Pachuca Downed in Santiago

José Torres and Pachuca fell 1-0 to Universidad de Chile in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores preliminary round on Wednesday. Torres started for Pachuca, who will have to make up the one goal deficit in the return leg in Mexico next Wednesday.

Everton Draw with Arsenal

A late Robin Van Persie goal rendered honors even Goodison Park, as Tim Howard and Everton shared the points with visiting Arsenal. After the late slip, Everton have no time to rest, and they face the league leaders Manchester United on Saturday. Howard will suit up against his former club, while Everton look to improve on their sixth place standing in the league.

Fulham Stumble at Sunderland

Fulham and Clint Dempsey fell to a 1-0 defeat away to Sunderland on Tuesday, with T&T international Kenwyne Jones scoring the only goal of the game. Dempsey went the full 90 for the Cottagers, who will look to get back on track this coming weekend against Portsmouth.

Bayern Through to Next Round

Bayen Munich demolished VFB Stuttgart 5-1 in the DFB Pokal Cup on Tuesday. Landon Donovan entered the game as a second half sub, replacing Luca Toni in the 67th minute to make his competitive debut for Bayern. Up next for Bayern is a match against Hamburg on Saturday, as the Bundesliga commences its second half of the season.

Donovan Could Debut

Bayern Munich begin the second half of the season tonight, as they face VFB Stuttgart in a Cup match from the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Landon Donovan could be in line for his competitive debut tonight, as Bayern look to advance to the final 16 of Germany's cup competition. We'll try to put up some highlights here later today/tonight, so check back to see if Donovan makes his first official appearance for Bayern Munich.

Left Unsettled - Liverpool and Everton Will Meet Once More

Liverpool and Everton drew their fourth round FA Cup game 1-1, with Steven Gerrard canceling out Joleon Lescott's first half goal to force a replay to be held at Goodison Park. Meeting for the second time in the space of six days, Tim Howard and Everton put in a dogged defensive performance to ensure another meeting between the two sides, this time on the Toffee's home turf. On the back foot for much of the afternoon, Everton got a big performance from Howard, who made eight saves in the draw. The FA Cup 4th round replay will be held on Feb. 4.

Liege Leave it Late

Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege got a goal five minutes from time to earn a 1-0 victory over Westero in the Belgian League. Liege are still in second place, one point behind leaders Anderlecht.

Rennes into Final 16

Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes advanced to the last 16 of the Coupe de France with a 2-0 win over St. Etienne yesterday. Two goals from Jimmy Briand were the difference for Rennes, who get back to Ligue 1 action with a match against Toulouse next week.

Orozco and Torres Do Battle in Mexico

San Luis hosted Pachuca last night in Primera División action from Mexico. Michael Orozco went the full 90 for San Luis, but his team was on the losing end of a 2-1 scoreline. José Torres entered the game as a second half sub for Pachuca, who next face Universidad de Chile in their opening match of the Copa Libertadores.

Dempsey Gets Assist in Win

Clint Dempsey assisted on Fulham's first goal as the cottagers ran out to a 4-2 win over Kettering Town in the FA Cup. Dempsey played 90 minutes for Fulham, who have been drawn against Swansea in round five of the knockout tournament.

Watford to face Chelsea in FA Cup

Jay DeMerit scored the opening goal of Watford's 4-3 win over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup yesterday. Up next? Chelsea. Watford will host the London club on Feb. 14 in the 5th round of the touranment. Jay had some comments on the match, saying ""It's a tough game of course but this is what we play for. Ever since I've been here we've never been short of cup runs and it's always good to get in these situations.''

Here's DeMerit speaking to skysports.com about the tie. Over at The Mirror, Jay says that the team hopes this can kick start a good run of form in the Championship, where things haven't been going so well for Watford.


Watch (SoccerforYankees.com) FA Cup 1/24/09 Watford v Crystal Palace in Sports Online | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Bocanegra and Rennes Aim High

Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes had an excellent start to the season, going 17 games unbeaten to close out 2008. The unbeaten streak has ended, but Rennes will look to back to their winning ways this weekend, as they take on St. Etienne in the Coupe de France.

Carlos spoke to Ligue 1's official website during the week, and said that Rennes are pushing to keep pace with leaders Lyon. Read the whole interview in English here.

Here's a quote from the article where Carlos talks about the club's goals for the season:

"Our ambitions have not changed but they have become more realistic. Why shouldn't we aim for top spot? It will be difficult as there are some good teams both behind us and in front of us but we are very much in the mix. Lyon are only five points ahead of us so why not?"

Rennes are in fourth in the table, but with three points next weekend against Toulouse, they can potentially leapfrog Marseille in the third spot. Stay tuned...

