By FRANCO PANIZO
Landon Donovan may not have scored against Manchester United in his first match against the storied club, but he enjoyed a solid outing in Everton's stunning 3-1 victory over Sir Alex Ferguson's men.
A week after helping Everton shock first-place Chelsea with an impressive outing, Donovan put forth another good performance against the Red Devils. Donovan was aggressive from the opening whistle, showing a willingness to go at defenders. United right back Gary Neville in particular had a tough time marking Donovan, always looking two steps too slow.
It was on Neville's right side where Donovan helped setup the go-ahead goal for Everton. The U.S. international played a pass to Steven Pienaar, who layed off a cross that substitute Dan Gosling knocked in from close range.
The weekend also saw two Americans score. Jemal Johnson netted his first goal for Stockport County, hitting the winner in the club's 1-0 victory over Exeter City, and Herculez Gomez continued his scoring ways with his third goal of the season in Puebla's 3-2 loss to Guadalajara.
Here is how the Americans Abroad fared this weekend:
England
PREMIERSHIP
- Landon Donovan started, played 90 minutes and helped setup a goal in Everton's 3-1 win vs. Manchester United on Saturday.
- Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made one save in Everton's 3-1 win vs. Manchester United on Saturday.
- Jozy Altidore came off the bench and played 25 minutes in Hull City 's 3-0 loss vs. West Ham United on Saturday.
- Clint Dempsey did not dress in Fulham's 2-1 win vs. Birmingham on Sunday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Jonathan Spector started and played 90 minutes in West Ham's 3-0 win vs. Hull City on Saturday.
- Brad Friedel started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Aston Villa's 5-2 win vs. Burnley on Sunday.
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Brad Guzan dressed but did not play in Aston Villa's 5-2 win vs. Burnley on Sunday.
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Marcus Hahnemann started and played 90 minutes in Wolverhampton Wanderers' 2-0 loss vs. Chelsea on Saturday.
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Stuart Holden did not dress in Bolton Wanderers' 3-0 loss vs. Blackburn on Sunday.
COCA COLA CHAMPIONSHIP
- Jay DeMerit started, played 90 minutes, received a yellow card and gave up a penalty kick in Watford's 2-2 draw vs. Scunthorpe United on Saturday.
- Frank Simek started and played 90 minutes in Sheffield Wednesday's 1-0 loss vs. Ipswich Town on Saturday.
- Kenny Cooper came off the bench and played 14 minutes in Plymouth Argyle's 1-1 draw vs. Leicester City on Saturday.
LEAGUE ONE
- Ian Joyce did not dress in Southend United's 3-1 loss vs. Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday.
- Zak Whitbread did not dress in Norwich City's 2-0 loss vs. Southampton on Saturday.
- Mike Grella dressed but did not play in Leeds United's 1-1 draw vs. Brighton on Saturday.
- Jemal Johnson started, played 87 minutes and scored a GOAL in Stockport County's 1-0 win vs. Exeter City on Saturday.
- Jon-Paul Pittman came off the bench and played 2 minutes in Wycombe Wanderers' 1-0 win vs. Millwall on Saturday.
Scotland
- Maurice Edu and Rangers' match vs. St Johnstone on Saturday was postponed.
- DaMarcus Beasley and Rangers' match vs. St Johnstone on Saturday was postponed.
- Dominic Cervi did not dress in Celtic's 1-0 win vs. Dundee United on Saturday.
Italy
- Oguchi Onyewu did not dress in AC Milan's 2-0 win vs. Bari on Sunday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
Germany
BUNDESLIGA
- Michael Bradley started and played 90 minutes in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 2-2 draw vs. TSG Hoffenheim on Friday.
- Steve Cherundolo did not dress in Hannover 96's 4-1 loss vs. Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. He is recovering from a shoulder injury.
- Sal Zizzo did not dress in Hannover 96's 4-1 loss vs. Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. He is recovering from a knee injury.
- Jermaine Jones did not dress in Schalke 04's 2-1 loss vs. VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday. He is recovering from a leg injury.
- Ricardo Clark did not dress in Eintracht Frankfurt's 0-0 draw vs. Hamburg SV on Saturday. He is recovering from a calf injury.
- Daniel Williams started and played 45 minutes in SC Freiburg's 3-0 loss vs. Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
BUNDESLIGA 2
- Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern play St Pauli on Monday.
- Matt Taylor did not dress in FSV Frankfurt's 2-1 win vs. Karlsruhe on Sunday.
- David Yeldell dressed but did not play in TUS Koblenz's 3-2 loss vs. FC Union Berlin on Friday.
