Americans Abroad

Friedel, Rovers romp in FA Cup; Keller is routed.

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

(Sunday, January 5, 2003) -- United States goalkeeper Brad Friedel and Blackburn Rovers had as great a weekend as American keeper Kasey Keller and Tottenham Hotspur had a miserable one as their clubs took on other members of England's Premier League in the FA Cup's third round.

Friedel's solid play allowed Blackburn Rovers to advance with a convincing 4-1 road victory yesterday over Aston Villa.

Early, Blackburn defender Martin Taylor blocked shots from Lee Hendrie and Juan Pablo Angel to protect Friedel who helped his own cause soon after

In the 17th minute, Friedel's huge clearance flew off the head of Villa defender Jlloyd Samuel into the path of Matt Jansen who easily converted for a 1-0 lead.

Villa tied the score on a lucky goal by Angel in the 41st minute. Defender Gareth Barry cut into the penalty area from the left and his low angled shot beat Friedel's dive. Rovers defender James McEveley was on the line to clear the ball but it struck Angel and flew into the corner of the net.

Friedel kept the match tied early in the second half when he denied Angel's powerful shot. Then Dwight Yorke scoed in the 52nd and 71st minutes, sandwiched around and a Jansen strike in the 60th to put the match away.

Keller and Hotspur were routed 4-0 by host Southampton. easy 4-0 win. Spurs clearly missed central defender Dean Richards, out with an Achilles problem. and appeared disorganized in back much of the afternoon.

Southampton broke on top after 13 minutes when Keller was unable to hold striker James Beattie's fierce free kick to the top corner. The ball fell to the feet of Michael Svensson who easily put it away from close range for a 1-0 advantage.

Beattie caused the defense more problems in the 19th minute when he set up Jo Tessem for what looked an easy goal, but this time Keller thwarted the shot. Svensson thought he had a second goal on 33 minutes, but his low drive for the corner was stopped by a brilliant save from Keller who threw himself full length to his left to push the shot wide.

Southampton dominated the second half. In the 50th minute, Wayne Bridge fed Beattie whose defense-splitting pass went to Tessem for an unstoppable shot inside the far post to make it 2-0. Seven minutes later, with Spurs defense in complete disarray, Anders Svensson carried in from 40 yards with three defenders backing off before lashing a hard shot past Keller from 15 yards and a 3-0 lead.

Southampton finished off the scoring in the 79th minute when an unmarked Beattie fired in a rebound of his own sharp header that Keller blocked.

Also in the FA Cup, Preston North End of the First Division, with U.S. midfielder Eddie Lewis on the left flank, continued its run of poor play by falling 2-1 to the Third Division's Rochdale.

Lewis almost gave Preston take an early lead, but his header off Graham Alexander's cross was inches wide. Rochdale goalkeeper Neil Edwards was not called on to make a meaningful save until almost halftime when again it was Lewis whose free kick required Edwards to tip around the post.

North End manager Craig Brown decided to push through the center of the field in the second half and removed Lewis in favor of Lee Cartwright. The change almost paid off when Iain Anderson, another second-half sub, scored in the 48th minute to tie the match at 1-1 However, player-manager Paul Simpson's tally six minutes later gave Rochdale its surprising win.

It was another impressive day for American keeper Marcus Hahnemann and his Reading defense, but a shutout could not get the team through to the fourth round, just a tense 0-0 draw with Walsall. The match between First Division sides will be replayed in two weeks.

The game was dominated by Reading, but shot after shot either hit the woodwork, went inches wide or was saved by Walsall keeper James Walker. The best Walsall chance, one of its few of the afternoon, came on a bullet header from defender Zigor Aranalde in the 74th minute that was stopped by Hahnemann.

U.S. attacker Jovan Kirovski started and played for Birmingham City until he was replaced early in the second half of a 3-1 setback to Fulham in an FA Cup meeting between Premiership sides.

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