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U.S. men's schedule, results
Friedel leads Rovers to 1-0 decision over Charlton in more ways than one.
Keller boots Tottenham to past Birmingham City 2-1; Friedel has easy time.
Lewis continues strong play, assists late goal to give Preston a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth.
On separate continents in disparate leagues, American goalkeepers shine in shutouts.
Walker returns to Chile and quickly minds Colo Colo net.
O'Brien returns to Ajax lineup; Friedel logs another strong effort.
Berhalter is central to Energie Cottbus rise in Bundesliga table.
Hahnemann, Berhalter are central to Reading, Cottbus victories.
Sanneh to undergo procedure for ailing back; Gibbs breaks ribs.
Americans shine in England while U.S. men come up short against Argentina.
McBride continues to spark Everton rise to top of Premier League table.
Rovers, Friedel rally to remain in FA Cup; O'Brien remains injured.
Sanneh courtship with West Brom is over after exchange of barbs.
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Keller provides heroics, but Spurs still suffer fatal 2-0 loss to Manchester City. Americans Abroad Lewis shines again, leading North End past Sheffield United 2-0.By Robert Wagman (in Washington, D.C.)
(Monday, April 21, 2003) -- United States midfielder Eddie Lewis chipped in a goal and an assist for Preston North End which dealt a blow to Sheffield United's promotion playoff hopes with a surprise 2-0 victory Saturday in England's First Division. After a rare bad performance the previous weekend, Lewis again stood out on the left flank, After the match went back and forth for an hour, Dickson Etuhu converted a cross from Lewis for a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute. Both Lewis and Etuhu came close as Preston continued to pressure. In the 87th minute, Lewis put away his sixth goal of the season off Etuhu's right-side cross. As good as Preston looked against Sheffield, it looked woeful against Wimbledon today, losing 2-0 on a pair of goals from Neil Shipperley. Lewis went the distance again, but was not a major factor in the match. Reading had an equally up-and-down weekend as it continues toward a promotion playoff spot. On Friday, American keeper Marcus Hahnemann was sharp leading Reading past Nottingham Forest 1-0. With the match going back and forth, Hahnemann came up big on the half hour when he stopped a Darren Huckerby drive that seemed headed for goal. Andy Hughes won it with a goal in the 74th minute. On Monday, however, Portsmouth showed why it is at the top of the table in victimizing Hahnemann in a 3-0 drubbing of visiting Reading. It was the fifth time this season Hahnemann had given up three goals -- never more -- in a match. Portsmouth striker Vincent Pericard, making his first start since January, scored twice in the first half while Svetoslav Todorov added another in the 74th minute. In defeat, Hahnemann made an absolutely stunning save Nigel Quashie just before Pericard scored his second in the 45th minute. In the Netherlands, Ajax Amsterdam, with American John O'Brien in his regular spot at left back, continued its season long duel with Feyenoord last week. On Wednesday, Feyenoord eliminated Ajax from this year's Dutch Cup with a 1-0 semifinal victory. O'Brien played especially well, but Ajax simply could not put the ball into the net despite dominating long stretches of the second half. In the Eredivisie yesterday, O'Brien contributed an assist as Ajax survived a surprisingly spirited match with Roda JC Kerkrade, finally winning 4-2. O'Brien frequently pushed up the left flank. Yesterday, Feyenoord Rotterdam defeated FV Zwolle 3-1 to keep pace with second-place Ajax (20-3-5, 65). With six matches remaining, Feyenoord (20-4-4) is one point behind Ajax in the race for the second guaranteed spot in the Champions League next season. PSV Eindhoven (23-1-5, 74) is easily atop the league. Ajax travels to A.C. Milan Wednesday for the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal . The two teams drew 1-1 in the first leg in Amsterdam. There is speculation in the Dutch media that O'Brien might be moved to right back because of injuries. In an interview this week with the Associated Press in Amsterdam, O'Brien said while he has been very happy at Ajax, he might test the transfer waters after the season with an eye on joining a major team in England, Italy or Spain. His present contract with Ajax is up at the end of the season and he is waiting to get an extension offer. In Germany's Bundesliga, Energie Cottbus drew Borussia Monchengladbach 1-1in a match it really needed to win. With U.S. defender Gregg Berhalter playing well in central defense, Cottbus went ahead 1-0 on a goal by Moussa Latoundji in the fifth minute and then played solid defense to hold the lead deep into the second half. But a defensive error cost them in the 81st minute. Berhalter did well with Monchengladbach`s Finnish striker Mikael Forssell on loan from Chelsea, but the draw leaves Cottbus seven points from safety and looking like they will go down after being in the first division for the past three seasons. U.S. defender Steve Cherundolo helped Hannover 96 defeat Kaiserslautern 2-1. The victory moved Hannover six points clear of relegation in the tightly bunched bottom of the standings. Cherundolo played well, especially during the final 17 minutes of the tight match when Hannover was playing a man down. In France, American defender Greg Vanney is back in the doghouse in Corsica. Bastia, winless since February 8, and a 3-0 loser to Guingamp the last time out, saw coach Gerard Gili make several changes against Montpellier Saturday in an eventual 2-1 road loss. Freddy Mendy replaced the suspended Mickael Essien in defense and Vanney was sent to the stands in favor of Nicolas Alnoudji. U.S. defender David Regis played, but might have wished he hadn't because Troyes was thrashed by Sedan 4-0 Saturday. Regis did not have much of an afternoon and came out in the 70th minute after Troyes gave up two goals in 90 seconds. It was a busy weekend for American back Wade Barrett at AGF Aarhus in Denmark. On Saturday, by all accounts, Barrett had a poor match with Aarhus going down 2-0 to AaB Aalborg. Barrett picked up a yellow in the 13th minute. Today, in a key match between two teams trying to avoid relegation, Aarhus again looked awful losing to AB Copenhagen 2-1 with Barrett coming off in the 64th minute. In Chile, American goalkeeper Jonny Walker and Colo Colo lost 4-3 at Santiago Wanderers. Walker was busy all day, making a number of saves, even while giving up four goals, two on rebounds that should have been cleared by his defense, and another on a penalty kick. A U.S. audience will get to see Walker this week when Colo Colo will play Chivas of Mexico in Fresno, Calif.
Robert Wagman is a SoccerTimes senior correspondent and can be e-mailed at bobwagman@soccertimes.com. Gary Davidson is a SoccerTimes managing editor and can be e-mailed at editor@soccertimes.com. |