France
- Carlos Bocanegra started and played 45 minutes in Stade Rennes' 2-1 loss vs. Lille on Sunday.
- Charlie Davies did not dress in Sochaux's 4-0 loss vs. Lyon on Sunday. He is recovering from multiple injuries.
Greece
- Freddy Adu started and played 45 minutes in Aris Salonika's 1-0 loss vs. AEK Athens on Sunday.
- Eddie Johnson started and played 90 minutes in Aris Salonika's 1-0 loss vs. AEK Athens on Sunday.
Mexico
- Jose Francisco Torres started and played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 2-2 draw vs. Chiapas on Saturday.
- Edgar Castillo started and played 90 minutes in Tigres UANL's 2-2 draw vs. America on Sunday.
- Marco Vidal started and played 90 minutes in Indios de Ciudad Juarez's 0-0 draw vs. Cruz Azul on Sunday.
- Herculez Gomez started, played 73 minutes and scored a GOAL in Puebla's 3-2 loss vs. Guadalajara on Saturday.
Argentina
- Michael Hoyos and Estudiantes La Plata play Huracan on Monday.
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What do you think of these performances? Think Donovan just
earned himself a loan extension with his performance vs. Manchester United? Do you see Johnson going on a scoring streak now? Think Gomez is going to continue scoring at this pace?
Share your thoughts below.
Also, an Olympic win is much bigger than what is kind of a meaningless tournament.
I think we can all agree that the chances are very good that Donovan wont be back in March and while it cant help the quality of the league to lose one of its best players, he gets NO coverage from the mainstream sports press here, so I dont really think that it will hurt the MLS’s visibility here.
It will do wonders for the MLS reputation worldwide.
Of course, Im not sure how that helps the MLS concretly but at least its nice, right?
Love the ManU game, he always made the right play, at the right time.
He did flub a point blank shot though. (for all the haters who need something to gripe about)
I hope so!
I read that he played despite a flu scare. You would think that a guy who spends so much time traveling and has easy access to team doctors, would have gotten flu shots.
I thought Pablo slid into that role? Armas was a d-mid right? JOB played wing in that tourney..?
Sky Sports News said they came close to giving him MOTM. (I guess if he’d have scored, it would have been a slam dunk). As it was, they rated him an 8.
I agree he is fast… but he uses his speed wisely… he doesnt force the issue ala Robbie Rogers…ÂÂ
maybe. On his twitter the night before the game he said he was in the hotel.
Donovan has almost 6 weeks off from the end of MLS until he started up with Everton. He will get some rest at the end of EPL. I think he will be OK, honestly I more concerned about him getting injured.
or we can put spector at left back, simek at right, and give donovan the armband. If I see marshall or bornstein start that game I’m buying an orange jersey.
Anyone know the scoop why Holden didn’t make the 18? Still nursing thigh injury? Bolton suck and are dreadful to watch, so it’s not like they have alot to lose by playing him.
They aren’t getting results since Allardyce left. They are going down for sure.
Torres is a lot faster and more physical than most people give him credit for. I would love to see him in a more attaching role. His passing is a thing of beauty.
He didn’t call out Beckham on the loan. He called him out on his poor play and lack of leadership while with the galaxy, long before the loan. It just so happened to come out in the press at the time of the loan.
Otherwise, I agree with everything you said.
Picking a motm from an everton side is always going to be more difficult than picking from a bigger club. Since they don’t have the marquee names, they need all 11 guys (plus subs) to play their best game to compete with the chelseas and uniteds of the league.
So calling Donovan’s performance saturday midling seems a little off. If any one of everton’s players were midling, they couldn’t have taken three points.
When you have five guys who can make a reasonable claim for motm honors, you know your team played some outstanding football. No need to split hairs on who was the absolute best.
new jerseys get released on Friday!
i WANT that track-it (zip-up) right now:
http://www.footballshirtculture.com/10/11-kits/usa-world-cup-2010-nike-away-kit-leaked.html
Where is all the Freddie Adu talk? You mean he actually played a team with a decent defense and was taken ot at halftime for being ineffective?
Put him in the starting lineup this Wednesday!! Better yet, put him with the starters against England in the WC.
Please remember, one game does not make a player as so many of you stated.
Back to reality, back to life.
You’re right, he definitely took on a leadership role. I was talking to an Everton fan who was at the game, and she said when they went down a goal, it was Donovan who went on to “gee up the players” inspiring belief. She also mentioned him talking with the ref.
Fact is, Landon doesn’t have to be MOTM to insert influence into the team. He is a solid, consistent contributor to them. Even with a fully fit team, he would play.
