Yanks in Europe: Donovan, Howard take down Man United

It's Saturday, and by now you should know that that means an edition of Yanks in Europe, recapping how USMNT players fare with the club teams across the pond.
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In the marquee match of the day, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard got the start for Everton against Manchester United.  Just 10 days after a victory over league leaders Chelsea, the Toffees claimed another scalp, taking down Sir Alex Ferguson's side by a score of 3-1.  Donovan played on the left side of the midfield, a change from the right midfield spot that David Moyes has started him at throughout his loan.  Landon was a handful for the Red Devils all game, adding width to the attack and stretching the field with his speed.  In the opening 45, Donovan had a few good passes in the final third, as Everton stayed level at 1-1 with the reigning champs.  He had a golden opportunity to bag his second EPL goal when a ball bounced off a United defender right to his feet at the edge of the six.  Unfortunately, Donovan had essentially no time to react and ended up flubbing the attempt.  It was far from a gimme, so no one should be too hard on him for the miss.

The second half was more of the same, with Donovan keeping the Manchester United defense honest with streaking runs down the wing.  He was unsuccessful with a few 1-on-1 dribbling attempts, but he did have the secondary assist on Everton's second goal.  Landon played a ball down the wing to Steven Pienaar, who then hit a low cross that Dan Gosling finished off.  All in all, another strong 90 minute performance for Donovan, whose loan stint is quickly approaching its end.

Tim Howard had a rather uneventful game against his former club, making just one simple save on a long range effort from Ji-Sung Park.  He could not do anything about United's lone goal, which Dimitar Berbatov smashed into the underside of the crossbar from seven yards out.  Other than those two instances, Howard was not tested, as he was only called upon to make a few catches inside the box.

Jonathan Spector got the start at LB for West Ham, and Jozy Altidore started on the bench for Hull City, as the two sides squared off in a critical match in the battle to avoid relegation.  Spector had another solid game for the Hammers, effectively shutting down Craig Fagan for the first 53 minutes of the match (at which point Fagan was sent off for a second yellow).  The USMNT defender also got forward on a few occasions, at one point making a slaloming run through the center of the field that nearly got him free for a shot at the top of the box.  Overall, a good game for Spector, who went 90 minutes in a match that was made a lot easier by an early lead and a man advantage.

Jozy came on in the 65th minute with his team down two goals and one man; needless to say, the game was a pretty tough one to come into.  He did his best to make an impact, though, providing some scrappy play and creating a couple of opportunities.  Altidore's best chance came in the 73rd minute, when he shielded off a defender and got off a shot inside the area that was deflected off target.  With a relative lack of service and West Ham controlling possession, there wasn't much else Jozy could do, though he did well to strip a defender in stoppage time and get a shot off from 25 yards out (which sailed wide).

In the end, it was a decent performance for the former New York Red Bull, all things considered.  It's also worth noting that Hull striker Amr Zaki wasn't overly impressive in his start, at times playing too slow on the ball.  While it may worry some that Jozy didn't get the start, it might be best that he does get the occasional break; the last thing the USMNT needs is a worn down starting forward come June.  I have to question the wisdom of Phil Brown giving Jozy a rest in such a crucial game, though, which the Tigers dropped by a 3-0 score.    

It was a day to forget for Marcus Hahnemann against Chelsea, as Wolves dropped a 2-0 decision.  Hahnemann made 0 saves in the match; though he couldn't do anything about the first goal, he did very poorly on the second.  Petr Cech hit a long punt down field that caught the Wolves back line by surprise.  Didier Drogba latched on to it and was bearing down on the 18 with a defender trailing him when Marcus Hahnemann started coming well off of his line.  He wasn't quick enough (and was a little overzealous in coming out that far in the first place) and soon found himself in no man's land, with Drogba very easily rounding him to score.

Jay DeMerit once again got the start for Watford in their match at Scunthorpe United.  The Hornets looked to be on the brink of a dramatic road win after taking a 2-1 lead through a John Eustace goal in the 90th minute, but a Jay DeMerit hand ball in the box gave the hosts a penalty that they converted in stoppage time.  DeMerit picked up a yellow for dissent following the play, and the match ended 2-2.

Kenny Cooper was brought on as a substitute in the 76th minute of Plymouth's match against Leicester City.  Cooper managed to get one shot on goal, but he was unable to help his time find the go-ahead goal in a match that would finish with a score of 1-1.  As it stands now, Plymouth is five points away from safety with just eight matches to play.

Frank Simek started and went 90 minutes for Sheffield Wednesday in their 1-0 loss to Ipswich Town.  With some back line injuries, Simek might get a call into the March 3rd camp, so keep him in the back of your mind.
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Injured/Did Not Play:
Steve Cherundolo (shoulder injury)
Ricardo Clark (calf injury)
DaMarcus Beasley (match postponed)
Maurice Edu (match postponed)