Americans Abroad

Friedel, Blackburn best Keller, Spurs in battle for Europe.

By Robert Wagman
and Gary Davidson
SoccerTimes

(Sunday, May 11, 2003) -- All eyes were on the match, but not because Americans were stationed at each goal.

Blackburn Rovers needed a victory and help to earn entrance into next season's UEFA Cup and, with Brad Friedel minding their net, had little trouble defeating Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 yesterday to conclude their English Premier League season.

When Manchester United came from behind to defeat host Everton 2-1, Rovers had a ticket to Europe. Friedel, named the top keeper in the Premier League in a vote of the players, finished with 15 shutouts in league play, leading Blackburn (16-10-12, 60 points) to sixth place and the final automatic spot into the UEFA Cup, the second tier of European tournaments.

Friedel had 17 clean sheets in all competitions over the past year.

"Brad must be worth 12-to-15 points a season to us because he is such a good goalkeeper," Rovers manager Graeme Souness told reporters, dismissing reports that Manchester United and Arsenal were interested in obtaining the American. "I've been saying for a long time he is the best in the country and now he has been honored by his fellow professionals. I just couldn't put a price on his head. If other clubs are interested in him, they have to realize what Brad is worth to us over the next four years of his contract. If he keeps us in the Premiership for that time, it is worth something like £20 million a year."

Friedel was also the favorite of Rovers fans, voted "Player of the Year" by the club's Official Supporters Association and by the Junior Rovers.

Everton finished at 17-13-8 with 59 points. Everton dropped its last two matches and went 2-4 after U.S. striker Brian McBride returned to Major League Soccer and the Columbus Crew.

It was a bleak day for United States goalkeeper Kasey Keller who was beaten four times, three times after Spurs' Gus Poyet was sent off in the 30th minute for a two-footed lunge on Garry Flitcroft which left the Rovers skipper with blood pouring from his knee.

Spurs outshot Blackburn 8-4 in the first half, but could not get one past Friedel, while Keller was twice let down by awful defending. Dwight Yorke scored in the fourth minute and Craig Hignett in the 44th to stake Rovers to a 2-0 lead.

Two minutes after intermission, Danien Duff made it 3-0 with Andy Cole adding another tally 12 minutes later.

Spurs (14-16-8, 50), scheduled to play D.C. United in Washington on Wednesday, finished with three straight losses and 2-7-2 in its final 11 outings to slide to 10th place. Coach Glenn Hoddle will probably be fired.

Everton manager David Moyes might well now regret his decision not to meet MLS's demands for McBride. Moyes decided that his cash-strapped club could not pay what MLS wanted for McBride at age 31 and instead would cast its lot with 17-year-old Wayne Rooney.

Rooney may well be the wave of the future in English soccer, but he failed against visiting Manchester United yesterday by coming up empty on three golden chances that might have propelled Everton to the critical win. The irony is that had Everton qualified for the UEFA Cup, the competition would have provided a great financial reward.

U.S. forward Jovan Kirovski did not dress for Birmingham City which drew 2-2 with West Ham United in a wild match that saw all goals scored in the final 25 minutes. His season ended with the Birmingham reserves who registered a 1-0 win over Newcastle United on May 1.

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.