by Ives Galarcep

February 20, 2012

On a weekend when one American player's foray into European soccer was coming to an end, another American player was just beginning his journey.

Tim Ream saw his first action since his transfer from MLS to Bolton this past weekend, starting and performing well in Bolton’s FA Cup victory. The performance came on the same weekend illness forced Landon Donovan to miss the final match of his loan deal with Everton.

Donovan was one of several Americans sidelined in recent action. Injuries to US national team regulars Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo and Robbie Rogers put a damper on the weekend’s proceedings. Rogers suffered a concussion in his debut for Leeds, while Onyewu came off for Sporting CP with a right knee injury. Cherundolo missed Hannover’s 4-2 win versus VfB Stuttgart with an ankle injury.

In Mexico, Joey Corona and Edgar Castillo continued to play key roles in Club Tijuana’s surprising start to the Clausura season, while Sacha Kljestan helped first place Anderlecht keep things rolling in Belgium.

Here is a look at the top American performers around the world this past weekend.

A vital factor behind Chievo’s 1-0 victory against Genoa on Sunday, Bradley drew rave reviews for his work in central midfield, helping shut down Genoa and push Chievo to 10th place in Serie A. The lone American player in Italy's first division, Bradley’s outstanding performance is a good omen, considering he should return to Genoa with the US national team later this month for the friendly against Italy.

Earned his first start for Bolton and played a very strong 90 minutes in the Trotters’ 2-0 FA Cup victory against Millwall. Ream was steady in central defense, helping Bolton advance to the FA Cup quarterfinals, where they will take on the winner of the Stevenage-Tottenham fifth round replay.

Injuries have limited his contributions since joining Nottingham Forest, but Findley once again found the net, coming on as a substitute to complete a beautiful chest trap and finish in Forest’s 2-0 win vsersus Coventry City on Saturday. Findley has enjoyed a good run of form that just might pique the interest of the US national team.

The US Under-23 national team midfielder made his debut for Belgian club KAA Gent on Saturday, playing 76 minutes in his new team’s 1-1 tie vs. KSC Lokeren. Having transferred from struggling Staeback in the winter, Diskerud received good reviews for his first performance in Belgium and is poised to be a major part of the United States’ Olympic Qualifying campaign next month.

Another member of the US Under-23 team hitting his stride on the club level, Corona earned another start and put in another strong shift for Club Tijuana in the Xolos’ 2-0 win versus Queretaro on Saturday. Corona has regained his regular starting role for Tijuana after being relegated to a subs role late in the Apertura campaign.