Americans Abroad

Keller records easy shutout, G'ladbach ends slide 2-0 over FC Köln.

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

(Monday, February 20, 2006) -- United States goalkeeper Kasey Keller wasn't called on to do much as he recorded a shutout for Borussia Mönchengladbach in a 2-0 victory over FC Köln at home Saturday in the German Bundesliga.

Mönchengladbach had scored only two goals and gone 0-3-1 since the winter break ended January 27, but won with the aid of an own goal and Köln being reduced to 10 men when defender Roland Benschneider was sent off with a red card in the 28th minute.

G'ladbach didn't do much offensively, even with the man advantage, going ahead 1-0 when Köln defender Christian Lell put a ball into his own net in the 54th minute. G'ladbach striker Oliver Neuville scored in the 78th to make it 2-0.

G'ladbach (7-6-9, 30 points) moved into a four-way tie for fifth place with Hannover 96 (6-4-12), VfB Stuttgart (6-4-12), and Hertha Berlin (7-6-9), with Borussia Dortmund (7-7-8) trailing by one point and Bayer Leverkusen (7-8-7) behind by two. The goal differential between the six teams varies by only three. Fifth place earns a spot in next season's UEFA Cup.

U.S. defender Steve Cherundolo stood out for host Hannover 96 which continued its recent excellent run of play with a 1-1 draw with first-place Bayern Munich (17-1-4, 55) at AWD-Arena Saturday.

German international Michael Ballack headed home a Willy Sagnol cross in the 89th minute to deny Hannover the victory.

Striker Conor Casey, out since tearing an anterior cruciate ligament playing for the U.S. in last summer's Gold Cup, is nearing a return to FC Mainz.(5-12-5, 20)

Mainz is tied for 15th place with 1. FC Kaiserslautern (5-12-5) with the 16th-, 17th- and 18th-place teams relegated.

Berhalter, however, picked up his fifth yellow card of the season and will be suspended for Friday's outing against Wacker Burghausen.

Cottbus (9-6-6, 33) is in seventh place, but only three points below third which brings promotion to the first division.

As halftime approached, Brighton keeper Wayne Henderson tried to clear his line with a long header and the ball dropped to Chris Eagles, who floated a lob back over the goalkeeper's head and into the net from over 30 yards.

U.S. midfielder Eddie Lewis played 90 minutes for Leeds United which drew 1-1 at Leicester City despite the hosts playing with 10 men after defender Paul McCarthy was ejected with a red card in the 11th minute.

Leicester went ahead 1-0 on a goal by Iain Hume in the fifth minute. Leeds pulled even at 1-1 on Robert Blake's penalty kick following McCarthy's foul and expulsion.

Three times, Lewis sent accurate crosses into the box, only to see teammates shoot high or wide. Lewis was given a yellow card in the 55th minute for dissent.

American defender Frank Simek went the whole way for Sheffield Wednseday which fell 2-1 to visiting Sheffield United.

Michael Tonge's free kick and a long volley from Ade Akinbiyi moments before the halftime whistle put United ahead 2-0. Steven MacLean converted a penalty kick in the 80th minute for Wednesday.

In a hectic finish, Simek was shown yellow card in the 84th minute.

Sheffield United (22-5-8, 74) pulled to within nine points of first-place Reading (25-2-8) which saw its 33-match (25-0-8) unbeaten streak end Friday.

Watford (18-7-10, 64) slipped past Leeds (18-7-9, 63) for third place.

Beasley entered in the 61st minute for Kone, who had been a hero for Côte d'Ivoire in the recent African Nations Cup.

Goals from Michael Lamey in the 85th minute and Jefferson Farfan in the 90th proved to be the difference for PSV.

Youssouf Hersi put Vitesse ahead 1-0 with Farfan tying matters at 1-1 for PSV two minutes later to cap off a lackluster first half.

American striker Lee Nguyen did not dress for PSV (20-2-3, 63), which strengthened its hold on first place. Feyenoord Rotterdam (18-3-4, 58) kept pace in second place by defeating Sparta Rotterdam 4-0, but third-place AZ Alkmaar (17-4-4, 55) lost ground by falling at home to FC Utrecht.

Nguyen probably would have played for the second team, but Young PSV had its match against FC Twente of the Beloftencompetitie postopned

U.S. defender Cory Gibbs continued playing himself back into shape with ADO Den Haag's second team following his knee surgery in June. Gibbs played 90 minutes tonight for the first time since he tore the meniscus in his left knee in first-place Young ADO's 1-0 triumph over host Veendam in the Beloftencompetitie.

American midfielder Michael Bradley, recently obtained via transfer from Major League Soccer's MetroStars, also went the distance for Young Heerenveen which dropped a 2-0 decision to Young Ajax of Amsterdam

Onyewu cleared a ball off his goal-line in the 60th minute.

Robert Wagman is SoccerTimes senior correspondent. E-mail Robert Wagman. Gary Davidson is SoccerTimes managing editor. E-mail Gary Davidson.

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