Slowly but surely since the arrival of Brooklyn-born sports tycoon Randy Lerner, the American contingent has risen at Aston Villa, the club Lerner's owned since 2006.

Veteran keeper Brad Friedel, still one of the best in the business at 37, signed from Blackburn in the offseason, and the man labeled as the future No. 1 at Villa Park, former Chivas USA stalwart Brad Guzan, joined a few days later, in August.

Friedel, though, wasn't the first U.S. player to move to Villa, ...

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