Americans Abroad

Mainz, Casey get first 1Bundesliga victory; Berhalter is named Cottbus captain.

By Harris King (in Bamberg, Germany)
SoccerTimes

(Monday, August 16, 2004) -- United States striker Conor Casey and FSV Mainz 05 won for the first time since being promoted to the 1Bundesliga Saturday with a 2-1 home victory over Hamburg SV.

Both goals were scored in a three-minute span by second-half substitution Toni da Silva after Mainz (1-1, 3 points) had fallen behind 1-0 in the 27th minute on a tally by Daniel Van Buyten. Da Silva's goals came in the 51st and 54th minutes.

Casey replaced forward Clauduis Weber in the 83rd minute and was his usual hard-working, athletic self, but managed no shots on goal as Mainz's main objective was to protect the lead down the stretch.

Hannover 96, with U.S. defender Steve Cherundolo and attacker Clint Mathis, did not play this weekend because Hannover's new stadium, the AWD Arena, wasn't quite ready for action. The game against Arminia Bielefeld will be made up September 15. On Sunday, Hannover travels to VfR Münster, a fourth-division club, for the first round of the DFB Pokal (German Cup).

In the 2Bundesliga, American striker John van Buskirk of Rot-Weiss Erfurt saw no more than 30 seconds of action in his team's 1-1 draw at home against Rot-Weiss Oberhausen. Van Buskirk was called on for the last play of the game, an Efurt free kick close enough to the goal to give Oberhausen reason for concern. After the ball was cleared by an Oberhausen player, the referee blew the final whistle.

On Saturday, Erfurt will host Eintracht Frankfurt in the first round of the DFB Pokal.

In a nationally televised game tonight, Energie Cottbus defeated recently promoted Dynamo Dresden 2-1 at home. The clubs are located an hour away from each other and the tension of a rivalry seemed to exist though the clubs haven't matched up since 1997. The Cottbus goals came from Michael Thurk and Youssef Mokhtari, both new arrivals.

U.S. defender Gregg Berhalter is still recovering from facial injuries suffered at the end of last season, but his rehabilitation was given a boost when Cottbus coach Eduard Geier named him team captain for this season. Zsolt Löw will represent Berhalter until he returns.

Germany's Regionalliga Nord continued with its unorthodox scheduling with games midweek and on the weekend. American striker Ryan Coiner of Union Berlin played 90 minutes in both of his team's efforts.

Wednesday, Berlin lost 2-0 on the road to Holsten Kiel, but it was able to rebound four days later with a convincing 3-1 home victory against the 1. FC Köln Amateurs. In the latter game, Coiner scored for the second time this season when his goal in the 83rd minute capped an eight-minute, three-goal explosion by Berlin. Berlin hosts SC Freiburg of the 1Bundesliga Saturday in the DFB Pokal.

American defender Ian Joy and the Hamburg SV Amateurs drew 1-1 Wednesday with VfL Osnabrück which employs American Joe Enochs in the midfield. Joy twice cleared a shot off his goal-line, once after an Osnabrück corner kick in the eighth minute and once after a teammate had been beaten in the 77th minute. Both Joy and Enochs went the distance for their respective clubs.

While the Hamburg Amateurs had a bye, Enochs and Osnabrück rallied from two goals down after 25 minutes to defeat FC St. Pauli 3-2 Saturday on the road. Enochs again played 90 minutes.

Jacob Thomas scored to help Lübeck rebo9und from a bad loss and blank the VfL Wolfsburg Amateurs 4-0 -- Lübeck web site photo --

American striker Jacob Thomas and VfB Lübeck fell 6-2 on the road to Eintracht Braunschweig Wednesday.Thomas was a second-half substitution against his former club and entered the game with his team already down 4-0.

Three days later, Thomas scored in the 10th minute to help Lübeck drop the VfL Wolfsburg Amateurs 4-0. Thomas was replaced in the 66th minute. Lübeck hosts Borussia Dortmund of the 1Bundesliga Saturday in the DFB Pokal.

In the Regionalliga Süd, American defender Pellegrino Matarazzo of SV Wehen did not see action in his team's 3-1 victory over SV Elversberg. In last week's triumph against SSV Jahn Regensburg, Matarazzo broke his toe and, despite being willing to play, was given the week off.

Former U.S. international Michael Mason was given the start for Elversburg and played 90 minutes at the behest of the club's American coach Brent Goulet. American attacker Tim Lawson has left Elversburg and his signing with D.C. United of Major League Soccer is considered imminent. He could be available for United's Saturday game at the Columbus Crew.

American midfielder Grover Gibson put in 90 minutes for SSV Jahn Regensburg in a 2-1 home victory against TuS Koblenz and its American defender Josh Grenier, who also went the distance.

Regensburg's first goal came on a penalty kick after Grenier was called for a obvious hand ball in its box. Gibson picked up a yellow card in the game. American defender Eric Lukin of Koblenz did not see action. Regensburg hosts Bundesliga champion Werder Bremen in the DFB Pokal Saturday.

American striker Jonathan Cummings did not play for VfR Aalen in a 2-0 loss to the Amateurs of Bayern Munich.

Harris King, an American from South Carolina, has lived in Germany for five years. He is a Business English lecturer at the University of Bamberg. E-mail Harris King.