MICHAEL BRADLEY (HEERENVEEN)

The News: Michael Bradley extended his rich vein of goalscoring form with two goals in Heerenveen’s 3-0 win over De Graafschap on Saturday. With the victory Heerenveen move up to second place in the Eredivisie table.

Of Note: Undoubtedly inspired by his excellent podcast performance yesterday, Michael scored in the 20th minute before adding an insurance goal for his team late in the second half. The two goals give Michael 15 in all competitions, and five in his last four games. Meanwhile, Heerenveen jumps three spots in the table, though most teams around them play tomorrow.

Michael's goals today put him second all time for most goals by a U.S. international in a European first division domestic league season. With eleven tallies, Bradley passes former MNT players Eric Wynalda and Brian McBride who each scored nine times. Wynalda achieved that mark with Saarbruecken in the Bundesliga during the 1992/93 season, while McBride was Fulham’s leading scorer last year in the Premier League. Earnie Stewart, who scored 17 times in his debut season at Dutch club Willem II in 1990/91, currently holds the record.


Up Next: After three games in seven days, Heerenveen have a full week’s rest before hosting Vitesse Arnhem next Saturday.

MICHAEL BRADLEY (HEERENVEEN)

In the middle of his record-setting season, Heerenveen’s Michael Bradley took time to speak to the Global Blog. We asked the dynamic midfielder about his team's good form this year and the prospects for the rest of the season as Heerenveen look to push towards the top of the table. Of course, despite being in Europe, Michael still is following the MNT, and as mentioned in the interview, he relaxed after a recent club game by taking a look at the USA v Sweden game on his TiVo.

Tomorrow, Heerenveen face De Graafschap as Bradley’s club looks for three more points in pursuit of PSV at the top of the table.

Listen to the whole podcast here, and be sure to check back to see if Heerenveen make it their third win in a row tomorrow.

EDDIE JOHNSON (FULHAM)

Welcome to U.S. Soccer Global, Eddie! Following the approval of his work permit Wednesday, Eddie Johnson becomes the fifth American on the Cottagers roster, joining Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Kasey Keller and Brian McBride.

Following the announcement of his transfer, Eddie sat down with ussoccer.com to talk about the next phase of his professional career.

MICHAEL BRADLEY (HEERENVEEN)

Michael Bradley continue his searing club form tonight, scoring once and also providing an assist in Heerenveen's emphatic 5-1 victory over VVV Venlo. Bradley scored the first goal for Heerenveen and assisted on the second, as his club went on to route struggling VVV.

The goal is Bradley's 13th in all competitions, and Heerenveen climbed to fourth place with the victory. Next they play De Graafschap on Saturday.

Eddie Johnson Signs with Fulham

We now have a new addition to the Global Blog: Eddie Johnson! Today the 23 year old finalized a deal with Fulham FC after being granted a work permit.

You can read about the deal on Fulham’s website.

Roy Hodgson has been digging into the transfer market pretty heavily this January, you can read about some prospective dealings of his here.

Fulham slipped out of the FA Cup last night, after losing in a shootout to Bristol Rovers. Clint Dempsey and Carlos Bocanegra played all 120 minutes.

In some good news, however, Kasey Keller played the full 90 minutes of a training match behind closed doors. Read about it here.

Fulham face Bolton this weekend and Johnson could be thrown right into the fray. The Cottagers desperately need points as they remained marooned in the relegation zone.

WEEKEND WRAP UP

On Sunday, West Ham faced Manchester City for the second time in a week, after the two teams met in the FA Cup this past Wednesday. Sunday’s match went a bit better for the Hammers, as they earned a valuable point on the road in the City of Manchester Stadium. Jonathan Spector came off the bench in the 90th minute to make his second appearance of the week.

Fulham suffered defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Saturday. Clint Dempsey and Carlos Bocanegra both played 90 minutes in the loss.

Derby and Reading were also on the losing end of their games against Portsmouth and Man U respectively. For Reading, Bobby Convey and Marcus Hahnemann both started. While Eddie Lewis came off he bench for the Rams.

In the Championship, Jay DeMerit went 90 minutes but Watford’s promotion charge was pegged back by a 1-1 draw with fellow Premier League challengers Charlton.

TIM HOWARD (EVERTON)

Everton moved into the top four after a 2-1 win against Wigan on Sunday. Tim Howard made 4 saves for Everton, who next face Chelsea in the crucial second leg of the Carling Cup semifinals. The Toffees need to overturn a one-goal deficit on Wednesday to advance the finals. That game, which is at Goodison Park, will be televised on Setanta, with kickoff at 2 pm ET. We suggest taking a long lunch hour that day…

MICHAEL BRADLEY (HEERENVEEN)

The News: Michael Bradley scored and had an assist in Heerenveens’s 4-0 destruction of AZ Alkmaar yesterday.