Donovan Scores Twice for Bayern

Landon Donovan continued spurt of good form for Bayern, as the on-loan LA Galaxy forward scored twice in a 5-0 victory over lower division side Mainz. Donovan came on as a second half sub and played the last half hour. The two goals take his pre-season tally to four for Bayern. Check out the full highlights of the game below:

Better Look at a Great Goal

For those of you who missed Michael Bradley's great volley from earlier this week, here it is again - this time with a better frame rate:

Extended Highlights of Bayern Friendly

Here are extended highlights of Bayern Munich's friendly against Kaiserslautern from earlier today:

Donovan Scores in Bayern Friendly

Landon Donovan scored in Bayern Munich's friendly against Kaiserslautern on Monday. Bayern has returned from their stint in Dubai, and Donovan scored a late header to seal a 2-0 victory. Donovan entered the game as a substitute in the second half.

Rennes Finally Lose

Rennes unbeaten run finally came to an end this past weekend, after Carlos Bocanegra's team lost 1-0 to Lille. The loss dropped Rennes to 4th place in the Ligue 1 table, five points behind leaders Lyon. Bocanegra and Rennes will look to get back on track with next Saturday's Coupe de France game against St. Etienne. Rennes' next League match comes against Toulouse on Jan. 31.

Fulham Lose to West Ham

Fulham dropped to 10th in the table, as London rivals West Ham Utd. leapfrogged the Cottagers in the table with a 3-1 victory. Clint Dempsey played the full 90 minutes but Fulham fell to their first defeat in ten games. Next up for Fulham is a trip to Kettering Town in the 4th round of the FA Cup next Saturday.

Pachuca Starts with Win

Pachuca and Jose Torres started their 2009 Clausura with a 4-1 win over Tigres. Torres started the game and played the first half before being subbed at halftime. Pachuca next faces San Luis.

San Luis Tie to Start Clausura

Michael Orozco and San Luis tied Morelia 0-0 in the first week of the Mexican Primera División's 2009 Clausura. Orozco played the full 90 minutes for San Luis, who take on José Torres and Pachuca next week.

Liege Keep Pace

Standard Liege kept pace with Anderlecht, Oguchi Onyewu's side winning 3-2 over Dender on Saturday. Gooch was on the wrong end of an own goal for Liege, but it didn't stop the reiging champions from taking all three points to remain just one point behind the leaders.

Fulham Set for West Ham

Clint Dempsey and Fulham face London rivals West Ham Utd. at Upton Park on Sunday. Jonathan Spector, just coming back to full fitness for the Hammers, could also make an appearance in the squad.

Dempsey recently took December's Player of the Month Award for Fulham and he'll be looking to continue his good form for the club, who have climbed up to 9th in the table.

Bradley's Goal

As we figured out this morning at breakfast in the MNT Camp, Michael Bradley actually scored a goal in yesterday's win over Grasshopper. The person who informed us of our mistake: Bob Bradley. Awkward. Next time, the Global Blog won't try to read German. Anyhow here is said goal:

'Gladbach Wins in Friendly

Borussia Mönchengladbach is in the midst of their winter training camp, as Michael Bradley's club prepares for the second half of the Bundesliga season. Today 'Gladbach took on Grasshopper Zurich of Switzerland, with Bradley getting an assist in a 4-2 win.

'Gladbach get Bundesliga action underway in two weeks when they take on VFB Stuttgart on Jan. 31.

Kljestan Training with Celtic

Sacha Kljestan has departed MNT Camp in Carson, Calif. The midfielder is headed for Glasgow where he'll be training with Celtic.

Meanwhile, on the other half of the Old Firm, DaMarcus Beasley says he's prepared to battle for his place at Rangers. Hopefully he can do just that when Rangers face Falkirk on Saturday

Donovan Scores in Bayern Friendly

Bayern Munich got by side Al-Wehda last night, beating the Saudi Arabian side 3-1. Donovan came on as a halftime sub and, after hitting the bar with a header, scored the final goal of the game. No word on whether Franck Ribery drove the team bus to the game.




Also, here's a Bild interview with Donovan after the game.

Highlights from Rennes' Win

Over the weekend Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes were victorious in a game against Grenoble. Check out the highlights:

Pachuca Prevail in Shootout; Copa Libertadores Awaits

Pachuca and Jose Torres faced Atlas in Interliga play last night. After taking a 3-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, Los Tuzos looked to be heading for an easy victory. Not so! Atlas fought back to tie the game at 3-3, sending the match into extra time. What followed was an excruiatingly long shootout, featuring 13 rounds of shooters:


Torres scored his pk and Pachuca qualified for the Copa Libertadores, joining Chivas and Michael Orozco's San Luis as the clubs representing Mexico in South America's equivalent of the Champions League.

