Timmy on TV

Tim Howard and Everton take on Wigan this afternoon in Monday's Premier League action. If you're looking for a reason to take a long lunch, well now you have it. The game is being shown life on Setanta, so head over to your nearest Official U.S. Soccer Bar to catch the midday action.

Rennes Extend Unbeaten Run

Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes extended their unbeaten run in France to 13 games, courtesy of a 1-1 draw away to Bordeaux. Next up for Carlos and Co. is PSG. The teams are in 4th and 5th in Ligue 1, separated by just a point, and both teams are in excellent form. PSG just dispatched league leaders Lyon 1-0 over the weekend.

Liverpool 0, Fulham 0

Fulham traveled to Anfield this weekend and came away with a 0-0 draw.

Clint Dempsey played 85 minutes in the match, as Fulham spoiled Fernando Torres' return to the starting lineup for Liverpool.

In other Fulham news, Eddie Johnson, on loan to Cardiff, played 90 minutes in Cardiff City's 2-1 loss to Plymouth in the English Championship.

Next up for Fulham is a trip to Villa Park to meet a tough Aston Villa side with Brad Guzan.



Picture courtesy of fulhamfc.com

Liege One Point Back

Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege beat Mouscron 3-1 over the weekend to keep pace with Club Brugge in the Belgian League. Up next for Liege is a trip to Serbia to take on Partizan Belgrade in the UEFA Cup.

Saturday Results

• Clint Dempsey and Fulham earned a 0-0 draw at Anfield against Liverpool. Dempsey started and played 85 minutes as Fulham earned a point against the side placed 2nd in the Premier League table.
• Tough day in the Bundesliga for our guys: Michael Bradley and Borussia Möchengladbach fell 3-1 to Schalke 04, while Steve Cherundolo and Hannover lost 4-0 to Eintracht Frankfurt.
• In Scotland, DaMarcus Beasley came off the bench as Rangers beat Aberdeen 2-0. Beas spoke to SkySports.com before the match.
  

San Luis Set to Begin Playoffs

On Saturday, Nov. 22, at 5 p.m. CT, Michael Orozco and San Luis will travel to Torreón, Coahuila, to face off against Santos Laguna in the first leg of the 2008 Apertura quarterfinals. San Luis heads into the quarterfinals, not only at the head of Group 3, but also at the top of the overall Primera División table, with 29 points at the end of the regular season. San Luis and Santos have met only once in Apertura 2008, resulting in a 2-2 draw in the second to last regular season game.

As a defender, Orozco may face off against a new face in the Santos attack, as Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco has been loaned out to Santos for the Liguilla. San Luis will host the return leg at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 29.

If you haven't noticed yet, Orozco is nominated for U.S. Soccer's Young Male Athlete of the Year Award, along with Robbie Rogers, Maurice Edu, Stu Holden, Marvell Wynne, and Sacha Kljestan. Head over the 2008 Best Of Blog to cast your ballot.

Picture courtesy of isiphotos.com

Back to the Grind

The international break is over, which means the Global Blog is back in operation! Here's what's going on this weekend:

• Bayern Munich are reportedly set to bring Landon Donovan to the Allianz Arena in a loan deal similar to David Beckham's at AC Milan. According to Soccernet, Donovan will join Bayern on Jan. 2 and stay at the club until mid march. Here's a photo gallery from this week's training at Munich and also a short article from Bayern's website about Landon. (picture courtesy of fcbayern.t-com)
• Clint Dempsey and Fulham head to Anfield to take on Liverpool on Saturday. Fulham will be fighting history when they take the field this weekend; they've never won in any competition at Anfield. However, Fulham's recent form has been good, and they'll look to get at least something from the tough game. If you remember, Clint Dempsey scored his first Fulham goal against Liverpool back in May of 2007.
• Borussia Mönchengladbach and Michael Bradley fought back for a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich last week, and they'll look to transition some of that momentum into this weekend's game with Schalke 04. Shalke have lost two games in a row, while 'Gladbach are attempting to claw their way up the Bundesliga table. They're now just two points behind Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96, who take on Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
• Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes take on Bordeaux in a high profile matchup between two clubs separated by one point in the Ligue 1 table. Rennes are the in-form team in the French top flight, but manager Guy Lacombe has warned his side not to get carried away with their recent run of good results.
• The absence of Joseba Llorente means there could be a bit of time for Jozy Altidore when Villarreal take on Valladolid on Saturday.
  

