USMNT No. 1 Goalkeeper Matt Turner Leaves Arsenal (After 1 Season) For Nottingham Forest

 

    If you saw the headline that USMNT starting goalkeeper Matt Turner was bolting from Arsenal after one forgettable season and going to Nottingham Forest, let me do my best to quickly talk you off the proverbial ledge. It is simple really, while the Gunners finished second in the English Premier League last season-46 points ahead of Forest who were just two places above the relegation zone in 16th place-Turner only appeared in seven total matches, none of which were in the Premier League. At the age of 29, he is in the prime of his soccer career and as a pro athlete, he does not have the luxury to wait a few years in North London, hoping to grab the No. 1 spot for Arsenal at some point. The move that had been rumored for weeks was made official today, as he signed a four-year deal worth a reported $12.75 million with Nottingham Forest.

    With the USMNT, Turner is in a good position in terms of job security. He really does not have anyone that is coming for his place anytime soon. Still, to reach his pinnacle as well as the USMNT's, they need him playing as much as possible. The fact that Nottingham Forest will be underdogs in most of their Premier League matches is a good thing in this case since it means that Turner will get plenty of action in every game as they try to avoid relegation in 2023-24. While it is far sexier to say "wow, our goalie is at Arsenal (or one of the other powerhouse clubs in Europe)!" rather than at lowly Nottingham Forest, this temporary move should benefit him and the U.S. men's national team both in the short and long term. In an amazing twist of scheduling fate, Turner and his new club open their regular season on Saturday morning (7:30 am, USA Network) as they visit Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Haha what are the odds of that? Hopefully he is ready for suit up in that one because that would be a pretty cool footnote to his stint in the Premier League.

    Keep in mind that if he plays well with Forest, he is unlikely to be there for the entirety of his contract. God bless European soccer since as soon as a guy blows up at a smaller club, he is usually snatched up by a bigger and more powerful team with the quickness. So who knows, Turner could end up back at Arsenal or one of the other title contenders in no time. No matter what sport you play in, you can only get so much out of practices and non-game situations. It would be one thing if Turner was a teenager and while goalkeepers typically have longer professional careers than field players, there is no guarantee of anything when you compete in the top soccer league in the world. 

    If you know anything about Turner and his Disney movie like backstory, you will never doubt his ability to exceed expectations in short order. This is the same guy who thought he would be a baseball player when he was growing up and never played competitive soccer until high school. He played at a very low level Division 1 college-Fairfield University in Connecticut-and then nobody knew him before he burst onto the MLS and USMNT scene with the New England Revolution. The USMNT has always been known for quality goalies and Turner is the latest in a long line of quality shot-stoppers. The difference now is that there is way more talent around him than ever before so ideally, he won't always have to stand on his head when the U.S. plays top competition from around the globe. 

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Oh Crap, Looks Like Tim Howard Will Miss Some World Cup Qualifiers

Facing two vital World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica (March 22 in Colorado) and Mexico (March 26 in Mexico City) in two weeks, the U.S. men's soccer team received some very bad news. Goalkeeper Tim Howard picked up two broken bones in his back playing for Everton so he's expected to be out for the rest of March.

That means that backup goalkeeper Brad Guzan would start in his first World Cup qualifiers in four years for the Americans. The good news is that Guzan has been the starter lately for Aston Villa so he should be ready.

Howard was hurt Feb. 26 in an FA Cup win over Oldham and missed last weekend's Premier League game against Reading. That ended his streak of consecutive league matches at 210, two shy of the Everton record set by goalkeeper Neville Southall from 1987-93.

Everton manager David Moyes said Howard will miss Saturday's FA Cup quarterfinal against Wigan and the March 16 match league match versus Manchester City, but could return March 30 against Stoke.

"We are not sure how long Tim will be out for because, obviously with a goalkeeper, he has to dive around and hit the ground," Moyes said Friday, according to the team's website. "If everything goes well, he misses next week's game, as well, and then because of the international break he might be close after the rest because that would be four weeks."

