliga side, so these end up producing a number of entertaining games between less-fancied teams with dreams of hosting the likes of Bayern Munich in a lucrative mid-August home game.
Although the cup has so far been used more for training and giving some younger Halle players an opportunity to get onto the field, the 30 year-old, German-born American with 14 national team caps to his name, did see some action. He came off the bench in the 73rd minute and had a good chance at finding the back of the net, but the two goals putting Halle through had already come from Jan Shcherbakovski and Elias Löder.
The Cup win puts Halle into the semi-finals, so Boyd could be raising a trophy in the near future.
In the league, Halle currently occupy the tenth spot, although only three points out of third place, which is a play-off spot for promotion to the 2. Bundesliga.
Ennepetal 0 – 6 SC Verl
Verl, captained by Mael Corboz also played a state cup quarterfinal, and came out of it was a convincing win.
The American started in this Westphalia Cup clash, but it was his 38-year-old Turkish teammate, Mahir Sağlık who was the man of match as he registered a hat-trick.
Although they have been successful in their cup run, the same cannot be said for their league form. Currently the team, which plays about 60 miles northeast of Dortmund, is flirting with relegation. They’re currently in 17th place but just a point away from climbing out of the danger zone.
Sunderland 1 – 1 Bradford City
Cup games were also going on across the English Channel. Namely, Lynden Gooch went the distance at the Stadium of Light for Sunderland in this EFL Trophy contest.
The League One side played to a stalemate against the Bantams, who play one league below them. The visitors struck in the 36th minute, courtesy of Theo Robinson but the Black Cats clawed their way back into the game and sent it to penalties when Nathan Broadhead struck back.
It was from the spot where the hosts’ wheels fell off their bus. According to competition rules, games that are drawn after 90 minutes in the initial group-stage phase, are decided by a penalty shoot-out, with the winner earning an additional point.
Both teams missed their first and scored their second and third penalties in the shootout. Kian Scales put City up 3-2, but after his heroics, the Sunderland American missed his, followed by a Bradford conversion that gave the game to the League Two team.
In the EFL Cup, both teams, who finished top two in their group, advance to the proper knockout round, where Sunderland will host Oldham Athletic on November 30.
