Cooper Scores, EJ goes 90

There was plenty to watch today, with several Americans in action in Cup and League play. While Oguchi Onyewu once again did not see the field for AC Milan, American fans had a few things to cheer about on the day, most notably the debut of Freddy Adu with Belenenses.

In England, a handful of Americans took part in League Cup play. Brad Guzan got the start for Aston Villa against Cardiff City in place of Brad Friedel. In 90 minutes, Guzan made several quality saves, preserving a clean sheet en route to a 1-0 victory for the Villans. Guzan, who has cemented his role as the USMNT #2 behind Tim Howard, compiled 6 saves in the win.

The aforementioned Tim Howard was also in action, as Everton took on Hull City. Jozy Altidore was not in the lineup for Tigers, as Hull suffered yet another defeat. The Toffees won comfortably by a score of 4-0, with Tim Howard making six saves for his third consecutive clean sheet.

Elsewhere, Kenny Cooper scored once again for 1860 Munich in their German Cup match against Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin. Cooper's beautiful strike in the 49th minute double 1860's lead to 2-0 (we'll try to find you a video of the goal as soon as possible). The former FC Dallas striker was subbed off in the 68th minute, as his side eventually won the match on penalties. Cooper, who scored twice in limited action during the Gold Cup, is looking to make his case for one of the striker spots on Bob Bradley's World Cup roster.


Eddie Johnson, who was languishing on the bench at Cardiff City this time last season, played 90 minutes and set up Fulham's lone goal in their League Cup tie against Manchester City. Johnson and company were able to take a full-strength Man City side to extra time, before eventually falling 2-1. Johnson's cult-like following of fans will be pleased to see him getting some playing time and making an impact with Fulham. Though he still sits a ways down the pecking order, Johnson didn't do anything to hurt his chances of earning some more playing time down the road (albeit, likely just in the cup competitions). For many fans, it was nice to see Eddie back on the field for a full 90. Once thought of as America's next great striker, Johnson has found playing time hard to come by since moving over to Europe from MLS.

Last but not least, the Sochaux-Rennes Coupe de la Ligue tie did not end up featuring either Charlie Davies or Carlos Bocanegra. Both players were rested by their managers for the upcoming league matches.