Howard is getting up there in age (34) although goalkeepers can play at a much higher level in later years than most field players. He is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world; he started all their games at the 2010 World Cup and the previous seven World Cup qualifiers for Brazil 2014.

"He has two fractures, but they are not bones that are supporting anything," Moyes said. "It is off the spine. They are not weight-bearing. It just needs a bit of healing time. It is not like a pure fracture where you need to wait to look at it. It is a question of whether he can cope with the pain. The bones will heal themselves, but it's not good."

Midfielder Landon Donovan won't start training with the LA Galaxy until later this month so he won't be ready for these upcoming matches. Midfielder Clint Dempsey has been out since February 21 at Tottenham dealing with a calf injury and fullback Steve Cherundolo could miss a month at Hannover (Germany) with a shoulder injury.

None of this makes me feel better, I was already expecting the U.S. to not win at Mexico. They really need a win vs. Costa Rica to get some confidence back after the 2-1 loss at Honduras in February to open this last round of qualifying (the Hexagonal).

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Brek Shea Hits The Lottery: Signs 4.5 Year Deal With Stoke City Worth $3.96 Million Dollars

I have never really understood the allure of U.S. midfielder Brek Shea; he's a decent enough player that has never scored a goal in 15 appearances for the United States. Today is not the time for hating though since before the January transfer window closed, he went from FC Dallas (MLS) to Stoke City where he signed a 4.5 year deal worth $3.96 million dollars with the English Premier League club.

From ESPNsoccernet.com
Stoke boss Tony Pulis told the club's official website: "It's fantastic news that we have been able to push through a deal.
"Brek is a very, very exciting player, and one who we firmly believe could go on to become an outstanding player for this football club.
Shea is the Potters' first signing of the January transfer window.
"He has terrific pace, a very good left foot and is capable of scoring goals," Pulis said. "He has all the tools needed to be a success here."

Shea turns 23 on February 28 so he's still very young with plenty of potential. He had played for Dallas since 2008 but he is recovering from surgery on his right foot in November. He will find a few familiar faces in the dressing room, on the practice field not to mention on the road and at games: fellow American Geoff Cameron, the defender has started 21 games for Stoke (6-12-6) who finds itself in 10th in the EPL. American midfielder Maurice Edu is also on the team but he's only played in one game (as a substitute) this season so I'm not sure what the deal is with him.

It will probably take Shea time to rehab his foot some more, not to mention adjust to the pace and quality of play in England but this is the biggest thing to happen for his young career. As always, we love to see American players test themselves in the best leagues possible (ie. not MLS). Good luck Brek!

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Clint Dempsey Scores His First Goal At White Hart Lane For Tottenham, In Their 3-1 Win Vs. Reading

Predictably, it's been a big adjustment for American midfielder Clint Dempsey as he went from being Fulham's top star in 2011-12 to a part-time starter, part-time substitute for Tottenham. Through 15 games for his new club, I think that he is starting to figure out his role for the third-place team in the English Premier League.

This afternoon, Dempsey rung in the New Year with his third goal of the season for Spurs in a 3-1 win vs. Reading. It was Dempsey's first goal at White Hart Lane-their home field. In 15 appearances, he has three goals and three assists. He came on as a substitute in the 75th minute and scored the third goal for Spurs (that made it 3-1) in the 79th minute.



The goal is far from a classic by Dempsey since it took a deflection off a Reading defender's foot. However, you have to note that he must still have plenty of confidence to even attempt an audacious shot like that.

Up next for Tottenham, they host Coventry on Saturday (10 a.m. ET) in an FA Cup match. Their next EPL opponent is at Queens Park Rangers on January 14 (3 p.m. ET).

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Brad Friedel Is My Hero, Now And Forever

He might not be the starting goalkeeper anymore but American Brad Friedel is obviously doing something right at his current club-Tottenham. Today, he signed a new contract extension through the 2013-14 season with the English Premier League power.

If you're keeping track at home, Friedel is 41-years-old (!). He's been at Tottenham since June 2011 but he lost his starting spot in October to Hugo Lloris. Tottenham blanked Aston Villa 4-0 this afternoon but Friedel sat on the bench the entire time. His last start was on December 6, a 3-1 win over Panathinaikos in a Europa League match. Friedel's last EPL match was November 11, a 2-1 loss at Manchester City.

