Yanks in Europe: Hahnemann Blanks Liverpool

Alright, so that headline might be a little misleading, but I'll get to that in a second.  There isn't too much to cover in today's Yanks in Europe installment, with only two USMNT players in action.  Nevertheless, I spent the last two hours watching grainy streams that make 1920s-style film reels look like HD just so I could inform you, my loyal readers, about the performances of a couple of guys on track for South Africa.

Behind Brad Guzan and Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann is battling it out for the third goalkeeper roster spot with Troy Perkins, who recently returned to MLS.  On the surface, Hahnemann's clean sheet today against Liverpool would appear to be the type of performance against a quality opponent that puts him miles ahead of Perkins in the race for the final 23.  But the score line is more reflective of an impotent Liverpool attack and a stubborn Wolves defense than anything else.  Hahnemann was only forced to make one save in 90 minutes, stopping Alberto Riera's 48th minute strike from 20 yards out.  Other than that, the Wolverhampton defense made things pretty easy for the former Reading stalwart, with Hahnemann only needing to provide the occasional punch or catch to keep things tidy in the 18. While it may not be the type of performance that wins Bob Bradley over, it certainly doesn't hurt Hahnemann's case as South Africa nears.  The draw vaulted Wolves out of the drop zone, while adding another blemish to Liverpool's sub-par (by their standards) season.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Spector went 90 minutes at left back for West Ham in their 1-1 draw with Portsmouth, a result which kept Gianfranco Zola's side out of the relegation spots for another week.  Spector's name wasn't called too often during the match, as Portsmouth frequently attacked down the opposite wing, but that very well could be indicative of good positioning on his part.  His performance would be best categorized as solid, as he made some good challenges and a few good runs forward throughout the course of the match.  He was not involved in Portsmouth's lone goal, and his only real slip ups in the match were, literally, slip ups caused by some poor footing on the field.  After a midseason stint of riding the bench, Spector seems to have won back a spot in the starting XI, and his performance today should only merit another start this weekend.  With Hannover's recent defensive struggles, Spector might just be nudging ahead of Steve Cherundolo in the race for right back.  Then again, who knows, maybe Bob Bradley will opt to put both on the field at the same time, with Spector on the left.  But that's for another day.


Tune in tomorrow, when Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, and the rest of Everton play host to Sunderland, while Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley look to return from injury in Rangers' road match against St. Mirren.