San Luis have already qualified for the group stage, and they've been drawn into Group 8 with Argentina's San Lorenzo, Paraguay's Libertad, and Peru's Universitario?

Pachuca's road is much tougher, as they have to face a preliminary home and away playoff with Universidad de Chile in order to gain entry to the group stage. Those games are set for Jan. 28 and Feb. 4...

Szetela Interview

Serie B is currently on an extended break, but Danny Szetela played 89 minutes in Brescia's 1-0 win over Grosseto on Dec. 19, the last game before the hiatus.



Brescia are sitting at seventh in the Serie B table, and Szetela knows his team as what it takes to challenge for promotion at the end of the year. Check out an interview with the U.S. midfiedler over at soccernet.com

Everton Grab 2-0 Win

Tim Howard and Everton earned a 2-0 win over Hull City on Saturday. Howard needed to make only two saves in the win, as Hull City couldn't muster too much going forward. The win is a good boost for the Toffees ahead of two back to back games with Liverpool in the Premier League and the FA Cup.

Donovan Starts in Bayern Friendly

Landon Donovan started up front for Bayern Munich in a friendly with Al Jazira on Saturday. Donovan partnered Luca Toni up front during the first half, and the American international got an assist on Bayern's first goal. In the second half Miroslave Klose came in for Toni, as Donovan played the full 90 minutes for Bayern, who won 3-2.

Rennes Gain Ground on Lyon

Rennes and Carlos Bocanegra enjoyed a 1-0 victory over Grenoble this weekend, earning three points that came with the added boost of a Lyon draw. The French champions couldn't get by Lorient, drawing 1-1, and Lyon are now just two points behind the leaders. Up next for Rennes is match with Lille a week from today.

Fulham Match Postponed

Clint Dempsey and Fulham won't face Blackburn today at Craven Cottage. The pitch is frozen.

Jozy Rumor?

According to Skysports.com, Everton "have made an approach" to Villarreal about Jozy Altidore. Who knows if this has any truth to it, but Everton's struggles to keep strikers fit are well documented. Nonetheless it's hard to see Villarreal wanting to let one of their youngest players go. Hooray for the January Transfer Window!

Back to things that matter, as Villarreal face a massive derby with Valencia on Saturday. Villarreal have slipped a bit in recent weeks, falling down to seventh in the table. You can see this game live on Gol TV on Saturday, with kickoff coming at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Adu Plays in Friendly

Freddy Adu played for Monaco during a midseason friendly against Italian side Juventus. Adu started in attack for Monaco and drew a penalty in the 35th minute, which Jerko Leko took to give his side the lead. Juventus eventually equalized, but Monaco prevailed 5-4 on penalties.

You can see Adu get chopped down around the 53 second mark in these highlights:

History Lesson

George Santayana once said "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to think that Chelsea and Hoffenheim have been good sides for a long period of time." Or something pretty close to that. Anyhow, Borussia Mönchengladbach have put up a video on their English language site that details some the club's storied past. Definitely worth a look.

Michael Bradley and his team are just getting back to training for the second half of the Bundesliga season, and though the first half didn't go to plan, there's still a long way to go. 'Gladbach have added to their team as well, signing four players - Brazilian defender Dante (Standard Liege), goalkeeper Logan Bailly (KRC Genk), Paul Stalteri (Tottenham Hotspur), and former captain of the Czech Republic, Tomas Galasek (Banik Ostrava).

There are lots of connections to the MNT in that group - Dante played with Gooch at Standard Liege, Stalteri was on loan at Fulham last year during the club's remarkable battle against relegation last season, and Galasek was the captain when the Czech Republic face the U.S. in the 2006 FIFA World Cup...

Interview with Jose Torres

Here's an ESPN Deportes interview with Jose Torres from earlier this week. Pachuca and Torres are taking part in Interliga (The Interliga? Interliga play? whatever.) and they defeated UAG 4-0 on Sunday.



Over at the NYT Goal Blog, Jack Bell has transcribed a bit of what Jose says during the chat. Head over there to check it out!

Vote for Clint?

Clint Dempsey is up for Fulham's December Player of the Month Award following his spirited displays at the end of 2008. Clint scored three times last month, including a memorable double against Chelsea. Head over to Fulham's website to cast your vote in their poll! Vote here!

