Everton Take Easy Win

Everton and Tim Howard gained ground on struggling Arsenal with a 2-0 win over struggling West Brom. Howard made five saves in the winning effort, while Everton are now unbeaten in three games.

Saturday Results

• Maurice Edu went 90 minutes for Rangers in their 1-0 win over Hamilton Academical.

• Michael Bradley scored from the penalty spot but it proved to be in vain as Borussia Mönchengladbach went down 2-1 to Hertha Berlin.

• Steve Cherundolo returned to the starting lineup for Hannover 96 who won 1-0 against Bayer Leverkusen.

• Tim Howard kept a clean sheet as Everton beat relegation-threatened West Brom 2-0 at Goodison Park.
• Clint Dempsey and Fulham fought hard for a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal.
• Jay DeMerit and Watford beat Crystal palace 2-0 to climb up to 17th in the English League Championship table.
• José Francisco Torres and Pachuca lost 5-0 to Chivas.
  

What We're Watching

Saturday

7:40 a.m. - Everton vs. West Brom, Setanta - Tim Howard and Everton clash against bottom-of-the-table West Brom in the early match on Saturday morning. West Brom will be going for their first win at Goodison Park in 30 years.

10 a.m. - Arsenal vs. Fulham, FSC - Clint Dempsey and Fulham travel to the Emirates Stadium where Arsenal will be putting their unbeaten home record on the line in a London derby. Check out a video preview of the game here.

Sunday

7:25 a.m. - West Ham vs. Manchester City, Setanta - Jonathan Spector will look to make his second consecutive Premier League start in a game where former Hammer Craig Bellamy's return to Upton Park with new team Manchester City is the main storyline.

11 a.m. - Werder Bremen vs. Bayern Munich, Gol TV - Bayern Munich and Landon Donovan travel to the Weserstadion to face Werder Bremen on Sunday. Bayern thrashed Sporting Lisbon mdiweek, and will look to carry that form into the Bundesliga where they've suffered a recent dip in form.


2:55 p.m. - Lyon vs. Rennes, Setanta - In a match that could have major title implications, Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes face league leaders Lyon at the Stade Gerland. Rennes, who beat Lyon earlier in the year, are 10 points away from Lyon, but a win for Rennes could pull themselves (and the rest of the chasing pack) closer to the seven-time league champions.

MNT Players Sent Packing

A tough night for MNT players in the UEFA Cup, as both Aston Villa and Standard Liege were eliminated from European competition. Brad Guzan and Aston Villa went down 2-0 to CSKA Moscow (3-1 on aggregate) while Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege bowed out meekly with a 1-1 draw to Braga (4-1 on aggregate).

Tough Start for San Luis

Michael Orozco and San Luis fell 1-0 to Paraguayan side Libertad in a Group 8 Copa Libertadores clash last night. Orozco went 90 minutes for San Luis, who were undone by an early Luis Ramírez goal. The loss drops San Luis to the bottom of Group 8. Next up in the Copa Libertadores is a match away to Universitario of Perú on Mar. 10.

Better Highlights: Gladbach v Hannover

Some longer highlights from Gladbach's 3-2 win over Hannover this weekend:

Better Highlights: Nice v Rennes

Forgot to link to this from a few days ago...

Short Highlights from Fulham's Win

That about says it all...

Dempsey Scores as Fulham Progress

Fulham progressed to the sixth round of the FA Cup, courtesy of tonight's 2-1 win over Swansea. Clint Dempsey scored the tying goal for Fulham, who had gone behind early in the second half. Dempsey turned home a Simon Davies corner in the 77th minute, before teammate Bobby Zamora scored four minutes later to seal Fulham's passage to the quarterfinals. There they will meet Manchester United. Come back later as we scour the internet for highlights...

Brad Guzan on Life in England

MNT Goalkeeper Brad Guzan caught up with us at ussoccer.com and we asked the Aston Villa goalkeeper about his first season in the Premier League, preparations for this week's UEFA Cup game with CSKA Moscow, and his experience so far in World Cup qualifying.