I read on ESPN soccernet’s match commentary that Boca suffered an injury and got substituted at halftime. Hopefully it is just a slight knock and he’s good to go for the Holland friendly.
USA hadn’t beaten Canada in the Olympics in 50+ years, so yeah…it’s kind of a big deal. Hockey is also a bigger sport than soccer in America, so it makes perfect sense. Don’t know why you’d say people are idiots for thinking that was a bigger game.
All I wanted was a Donovan vs. Rooney tackle, I got it, and am therefore satisfied with his performance.
“Most Everton fans will agree” – this is where I stopped reading…because most Everton fans will not agree with you. I’m not talking about the Everton fans based in America; I’m talking the Everton fans “over there,” who actually go to the games.
They are pinning Donovan as one of 4 top players in that game: Osman, Donovan, Pienaar and Heitenga. Notice they don’t mention Bily..because by and large Bily wasn’t a threat, despite his magnificent strike. That’s also why Bily was the first sub.
How do you think Pienaar got loose on the end line to serve in the cross for the game-winner? He and Donovan worked perfectly and Donovan froze the defenders because they didn’t know if LD was going to drive into the box or what. Then when he passed, they were too late to track him.
And the reason LD had frozen them is because he and Pienaar and Osman and Arteta and Baines had been running and passing circles around them. And Donovan’s speed was always a threat.
Bolton seems to be headed for relegation. You just have to wonder if Holden has any regrets ?
If Portsmoth goes under, I think they are in dead last after they wipe those games off the books.
To state the obvious. Not playing for a team that never wins is not much of a career.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Donovan was one of the best players on the field for Everton. The sportswriters think so (and I’m talking about the English ones, not the American ones – though they think so too), the fans, and I’m talking the fans who were actually AT THE GAME, and the coach thinks so.
If all you look at are stats, scoring goals or assists, you’re missing a whole lot of the game, and showing that you’re easily entertained by shiny objects.
Donovan was part of a midfield that dominated Manchester United’s midfield. They ran and passed around a United midfield like they were cones. Landon was every bit as much a cog in that midfield as Pienaar, Bily and Arteta. The one who stood out the most is Osman, who would get an 8 rating. The rest, Dnovan included, get 7s.
anything on chris rolfe in denmark?
Isaac, Katatonia, etc.,
For what it is worth,…the Press Association analyst (who is an ex-professional footballer) who attended the match and rated the player’s performances for the EPL rated Donovan as the MOTM/best player on the field against ManU. This assessment takes into account the quality of a player’s overall performance and their contribution to the match result.
Now, everyone has their own opinion and you are entitled to yours but I happen to agree with this rating. I watched the match and thought LD was the best player on the field.
I just checked it and the poll was a lot closer (55% to 45%) than i would have expected, especially since it was administer right after the hockey game. That game last night was pretty awesome, my heart hadn’t beat that fast since the Spain game.
I definitely like the Torres-Bradley pairing. I have been saying the same for a long time… would be awesome to see him manning the middle. He’s the best player on Pachuca and definitely our best DMF option.
Do we need to start worrying about Bocanegra again? What happened to him yesterday?
Maybe a player can improve in time, did you ever think of that? He’s maturing a-la-everyone’s favorite Landon Donovan. Hopefully his play continues to improve and we have a better striker option than Casey or Ching.
You can’t compare both the Beckham and Donovan loans. Donovan has never played in Europe and Beckham came here to “save” football. David gave up on himself when he signed with MLS. Donovan is doing what he should be doing at his age, playing against the best in the world. Beckham did that. Donovan is going to the World Cup. Beckham is just holding the development of players that are better to the English NT that he is with just a dead ball shot.
Beckham made his money and has his rep already set. Donovan’s only problem is having to take this long to finally see that he can hang in an European team.
Yes it was. O’Brien was a starter regardless in the middle. It was Reyna who was always on the sides or he played as RB like in that Portugal game.
Greatest Picture EVER!
Our backline would most def have to stand up…… In a bradley torres partnership but our offense will not have to solely rely on donovan outside runs….. Watching the game u could see that torres only goes forward when there is no better option……. He looks for the best play possible and 90% of the time hits the pass…. Dude is careful when playing it out of the back…… The other day I read an article on torres and the writer insisted that we needed him for scoring purposes…. But I most beg to differ…. We need him for the calming influence that he possesses….. Torres will be the next Reyna and a strong world cup will get him a move to Europe…. Though I would hope he could come to the redbulls…. He would the perfect partner to Tchani
P.S. MLS needs to pray that it can become as creative as the Mexican league…. Down there those teams have fun……
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Wasn’t that Mastroeni in place of Armas?
