Americans Abroad

Kirovski's second goal is a mere memory after Birmingham City is shut out twice.

(Wednesday, January 1, 2003) -- It was a mixed holiday period for U.S. attacker Jovan Kirovski and his Birmingham City teammates. On Boxing Day, Kirovski scored his second goal in three matches time to help City gain a 1-1 draw with Everton.

Kirovski's good fortune was soon forgotten with City subsequently dropping a pair of 2-0 decisions to Manchester United and Leeds United.

While most of Europe is in the midst of its winter break, England's top leagues have played through a crowded holiday schedule with matches on Boxing Day, the traditional English holiday on the day after Christmas, the weekend between Christmas and New Years and then on New Year's Day. For the Americans and their teams, this rigorous schedule produced mixed results.

Moments earlier, Tomasz Radzinski had given Everton a 1-0 lead, Kirovski sent a powerful header past Everton keeper Richard Wright off a deep cross from Stan Lazaridis in first-half stoppage time to make it 1-1.

In the second half, the American striker had several good chances and made several fine passes, but was replaced in the 61st minute.

City generated almost no offense in losing to Manchester United Saturday and Leeds today. Kirovski played 90 minutes in both matches, but could not recreate his effort from Thursday.

City, beset by injuries, is 1-3-3 in its last seven outings and manager Steve Bruce announced he will attempt to acquire French international striker Christophe Dugarry when the transfer window opens. That could affect Kirovski's newly-won starting role.

Everton manager David Moyes says he is serious about luring striker Brian McBride, a veteran of Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew and the U.S. national team to Goodison Park.

McBride played under Moyes when he was manager at Preston North End. McBride just signed a new five-year pact with MLS and Moyes would likely have to pay serious money to acquire him.

There has also been talk about a possible loan situation where McBride could play for Everton for the remainder of the Premiership season and be back in Columbus by early June.

It was a good holiday period for Blackburn Rovers and their American goalkeeper Brad Friedel who followed two draws with a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough today in England's Premier League.

Middlesbrough started out strongly against Blackburn, causing problems for Friedel and his defense. Friedel did well to cover a Franck Queudrue free kick that went a yard past the top corner. Then Ugo Ehiogu challenged him in the air in the box. Ehiogu was carried from the field after the collision while Friedel shook off the blow. Then

Later, Stuart Parnaby sent in a low cross that was wonderfully back-heeled by Massimo Maccarone to Joseph-Desire Job whose well placed low shot was brilliantly saved by Friedel.

Dwight Yorke put Rovers ahead in the 57th minute and a stout defense did the rest.

On Saturday, Friedel was let down by an own goal and a late defensive miscue in Rovers; 2-2 draw with West Ham United.

Twenty minutes after Damien Duff gave Rovers a 1-0 lead, West Ham's Steve Lomas fired a long drive that was clearly going wide, but defender Martin Taylor stuck out a boot and deflected the ball over a startled Friedel who made a frantic leap, making it 1-1 in the 24th minute.

Blackburn regained the lead in the 78th minute on Andy Coles' tally, but eight minutes later, United exploited a pair of Rovers defensive blunders to even the score at 2-2. West Ham's Ian Pearce went up between two defenders and was able to head the ball to an unmarked Jermain Defoe who blasted a header past Friedel's lunge for the draw.

On Boxing Day, it was a 1-1 tie with Liverpool in a superbly contested match. Again, Friedel was unlucky.

Liverpool attacked from the outset. In the fourth minute, Norwegian international John Arne Riise beat two defenders down the left side and unleashed a powerful shot from outside the area, but Friedel got to it and pushed it aside. Emile Heskey looked to be going in free on Friedel, but the American came roaring off his line and beat Heskey to the ball.

Sixteen minutes into the match, Michael Owen worked free and sent the ball to Riise down the left side. He again triggered a fierce shot that Friedel seemed ready to parry, but it deflected and looped over his head.

Andy Cole tied the game at 1-1 for Rovers in the 76th minute.

With five minutes left, Owen passed to Milan Baros whose quick shot seemed targeted for the net, but Friedel mothered the ball. Owen had a final chance deep into injury time after a feed from Riise, but Owen stumbled as he shot from point-blank range and Friedel saved it to preserve the draw.

For Tottenham Hotspur and United States goalkeeper Kasey Keller it has been an up and down two weeks, compiling a 1-1-2 mark in an intense nine day stretch.

Today, did all he could, but Spurs fell 1-0 to Southampton. The only goal of the match was a dazzler from Southampton striker James Beattie who weaved his way through the entire Tottenham defense before smashing his 13th goal of the season under Keller.

