Rangers @ Man U. 9/14/10
Mo Edu and the Gers went to Old Trafford and came away with a 0-0 draw in the Champions League match. The Gers next two Champions League matches will be in the cozy confines of Ibrox. Walter Smith, the Rangers’ manager, went with a 5-4-1 heavy defensive look in the game but it proved to be the correct call for the Gers to pick up a point on the road…and Edu was a force on the defensive side of the pitch all night.
Schalke 04 @ Lyon 9/14/10
Jermaine Jones went on the road for this Champions League battle and returned a 1-0 loser. Jones played the first 70 minutes before coming off for Peer Kluge, whose name sounds like something that may make your check engine light come on. Jermaine finished with a couple fouls given, a couple taken and an off target shot. Jones did not appear in Schalke’s 2nd game of the week, a loss to Borussia Dortmond. Schalke is the only team in the Bundesliga without a point.
Villarreal @ Dinamo Zagreb 9/16/10
Jozy Altidore played the full 90 minutes in the 2-0 loss. This was Jozy’s first full game for the Spanish club this season, and it now appears as if he will stay with the club for the entire season despite the speculation that he was going to be on his way to the club from Amsterdam, Ajax. Now for the bad news, Jozy didn’t manage a shot and he did not appear in the club’s next mach at Levante.
Aston Villa v. Bolton 9/18/10
Brad Friedel and Stu Holden squared off in Villa Park in front of 34,655 and fought to a 1-1 draw. Villa have themselves a new head man in the Frenchman, Gerard Houllier and Friedel likes his positive mentality. Holden put a shot on goal, but it was saved by Friedel.
Everton v. Newcastle 9/18/10
Tim Howard was beaten on a 45th minute strike from Hatem Ben Arfa, as Newcastle surprised the Toffees with a 1-0 win on the road. Everton is off to their worst EPL start in 16 years, and Tim knows the only thing to do is work harder…I say it is time for a Rocky training montage to get the boys fired up. You’re welcome, Timmy.
Fulham @ Blackburn 9/18/10
Clint Dempsey headed in a 56th minute equalizer for Fulham to escape Ewood Park with a point. Eddie Johnson came on for Deuce in the 78th minute. On the strength of Dempsey’s goal, Fulham was able to maintain their unbeaten streak, so they are basically the total opposite of Jermaine Jones and Schalke.
Rangers v. Dundee United 9/18/10
Maurice Edu played the first 70 minutes in the 4-0 blowout. In this fake journalist’s opinion, this was an impressive result coming off the short turnaround from the Man U game earlier in the week. Edu however had no concerns that Rangers would lose their focus heading into this match and he was clearly correct.
Borussia M’gladbach @ VfB Stuttgart 9/18/10
Michael Bradley and Co. took one on the chin in the 7-0 shellacking. However, according to this report from some random ass site that came up on Google, Bradley may be soon heading to the EPL in a Liverpool or Aston Villa jersey. I don’t want to put words in MB90’s mouth, but after having lost the last 2 matches a combined 11-0, it doesn’t seem that the future is too bright in Germany.
St Etienne v. Montpellier 9/18/10
Carlos Bocanegra played all 90 minutes in the 3-0 win for the table topping St Etienne. This is their first time leading Ligue 1 in 28 years. Cheers to them and lets hope that Boca and the Greens can keep it up for the long haul.
Hannover 96 @ VfL Wolfsburg 9/18/10
Steve Cherundolo played the entire match and DaMarcus Beasley came on in the 77th minute in the 2-0 defeat. The American pair really filled up the stat sheet, combining for 1 foul taken on the night. Hannover currently sits in a tie for 2nd place, so hopefully they, like Bocanegra, could see some hardware this year.
Dru Boyer is a staff writer for The Yanks Are Coming. He can be reached at dru@yanksarecoming.com or you can follow him and laugh because he is probably more funny than you on Twitter, at @SwampJankins.