EPL Wrap Up

Three USMNT players were in action on Sunday in the English Premier League. Clint Dempsey and Fulham traveled to Manchester City, Tim Howard and Everton traveled to Bolton, and Jonathan Spector and West Ham played host to Arsenal.

Going into Sunday, Clint Dempsey held the dubious distinction of being the player in the EPL with the most shots without having scored a goal this season. Clint put an end to that today, and in style, as his powerful header off a freekick pulled Fulham level with the hosts at 2-2.

The Cottagers conceded two goals early in the second half, and it looked as if Manchester City were on their way to 3 points. Fulham, however, answered back emphatically, scoring two goals of their own within six minutes of each other. The tying goal by Dempsey was an impressive display of strength and coordination, as he out-muscled Joleon Lescott and placed his header perfectly inside the far post beyond the outstretched hands of Shay Given. After scoring the goal, Dempsey then ran over to the bench to celebrate with fellow American Eddie Johnson (Johnson did not play, but made the substitutes bench for this match).

Dempsey played 90 minutes and had a very good performance. He did very well to finish his chance in the 68th minute, and he also had a few other quality attacking efforts throughout the match. For his solid showing, Sky Sports rated him as Fulham's second best player on the day. Roy Hodgson's men are undefeated in their last 5 matches, which includes a draw AS Roma and today's result in Manchester.

Jonathan Spector also had a good day, as he earned the start for West Ham in their match against Arsenal. West Ham followed the same script as Fulham, falling into a 2-0 hole before climbing back to earn a draw. Spector played 90 minutes at right back and turned in a good performance. He was not called on to do too much in defense, but made the plays he needed to when called upon. Spector also made a few runs forward, making a positive contribution to the Hammers' attack. His solid play coupled with West Ham's impressive result may convince manager Gianfranco Zola to stick with the young American in the near future. Spector will be looking to establish himself at the club level as he battles Steve Cherundolo for the starting right back position with the USMNT.

Not all of the Yanks had a great day, however, as Tim Howard conceded 3 goals in a loss to Bolton. The Toffees defense, which gave up 5 goals in a midweek defeat at the hands of Benfica, were unable to contain the hosts, as Bolton scored twice in the first 27 minutes of the match. Howard did not have much hope of stopping any of the goals, as the Bolton attack was able to create a number of quality opportunities early on.

Everton, like Fulham and West Ham, were able to tie up the game at 2-2 after the early two goal deficit. Unlike Fulham and West Ham, however, they were unable to hold the score level, as Bolton's Ivan Klasnic finished with conviction in the 86th minute to give Bolton their first home win of the season. With 8 goals conceded in their last two matches, Everton will be looking to sort out their defensive struggles. They will be put to the test once more on Tuesday, when they travel to London to take on Tottenham in Carling Cup play.