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Donovan and Howard face City test; Rogers, John eligible for new club debuts

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

It is a wild day across England, with the rapid-fire closing of the transfer window being accompanied by a full slate of mid-week matches. While the transfer window doesn't figure to include any more Americans making moves to England, there could be some notable performances by U.S. internationals on the field.

Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Everton look to build off the momentum from Friday's FA Cup victory with a home test against first-place Manchester City (2:45 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel). The Toffees have not scored multiple goals in a league game since late Novemeber — a span of 10 matches — and they'll try and end that slump amid transfer rumors of Louis Saha's departure, Nikica Jelavic's pending arrival and Steven Pienaar's potential return.

Elsewhere, two Americans who have made recent moves to England are eligible for their debuts on Tuesday, with all the paperwork, red tape and fitness issues being sorted out following the transfers of Robbie Rogers to Leeds United and George John's loan to West Ham. A third American, Tim Ream, could have his debut come as soon as Wednesday, when Bolton takes on Arsenal and Ream's former New York Red Bulls teammate Thierry Henry.

Rogers' Leeds takes on Jonathan Spector's Birmingham City (2:45 p.m.) in a clash of two teams on the cusp of the promotion playoff picture. All of Rogers' paperwork has been sorted, and while a start is unlikely, a place on the bench is far from out of the question as his English venture begins.

"Robbie was away in America last week sorting his visa so he didn't train with us until the back end of the week," Leeds manager Simon Grayson said on the club's website. "He's been working over the weekend, but Tuesday might just come too soon for him after the week he's had."

John's League Championship-leading West Ham plays struggling Ipswich Town (2:45 p.m.), and John is rounding into full fitness after joining the club a few weeks ago. He is coming off a reserve match last week in which he went the distance and scored a goal, and he is poised to audition on the big stage in order to facilitate a full transfer when his loan expires in March.

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Think Everton stand a chance against City? Hope to see Rogers and John get on the field today?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I’ve read Ream isn’t going to play tomorrow on account he’s back in the States working on his visa. I hope John has a huge month and gets the permanent switch to the Hammers. I’ve always liked them.

    Reply

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