Yanks in Europe: Upsets and Adu

Landon Donovan and Tim Howard started and went 90 minutes for Everton in their 2-1 upset victory over Chelsea at Goodison Park.  For a more detailed look at how each played, take a look at yesterday's play-by-play focused on the USMNT duo.  In short, Landon turned in his best performance in his time in England, earning Man of the Match honors from several English publications.  He set up Everton's first goal with a gorgeous corner kick, drew a penalty with a quick cut inside the box, and he was confident and aggressive in the attack throughout.  Donovan also tracked back well, contributing to a solid showing by the Everton defense that left Tim Howard with little to do.  The New Jersey native made one big save off of a Frank Lampard shot late in the second half to preserve the lead, as well as getting a little bit of help from his crossbar on a Didier Drogba header.

Marcus Hahnemann earned a clean sheet against Champions League hopefuls Tottenham, helping Wolves to an upset 1-0 victory.  He made three solid saves in the match and did a good job commanding his box and his back line.  Hahnemann did well to get out on several crosses and long balls into the box, as Wolves managed to hang on to their lead for the final 60 minutes of the match.  The win pushes Hahnemann's side out of the drop zone and completes a season sweep of Spurs.  His continued solid play in the EPL has given him a substantial lead over Troy Perkins in the race for the #3 goalkeeper spot on the World Cup roster, and at this point it might be more realistic to question whether Hahnemann will be able to secure the #2 spot before June.

Jonathan Spector came on as a halftime substitute for West Ham in their 2-0 win over  Birmingham.  With outside back Herita Ilunga returning from injury, Spector did not get the start, but he was called upon in the second half with Ilunga injured once again.  He played well in the second half, contributing to a clean sheet victory that pushed Gianfranco's Zola men to safety.  Spector's solid play and Ilunga's nagging injuries could mean that Spector will be back in the starting lineup by the time the Hammers take on Jozy Altidore and Hull City on February 20.

Jozy Altidore started and played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card for Hull City in their 1-0 road loss to Blackburn.  The Tigers were reduced to 10 men in the 40th minute, which really hampered their efforts to get forward.  Jozy worked hard up front, but a lack of service or support made him largely ineffective.  He was able to link up with his teammates a couple of times in the attacking third, but some of his passes were off the mark or cut out by defenders, as Hull were unable to find the equalizer.  Though it was not as strong of a performance as Jozy has turned in over the past couple of weeks, USMNT fans should not fret too much.  The early sending off made it difficult for Hull to really put together any kind of consistent attack, leaving Jozy on an island up top on a number of occasions.


Outside of England, Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson took part in Aris' Greek Cup match against Xanthi.  Adu started (yes, you read that right) and played about 70 minutes, while Johnson came on as a substitute for the final 15 minutes of the match.  The conditions were absolutely terrible, with the water-logged field often affecting play.  Nevertheless, Adu had a solid game, doing well to hold up the ball under pressure and draw a couple of fouls.  In the first half, he nearly set up another goal with a beautiful ball over the top reminiscent of his ball that led to Eddie Johnson's first goal with Aris a couple of weeks ago.  He found a teammate heading into the area behind the defense who looked to have been tripped up by the oncoming keeper, but no penalty was given.  Adu was not able to record a goal or assist in his first start in Greece, but given the conditions, he was an effective addition to the Aris lineup.

Eddie Johnson was not very involved in the time he was on the field, but he did do well to hold up the ball and facilitate the attack on a few instances.  Whether coincidence or not, Aris' attack improved in the later stretches of the game, eventually finding an equalizer in the 93rd minute to secure a 1-1 draw and force a replay.

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Injured/DNP

Maurice Edu (ankle injury)
DaMarcus Beasley (thigh injury)

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