Listen to the full podcast here.


Image courtesy of isiphotos.com

Better Highlights: Newcastle v Everton

Hard to get better highlights of this 0-0 snoozer but we tried...


On another note, Everton received some bad news today when it was revealed that midfielder Mikel Arteta will be out for the remainder of the season.

Fulham Ready for Replay

Fulham face a fifth round FA Cup replay against Swansea on Tuesday, the two sides having drawn 1-1 in the original match ten days ago. Fulham manager Roy Hodgson could rotate his squad for the game, so it remains to be seen whether or not Dempsey will play after the midfielder played 90 minutes this weekend.

Standard Setback

Standard Liege's title hopes took a shot on Sunday, when Oguchi Onyewu's team was defeated 4-2 by rivals Anderlecht. The victory lifts Anderlecht four points above Liege, with both teams having played the same number of games. The loss capped a tough week for Liege in which the reigning Belgian champs also lost 3-0 to Braga in the UEFA Cup. Gooch and Co. will try to turn things around in the second leg of that playoff later this week...

Better Highlights: Fulham v West Brom

Long highlights from Fulham's 2-0 win over West Bromich Albion...

Sunday Results from England

Clint Dempsey played the full 90 minutes for Fulham as the Cottagers turned out for an easy 2-0 win over West Brom.

Tim Howard was hardly busy as Everton tied 0-0 with Newcastle United. Howard was required to make zero saves as Newcastle played most of the second half down a man.

Better Highlights: Bolton v West Ham

Here are some longer highlights from West Ham's game against Bolton yesterday. Jonathan Spector started for West Ham and assisted on the Hammers' only goal...

Pachuca Cruise

José Francisco Torres and Pachuca ran out to a 3-0 win over Indios on Saturday, keeping alive their unbeaten streak in Group 1 of Mexico's Primera División. Torres started in his customary midfield role for Pachuca, who next face Chivas a week from today.

Rennes Back on Track

Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes got back on track with a 1-0 victory over Nice on Saturday. In claiming a rare three points on the road, Rennes remained in sixth place ahead of next week's clash with league leaders Lyon.

Bayern Munich Highlights

Highlights from Bayern Munich's loss to FC Cologne earlier today:

Feilhaber Nearing Return

Check out this video interview with Benny Feilhaber who is back training with Aarhus as he nears full recovery from injury...

Saturday Results

Borussia Mönchengladbach gave up a two goal lead but managed to find a late winner in their 3-2 victory over Hannover 96. Michael Bradley played the full 90 minutes for 'Gladbach, while Steve Cherundolo made a late substitute appearance for Hannover after recovering from injury.

Bayern Munich failed to take the summit of the Bundesliga after going down 2-1 to FC Cologne. Donovan came off the bench to start the second half, but couldn't help his team come back from two goals down at the Allianz Arena.

In England, Jonathan Spector got the start for West Ham but two early goals condemned the Hammers to defeat against Bolton. West Ham fought back valiantly, with Spector getting the assist on Scott Parker's second half goal, but it proved to be a mere consoloation effort as Bolton held out for the 2-1 win.

Jay DeMerit and Watford claimed a vital away win in the English Championship, beating Blackpool 2-0 to boost their chances of avoiding the drop. DeMerit captained the side and played the full 90 minutes for the Hornets.

Check back later this weekend for highlights...

What We're Watching

A Center Circle reference for all you readers out there. Here's what we're checking out on TV this weekend:

SATURDAY

7:40 a.m. ET - Aston Villa v Chelsea, Setanta - After a midweek game that saw him play 90 minutes against CSKA Moscow, Brad Guzan will likely return to a reserve role for Villa's Premier League game against Chelsea on Saturday. The match pits England's third and fourth -place teams, with Villa holding a slim two-point lead over Chelsea. For added intrigue, this is Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink's first Premier League game in charge.

10 a.m. ET - Bolton v West Ham, FSC - Jonathan Spector will look for some time off the bench as the Hammers travel north to face Bolton.

