Milestones for Donovan, Howard in Everton Win

With Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley still out of the Rangers lineup due to injury, there was only one game involving USMNT players on the day.  Tim Howard and Landon Donovan were in the starting XI for Everton, as the Toffees played host to a Sunderland side coming off of a 7-2 defeat to Chelsea.  David Moyes' men were able to secure a fairly comfortable 2-0 victory to extend their league unbeaten run to eight games, with both Donovan and Howard playing an integral part in the result.

Landon Donovan has had some close calls in his first couple of games, but has ultimately been unable to bag his first Premier League goal.  That is, until today.  With Everton already leading 1-0 thanks to a 6th minute flick-on header from Tim Cahill, Donovan cut in from the wing searching for a second ball off of a long ball from the back.  Tim Cahill rose up and nodded the ball into Donovan's path at the top of the box, with the LA Galaxy captain taking the bouncing ball down with his chest before hitting a low left footed shot on goal.  The shot took a slight deflection along the way, leaving Craig Gordon wrong-footed in the middle of the net as the ball skipped by and rippled the back of the net.  Click here to get a look.

The goal was the highlight of another strong performance from Donovan, who continues to garner rave reviews for his play in England.  It seemed to give him a boost early on, as he became very involved on both ends on the field.  In addition to linking up in the attacking third on several occasions in the first half, Donovan provided quality defensive effort on the wing, doing the dirty work with a number of tracking runs, challenges, and tackles.  Everton controlled the opening 45 minutes, so much so that Tim Howard did not face a single shot in the first half.

(Aside: Who would have thought back in August that Landon Donovan would score an EPL goal before Jozy Altidore?  Can't say I would have bet on that.)

Donovan nearly made it a brace in the second half, as he was able to beat a couple of defenders and round Craig Gordon inside the 18 before putting a shot on goal.  His effort, however, was cleared off the line by a Sunderland defender, keeping the visitors within striking distance.  This was just one of several aggressive runs from Donovan throughout the second half, as he was buzzing around the field looking to get involved in the attack.  His confidence in getting forward was evident in a display of raw speed that USMNT fans have come to grow accustomed to, as he made a blazing 80 yard run on a counterattack looking for a feed from Louis Saha.  Though Landon was able to out run the Sunderland back line, Saha opted to keep the ball himself, eventually ending in a blocked shot.  It was reminiscent of his incredible run against Brazil in the Confederations Cup final, only this time he didn't have a player like Charlie Davies to supply him with the final pass.

In the 76th minute, David Moyes brought on Mikel Arteta to replace Donovan, with the Goodison Park faithful giving the LA Galaxy captain a warm ovation as he came off.  The Toffees managed to hold on for the win, but their play on Donovan's side was noticeably lacking once he was removed.  Before Landon had been brought off, Sunderland had only managed one weak shot on goal, but they were able to generate a pair of fantastic scoring opportunities soon after his substitution.  Despite the inactivity leading up to that point, Tim Howard stayed focus and was able to make two stellar saves late in the second half to preserve what would become his 50th EPL clean sheet.  In the 86th minute, Boudewijn Zenden hit a rocket from 10 yards out toward the upper near corner, but Howard dove to his right and got a glove on the effort to steer it aside.  Then in the 90th minute, T&T international Kenwyne Jones hit a thumping header on frame from 8 yards out, with Howard making a terrific leaping reaction save to tip the shot over the bar.  Though he only made 3 saves on the day, it was an outstanding performance by Tim Howard, one which kept Everton from dropping points late in the match. 

Overall, there are really nothing but positive things to say about Landon and Timmy's play.  Though it wasn't a particularly busy day for Yanks in Europe, it was one that USMNT fans everywhere should be very pleased with.