Smith Stands by Edu

Rangers' manager Walter Smith tells skysports.com and BBC Sports that fans need to show patience when looking at the club's recent young signings. That includes Maurice Edu, and here's what Smith had to say on the matter:

"I felt we had to bring in a few younger players and it always takes a little bit of time for them to settle in... Edu will play a big part for Rangers in the coming years, I've no doubt about that. But it does take them [the young players] a little time to settle and at Rangers you have to have experienced players around you as well."

That's probably reassuring news for a lot of U.S. fans out there, since Edu's first team opportunities have been limited recently. After all, it's always nice to see MNT players succeed at their clubs. However, transitions take time and there is an endless list of players who face criticism when they transfer to new clubs and later go on to prove themselves.

In fact the Global Blog itself endured an appalling run of form after its initial inception in the blogosphere, facing harsh criticism from fans and other, better operated blogs (MNT and WNT Blogs, we're looking at you!). Only recently has it elevated itself to the world class level (*sarcastic cough) that it operates at today. Point is: Have patience!

Landon Touches Down in Germany*

*And by Germany we mean Dubai since that's where the German Champions are conducting their winter training camp.

Landon Donovan has commenced his loan move to Bayern Munich, arriving in Munich camp just after the new year. He trained with Bayern on Friday and over the weekend, and here's an interview from Bayern's website. Here's a bit of what Landon had to say:

"I'm pleased and very excited to be here. My goal is to become part of the team as quickly as possible. I'm confident it'll work out...I've grown up, especially mentally. I'm more experienced and mentally stronger, and I know what to expect here."

There's still a ways to go in the Bundesliga's month long break, so Donovan will have a few more weeks in training before coming back to league action. Second place Bayern takes on fourth place Hamburg on Friday, Jan. 30 so stay tuned to see how things are progressing over in Munich...

Picture from Bayern Munich's Official Website

Interliga is On!

Oh Yes! The wait is over: Interliga is back! Jose Torres played the full game during Pachuca's 4-0 win over Tecos! Higlights below! Exclamation Points!

FA Cup Results

• Clint Dempsey and Fulham advanced to the fourth round with a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. The Cottagers face a trip to Rockingham Road to meet Conference National side Kettering Town.
• Somehow these highlights have managed to stay on YouTube. Shhhh....
  
• Watford and Jay DeMerit saw off Scunthorpe United to earn a fourth round date with either Crystal Palace or Leicester City. Glamorous!
• Everton avoided the proverbial banana peel when edged past Macclesfield Town with a 1-0 victory. Tim Howard and the Toffees will now meet their bitter rivals Liverpool in the next round. That game will be held at Anfield on the weekend of Jan. 24.
  

Rennes Rolls On

Stade Rennes and Carlos Bocanegra started 2009 where they left off, beating Souchaux 1-0 in the 7th Round of the Coupe de France. Carlos Bocanegra played the full ninety, and a Moussa Sow goal in the 70th minute was enough to send Rennes into the next round of the cup. See the goal here.

FA Cup Weekend

In England, the hectic League schedule gives way to the FA Cup for this weekend. The third round of football's oldest competition sees the insertion of Premier League clubs into the fray. Here's what's going on this weekend:

• Everton face a trip to League Two side Macclesfield, as Tim Howard and company will look to advance past the stage where they were knocked out last year by Oldham. Everton are beset with injuries and the latest news is that Louis Saha is out for an additional month (um...big surprise, cough). Apparently the pitch at Moss Rose, Macclesfield's ground, is having a shocker but the latest is that the game is set to go ahead.
• Fulham and Clint Dempsey travel to Hillsborough to take on Frank Simek and Sheffield Wednesday. Like Everton, Fulham have been knocked out in this stage in the past two years, but this time around things are set up a bit different. The Cottagers are riding a nine game unbeaten run which has taken them into the top half of the table. Here's a video preview of the game over at Fulham's website. Simek has recently returned to full fitness for Wednesday, who are in 13th place in the Championship, and a recall to the side could be in order.
• Aston Villa take on Gillingham, with Brad Guzan's team looking to build on recent league success. Six of the past seven years they've been knocked out at this stage, so a win against the League Two outfit would do nicely. Guzan has played in other cup matches this year for Martin O'Neil's side, so he could be in line to make the start on Sunday.
• Other matches of interest include: Jonathan Spector and West Ham United taking on Barnsley, Jay DeMerit and Watford meeting Scunthorpe United, and Eddie Johnson and Cardiff City going up against Reading.
  

Villarreal Travel to the Capital

Villarreal travel to Madrid to face Real Madrid on Sunday, as the Yellow Submarine looks to start 2009 out with a big win. Jozy Altidore's team hasn't beat Real Madrid in 10 years, but with the reigning champions struggling this could be the weekend where that changes.

