U.S. coach Jürgen Klinsmann likely monitored his key players with one thought in his mind this weekend: please do not get hurt. In this limited case, fitness trumps performance ahead of the trip to Honduras to start the Hexagonal on Wednesday. Fortunately for Klinsmann and the U.S, the news on the injury front – aside from Steve Cherundolo's lingering knee issues – ensures most of the regular players will travel to Miami before the visit to San Pedro Sula.

The emphasis on preparing for international duty grabbed most of the headlines this weekend. Read on to learn more about how some of the usual inclusions fared in this week's edition of Americans Abroad.

 

FC Groningen stopped AZ's two-match winning streak with a 1-0 victory in Alkmaar on Saturday. Andraz Kirm separated the sides on the day with his goal after 27 minutes. The home side – reduced to ten men after Viktor Elm saw red after 64 minutes – failed to engineer a response and slipped to a second home defeat in three outings.

The setback likely won't keep Altidore from taking up his place in Jürgen Klinsmann's squad for the trip to Honduras. Altidore will hope his prolific run in front of goal earns him a place in the lineup for the tricky trip to San Pedro Sula.

Bradley will soon ply his trade under a new boss after the Giallorossi sacked Zdenek Zeman in the wake of a 4-2 defeat to Catania on Friday. The central midfielder played the entire 90 minutes in Zeman's last match in charge, but he could do little to prevent the upset and stop his manager's inevitable sacking.

The tumult at Roma likely won't influence Bradley's standing in the U.S. setup. Bradley is once again expected to play a critical role in the center of the park as the Americans prepare for the trip to Honduras.

Johnson dispelled any lingering concerns about his availability for Wednesday's trip to Honduras by featuring in Hoffenheim's 2-1 home victory over Freiburg on Saturday. The adventurous left back missed Hoffenheim's past two matches with a knee complaint, but he returned in time to contribute to his side's first win in 2013.

Johnson's return to fitness comes at an ideal time for the U.S. with Steve Cherundolo unlikely to feature with a knee complaint. Cherundolo's knock and Johnson's return means Tim Chandler will likely start on the right side of defense against the Hondurans.
 

All three American internationals featured from the start in the 2-2 draw at Estadio Universitario. Castillo and Corona departed the Monterrey suburbs on a positive note after Duvier Riascos equalized after 73 minutes to lift the Xolos to pick up a share of the spoils. Both Tijuana players could feature in Jürgen Klinsmann's squad for Wednesday's trip to Honduras, but Torres will likely watch the match on television despite his recent insertion into Ricardo Ferretti's starting XI.

Dempsey avoided the injury concerns encountered by Jermain Defoe in Sunday's 1-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion. Defoe withdrew from the England squad to face Brazil in midweek after sustaining an ankle injury in the Gareth Bale-inspired win at the Hawthorns, but Dempsey managed to sidestep those issues during his 90 minutes on the field. The in-form attacker will now leave to link up with the U.S. squad in Miami ahead of the trip to Honduras on Wednesday.