Hannover Needs A Few Players

Trouble for Hannover 96 this week, as a stomach bug has taken down seven 1st team squad players. Add that to a few injuries (which includes Steve Cherundolo's strained abdominal muscle) and Hannover will only have 14 players available for today's 2nd Round DFB-Pokal Cup match with Schalke. Of course that could also mean a start or appearance for Sal Zizzo, the young American made his first Bundesliga appearance this past weekend when he came on as a second half sub. That would assume he isn't effected by the stomach virus though, so we'll have to wait and see. Heath Pearce's Hansa Rostock and Michael Bradley's Bor. M'gladbach are also in action tonight, facing off against Eintracht Frankfurt and Energie Cottbus, respectively.

Everton vs. Hull Highlights

Match of the Day Highlights of Tim Howard and Everton's 2-2 draw against Hull from this past weekend. Next up for Everton is a trip to Blackburn for a midweek Carling Cup clash.

San Luis beat Pumas

San Luis topped Pumas, 1-0, this weekend to consolidate their place atop Group 3 in the Primera División's 2008 Apertura. Defender Michael Orozco played 90 minutes for San Luis, who next face Argentinos Juniors in the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday.

Watford Ties Reading, 2-2

By now you've probably heard about the phantom goal scored during the 2-2 draw between Watford and Reading this weekend. If you haven't, however, you can see it in the highlights below. You can also see Watford captain, Jay DeMerit, trying to figure out where the goal came from.



Marcus Hahnemann was also involved in the game for Reading, making 6 saves for the Royals during the game. As a result of the draw, Reading remain in sixth place while Watford continue to struggle in 17th place at the start of the Championship season.

Continental Wrap-Up

-'Gladbach Loses on Bradley's Debut
Michael Bradley made his Borussia M'gladbach debut on Sunday, but his team were unable to get by Hertha Berlin. Midfielder Patrick Paauwe was injured in the pre-game warmup, thus thrusting Bradley into the starting lineup for his first appearance with his new club.


-Rennes Draws at Home
Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes fought out a scoreless tie with AS Nancy on Sunday. The result leaves Rennes in 12th place in Ligue 1, but the point on the road should be a satisfying enough result for the club ahead of next Saturday's encounter with Nice.

-Standard Liege Ready for Top of the Table Clash
Standard Liege and Oguchi Onyewu continued their solid start to the 2008-09 season. A 1-0 victory over Tubize on Sunday took the reigning Belgian League Champions level on points with Anderlecht at the top of the table.

Anderlecht and Standard Liege meet this coming Friday in what will be a crucial early season match-up between the two title favorites in Belgium.

Rostock Ties 2-2

Heath Pearce and Hansa Rostock tied Ahlen 2-2 today in Bundesliga 2 action (that's a lot of 2's). Pearce started at left back for his club side, and played all 90 minutes in the draw. Rostock remain in 10th place in the table and the club's next match comes a week from today against FC St. Pauli.

Carlos' First Goal for Rennes

Carlos Bocanegra scored his first goal for Rennes as his team went on to beat FC Twente, 2-1, in the UEFA Cup. Rennes went down early, but two goals either side of halftime gave the French side an advantage heading into the second leg. Bocanegra and Rennes turn their attention back to Ligue 1 this weekend when travel to face AS Nancy on Sunday.

Gooch vs. Tim, Part 1 Complete

Everton came from behind to draw Standard Liege, 2-2, last night at Goodison Park. Oguchi Onyewu's side took the lead twice in the first half, but Tim Howard and the home team clawed themselves level on both occasions. A 2-2 draw means that the tie is still up in the air heading into next week's return leg. With two away goals, however, the advantage probably sits with the Belgian champions at this point...

Video from Mo's Debut

Here are some extended highlights from Mo Edu's Rangers debut, including an interview with Mo at the end:



A longer interview with Mo:

Gooch vs. Tim

Standard de Liege will open their UEFA Cup campaign on Thursday with a trip to Goodison Park and a matchup against Everton (delayed on Fox Soccer Channel, 5 p.m. ET - though for those of you who want to follow live text updates, you can do so on UEFA.com). The game puts two stalwarts of the U.S. defense head-to-head, as Oguchi Onyewu will not be standing guard in front of Tim Howard as we have become so acccustomed to seeing. We wondered what is like to square off against a teammate with whom you have shared so many important moments in your career ... so we asked Gooch.

ussoccer.com: What’s it like going up against a U.S. teammate in match as big as a UEFA Cup match?

Gooch: “Now that I think about it, this is the first time that I’ve played in a UEFA Cup game against another American. It should be fun. It will be a lot more fun if the results go our way.”

ussoccer.com: Is it strange to be playing against Tim, particularly when you work so closely together in the U.S. defense?

Gooch: “Definitely different than what I’m usually doing with him. Timmy is my boy and all, but for 90 minutes he’s going to be my adversary. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get the ball past him.”

ussoccer.com: Have your teammates asked you for the scouting report on him?

Gooch: “Yes. You can’t say too much about him other than he’s a great goalkeeper.”

ussoccer.com: What do you think he’s telling them about you?

Gooch: “I don’t like to cite my weaknesses, but I’m sure if I have any he is telling his coaches about it and they will try to expose them.”

ussoccer.com: Coming off such a great season in Belgium, how is the team’s mood as you head to the UK?

Gooch: “It feels like yesterday we were coming away from that. We’re confident. We know they are a big club, and it’s always a good atmosphere when you play a Premiership club. Everton has aspirations to go far in UEFA Cup. Even though we are from a smaller country, I’m sure they respect us.”

Brescia Stuck in 1st Gear

After narrowly missing promotion to Serie A last season, Danny Szetela and Brescia have sputtered at the start of their league campaign this time around. Three draws from three games have left them in the lower half of the Serie B table, bu then again those ties are always better than losses. Danny Szetela played 90 minutes for Brescia in this weekend's 1-1 draw with Bari:

Rennes Ties Le Havre 1-1

Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes tied Le Havre, 1-1, this past weekend. Up next for the U.S. Captain and his team: a date with Twente in the UEFA Cup on Thursday...

Edu Debuts for Rangers

Maurice Edu made his rangers debut this past weekend, earning a spot in his side's starting 11 against Kilmarnock. Rangers overcame a 1st half deficit en route to a victory that took them took them top of the Scottish Premier League table. DaMarcus Beasley also started the game for Rangers, who next face Motherwell on Sept. 21.

You can read about Mo's debut on the Rangers website. Click here.

Podcasts from the MNT Blog

Our good friend the MNT Blog has podcasts with two regular contributors to the Global Blog, Carlos Bocanegra and Maurice Edu. Check out both the podcasts here...