11:30 a.m. ET - Bayern Munich vs. Cologne, Gol TV (replay) - Landon Donovan could make his first competitive start for Bayern Munich as Luca Toni has failed to shrug off an injury from last week. After slipping against Hertha Berlin last Saturday, Bayern will try to keep up their challenge for the Bundesliga title. Of course, Lukas Podolski could also feature, so tune in late Saturday morning to see if Donovan's in the starting eleven.

2:55 p.m. ET - Nice v Rennes, Setanta - Faltering Rennes look to right the ship as Carlos Bocanegra's team travels to face Nice on Saturday. Rennes have fallen off the pace in Ligue 1, but a victory here could reignite their claims to a UEFA Champions League spot for next season.

8 p.m. ET - Pachuca v Indios, Telefutura - José Francisco Torres and Pachuca will try to keep their unbeaten start going when they host Group 1 rivals Indios on Saturday night.

SUNDAY

8:25 a.m. ET - Fulham v West Brom, Setanta - After a midweek loss away from home, Fulham host West Brom at Craven Cottage, a ground where they have enjoyed great success so far this year. Clint Dempsey and Fulham are out in front of the pack in the bottom half of the Premier League table, but they'll need some points to put further distance between themselves and the strugglers in the relegation fight.

3 p.m. ET - Newcastle vs. Everton (replay), FSC - Try to stay away from the internet on Sunday before tuning in at the end of the weekend to catch Tim Howard traveling to Tyneside to visit Newcastle United.

Rangers Cruise to Victory

Rangers moved on to the quarterfinals of the Scottish Cup with an easy 4-0 victory over Forfar Athletic on Wednesday night. DaMarcus Beasley started for Rangers, but was removed after 72 minutes following a ridiculous challenge that brought a red-card for the guilty Forfar player. Reacting to the tackle, acting manger Ally McCoist (who apparently manages Rangers' cup games) said that Beas will be fine. Rangers face Kilmarnock in SPL action this coming weekend.

Fulham Downed by United

Clint Dempsey and Fulham were put to the sword by Manchester United last night, the league leaders overpowering Roy Hodgson's side to earn an easy 3-0 win. Of more interest to Hodgson will be how his team rebounds for Saturday' home game against West Bromich Albion.

UEFA Cup Results

Aston Villa fought back from one goal down to get a 1-1 draw with CSKA Moscow at Villa Park last night. Brad Guzan played the full 90 minutes for Villa in the net, making four saves. The tie heads back to Russia next week, with Villa taking the field at the Luzhniki Stadium with a mind to overturn CSKA's away goals advantage.


Elswhere in the UEFA Cup, Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege crashed to a disappointing 3-0 loss away to Braga. The Belgian champs will have to overturn that large deficit in next week's return leg if they want to have a hope of advancing to the next round.

Better Highlights

From Werder Bremen vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach, featuring Michael Bradley's second half goal:

Midweek Action

Clint Dempsey and Fulham travel to Old Trafford to face league leaders Manchester United in a game that was originally slated to be played last August. It got postponed, blah blah blah, and now here we are nearly six months later ready to play the game. You can see it live on Setanta Sports, with coverage beginning at 2:55 pm ET.


After its midseason break the UEFA Cup is back, this time in the knockout stage with the Round of 32. Brad Guzan and Aston Villa host CSKA Moscow at Villa Park while Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege travel to Portugal to face Braga at this really great stadium.

You can follow both these games with live text updates on uefa.com

Everton Move On

Everton earned passage to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup with a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday. Tim Howard made seven saves for the Toffees, who have been drawn against the winner of West Ham/Middlesbrough in the upcoming round of eight.

Next up for Everton is a trip to Newcastle Utd. on Saturday.