Freddy and Carlos Face Off in France

Over in Ligue 1 today, Rennes inflicted a 2-1 defeat on visiting AS Monaco. Carlos Bocanegra went 90 minutes for Rennes, who extended their impressive unbeaten run in Ligue 1 to 12 games. They're also up to third place in the league, five points behind leaders Lyon. Freddy Adu entered the game in the 68th minute for Monaco, who face Le Mans at home next weekend.

Pachuca Ties Atlas, Needs Help to Make Playoffs

Pachuca and Jose Torres tied Atlas yesterday, which means that qualification for the playoff is out of Los Tuzos' hands. They need Santos to lose by more than two goals today, so stay tuned to see what happens...

Dempsey back in Starting Lineup as Fulham Win

Clint Dempsey was in the starting lineup for Fulham as the Cottagers defeated in-form Tottenham 2-1 at Craven Cottage. Dempsey was inserted into the starting 11 and made an impact early as Tottenham goalkeeper Gomes was forced to make a save from Clint's long range drive.

Later in the first half, Tottenham's Gomes was at fault for some shocking goalkeeping to let Fulham open the scoring. In the second half, the Cottagers continued to have the better of the exchanges, and the home side extended its lead through Andy Johnson in the 70th minute.



A late Tottenham consoloation goal was not enough to trouble Fulham, who moved up to 9th place in the Premier League with the win. All five of Fulham's wins in the league have come at Craven Cottage. Watch manager Roy Hodgson talk about Fulham's win here.

Elsewhere in England, Marcus Hahnemann and Reading defeated Sheffield Utd. 2-0, Eddie Johnson played 90 minutes in Cardif's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, and Jay DeMerit and Watford fell 2-1 to Barnsley.

Bradley on the Mark in Germany

Michael Bradley opened his Bundesliga account as Borussia Monchengladach fought back for a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

Bradley started the game in midfield for 'Gladbach, who went behind early to a Luca Toni goal. Bayern added to their lead in the 65th minute courtesy of a penalty from Frank Ribery.

'Gladbach fought back though, and Rob Friend halved the deficit in the 79th minute. Just two minutes later the score was level with Bradley nodding home the equalizer from close range. Bradley got forward well throughout the game, and his goal marked his first for 'Gladbach.

The result keeps 'Gladbach in 14th place, while Bayern slip three points behind Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen.

Here's what Michael had to say about the game:

"The team has earned a point and we have really worked hard today. At the end to come back and get that tie was a great feeling. We never stopped running, working or fighting and it was a good result in such a great atmosphere"

In other German action, Steve Cherundolo and Hannover tied Bochum 1-1 on Friday.

Full highlights of 'Gladbach taking on Bayern Munich:


Picture via soccernet.com

Mexican Apertura Enters Tense Final Weekend

It's the final weekend of Apertura 2008 in Mexico, and only three teams - Michael Orozco's San Luis included - have qualified for the Liguilla. It's coming down to the wire, as 11 teams still have a shot at reaching the playoffs. The top two teams from each of the three six-team groups qualify, along with the two best third-place teams.

San Luis qualified for the post-season two games ago, and currently lead the league table with 29 points, three ahead of second-place Pumas. A win against Toluca would solidify their place at the top, ensuring home field advantage in each post-season series. Their biggest task will be to overcome the apparent "Curse of the League Leader," as the team that has finished in first place during the regular season hasn't won the league title since Mexico switched to the short tournament format in 1996.

Jose Torres and Pachuca, however, are playing for all the marbles in their match against Atlas (which kicks off at 8 p.m. et), as they currently sit in third place in Group 1 with 20 points behind the already qualifed Atlante, who has 26 points, and Santos Laguna, who has 21 points. Right at their heels in fourth place is Indios of Ciudad Juarez, who have 19 points and are also trying to qualify. In Group 2, Cruz Azul are on the doorstep of claiming one of the two best third-place spots as they lead Jaguares in their final match. Over in Group 3, Tigres are in the driver's seat for the other berth as they sit in third place with 23 points.