By AVI CREDITOR
In a very short time, Stuart Holden has made a very strong impression with his Premier League club.
Holden signed a three-year extension with Bolton on Thursday that will keep him in England at least through the 2012-2013 season.
Holden, who has become a fixture in Owen Coyle's starting lineup as a central midfielder this season, barely got the chance to play after signing with Bolton in the winter. After suffering a broken leg via a Nigel de Jong tackle in the United States' friendly with the Netherlands in March, Holden was unable to make an impact on the second half of Bolton's season.
After completing his recovery, Holden was named to the United States' World Cup roster over the summer, and he earned a starting position with Bolton that he figures to have for the foreseeable future.
Here are a few more stories to get you through the day:
CUMMINGS NAMED MLS PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Nobody in Major League Soccer had a better September than Omar Cummings.
The Colorado Rapids striker scored six goals in four games and was named MLS Player of the Month. Cummings, who also scored for Jamaica in a September friendly, scored two goals in Colorado's victory over Philadelphia Wednesday night. He has 12 goals on the season, which puts him two behind league-leader Edson Buddle.
He'll have a chance to add to his total this weekend when the Rapids host D.C. United.
HENRY FIT TO PLAY WIZARDS
New York Red Bulls coach Hans Backe has deemed Designated Player Thierry Henry fit to play against the Kansas City Wizards this weekend, according to the team's Twitter feed.
Henry, who was forced to miss New York's victory over Los Angeles last Friday with a sprained knee, has two goals and three assists since joining the Red Bulls.
KELLER PICKS UP SAVE AWARD…AGAIN
Seattle Sounders veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller came up with another highlight reel save against the Chicago Fire, a save that earned him MLS Save of the Week honors for the third straight week.
Keller stuffed Fire midfielder Marco Pappa's 8-yard volley attempt in first-half stoppage time of the teams' match last weekend and is in the midst of his greatest stretch of the season. Keller hasn't yielded a goal in 279 minutes, the last time being when New England's Kheli Dube tallied in the 81st minute of the Revolution's 3-1 victory on Sept. 4.
Here's video of the award-winning save:
XAVI OUT FOR SPAIN QUALIFIERS
Barcelona talisman Xavi has been left out of Vicente del Bosque's squad for Spain's upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers with a reported case of tendinitis.
The defending European and World Cup champions have matches against Lithuania and Scotland in the second week of October. The midfielders on Spain's roster for those matches are Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets and Santi Cazorla.
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What do you think about Holden's contract extension? Do you think Cummings should be in the MLS MVP discussion? Happy to see that Henry won't have to miss more time? What'd you make of Keller's save? Do you see Spain getting upset without Xavi?
Share your thoughts below.