Everton v. Hull (3-7-10)
Landon Donovan came on in the 70th minute and quickly got to work. He had a goal in the 82nd and an assist in the 86th. That’s not a bad 16 minutes of work; you can’t even cook a Tombstone pizza that fast. No wonder they loved this guy, hopefully he can keep it rolling right into the World Cup. Hull only got off eight shots, only three of which were on target. Tim Howard made a couple saves and Everton dominated 5-1. Clearly the problem for Hull was that Jozy Altidore didn’t come on until the 62nd minute. He did take a foul, which is better than not taking one, I guess. While this game was last Sunday, it did mark the final Everton home game for Mr. Donovan.
Sunderland v. Bolton (3-9-10)
Someone made Stuart Holden a get-well-soon video, albeit with horrible music – so just a fair warning. Sunderland hammered Bolton 4-0 scoring early and often.
Rangers v. Kilmarnock (3-9-10)
DaMarcus Beasley started and played the entire match. He took a foul and I’m guessing probably looked perplexed at some point. It is nice to see him getting some solid minutes in the 2-0 win over Kilmarnock, without Googling it I’ll put the over – under at three castles in Kilmarnock. Maurice Edu came on in the 68th minute and got busy. He recorded a shot on goal, committed a foul and took a pair. He also has this going, which I’m sure is quite nice. Seriously, this is a quote from the article “Lauren, 23, has even ordered Edu, also 23, to swap wild party nights with best pal and Ibrox team-mate DaMarcus Beasley for cozy nights in with her twin strikers.” Although this was a comment from one of the readers, “That face could strip paint off walls.” I guess make your own decisions, I could only seem to focus on a particular set of attributes.
AC Milan v. Manchester United (3-10-10)
Oguchi Onyewu is still hurt, but now so is Alessandro Nesta and he’s expected to miss the rest of the season. Nesta has a “broken tendon,” I always thought that bones were broken and tendons were torn, but perhaps I was wrong. Clearly this poses possible problems for the Italians in the World Cup. And on the pitch, AC got smoked at Old Trafford in front of 75,000 faithful.
Fulham v. Juventus (3-11-10)
Playing in the UEFA Europa League, Dempsey and Fulham lost 3-1 loss at Juventus. Dempsey did not start but he came on in the 60th minute and got one shot off. Not sure if anyone attempted to tread on Mr. Dempsey, but for their sake, I hope not.
Aston Villa v. Stoke City (3-13-10)
Brad Friedel posted a shutout for Aston Villa in their match at Stoke City. Friedel had three saves in the scoreless draw. Villa really could have used the win on the road to close the gap in the EPL, but they failed to capitalize despite dominating time of possession. Brad Guzan presumably looked good on the bench, but I didn’t watch. In news related to Aston Villa and goal keepers, Villa may be looking for the 39-year-old Friedel’s replacement.
Bolton v. Wigan (3-13-10)
Even without Stuart Holden (injured in the Netherland match), Bolton rolled over Wigan 4-0.
Everton v. Birmingham (3-13-10)
Landon Donovan trotted on the pitch in the 67th minute of the 2-2 draw with Birmingham. Everton got off to a 2-0 start before Birmingham came back to earn the draw. Birmingham has not dropped a match at home in six months. Tim Howard made a couple saves but also let a pair in the net. By the time you read this, Landon will be back in L.A. Sadly, this concludes my Landon Donovan coverage.
Hull v. Arsenal (3-13-10)
Jozy Altidore got the start after coming off the bench the previous two games, and played until the 82nd minute. Altidore got off one shot and was fouled three times. Arsenal picked up a 2-1 win while totally dominating time of possession. Hull failed to even test Manuel Almunia, who was only forced to make one save. The lone goal for Hull came off of a PK in the 28th minute. Hull better pick it up or they will be facing relegation. In related news, Hall’s Boateng doesn’t give a crap about your eye.
West Ham United v. Chelsea (3-13-10)
Jonathan Spector started and played all 90 minutes while taking and committing a foul. Chelsea scored four goals in front of their home crowd during the dismantling of Spector and the Hammers 4-1. The victory put Chelsea back in the driver’s seat at the top of the EPL.
Sochaux v. Paris Saint-Germaine (3-13-10)
The Charlie Davies-less Sochaux lost to PSG 4-1. Sochaux is currently sitting at 14th in the French League 1 Table. Thankfully, Charlie continues to work his way back.
Borussia Moenchengladbach v. VfL Wolfsburg (3-13-10)
Michael Bradley got the start and went the full 90. He put a shot on goal, but like the rest of his teammates was unable to beat the Wolfsburg keeper. Bradley & Co. dropped their Saturday fixture 4-0 at home in front of 40,000.
Fulham v. Manchester United (3-14-10)
Clint Dempsey started for Fulham and played the first 72 minutes of the match against Man U. Two of the Red Devils’ goals came after Dempsey was pulled, so clearly this loss cannot be pinned on him. You know Dempsey is going to go after his and this was no different, he got off three shots – two of which were on goal. He committed a foul and was fouled 3 times. Man U took it 3-0.
Rangers v. Dundee United (3-14-10)
Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley both came off the bench for Rangers in the 74th and 85th minutes, respectively. Rangers were stunned by a late goal from Dundee United in the 80th minute, which resulted in a 3-3 draw. The Spanish international Nacho Novo (great name) scored a goal in the 48th minute for Rangers. Neither of the Americans did much for the home side, but then again they didn’t get a lot of run.
AC Milan v. Chievo (3-14-10)
The big news coming from the 1-0 victory over Chievo is Beckham’s torn Achilles that will keep him out of the World Cup and likely end his career for the national team. Regardless of your feelings about Becks, it is sad that he will never lace up the boots for England again. Beckham is flying to Finland on Monday to see Dr. Sakari Orava in Turku. I wouldn’t have guessed that Turku would have been the Achilles repair capital of the world, but I suppose I don’t know much about Finland. Well except that Turku is Old East Slavic for “market place.” You -probably didn’t think you’d read anything about the origins of names of Finnish cities today. Oguchi Onyewu is still out.
Aris FC v. PAOK Salonika (3-14-10)
For starters, Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson’s team’s site boasts some serious journalistic artistry as it states, “As a magic picture could be characterized the defeat of ARIS FC with 1-0 from AEK in OAKA stadium.” The site alone is worth an occasional visit. Aris pulled out a 2-0 win over the second place PAOK Salonika. Neither American started, but Johnson came on in the 87th minute and Adu probably looked good in warm-ups. The next match for Aris and the young Americans is on the 21st at Panionios. You throw the records out whenever these two get together. Probably. Aris currently sits in fifth place in the Greece Super League.
What USMNT player showed you the most last week? How do you feel about Donovan’s return to the MLS? Feel free to leave your thoughts below.
Dru Boyer is a contributing writer for The Yanks Are Coming. He can be reached at dboyer1122@gmail.com.