Rennes Down to Sixth

Rennes 1-1 draw with Nancy on Saturday dropped Carlos Bocanegra's team down to sixth place in Ligue 1, ten points behind Lyon at the summit. Bocanegra played all 90 minutes for Rennes,

Bradley's Goal from Saturday

Michael Bradley scored the tying goal in Gladbach's 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen on Saturday. Here it is:

Pachuca Push Past Pumas

Pachuca and José Torres defeated U.N.A.M. 3-2 on Saturday, keeping the Gophers top of Group 1 in the México Primera División. Torres played the full 90 minutes for Pachuca, who will face Puebla in a Thurdsay match-up south of the border.

Heartbreak for Watford

Seventy-four minutes into their 5th Round FA Cup tie with Chelsea, Jay DeMerit and Watford were up 1-0 at Vicarage Road. Fifteen minutes later...well, that's soccer. A tough one for the Hornets who looked set to pull off the upset of the round before Nicolas Anelka's late hat-trick left the home side stunned...

Bayern Munich Highlights

Yesterday's highlights from Bayern Munich's 2-1 loss to Hertha Berlin:

Standard Stay Top

Standard Liege won easily on Saturday, defeating Tubize 4-0 to stay top of the league. Oguchi Onyewu started the match for Liege, before being subbed off early in the second half. Liege remain five points clear of Anderlecht, who play on Sunday.

Results from Germany

Michael Bradley grabbed a late equalizer for Borussia Mönchengladbach as his club earned a point in a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen. You may have heard about Bradley's other two goals this week...

Landon Donovan came on as a first half sub for the injured Luca Toni, but he couldn't help Bayern get the win against high-flying Hertha Berlin. Bayern fought back from a goal down, but a late goal from Adreiy Voronin sent Hertha to the top of the table.

Highlights to follow...

Longer Highlights: Bayern Beats Dortmund

Landon Donovan arrived in camp last night, landing in Columbus on Monday following Bayern's 3-1 victory over Dortmund the day before. Donovan came on as a second half sub, helping Bayern to score two late goals to grab the points at the Allianz Arena.

Pachuca Beat America; Torres Headed North

José Torres and Pachuca beat America 3-1 on Sunday, earning a tough away victory to take them to the top of Group 1. Torres played the full 90 minutes for Pachuca, and the diminutive midfielder will now head north to join up with the U.S. national team in Columbus. He's expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon.

Extended Highlights from England

Wigan v. Fulham


Everton v. Bolton

Three Goals Three Points

Everton beat Bolton 3-0 on Saturday, with the emphatic victory keeping them at 6th in the table. Brazilian debutant, Jo, scored twice for the Toffees who ran out to a comfortable victory at Goodison Park. Tim Howard played 90 minutes and had to make three saves in the win.

Standard Liege Five Points Clear

Standard Liege continued their good form, making it six league games unbeaten with a 2-0 win over Kortrijk on Friday. Oguchi Onyewu played 90 minutes for Liege, who are now five points clear of Anderlecht, who have two games in hand, at the top of the Belgian league.

Gladbach Get a Point

Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach were victim of a last minute equalizer on Saturday, drawing league leaders TSG Hoffenheim 1-1. 'Gladbach took the lead towards the end of the first half, and held on for the majority of the second period until a late goal from Wellington rescued a point for the league leaders. Bradley played the full 90 minutes for 'Gladbach who plays Werder Bremen next Saturday.


1-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. 1899 Hoffenheim H… - MyVideo

Sometimes a Win Is Not Enough

José Torres and Pachuca carried a 1-0 deficit into the second leg of their Copa Libertadores qualifier with Universidad de Chile on Wednesday. Though Pachuca fought hard, their 2-1 win was not enough to send them into the competition proper, and the Mexican side crashed out on away goals. Torres played the full 90 minutes for Pachuca, who took the lead in the 86th minute but failed to find the decisive goal in a frantic final few minutes. Pachuca returns to Primera División action this weekend with a match against Club América on Sunday.

Howard and Everton Beat Rivals

Tim Howard and Everton sent Liverpool packing in the FA Cup, squeaking out a 1-0 victory over their bitter rivals after 120 minutes of soccer. A first leg failed to find a winner and it looked like the second leg was heading for the dreaded penalty shootout until 19-year old Dab Gosling popped up in the 118th minute to be the hero. Everton will now face Brad Guzan and Aston Villa in the fifth round of the FA Cup, after Villa also earned a win in today's replays.

