Hello and welcome to Yanks Abroad…the interesting transfer rumors edition. It is once again that time of year, so please keep your transfer guide handy. Let’s get into it.
Everton @ Chelsea 12/4/10
Timmy H picked up a 41st minute yellow card after a thunderous collision with Nicolas Anelka in the box, Drogba promptly smashed the PK into the net. The Toffees looked to be heading down misery lane once again, but Everton showed some heart in the second half and came away with a point and a 1-1 draw. After the match, Howard and his manager (amongst others) were none too pleased with what they felt was an unsporting performance from Chelsea.
Fulham @ Arsenal 12/4/10
Dempsey started, finished and dished out a nice assist, while Eddie Johnson came on in the 89th minute. However, the American duo were not enough for the Cottagers who fell 2-1 at Emirates to the red hot Gunners. After the match, the Deuce to Liverpool rumors started up again. This time with a supposed ?10m bid for his sweet dance moves goal scoring ability. I have never really been a Liverpool fan (Their colors remind one of communism, which is bad, and they sing a dumb song, worse even than the one the Miami Dolphins do), but it would be great to see Dempsey get a shot with a big name club.
West Ham @ Sunderland 12/5/10
Coming off his 1st half brace against Man U, Spector got another start in the midfield. Unfortunately, he was unable to duplicate his feat from last week and the Hammers fell 1-0. Most accounts indicate he played quite well, even getting a higher match rating than star Scott Parker from most publications. Still, due to his lack of playing time, speculation has abounded regarding Spector’s future at West Ham. Could a move to the Bundesliga be in his future?
Aston Villa @ Liverpool 12/6/10
Brad Friedel conceded three goals as Villa fell at Anfield 3-0. Friedel has indicated that he may be willing to make a move to the MLS after the first of the year if Villa sign a new keeper. This still isn’t good news for Friedel’s permanent backup, Brad Guzan, because as the linked article indicates the club will be looking elsewhere for a new last line of defense.
Anderlecht @ Zulte-Waregem 12/5/10
Sacha Kljestan went the full 90 in a 2-1 win, and Anderlecht held on to their 1 point lead in the Belgian league. Did you know Kljestan was born in Huntington Beach, California….a hometown he shares with the likes of Scott Weiland, Tony Gonzalez, Nicole Eggert, Tito Ortiz, and Tank Abbot. No, no way you knew all that!!
Same hometown as Sacha Kljestan: Basically anyone with sweet hair who likes to jam out to gratuitous love songs a bit.
M’gladbach @ Hannover 12/4/10
MB90 scored a straight ridiculous 17th minute goal off a free kick, but it was not enough to prevail over his fellow countrymen, Steve Cherundolo and DaMarcus Beasley. MB90 and Cherundolo both played the full 90 minutes while Beasley watched all 90 minutes, but cheered loudly.
St. Etienne v. Bordeaux 12/5/10
Carlos Bocanegra notched his first goal since the March 3rd USMNT friendly against the Dutch. Unfortunately, Boca and the Greens gave up an 89th minute equalizer and only ended up with a point after scoring a pair of goals in 2 minutes. Given that the Captain had about four free headers in the box in the match, we should be glad he finally converted one.
FC Nordsjaelland vs. AC Horsens, 12/6/2010
Olympian and back-in-the-fold defender Michael Parkhurst returned from a mild knock to start and go the distance at right back for Nordsjaelland Sunday evening, as they retained their spot in the middle of the table with a 2-1 win over Horsens. The Danish league now heads to the winter break, and if I’m Parkhurst, I head back to America for some better weather and probably a January date with Camp Bobbo.
The Out of Action Yanks
Stu Holden missed his chance to exact his revenge and break Nigel de Jong’s face…due to a thigh strain.
Jozy Altidore was active for Villareal, but did not see any time.
Mo Edu is still out with his knee, but his ole girl is still hot.
Oguchi Onyewu is not seeing any minutes, but if you google his name he may be headed to any European club at any moment…Palermo? Rangers? Joining Allen Iverson at Besiktas? Well probably not that last one.
Ricardo Clark was active for Frankfurt but did not see any minutes.
Jermaine Jones is still in anger management, and has been relegated to the Schalke reserves to get his mind right before the knockout stages of the Champions League. A German-American military kid with an Irish background on one side of the family as well with anger issues? The warning signs were never there.
Benny Feilhaber is on vacation as the Danish league has taken a break, but he does have four goals and eight assists thus far. Of course, he’s playing in the second division. The good news is he’s rumored to be on the way out, perhaps to France or Mexico.
That is all for your weekend update. Have a great remainder of your week and follow me on twitter @SwampJankins and I’ll answer any question you could possibly have regarding anything, anything at all.
Dru Boyer is a staff writer for The Yanks Are Coming. His Yanks Abroad piece appears weekly. Follow him on Twitter at the name above.