By Phil Schoen

It’s our second look at Americans Overseas, and in the international break the big stories were Bob Bradley’s move to the Premier League and Jurgen Klinsmann’s moves towards Russia 2018.

A day after being introduced as Swansea City’s new manager, Bob Bradley closed out his stint in France at Le Havre with a 2-0 win over Sochaux. The win lifted Le Havre to within three points of the league lead. On Saturday, Bradley’s historic stint with the Swans begins with a trip to the Emirates to face red-hot Arsenal.

Rumors are buzzing about which Americans might join Bradley in the Premier League, including his son Michael, currently playing in MLS with Toronto FC. However, the Swans might have competition as numerous reports have AC Milan and Bologna considering a January bid for the U.S. captain.

NATIONAL TEAM DUTY

Elsewhere, many U.S. players got some time off, but others received a call-up from Jurgen Klinsmann for a pair of friendlies against Cuba and New Zealand.

Bayern Munich attacker Julian Green made the most of his opportunity with a man-of-the-match performance in the U.S.’s first game. With Bayern’s loaded roster, playing time has been scarce for the World Cup phenomenon, but he helped create the first goal on the day and scored the second.

The political overtones might have overshadowed the actual match, but in the absence of both Tim Howard and Brad Guzan, Molde goalkeeper Ethan Horvath used the opportunity to earn his first cap. While Cuba hit both posts, Horvath looked calm and showed promise in keeping a clean sheet.

However, he’s headed back to his club in Norway, as are six other European-based Americans, including Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund). Several new faces were called in to fill out the roster, including Terrence Boyd (RB Leipzig) and Michael Orozco (Tijuana). Orozco has been a favorite of Klinsmann, but for Boyd it marks a return after an absence of more than two years. Four surgeries later, and Boyd is back battling for playing time in a now-crowded U.S. attack.

Green will stay with the U.S. and look to build on his performance in Tuesday’s match against New Zealand, and following Horvath’s departure, William Yarbrough (Leon) will be competing for the starting job in goal, looking for his third cap.

Among the other internationals sticking around for the game against the Kiwis, only Sunderland midfielder Lynden Gooch is still waiting for his first cap, but several other younger players will be looking to prove they are ready for more. Hearts’ captain Perry Kitchen and Paul Arriola (Tijuana) are among those that should see the field in Washington, D.C. at historic R.F.K. Stadium. Fellow internationals Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle) and Danny Williams (Reading) will also be sticking around to face the All Whites.

While most leagues were not in action during the international break, a few Americans were keeping busy but the action on the field was limited. That just means a bit more digging for us, and a chance to shine a deserving spotlight on some players who are normally overlooked.

GERMANY

Perhaps proving to Klinsmann that he was ready for a return to action, Terrence Boyd made his first start for Leipzig in a 3-2 friendly win over Dukla Praha, while Aron Johannsson returned from injury to score for Werder Bremen in a 1-1 friendly at St. Pauli.

In a lower division battle of Massachusetts natives, Chicopee’s 24-year-old Ryan Malone squared off against Roslindale’s Charlie Rugg in Germany’s Regionaliga Southwest division. Malone scored his third goal of the season for Stuttgarter Kickers, the game-winner in a 3-1 road win over Pirmasens to climb to seventh in the table. Rugg came off the bench for the hosts for the final 10 minutes but could not spark a comeback.

Joel Sonora (Dallas, Texas), the son of former MLS star Diego Sonora, continues his development with VfB Stuttgart’s reserve team. Sonora helped the team to two wins on the week, scoring his second goal of the season in Wednesday’s 4-1 victory at Kaiserslautern II.

ENGLAND

In England’s League One, 21-year-old Scunthorpe United midfielder Duane Holmes (Columbus, Ga.) continued his stellar season with the Iron. Holmes earned the free kick that led to Scunthorpe's goal in a 1-1 draw with Northampton Town. The result kept them atop the table in the race for promotion to the Championship.

IRELAND

Goalkeeper Ciaran Nugent had two shutouts last week for Sligo Rovers in Ireland’s Premier Division. On Tuesday, Nugent was in goal for a scoreless draw against Finn Harps, and the Dedham, Mass. native followed up with a 3-0 win on the road against league-leading Dundalk. It was Nugent’s fourth consecutive clean sheet since stepping into the starting spot following an injury to Rovers’ regular starter. Long Island native Pat McCann was also solid in the Sligo midfield, who played a man down for much of the second half against the Europa League side.

New York City’s 26-year-old forward Don Cowen had an assist, but Longford Town still fell to Derry City 3-2 to stay mired at the foot of the table.

SWEDEN

In Sweden’s Division One South, ex-Bradley Brave Jochen Graf came off the bench to score the game-winner in added time in Oskarshamns 2-1 comeback win over Kristianstad with fellow American Romain Gall setting him up with the assist. It was the 26-year-old Texan’s second goal of the season and lifted his side out of the relegation zone with just four rounds remaining. Meanwhile, up North, Haiti’s New York City-born Andrew Jean-Baptiste also found the net. The former Portland Timber defender scored the equalizer in Nykoping’s 3-1 comeback win over Lulea.

DENMARK

Rochester, NY defender Babajide Ogunbiyi helped Hobro stay atop the Danish second division with a 3-0 road win at AB Gladsaxe.

With club play resuming this weekend, there will be lots more action to keep track of. We’re asking for your help to make sure nothing important gets overlooked. So tweet to us @beIN SPORTSUSA, or to me directly @PhilSchoen and use the hashtag #beINOverseas. We’ll pass it on.

Download NOW on iOS and Android