Guzan Goes for Villa

Brad Guzan helped Aston Villa to a 3-1 victory over Doncaster on Wednesday night. Guzan made four saves in goal for Villa, who advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup with the easy victory. Interestingly, Villa's next three games come in three different competitions. On Saturday they take on Blackburn in the Premier League. After the international break they'll meet victorious Everton on Feb. 14 in the FA Cup before hosting CSKA Moscow in the first leg of the UEFA Cup round of 32 on Feb. 18.

Beasley Scores in Friendly

Altidore Loaned to Xerez

Jozy Altidore has completed a loan move to second division side Xerez CD, and will be unveiled on Monday according to Xerez' website. With Villarreal's squad returning to full fitness after some early season injuries, Altidore has found playing time hard to come by in recent weeks so hopefully this move gets him some experience with the side that is currently leading the Spanish second tier.

As a side note, you may remember Villarreal manager Manuel Pelligrini stating that nobody would be going out on loan during the winter period. Well, things always change.

Villarreal's club website also confirmed the move, which will last until the end of this season.

San Luis Gets First Win of Clausura

Michael Orozco and San Luis grabbed their first win of the 2009 Clausura, beating Jaguares 2-1 on Saturday. Orozco went the full 90 for San Luis, who are up to second in Group 3 with the win. Now the Mexican club faces a long trip down to Buenos Aires, where they'll meet San Lorenzo in Copa Libertadores action on Wednesday.

McBride set for Dramatic Return?

On skysports and soccernet you can find rumors stating that former MNT striker Brian McBride is in talks to make a loan move back to Fulham. Believe what you want, but one thing that's certain is McBride's legendary status at the London club. The now-Chicago Fire player scored 40 goals in over 150 appearances for Fulham, served as the club's captain, and returned late last season after injury to spearhead a successful fightback against relegation. The Blog is pretty sure he'd be welcomed back at Craven Cottage...

He's also the subject of numerous tribute videos on YouTube. Including this one.

Goalless Draw No Fun for Anybody

Rennes and Carlos Bocanegra were held to a 0-0 draw by Toulouse at home on Saturday. With that, Rennes missed the opportunity to close the gap with leaders Lyon, who are in action today. In fact, the match between Ligue 1's 4th and 5th place sides was pretty dour, by all accounts. Up next for Rennes: a match with Le Havre before the international break.

Three Points for Fulham

Fulham are back up to ninth place after a 3-1 win over a Portsmouth team that is hitting the proverbial self-destruct button. Clint Dempsey assisted on the Cottagers' first goal, playing Andy Johnson through to open the scoring. Up next for Fulham is an away date at Wigan on February 7.

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Bundesliga is Back

The winter break is over in Germany, and Bundesliga action has started back up again.

Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach need a big second half of the season, but unfortunately that didn't start this weekend. Gladbach went down 2-0 to Stuttgart, with Bradley playing the full 90 minutes.


0809-18: VfB Stuttgart - Borussia Mönchengladbach - MyVideo


Landon Donovan made his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich, coming on as a second half sub against Hamburg. Unfortunately Bayern went down 1-0 at the HSH Arena.

1-0 Hamburger SV vs. Bayern Munich Highlights - MyVideo

Howard and Everton Fall to League Leaders

Tim Howard and Everton put in a valiant effort but ended up on the wrong side of a 1-0 defeat against high-flying Manchester United. A Ronaldo penalty was the difference between the two sides, though Howard kept his team in the game by making seven saves. Next up for the Toffees is a Fourth Round FA Cup replay against bitter rivals Liverpool. Be sure to check back here on Wednesday for the highlights of that game from Goodison Park.

Liege at Top with Win

Standard Liege and Oguchi Onyewu kept up their good form in Belgium with a 3-0 win over Roeselare. The win keeps Liege at the top of the table, two points ahead of Anderlecht, who still has a game in hand.