Americans Abroad

Beasley comes off bench to score in PSV 2-0 win over Waalwijk.

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

As a reserve, DaMarcus Beasley helped secure PSV Eindhove's victory over RKC Waalwijk with a late goal. -- PSV Eindhoven web site photo --

(Sunday, January 22, 2005) -- United States midfielder DaMarcus Beasley hopes he might have extricated himself from coach Guus Hiddink's doghouse, coming off the bench Friday night to score an insurance goal in PSV Eindhoven's 2-0 decision over visiting RKC Waalwijk to extend its lead in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Hiddink has been displeased with Beasley's fitness lately, with the American coming back from a knee injury, so the coach went to a standard 4-4-2 alignment instead of the 4-3-3 that had Beasley starting as a wing forward. Against Waalwijk, he scored in the 75th minute, two minutes after he entered.

Jefferson Farfan put PSV ahead 1-0 in the fourth minute, but RKC goalkeeper Rob Van Dijk made several good saves to keep the match close. Then, a pass from Andre Ooijer put Beasley through and his hard shot went under the outstretched arm of Van Dijk.

Beasley started, but was yanked at halftime of Eindhoven's last two games, a 1-0 decision over host Sparta Rotterdam and, before that, a 1-1 draw at home with Twente Enschede.

PSV is 15-2-3 with 48 points, in first place over Feyenoord Rotterdam and AK Alkmaar, both 14-3-3. Feyenoord lost ground by drawing 0-0 with struggling Roda JC Kerkrade (8-10-2, 26 points), while AK also dropped two points with at 1-1 home tie with FC Groningen (10-7-3, 33).

U.S. defender Cory Gibbs joined Feyenoord for the first time this season, following six months of rehabilitation in Florida for a knee injury.

Gibbs, 26, hurt his left knee in the U.S. men's 2-1 loss to England in a May 28 friendly in Chicago. He had knee surgery in June to repair a torn meniscus.

"He is not yet 100 percent fit," Feyenoord spokesperson Gido Vader told Associated Press. "He will need at least a month before he gains full match fitness."

Feyenoord indicated recently that Gibbs was one of about a half dozen players available for transfer.

Gibbs joined Feyenoord last January after one season with FC Dallas of Major League Soccer and scored one goal in 15 Eredivisie appearances. Before going to MLS, Gibbs spent two-and-one-half with St. Pauli in Germany, which had the indignity during his tenure to be relegated twice, from the Bundesliga eventually to the third-division Regionalliga.

"We're agreed in principle, although the papers (are not completed)" Odd Grenland president Lasse Hansen said on the team's web site. "I'm content that the club (has closed the deal)."

An unspecified transfer fee will be paid to MLS.

Borchers, 24, was not drafted by MLS after never missing a game in four years at the Unversity of Denver. He was signed to a developmental contract in March 2003.

In 83 regular-season games for the Rapids, Borchers had two goals and two assists. In four playoff outings, he added a goal and an assist.

Borchers made his first international appearance for the U.S. men March 9 when he replaced Pablo Mastroeni in the 86th minute of a 3-0 victory in a friendly with Colombia in Fullerton, Calif. Ten days later, he started and went the distance in his only other cap, a 1-0 decision over Honduras in Albuquerque, N.M.

Odd, a 12-time league champion, finished ninth in the 2005 Tippeligaen, the 14-team league that ended play in October and does not start again until April.

Odd was 9-11-6 for 33 points, conceding a league-high 51 goals while scoring 28 times for the league's lowest total.

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