An American teenager earned his first start in the Dutch top flight on Sunday but the news in neighboring was not so good for U.S. internationals. Here is Brian Sciaretta's roundup.

BY Brian Sciaretta Posted

February 23, 2015

10:22 AM SHARE THIS STORY



weekend for Americans abroad. The results and performances in Germany were disastrous but it was a terrific weekend for the American contingent in Mexico. Danny Williams showed glimpses of his former self while Desevio Payne might force his way onto the U.S. U-20 team.

Here's a roundup of the most intriguing developments.

Desevio Payne makes debut

Whenever an American teenager makes a debut in a quality European league, it's newsworthy. On Sunday, Desevio Payne, 19, made the starting lineup for Groningen in an Eredivisie game against Heerenveen.

Payne was born in South Carolina to an American father and a Dutch mother but was raised in Netherlands. He has progressed steadily through Groningen’s system and has been regularly making the bench for the first team. Yesterday he got his first start for the senior side.

While Groningen lost, 3-1, Payne had a solid performance playing out of position at left back—normally he is a right back. He was active defensively in a full 90-minute effort. He also made 57 touches and completed 77% of his 43 passes. He hit three crosses and one resulted in a quality scoring chance for Groningen.

Tab Ramos told ASN earlier this month that he was monitoring Payne’s progress and now with Payne earning Eredivisie minutes, he will be tough to ignore for the World Cup-bound U-20 team. The potential addition of a fullback earning first team minutes in a quality European league will only help bolster a squad that already has a strong back line.

Eric Lichaj bests Tim Ream

In Saturday’s matchup between Nottingham Forest and Bolton, one American enjoyed a very strong game while the other had a day to forget. Nottingham Forest right back Eric Lichaj was one of the best players in the game, looking strong on both sides of the ball. In particular, his passing out of the back was very effective in helping Forest cruise to a 4-1 win.

Tim Ream, on the other hand, started for Bolton but had to be stretchered off the game with a back injury after colliding with the post. His day was done in the 34th minute and the injury was similar one he suffered last week against Watford.

“Tim had a back problem last week and got a real bang on it," Neil Lennon said after the game. "Tim being Tim would have carried on if he could.”

Danny Williams lifts Reading

Danny Williams is a key player for Reading—a smart, confident, rugged midfielder who can dictate tempo and flow. The problem, however, is that he has struggled with injuries and Reading has suffered without him. After missing most of the early part of the season, it took Williams, 25, quite some time to return to form—but he's back now. Reading is not in contention for promotion but the club is enjoying a strong run in the FA Cup, making it all the way to the quarterfinals.

Playing on the road against promotion-contending Ipswich, Reading earned a 1-0 victory and Williams was very strong in defensive midfield. He helped limit Ipswich’s chances in the middle of the field, and f he can stay healthy Reading could contend for promotion next season.

Rough weekend in Germany

There is no nice way to put it. This weekend was an absolute disaster for Americans in Germany. It was a wipeout.

In the 2.Bundesliga, league leaders Ingolstadt and Alfredo Morales could only muster a draw against relegation fodder Aalen. Andrew Wooten missed a penalty for Sandhausen in a 0-0 draw against Greuther Furth. And after being named to Kicker's 2.Bundeslia team of the week last weekend by Kicker, Bobby Wood suffered a knee injury in the 54th minute of a 1-0 home loss to Darmstadt. Wood will miss two months and the loss sent his club, Erzgeirge Aue, back into the relegation zone.

In the Bundesliga, Timothy Chandler went a full 90 for Eintracht Frankfurt in a 3-1 loss to Mainz. John Brooks similarly went 90 for Hertha Berlin in a 2-1 loss to Wolfsburg that sent the club deeper into the relegation zone.

But at least Chandler and Brooks played. Fabian Johnson was an unused substitute for Borussia Monchengladbach in a 1-1 draw against Hamburg SV. Meanwhile, the situation at HSV for Julian Green continues to be a disaster as he failed to make the game day roster for either the first team or the U-23 team.

Yanks surge in Liga MX

As bad as it was for Americans in Germany, it was the exact opposite in Mexico.

Liga MX has been very friendly to Americans in recent months. In the Apertura final, Jose Torres, Herculez Gomez, and Ventura Alvarado all played as Club America defeated Tigres. In the Clausura at the moment, Americas currently feature for the first, second, and fifth place teams.

This past weekend was particularly kind to Americans south of the border as four clubs featuring American players all came up with important road victories.

Club Tijuana moved into first place with a 1-0 win over lowly Universidad Guadalajara. Greg Garza went his usual full 90 at left back while Joe Corona came on in the second half and played to final 31 minutes to help secure the victory.

Meanwhile, Ventura Alvarado continued his exceptional run with Club America, playing from start to finish in a 1-0 win over Pumas UNAM. Club America is the reigning champion but stumbled out of the gate in the Clausura and is only now starting to turn things around. Next up for Alvarado and company: a Wednesday CONCACAF Champions League match against Deportivo Saprissa.

While he has fallen out of the national team picture at the moment, Edgar Castillo has continued to succeed in Liga MX. Now with Atlas, Castillo is playing both in Liga MX and the Copa Libertadores. On Saturday he went a full 90 in an important 1-0 road victory over his former club Santos Laguna. The win moved Atlas into fifth place, just three points behind leaders Tijuana.

Finally, Puebla also came up with an impressive win on the road with a 2-1 victory over Morelia. Michael Orozco played 90 minutes for Puebla; Herculez Gomez made the bench but did not play. Puebla is not a big club by Liga MX standards but Friday’s win was its third straight and fourth win out of five. It has moved into seventh place and should remain in contention for the playoffs.

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter