AMSTERDAM – In part deux of our glance at all that's left at stake for Americans playing club ball in Europe, we offer up the rundown on promotion and relegation battles watch.
Unfortunately, the number of Statesiders chasing an elevator is far outdone by the list of those fretting a drop. That said, let's begin with the potentially good news.
[inlinenode:330722]Promotion Drives
In England, Zak Whitbread's Norwich City are alive for the Championship title, but their main focus is vying for automatic promotion.
The Canaries have spent just one season in the lucrative Premier League (2005) over the past 15 years, but hold a one-point edge for second place with eight games left. A key trip to third place Swansea is set for April 9.
Loan defender Eric Lichaj and Leeds United, meanwhile, are six points out of second. The Whites, who dropped the promotion final to Jay DeMerit and Watford in 2006, are four points clear of falling out of the playoff spots.
As we mentioned in Part One, Benny Feilhaber's AGF Aarhus and Freddy Adu's Rizespor are looking quite good to go up to the top flights in Denmark and Turkey, respectively. The former are threatening to run away with the title, while the latter currently stand a point off the top in a seven-team championship dogfight.
David Yelldell and Duisburg have an outside chance of going up to the Bundesliga, but they must make up nine points in seven games just to reach the promotion playoff slot of third place.
Meanwhile, in the Dutch second flight, Charles Kazlauskas is trying to help Helmond Sport earn a place in the Eredivisie for the first time in 27 years. With six games left in the regular season, the third place club have already safely secured a promotion playoff berth.
Relegation Fights
You'd best get comfy for our final rundown section: reports from the survival department. There are more than 20 Americans involved in some way with trap-door concerns.
If winning the Championship promotion final is the most lucrative game on Earth, then taking the plunge out of the Prem can end up costing a club nearly as much – or a lot more if they can't bounce back up.
No less than six clubs with Americans must consider this fate to varying degrees. Tim Howard's Everton seem relatively safe, but they are still just eight points clear of the bottom three with eight to play.
[inlinenode:327765]However, Clint Dempsey and Fulham are only three points above the quicksand.
Blackburn loan midfielder Jermaine Jones finds himself just one point from the drop zone, along with the Aston Villa of Michael Bradley and Brad Friedel. Of course, those two may not be there next season, unlike returning loan-outs Brad Guzan and Lichaj.
Jonathan Spector may also be in a new shirt next fall, but for now he is trying to help put more than one goal in differential between West Ham and the plunge. That slim edge is held over Marcus Hahnemann's Wolverhampton — though he, too, is a candidate to be elsewhere next season.
Over in the Bundesliga, Ricardo Clark's Eintracht Frankfurt have lost seven of 10 to fall into a worry. With seven games to go, they are three points above the relegation playoff spot. Their single most vital remaining game may be this weekend at Wolfsburg, which is one of the two sides below Eintracht with a better goal differential.
Aalborg BK, who employ Chris Rolfe and injured striker Marcus Tracy, are at the foot of the table with 11 games left. On the bright side, there are seven teams within eight points reach and AaB still get to play all of them. One of those clubs is Michael Parkhurst's FC Nordsjælland, who are three points clear of Aalborg in the last safety slot. One potential advantage for the Wild Tigers? They don't close the season at runaway champs FC Copenhagen, as do AaB.
Elsewhere among top flights, Brian Ackley is striving for a debut in the Czech Republic as Pribram sit just three points above the trap door with nine games left. With four games left in Moldova, Sfîntul Gheorghe Suruceni midfielder Christian Camacho will try to help his side climb out of the cellar, which doubles as the lone relegation spot.
[inline_node:327841]Among the best lower-level leagues, two players are looking over their shoulders in Germany's 2.Bundesliga seven games from the finish line. Edson Buddle's Ingolstadt are two points above the relegation playoff slot and have the best goal differential among the bottom six. Luis Robles and Karlsruher are also two points safe and hold their own fate with matches against the bottom three remaining.
In England's Championship, loan striker Eddie Johnson is trying to earn a new job and help Preston North End pull off a great escape all at once. The Lilywhites have won two in a row, but they still need to make up eight points to win survival.
Down a floor in League One, two Americans are seeing the plank clearly. Loan striker Mike Grella and Swindon Town are seven points from dry land with seven rounds to go. Anton Peterlin's Plymouth are bottom, eight points off survival pace with eight games remaining.
Finally, in Denmark's second flight, Viborg are just two points above the mire with 15 rounds still to play despite owning a league sixth-best defense led by Babjide Ogunbiyi.