Frank Simek and Jose Torres have to get the call up to Amsterdam. We need quality depth so bad. It’s been a blessing in disguise with all the injuries to our starters. Our MNT is only 15 players deep, not including goalies.
I’m still on the fence about Donovan staying at Everton. One pro includes the obvious, his form and level of play will be higher than if he came back to the MLS. But a con is he will probably be exhausted from playing at such a fast pace in the EPL including Europa League if they continue.
Either way I don’t care where he goes, as long as he is healthy June 12th and full of confidence. After the World Cup he will be back in Europe for the remainder of his career. If there was a top 4 team to go to, I’d prefer to see him at Sevilla, Valencia, or Arsenal. He fits in so well in those systems, especially with the Gunner midget army.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rorysmith/100005461/landon-donovan-not-david-beckham-is-la-galaxys-brightest-star/
Click on this link. British football writers are notoriously negative and anti-american.
Remember, it was only due to Chris Armas’s injury in 2002 that we saw John O’Brien start. I’m just saying…
I agree with what you said. I’d actually like to see Torres next to Bradley because since Jose sits in such a deep-lying role, Bradley is given freedom to get forward and Torres can start offensive plays by spraying the ball around the offensive third and keeping possession. When the USA is playing against a team like England, Torres won’t start, but against Algeria, Slovenia, Honduras, Torres will start.
i also saw castillo vs club america and he played the full 90 as a lb. he did some good efforts on def. almost noting really passed him except a cross which end up being a goal : but other then that he did well. had some nice tackles too really didnt see him in the game.
From ESPN Soccernet:
45′: Substitution, Rennes. Romain Danze midfielder replaces Carlos Bocanegra because of an injury.
Hope it is not a serious injury. Anyone know what the injury was?
work on your reading comprehension before you make comments.
You have to know how to read a game in order to understand Donovan’s excellence. If you’re looking for goals and assists and spectacular goals, then I can see why you are not high on his performance.
well everyone except us in california and some other random states. who cares what these polls say well supass hockey soon
– Californian
– 18 years old
– dual citizen (Argentina)
– hasn’t committed to either country
I would search his name on the yanks-abroad website for more info. (SBI staff: I hope I’m not out of line sending someone to another site. I know it was brought up in an earlier post on this site, but I scrolled back a few times and couldn’t find it).
As a Man Utd fan Donovan was a threat. He was no C. Ronaldo, but who is? Donovan created the game wining goal with a smart cut pass to Stephen Pienaar. Donovan has not been as flashy as he is in MLS but he is extremely effective. There is a reason Donovan just won Everton player on the month and has the British press giving him praise.
Sitter? That’s a little much. Still it’s easy to picture a midseason Berbatov calmly tucking that one away. That’s why I for one am looking forward to Donovan being “the guy” again for a couple of months in MLS, where he can find his scoring touch again just in time for WC.
I want to second Brooklyn FC post. I watched the Pachuca game Saturday night (It was on at like midnight west coast time on FSE.). Torres played extremely well. His vision and tactical play was outstanding. Torres stays in a withdrawn position and probably keeps possession at a level the USMNT has not seen since Claudio Reyna.
Before every jumps on the band wagon and demands Bob Bradley starts him, Torres plays a completely different style than Bradley’s team. Torres is a tactical player. He does not run up and down the field. Torres positions himself smartly, breaking up play and moving the ball. Torres does not pressure hard. Torres does trots a lot. I can see why Torres does not fit in Bradley’s system. I think Torres could be very useful in a 4-5-1 with 2 hard working mids -one being M. Bradley, the other Clark or Jones (if healthy).
In my opinion Torres has the skill to demand a starting spot. His defensive posture though is at odds with the USMNT. Imagine that B. Bradley loves the EPL when Torres fits in with the Italian League.
I’m on board with this..
And CAN believe unfortunetely that it’s only due to injury that we’ll see this..if we see it.
We need a strong gooch and Boca or JD to step up though.
People need to go back and watch the Man U game… Donovan was a threat…also the sitter was a ball that came back to him off Wes Brown (‘s arm no less) and it was a flash chance… I would say he should have scored it but it was not an easy one considering that it was out of the blue and not something he could have seen developing… He felt like he could blow by Neville any time he wanted to and he and SP clearly are developing a relationship.
I just wish he would not have called out Beckham on the loan… it would sure making staying at Everton easier IMHO..
Was that the same move that megged Neville? I also enjoyed the two Landon put through his legs.. then subsequently Neville losing a half step due him keeping more compact.
Donovan played his part.. done deal. He played well and again made a difference. the haters should chill. that sitter was no sitter. and Landon deserves his due..