Of Note: Bradley assisted on the third goal, and then got on the scoresheet himself to cap Heerenveen’s win on Saturday. The three points push Heerenveen into 6th place, as they look to qualify for Europe next year. For Bradley, it was his twelfth goal on the season, and eighth in the Eredivisie.
Michael's assist...
Michael's goal, Heerenveen's fourth...

Up Next: Heerenveen take on VVV Venlo on Wednesday in a midweek matchup, and then face De Graafschap next Saturday. With both opponents struggling in the lower half of the table, Heerenveen will look for six points to keep pace with leaders PSV.

MICHAEL BRADLEY (HEERENVEEN)

The News: Michael Bradley was on the scoresheet again, but Heerenveen were pegged back with a 2-2 draw against FC Utrecht.

Of Note: Bradley’s one-timed finish was his 11th of the season in all competitions and gave Heerenveen a 2-0 lead in the game.

Utrecht fought back, though, and tied the game at two in the second half. Heerenveen had a golden chance to seal three points in the 80th minute, but striker Gerald Sibon had his penalty kick saved by Utrecht’s keeper.

Up Next: There’s a bit of a logjam at the top of the Eredivisie table: seven teams are separated by eight points. Heerenveen will look to return to their winning ways when they host AZ Alkmaar on Saturday the 19th.

Saturday Wrap

After last week’s FA Cup action, the Premier League kicked back into gear on Saturday.

Everton climbed to fifth place in the table following a 1-0 victory against Manchester City. Tim Howard made three saves, and the Toffees defended well as a team en route to their seventh home win of the campaign.

Reading suffered a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa at Villa Park. Marcus Hahnemann made 12 saves in the losing effort, while Bobby Convey came off the bench in the second half for the Royals.

Meanwhile, West Ham United defeated London neighbors Fulham at Upton Park. Jonathan Spector continued his run in the Hammers’ side, going 90 minutes in the 2-1 win. On the other side, Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey were again in the starting lineup for the Cottagers. Bocanegra was removed after 14 minutes with a head injury – we’ll be sure to keep you updated on that developing situation. Speaking of injuries, Brian McBride is back in first team training for Fulham. You can read about his return here.


Over in Portugal, Freddy Adu came off the bench in Benfica’s 0-0 against Leixoes. Adu entered the game in 79th minute but could only help Benfica to a point as the club remains in 2nd place in the league.

TIM HOWARD (EVERTON)

The News: Tim Howard and Everton went down 2-1 to Chelsea in the first leg of the Carling Cup Semifinal on Tuesday.

Of Note: Everton came from behind, powered by a Yakubu goal, and looked to be heading for a draw at Stamford Bridge. However an unlucky own goal by Joleon Lescott deep in injury time gave Chelsea the narrowest of victories.


Chelsea.v.Everton.First.LG.wmv

Up Next: Tim Howard and his club will now have to overturn a 1 goal deficit when the sides meet again for the return leg on January 23rd. First though, Everton hosts Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday.

More FA Cup

Fulham came from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw against Bristol Rovers on Sunday. Clint Dempsey and Carlos Bocanegra both played the full 90 minutes for the Cottagers, who face West Ham in a Premier League London derby next Saturday.

Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday also played to a 2-2 outcome. Eddie Lewis started for the Rams on the left wing.

FA Cup Saturday

The Premier League is taking a week off after a busy holiday period, but the clubs themselves don’t get the luxury of rest: The FA Cup third round takes place this weekend.

Watford earned passage to the fourth round by defeating fellow Championship side Crystal Palace 2-0. Jay DeMerit played 90 minutes in the center of defense for the hornets, who face Preston next week when league play resumes.

Reading drew 2-2 with Tottenham, forcing a replay that will be contested at the Madjski stadium on January 15. Bobby Convey featured at left midfield in a Royals side that will fancy its chances against Spurs at home.

West Ham and Jonathan Spector will also be playing a third round replay after the Hammers fought out a scoreless 90 minutes with Manchester City. Spector came on at halftime for West Ham, who resume Premier League duties next Saturday against Fulham.

Finally, Everton and Tim Howard slumped to defeat against League One side Oldham. The Toffees will now look to regroup ahead of next weeks semifinal clash against Chelsea in the Carling Cup.