Americans Abroad

Vanney earns return to Bastia starting 11; Convey makes league debut.

By Robert Wagman
(in Washington, D.C.)
SoccerTimes

(Tuesday, August 10, 2004) -- After a summer of uncertainty, United States defender Greg Vanney has worked himself back in the starting 11 for Bastia in France and he played well, going 90 minutes for the Corsicans who defeated Strasbourg 2-1 in the Ligue 1 opener for both teams.

Veteran striker Tony Vairelles took advantage of confusion in the Strasbourg backline to get to a ball and guide the game-winner past goalkeeper Remi Vercoutre in the 81st minute.

Frabrice Jau put Bastia ahead 1-0 in the 44th minute, but Michel Pagis leveled for Strasbourg a minute after the break.

Vanney was not sure where he stood with new manager Francois Ciccolini who replaced Gerard Gili as coach after a troubled 2003-04 campaign. Last season, Vanney was in and out of the starting side, but he said he thought, given the chance, he could compete for a starting role on the left side of defense. Ciccolini has given him the opportunity and he has responded.

The Bastia defense is still not set. Ciccolini has not committed to whether he will use three or four backs and the team signed former Liverpool defender Bjorn Kvarme, but the Norwegian is not expected to be match-fit for two or three weeks. Kvarme is expected to play on the right side.

Also in France, striker Vedad Ibisevic, the 2003 SoccerTimes.com "Freshman of the Year" at Saint Louis University, signed a pair of contracts with Paris Saint Germain last week. The Bosnian citizen, who escaped the war there and moved around Europe before attending high school in St. Louis, first signed a six month youth\reserve contract because PSG had no available slots for foreign player from a non-European Union nation. Then, PSG's Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic released Hugo Leal and replaced Ibisevic's deal with a standard three-year contract.

Saturday, Ibisevic, who turned 20 on Friday, came on in the 71st minute of PSG's season-opening 2-1 loss to Rennes.

Goalkeeper Quentin Westberg, 18, who has eight starts for the U.S. under-20 men in 2004, joined Troyes of the French Ligue 2 (second division). Westberg is the number three keeper and likely will play on the reserve side in the French fourth division. Westberg first signed with Troyes two years ago.

Convey, who sat the bench in Reading's opening 3-2 triumph over Brighton Saturday, replaced Glen Little in the 34th minute and nearly put his club ahead. He made a superb pass from the right flank, but Nicky Forster, seemingly with plenty of net to shoot at, failed to control his volley.

Teddy Sheringham gave West Ham the win with a goal in the 81st minute.

Then, Beasley started a pair of matches in the Vodafone Cup at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. He looked good in both matches. On Tuesday, he went 90 minutes, but PSV lost a tight 1-0 match to Manchester United which played injured strikers Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha for the first half, and a number of other regulars. Beasley nearly connected with Brazilian Alex for a goal.

On Thursday, Beasley made several nice crosses from the left flank in a 1-0 loss to Boca Juniors of Argentina in a game abandoned in the 81st minute because of lightning.

Things get real for PSV when it meets Serbo-Montenegrin champion FK Crvena Zvezda in the third qualifying round of the Champions League tomorrow in Belgrade in a game postponed from today.

PSV coach Guus Hiddink has not named a starting side for this critical test, but it looks like Beasley will start.

In Norway, American midfielder Brian West played the full game and defender Wade Barrett played the first half for Fredrikstad in a 3-0 exhibition loss to Vċlerenga.

In Belgium, U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu went the distance for Standard Liege which drew 1-1 with Lierse. He received a yellow card in the 86th minute.

In Sweden Saturday, striker Wolde Harris, a Jamaican international and Clemson University product, assisted the only goal for relegation-threatened Bodens BK which tied visiting IK Brage 1-1 in a meeting of teams tied for last place in the second-division Superettan before a crowd of 1,627.

American defender Brian Dunseth and midfielder Leighton O'Brien started with Harris who played 90 minutes along with Dunseth while O'Brien came out at the halftime. Dunseth and O'Brien each was shown a yellow card.

Robert Wagman is a SoccerTimes senior correspondent. E-mail Robert Wagman.