The American keeper did not have a busy day, but he was superb in denying Paul Telfer's sharply angled right-foot shot from 20 yards, palming it away at the near post. Later, Keller handled Rory Delap's well-hit long drive.

On Sunday, Keller again played well in a 2-1 setback to Newcastle United which won its eighth straight in the Premier League. There was little he could do in the 17th minute when Gary Speed opened the scoring from close range, smashing home Andy O'Brien's flicked header which followed Laurent Robert's long throw-in.

Keller denied Newcastle a second goal before the interval when he saved a drive from Aaron Hughes at the base of the left post, but, in the 58th minute, Alan Shearer's 15th goal put Newcastle ahead 2-0. and on the way to its eighth successive Premiership win. A quick throw-in allowed Craig Bellamy to race clear and his cross found Shearer at the far post.

Spurs' only scoring came on an own goal in the 73rd minute.

In an exciting Boxing Day match, Tottenham erased a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 draw againt London rival Charlton United.

Jason Euell put Charlton ahead with a pair of goals, scoring first in the 14th minute after a miscue by defender Chris Perry allowed Kevin Lisbie to run free deep into the Tottenham end. His square pass found an unmarked Euell 12 yards out and he drove a left-footer under Keller.

Charlton nearly went ahead 2-0 when Scott Parker got to a loose ball in the box and drilled his first touch from an acute angle that was denied when Keller dove full-length to his left.

At the start of the second half, Keller made another superb save on a dangerous lob from Claus Jensen. In the 48th minute, Keller wonderfully saved a drive from Euell in the 48th, but the rebound went directly back to Euell who easily put the ball over the fallen Keller for a 2-0 advantage.

Goals from Robbie Keane in the 68th minute and Steffen Iversen in the 87th gave Spurs the tie.

Spurs also played on December 23 and won 3-2 at Manchester City. City started off strongly with Keller forced to save on shots from Eyal Berkovic, Shaun Goater and Nicolas Anelka. There was little he could do, however, when Steve Howey's flicked a header home from Kevin Horlock's free kick.

Unanswered goals by Chris Perry (38th minute), Simon Davies (48th) and Gustavo Poyet (84th) gave Tottenham a 3-1 lead before Keller was beaten on a long, twisting blast from Ali Benarbia in stoppage time.

In England's First Division, American keeper Marcus Hahnemann spent a very wet New Year's Day earning an abbreviated clean sheet for Reading in a 0-0 draw with Leicester City in a match abandoned after 45 minutes when the field was ruled "waterlogged."

Hahnemann made the only real save of the shortened match, stopping Paul Dickov's hard shot from 20 yards six minutes before termination.

On Saturday, Reading ended a long scoring draught by beating Derby 2-1.

Early, Hahnemann was called on to make a fine save on Craig Burley. Nathan Tyson put Reading ahead 1-0 in the fifth minute, an advantage that lasted three minutes when Craig Burley put away a penalty kick.

Hahnemann kept Reading even with a good save on Izale McLeod before a Jamie Cureton goal deep in stoppage time gave Reading its first victory in five matches. Reading did not score in going 0-3-1 in its last four outings.

Two players on loan, Craig Hignett and Richie Partridge, beat Hahnemann to give Coventry a 2-0 Boxing Day triumph over Reading.

Hignett, on loan from Blackburn, got headed a cross past Hahnemann after 39 minutes. Partridge, on loan from Liverpool, made it 2-0 after 52 minutes when he dribbled the ball from the center line, beating three Reading defenders before curling a superb shot past Hahnemann.

Reading, desperate for a goal, sent Hahnemann into the opposing box on a last-minute corner, and he produced a hard shot that was well saved.

U.S. midfielder Eddie Lewis' primary job at Preston North End is to bring the ball forward down the left side and send crosses into the middle. On New Year's Day, in a 2-1 loss to Stoke, he did his job well, especially late, but with little result. Behind by two goals, Lewis found substitute forward Pawel Abbott, but his shot hit the crossbar.

Two minutes into stoppage time, another Lewis cross found Abbott's head, but Stoke keeper Steve Banks tipped the ball over the bar. Lewis took the subsequent corner kick and the ball rolled around in the box before Abbott found net to narrow the deficit to 2-1. Saturday, Lewis did not enter Preston's 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace until the 62nd minute when Tommy Black had already scored twice for the hosts.

On Boxing Day it was just as bad for Preston which fell 2-0 to Rotherham. Lewis started and played decently, getting off several shots, none of which really tested Rotherham keeper Michael Pollitt. Lewis exited after 78 minutes.

Robert Wagman is a SoccerTimes senior correspondent and can be e-mailed at bobwagman@soccertimes.com.