U.S. Players Abroad To Watch This Weekend:

Altidore, Dempsey, & Howard

Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore both have giant windows of opportunity in their young careers that will open come this weekend's EPL action. Dempsey's Fulham team is scheduled to play a fired-up Arsenal team (no thanks to Emanuel Adebayjor) and Hull City will need a strong effort from Jozy and his teammates to knock off Liverpool. The two strikers each scored for the U.S. in the important victory against El Salvador on September 5th. These two boys are the cream of the crop when it comes to the American offense, and they need to stay that way come next Summer.

If Jozy Altidore gets the start against Liverpool this weekend, he must capitalize. Altidore needs to play 90 minutes of focused, fast-paced, aggressive soccer. Torres, Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and Co. have been on point since their opening weeks' grievances so this is a great opportunity for Jozy to establish his reputation on the world stage. A goal or a few goals against one of the Big Four teams would definitely impact his mental play in preparation for the World Cup in a big way!

Dempsey has already turned heads under the gaze of the international soccer community with his performance in the Confederations Cup this past Spring. Not only must he keep finding the back of the net, but his speed and passing need to be sharp tools in his own arsenal against the Gunners. Perhaps their consistent attention in the media as of late (with Robin Van Persie now chipping his two cents into the diving discussion) will yield inconsistencies in their match play. There's no hiding their concerns about their play against both Manchester powerhouses earlier this season.

Back to back clean sheets by Tim Howard for an Everton team that seems to still be finding their stride is a possibility this weekend as well. Howard did not look as sharp as usual in the most recent World Cup Qualifier against Trinidad & Tobago, having been bailed out by the woodwork on one occasion and suffering some miscues in the back at times. Tim is a confident, experienced keeper who takes pride in America's reputation for good play at this position that has developed over the last few years. I think he'll respond with a strong showing.