The UEFA Cup was in full swing on Thursday and several key U.S. national team players took part in the action. Headlining the group were goalkeeper Tim Howard and defenders Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra.
Bocanegra was Thursday’s star among Americans in the UEFA Cup, scoring the game-winning goal in Rennes’ 2-1 win vs. Twente Enschede.
Howard and Everton faced off against Onyewu and Standard Liege, with Liege coming away with a vital pair of away goals in their 2-2 tie at Goodison Park. Howard made three saves for Everton while Onyewu played the full 90 minutes for Standard Liege.
Those weren’t the only Americans to dress for UEFA Cup action. Aston Villa and retired U.S. national team goalkeeper Brad Friedel made just one save for Villa in its 3-1 win against Liteks Lovetch. Brad Guzan, Friedel’s back-up, sat on the bench.
What did you think of how the Americans did in the UEFA Cup? Share your thoughts below.
The UEFA Cup still has a group stage. The winners of this round of home-and-away games advance to the group stage, after which they go back to a knockout format.
No Americans involved, but I have to mention SK Brann’s 2-0 home win over Deportivo La Coruna, which could have been a lot worse for the Spanish side. Depo played an aggressive 3-5-2 but was unprepared to handle Brann’s many slashing counterattacks, which produced a half-dozen other great chances. Heia Brann!
i guess i will need to see some more hightlights of renken to form a full opinion. nothing mind-blowing in those videos. i wouldn’t compare him to a younger adu or altidore at this point, but he does have the hype.
As for Renken, saw this post yesterday:
http://www.101greatgoals.com/2008/09/video-evidence-charles-renken-arsenal/
Hopefully Ives doesn’t ban it because it has some links to Renken’s U17 games vs Brazil and Russia. Quite honestly, there’s only one highlight of Renken in those games. I was more impressed with a couple of other players on the team. Though he’s 14 and playing with 15 and 16 year olds.
Brazil – http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1574276/
Russia – http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1574277/
I’m sure with the way Everton’s backline has played over the last while that Timmy might have some suggestions about a huge DB that would fit in nice right in front of him.
Took a look at the UEFA Cup highlights.
Boca had a nice header for the goal. As some would say, he has a head for the ball 😉
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1577007/
As for Timmy’s two goals, there wasn’t much he could have done. The first goal was a pass across the goal to a man that beat his defender.
Yobo’s own goal was comical. He looked like he was *trying* to score.
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1576944/
Also took a look at golden boy’s game (Subotic). On the first goal, it’s breakaway and he’s nowhere in sight. On the second goal, he’s backing up the first defender and doesn’t see the cutter coming, who scores. Unclear if that’s just inexperience. It’s tough to figure out if I should be cheering him or hope he’s just average/adequate so Germany doesn’t pull string to get him citizenship 😉
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1577046/
Ives, if you don’t allow highlight links, my apologies. For those that want to see the goals, do a Google search for “101 great goals”.
I would love to see more midfielders and strikers on these lists. However, we should be rightly proud of Howard and B.F..
Anyone know anything about the Renken to Arsenal buzz? Ives?
oops sorry about the double post
Nice to see bocanegra doing well in europe…hasnt been there ever i think…well not since he was on fulham at least. also i think i have seen it spelled litex lovetch or something like that, but doesnt really matter cause the original spelling isnt in english letters
Yeah, A.S., I haven’t SEEN him let in a really soft one this season but I also haven’t seen him make any decent saves. I don’t even want to THINK about what an out-of-form Howard would mean for the US.
Mig,
Don’t blame me — Liege’s equalizer was a ridiculous (and I mean that: it was worthy of ridicule) own-goal by Yobo. Most of the shots by Liege came when Lescott and Jagielka completely lost the players they were marking. Get me some decent central defenders and you’ll see more clean sheets.
A quick check of Everton’s schedule seems to say that Timmy’s last clean sheet was against Derby, at home, in April. Not too impressive.
That said, without watching the games, who knows whether it is Timmy’s fault – could be a leaky defense.
You know, nobody wants to talk about it probably but when is the last time Timmy had a clean sheet in club play? I haven’t seen all the goals against him so far but I don’t see him making many saves at all. Maybe a bit troubling….maybe just ‘unsaveable’ goals allowed.
Brad Friedel is probably still giving Tim Howard a run for the money for best US keeper.
You can’t teach wingspan.
Did they do away with the group stage for the UEFA Cup, or are they working their way to that round. I could swear that UEFA Cup had a group stage the last two seaons. Heck even my soon to be obsolete FIFA ’08 has a group stage for the EFA Cup (yeah we all know what that means).
You’re forgetting about Neven Subotic, who went the full 90 for Dortmund in their 2-0 loss to Udinese.
I don’t think Josh Howard care a lick about what Standard Liege does in the UEFA Cup… just a hunch
Away goals matter in the UEFA Cup,no group stages, just home/away and winner progresses
Sorry Josh Howard but I would like to see Liege go through. It would be nice to see them get a much deserved victory against an English side. A Liverpool knockout would have been nice but their neighbors will do.
Nice to see Americans performing well in European competition.
Guzan will have his time. He has cup matches sooner or later.
Hey Ives,
I thought away goals didn’t matter in the Group stage? Or maybe it’s only in the Champions League were away goals don’t matter in the group stage, but count extra in the knock-out two legged affairs?
Thanks
Has Guzan ever seen any minutes yet since moving there? Does he play in all the reserve matches so far?