Yanks in Europe: Jozy, Jay, Marcus, and More

As usual, your Saturday Yanks in Europe:

Jozy Altidore came on as 76th minute substitute in Hull City's match against Birmingham this morning with the score level at 0-0.  Up until that point, the Tigers really hadn't done much offensively, opting to play a more defensive, counter-attacking style despite their desperate need for points down the stretch.  Once Jozy entered, however, he made an instant impact, injecting life into a sputtering attack.  In his time on, Jozy helped create a couple of opportunities with some good passing and hold up play, turning in a very nice performance given the limited minutes and lack of support around him.  In the end, the match ended in a scoreless draw, with Hull now three points adrift of safety.

In addition to the defensive approach, the Hull lineup selections make me seriously question manager Iain Dowie's competence (as if things before this already didn't).  Homerism aside, Jozy should have started; he's been one of Hull's best players for awhile now, so to leave on the bench for 76 minutes of a crucial, winnable match down the stretch is pretty baffling.  Granted, the Tigers' upcoming schedule is a little crowded, but they just don't have the luxury to rest key players at this point when they're in such a desperate situation.  Hull were a completely different team with Jozy on, one that looked capable of actually winning the game.  Of course, some rest for Altidore ahead of May is great from a USMNT perspective, but I just don't understand it from Dowie's point of view.  American fans should just be grateful that this is a loan and nothing more because the Tigers look destined to drop.  

Elsewhere in England, Tim Howard allowed two goals and made four saves in Everton's 3-2 victory over Blackburn.  It wasn't the best game for Howard, who had some issues with corners early on and didn't appear to have a great command of his area.  He couldn't really do much about either goal, however, both of which were spectacular strikes from Rovers worthy of the highlight reel.

Marcus Hahnemann, meanwhile, earned yet another clean sheet in a very uneventful match against Fulham.  There was just one shot on target the entire match, which Hahnemann saved, while Bobby Zamora came close to opening the scoring when his second half shot hit the post.

In the Championship, Jay DeMerit once again got the start for Watford in their road match against Leicester City.  It wasn't a great day for Wisconsin native, however, as he was called for a foul in the box that led to Leicester's opening goal from the penalty spot in the 36th minute.  The call was pretty questionable, particularly considering that the Leicester players didn't seem to make any kind of protest when DeMerit's challenge knocked the ball out for a corner.  It went from bad to worse in the second half, when DeMerit was subbed off in the 56th minute due to some kind of injury.  I'm not exactly sure what the injury is or how severe it is, so I'll try to update this as soon as some news gets out.  Leicester went on to win by a score of 4-1.

Steve Cherundolo wore the captain's armband for Hannover today, as they looked to steal a result on the road against first place Bayern Munich.  Unfortunately, they came up way short of that.  Way, way short.  Bayern cruised to a 7-0 victory, a result that erased Hannover's goal differential advantage over relegation candidates Freiburg and Bochum.

Last, Michael Bradley started and went the distance for Borussia Monchengladbach in their 3-1 road loss to Schalke.  Up nine points and a goal differential advantage of 15 on 16th place Freiburg with just three matches to play, safety is essentially guaranteed for Bradley and company (barring a cataclysmic string of near-impossible events).  So, with little on the line, he can now shift his focus to international duty, using these last couple of matches as some final tune-ups before heading back Stateside.   

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Injured/Did Not Play

Clint Dempsey was still out of the lineup this weekend for Fulham.  On a positive note, though, Roy Hodgson seems to believe that Deuce should be ready for this Thursday's Europa League semifinal match against Hamburg. 

Carlos Bocanegra, meanwhile, was not in the match day squad for Rennes today due to a minor injury.  He is taking part in full training, however, and there doesn't seem to be anything to really worry about.  If anything, once again, a little rest might be a good thing ahead of international duty.

Stuart Holden (leg)
Clint Dempsey (thigh)
Carlos Bocanegra (minor injury)
Charlie Davies (multiple injuries)

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