Yanks in Europe: Clean Sheet for Howard

After the full slate of Boxing Day action, there were even more games today, with five games featuring USMNT players. Here's how things have gone so far:

English Premier League

-Tim Howard made 7 saves as Everton snapped a 7-match league winless streak. The Toffees defeated Burnley by a score of 2-0, scoring two goals in the final ten minutes to seal their first EPL victory since November 8th. Howard got a little help from the post early in the second half off of a close range effort from David Nugent, but was otherwise able to steer away all of Burnley's best efforts to preserve the clean sheet. This match is Everton's last before Landon Donovan joins the squad on January 1st, which will surely cause Everton matches to draw a lot more attention from USMNT fans.

-Jonathan Spector came on as a substitute in the 18th minute after Herita Ilunga limped off with an injury. With West Ham already down 1-0 at that point, Spector came in and did a decent job getting forward and breaking up a few Tottenham attacks. He played at left back, matching up with English international Aaron Lennon. Lennon gave Spector some trouble on the outside, but the American defender had little support from the midfield to help contain the speedy winger. Spurs added a second goal in the 80th minute that Spector could do little about, sealing another loss for Gianfranco Zola's side.

Spector did not have a fantastic showing, but he looked pretty good when compared to the rest of West Ham's fairly lackluster performances. He put in a couple good crosses and was able to make positive contributions on both ends of the field. If the injury to Ilunga is serious, Spector will likely get another stretch of extended playing time with the Hammers.

-Clint Dempsey started and went 90 minutes in Fulham's match against Chelsea. The Cottagers shocked the Stamford Bridge crowd with a 4th minute goal from Zoltan Gera. Roy Hodgson's side did a good job in the opening 45 to frustrate Chelsea and maintain their lead, but fatigue caught up to them as the second half wore on. Within three minutes late in the second half, Chelsea scored the equalizer and then took the lead on an own goal, eventually leading to a 2-1 victory over their West London rivals.

Dempsey had a solid game and battled well throughout the match, but he looked noticeably tired as the match wore on. Fulham have had a busy first half of the season with EPL and Europa League matches, and it just might be catching up to the players at this point.

English Championship

-Jay DeMerit started and went 90 minutes for Watford in their mid-table clash against Bristol City. Watford were behind 2-1 after the first half, only finding the equalizer in the dying moments of the match. John Eustace's 90th minute goal helped the Hornets earn a point on the road, keeping them within 5 points of the final promotion playoff spot.