The American weekend preview

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Jan 27, 2023

The USA concludes its two-game January series under acting coach Anthony Hudson against Colombia.

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Soccer on TV: Weekend Viewing

SATURDAY

• Luton Town vs. Grimsby Town (FA Cup, 10 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

With Ethan Horvath in goal, Luton Town is 5-1-1 since Christmas to move into a three-way tie for fifth place in the Championship and into the fourth round of the FA Cup. Luton Town will be heavily favored to make the final 16 against Grimsby Town, which sits in the bottom half of fourth-tier League Two.

• USA vs. Colombia (Men's friendly, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT, Telemundo, Peacock)

Close of a capacity crowd is expected at Dignity Health Sports Park — 25,500 tickets have already been sold — for the USMNT's second match of the year.

Colombia should draw considerable support. Nestor Lorenzo's squad includes six MLS players: defenders Andres Reyes (New York Red Bulls) and Juan Mosquera (Portland), midfielders Dylan Borrero (New England) and Santiago Moreno (Portland) and Cucho Hernández (Columbus) and Cristian Arango (LAFC).

Hudson says the Cafeteros will offer a different kind of test than Serbia did on Wednesday night, and the large crowd will make it an intense match.

"They're a good team, really good team, good individuals, an aggressive team, a lot of good 1-v-1 players, a lot of quick players, direct players, good on the counterattack," he said on Friday afternoon. "Within there, they have a handful of really, really top individuals that obviously we're familiar with here in MLS."

• Club America vs. Mazatlan (Liga MX, 10 p.m. ET, Univision, TUDN)

Coming off his U.S. senior debut on Wednesday night, Alejandro Zendejas (photo) should be back in action for Club America at Azteca Stadium against Mazatlan.

Zendejas scored his eighth goal of the 2022-23 Liga MX season with a golazo last Saturday against Puebla.

SUNDAY

• Nice vs. Lille (Ligue 1, 7 a.m. ET, BeIN Sports, BeIN Sports en Espanol)

Timothy Weah is one of the U.S. World Cup players whose name has come up repeatedly during the January transfer window, which closes on Tuesday.

He's reportedly unhappy with his situation at Lille — starting at left back, not in a more advanced position, even with wingers Adam Ounas and Jonathan Bamba out with injuries — but management has shown little interest in moving him until the summer.

In the short term, Les Dogues face a hectic schedule: Nice on Sunday followed by matches against Clermont on Wednesday, then Rennes, Lyon (in the Coupe de France) and Strasbourg for five games over 15 days.

• Juventus vs. Monza (Serie A, 9 a.m. ET, Paramount+)

Has Weston McKennie played his last game for Juve? With talks advancing regarding a move to Leeds United and expected to be completed on Monday, he's likely to sit out the match against Monza.

• Bayer Leverkusen vs. Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga, 11:20 am. ET, ESPN+)

Gio Reyna has scored gamewinners in both Dortmund games since the Bundesliga returned to action last weekend. Both goals came as a substitute, a role that might continue.

"Gio didn't have an easy phase," Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said on Friday. "He had to fight with injuries for almost 1.5 years. He has scored the winning goal twice, is incredibly good in tight spaces, and can make quick decisions. He's not at 100 percent yet."

Photo: Robert Mora/ISI Photos