Both sides are level on 29 points in the table and a win here would strengthen either sides claim to second spot in a congested top half of the table (excluding Barcelona who are currently 10 points clear of Atl. Madrid in second spot). Off the field, Villarreal's captain, Marcos Senna, is denying (or flirting with, depending on who you believe) a move to Manchester City. Will transfer window drama effect the side?

The game takes place on Sunday, with kickoff coming at 1:00 p.m. ET. You can see the game live (we think) on Gol TV...

Happy New Year!

The Global Blog wishes all of you out there a Happy New Year! Now lets get down to business - it's been an action packed year for our guys abroad, and for most of them the season is only half over. Here's what's been going on so far this term for some MNT players:

Tim Howard (Everton, English Premier League) – After a slow start to the Premier League season, Everton have picked things up significantly, and the Toffees are up to sixth in the table. Tim Howard has continued as his reliable self in the Everton goal, setting a unique record in November and keeping four clean sheets in a row during December.
Premier League – 20 apps (20 starts), 7 Clean Sheets
Carling Cup – 1 app (1 start)
UEFA Cup – 2 apps (2 starts)

Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, Ligue 1) – In his first season on the continent, Bocanegra is adapting seamlessly to life in Ligue 1. After moving from Fulham in the summer, Bocanegra has slotted into the Rennes backline as a left back, and he’s appeared in all nineteen league games thus far. Rennes are up to third place in Ligue 1 and maintain a seventeen match unbeaten run heading into 2009.
Ligue 1 – 19 apps (19 starts)

Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege, Belgian Juplier League) – Onyewu continues to make an impression at Standard Liege in Belgium. You don’t have to dig to deep to hear his name being tossed around during this month’s transfer window frenzy. After taking the league title last year, Liege are playing catch-up this time around – they currently sit in third place. In the UEFA Cup, the team has confidently progressed to the next round, where they’ll take on S.C. Braga of Portugal in Februay.
Jupiler League – 16 apps (15 starts)
UEFA Cup – 6 apps (6 starts), 1 goal
Coupe de Belgigue – 1 app (1 start)

Clint Dempsey (Fulham, English Premier League) – After starting the season as a frequently used substitute, Dempsey worked his way into the starting lineup, where he has remained a constant fixture for the past two months. Fulham enjoyed an excellent holiday period, taking 5 points from three games, with Dempsey’s two goals against Chelsea the highlight for Cottagers fans.
Premier League - 16 apps (9 starts), 4 goals
Carling Cup – 1 app (1 start)

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, English Premier League) – El Guzano has spent the majority of his first few months in England backing up Brad Friedel in the Aston Villa goal during Premier League games. Guzan has made four appearances in other competitions, including 3 starts in the UEFA Cup, where Villa have progressed to the knockout round to face CSKA Moscow in February.
UEFA Cup – 3 apps (3 starts), 1 Clean Sheet
Carling Cup – 1 app (1 start)

Freddy Adu (AS Monaco, Ligue 1)*
Ligue 1 – 9 apps (0 starts)
*On loan from SL Benfica

Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach, German Bundesliga)
Bundesliga - 11 apps (9 starts), 1 goal

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover96, German Bundesliga)
Bundesliga 14 apps (13 starts), 1 assist
DFB Pokal Cup 1 app (1 start), 1 assist

Jozy Altidore (Villarreal, La Liga)
La Liga - 6 apps (2 starts), 1 goal
Copa del Rey - 2 apps (2 starts)

José Torres (Pachuca, Primera División de México)
Apertura 2008 – 13 apps (8 starts), 1 goal
FIFA World Club Cup – 3 apps (2 starts),

Michael Orozco (San Luis, Primera División de México)
Apertura 2008 – 8 apps (8 starts)

Danny Szetela (Brescia, Serie B)
Serie B – 9 apps (8 starts)
Coppa Italia – 1 app (1 start)

Jonathan Spector (West Ham Utd., English Premier League)
Premier League – 1 app

DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers, Scottish Premier League)
SPL - 8 apps (4 starts), 0 goals
CIS Cup - 1 app (1 start)

Maurice Edu (Rangers, Scottish Premier League)
SPL - 1 app (1 start)
CIS Cup - 1 app (1 start)

Eddie Johnson (Cardiff City, English Championship)*
English Championship – 15 apps (3 starts), 2 assists
Carling Cup – 2 apps (2 starts)
*on loan from Fulham

Jay DeMerit (Watford, English Championship)
English Championship – 18 apps (17 starts)
Carling Cup – 3 apps (3 starts)

Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday, English Championship)
English Championship – 3 apps (2 starts)