Soccer By Ives

Americans Abroad: Boxing Day Rewind

American soccer players had a busy Boxing Day in England on Wednesday, with 10 of them playing at least a half and nine earning starts (That's including Watford's Jay DeMerit and Millwall's Zak Whitbread.)

There were mixed results, from Tim Howard posting yet another shutout for Everton to Carlos Bocanegra watching his Fulham defense be torn to shreds yet again. There were even two goal-scorers on the day, with usual suspect Clint Dempsey being joined by DeMerit.

Before I get to the rundown, I wanted to talk about Benny Feilhaber's performance for Derby County against Liverpool. It had its ups and downs, but his effort, or lack thereof, late in the match could hurt his chances for more playing time in the future.

Americans in European Soccer: Weekend Rewind

Good afternoon everybody (good morning to the West Coast). As great as the European soccer action was this past weekend, it was also a great weekend for American players.

Why? No, there weren't goals in bunches (though Clint Dempsey scored another clutch goal for Fulham). It was great for American players because most of them started and played good minutes. The number of "did not dress" and "did not play" announcements was the fewest I think it's been all season.

Eddie Lewis and Jonathan Spector both earned starts and Benny Feilhaber made his way onto the field as every healthy American in the English Premier League saw playing time, with Feilhaber being the only one not to start (that's not including young reserve players like Johann Smith and Eric Lichaj of course).

Before we get to how the Americans Abroad did this weekend, I need to make one more reminder for those of you who have yet to take part in the Soccer By Ives Reader Roll Call to please do so. Your input is going to go a long way toward helping me shape and set a direction for SBI as we head into 2008.

Now, back to the action. Here is how the Americans in Europe did this past weekend:

Fulham sacks Sanchez

America's favorite English Premier League team is looking for a new manager.

Fulham has fired manager Lawrie Sanchez. The decision comes just seven months after became the full-time successor to Chris Coleman. Former Fulham player John Collins as emerged as a potential candidate and you have to wonder if Bruce Arena won't stump for this job too.

Whoever Fulham hires, here is hoping they don't bench all Americans like Derby's new manager, Paul Jewell, did upon his recent arrival to the Premier League's cellar dwellers.

One player who probably won't be sad to see Sanchez go is Carlos Bocanegra, who went from captain to bench warmer in recent weeks.

I know there are a ton of Fulham fans in the SBI Mafia ranks so share your thoughts on this move below.

Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Good afternoon everybody. It was a rather low-key weekend for Americans in Europe. There were no hat-tricks or crazy goals to speak of, though there was a shutout (by Tim Howard) and another win for Michael Bradley's Heerenveen. There was also another set of Did Not Play notes for Derby duo Eddie Lewis and Benny Feilhaber.

There was some good news too. Carlos Bocanegra returned to the starting lineup in Fulham's tragic 1-0 loss to Newcastle (I say tragic because the penalty call that gave Newcastle the win was extremely harsh). Gregg Berhalter kept this list from being goal-less by providing a score in 1860 Munich's romp on Sunday.

Here is the rest of how the Americans in Europe did this past weekend:

Americans Abroad: Weekend rewind

You can start calling Michael Bradley a goal machine.

Bradley was the unquestioned star among Americans Abroad last weekend, netting a first-half hat-trick to lead Heerenveen to a 4-2 derby victory against Groningen on Sunday.

Bradley wasn't the only American to do well. Bobby Convey was stellar in helping Reading knock off Liverpool on Saturday. He helped set up two goals in the 3-1 victory and his resurgence has American fans feeling a little more at ease about DaMarcus Beasley's lengthy layoff due to knee surgery.

It wasn't all good news though. Carlos Bocanegra remains in the Fulham doghouse, failing to make an appearance for the second straight game. Meanwhile, new Derby manager Paul Jewell continued ignoring his two American players, choosing to leave Eddie Lewis and Benny Feilhaber off the bench for their 4-1 loss to Manchester United.

Here is how all the Americans Abroad did last weekend:

Monday Morning Centerback: Americans Abroad and MLS

Ahn nyeong haseyo everybody. It is Morning morning and even though ice storms are covering large parts of the country, it is still soccer season.

There will be plenty to blog about today, from the U.S. Under-17 team's exploits this past weekend to updates on Toronto FC and the expansion Seattle MLS franchise. You also had Michael Bradley's derby day hat-trick for Heerenveen as well as Bobb Convey's stellar performance for Reading against Liverpool.

Before we get to all of that, I wanted to start the day discussing my weekend column on ESPN.com. In case you missed it, I wrote a column with the premise being 'What if MLS could bring back some of the talented American players currently struggling for playing time in Europe.'

There may have been some confusion about the point of the column so here is some clarification.

Michael Bradley nets hat-trick in Heerenveen romp

Michael Bradley cannot stop scoring.

The U.S. national team midfielder netted his first career hat trick on Sunday to lead Heerenveen to a 4-2 win against Groningen on Sunday. Bradley scored all three goals in the first half to help Heerenveen win its derby.

When was the last time an American scored a hat-trick in a top European league? Very good question. Bradley was already beginning to draw interest from bigger European clubs. His performance on Sunday should only serve to send more clubs on the trail of the 20-year-old former MetroStar.

Here are the goals:

Also, here is Bradley's post-match interview in Dutch. Okay, I know most of you don't know Dutch, but I figured you might want to see the interview anyway. Maybe someone can translate.)

What do you think of Bradley scoring a first-half hat-trick? Share your thoughts below.

Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Good morning SBI Nation, it is Tuesday and there should be plenty to discuss today. I will start the day off with the weekly installment of Americans Abroad.

There were no goals scored by Americans this past weekend but there were more players playing than usual (at least it seemed that way). Yes, injuries have several top Americans on the sideline now (Beasley, McBride, Keller) but players from Josh Wolff to Bobby Convey made their ways into starting lineups.

Here is how European-based Americans fared this past weekend in Europe's top leagues:

Beasley could miss rest of European season

DaMarcus Beasley looks to be out for the year with damaged knee ligaments, according to the Glasgow Daily Record. Beasley injured his left knee after colliding with Stuttgart goalkeeper Raphael Schafer during Stuttgart's 3-2 Champions League win against Rangers on Wednesday.

If Beasley has torn knee ligaments, he could be sidelined through the summer, with a fall return likely at best. Torn ligaments would also mean that the U.S. national team winger would almost certainly miss the U.S. team's second-round World Cup qualifying match against the Barbados/Dominica winner and could lead to him missing some games in the first group stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

The injury comes just as fellow American left winger Bobby Convey has recovered from his own injury issues. The U.S. team will lean heavily on Convey come the summer (if he is healthy) and will also need to turn to veteran winger Eddie Lewis as well. Lewis has remained on the U.S. team radar in recent months despite his age (33).

As it stands, the Glasgow Daily Record is reporting this exclusively. I will post further confirmation as it surfaces.

What do you think of this potentially devastating news? Share your thoughts below.

Beasley suffers serious knee injury in Rangers UCL loss to Stuttgart

U.S. national team winger DaMarcus Beasley was taken off the field on a stretcher during Rangers' 3-2 loss to Stuttgart on Wednesday. Beasley stated after the match that he believes he injured a knee ligament. The extent of the injury is not known yet but Rangers manager Walter Smith is calling the injury serious.

Beasley is expected to have an MRI today which will reveal the extent of his injury.