The funny part is that Friedel hasn't played for the U.S. men's national team for years, despite the fact that he would still be the best backup goalkeeper behind Tim Howard. In his career, he has 82 CAPs for the U.S. He has progressed from the Columbus Crew (MLS) to Galatasaray (Turkey) and Brondby (Denmark) before moving to England in 1997 to play for Liverpool. He was at Blackburn for eight years and Aston Villa for three years before becoming a Toffee.

I have no idea if he would be interested in coaching after he retires but U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann should definitely look into it. What a great resource Friedel would be for young American goalkeepers to have around. It might be a romantic notion on my part but I'd love to see Friedel get to one more World Cup with the U.S. as a third goalkeeper or something. I'd say that at this point, he's more than earned that courtesy and curtain call on his professional career (even though he retired from international soccer a while back).

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Clint Dempsey Seemed Destined For Liverpool, Until Tottenham Swooped In At The Last Minute

After months of rumors that Clint Dempsey was headed to Liverpool, it turns out that he went to Tottenham only a few hours before the end of today's transfer window for European soccer.

The American midfielder signed a three-year deal worth $9.5 million, ending his 6+ years at Fulham. Without a doubt, Dempsey's transfer represents the biggest move in terms of an American-born men's soccer player in Europe. That's what happens when you score 23 goals for an English Premier League club in one season (2011/12).

From espnsoccernet.com
"I'm very excited and looking forward to the challenge," Dempsey told Tottenham's official website. "To play under this head coach and play for this club is a dream come true. I want to make the most of it and work as hard as I can to get onto the field and do well. There are a lot of great players here, I'm looking forward to training and playing with them and trying to fight for a spot in the team."

Apparently, Tottenham beat out Liverpool not to mention Sunderland and Aston Villa in their bid for the U.S. men's national team's top field player.

"Clint was a very influential player for Fulham over a number of seasons and the club thanks him for his contribution and wishes him well for the future," a statement on the Fulham website read.

Liverpool has spent much of the summer chasing Dempsey, sparking an angry reaction from Fulham manager Martin Jol after the player went on strike on the eve of the new season.

"A lot was said and written ahead of me leaving Fulham," Dempsey told Spurs' website. "It wasn't how it was portrayed, but that's in the past now and we move on. I want to thank the fans for everything, some of the best memories I've had in football and thank the chairman for giving me the opportunity to come from the MLS and compete over here. All I can say is thank you and now I'm looking forward to the next challenge."

At 29, he still has plenty of top-level soccer left in him since he only started playing for the New England Revolution (MLS) at age 21. Plus, he's durable and consistent, he scored 60 goals in 224 career appearances at Fulham. His objective of playing for a team that can compete in the Champions League should be fulfilled with the Hotspurs. They would have made the Champions League last season (they finished 4th) but were bounced out by Chelsea's improbable run to the title.

Don't be surprised to see Dempsey coming off the bench since Tottenham's midfield is already loaded with Aaron Lennon, Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart not to mention forwards like Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor. After being the man the last few seasons for Fulham, it will be interesting to see how Dempsey adjusts to having an auxiliary role. Former US goalkeeper Brad Friedel (41 years old!) is Tottenham's starter so Dempsey at least has one close friend on the team.

Deuce wasn't the only American on the move as Maurice Edu officially completed his transfer to Stoke that I already wrote about. Carlos Bocanegra left Rangers for a season-long loan at Racing Santander, a Spanish club that was relegated from La Liga last season. Finally, Oguchi Onyewu (remember him?) was loaned from Sporting Lisbon to Malaga, a Spanish club that finished fourth in La Liga last season and by virtue of that, is in this year's Champions League.

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Maurice Edu Takes His Talents From Scotland (Rangers) To England (Stoke City)

Well it is safe to say that Stoke City has solidified its place in the hearts of U.S. men's national team's fans in just a few short weeks.

Coming on the heels of the news that defender Geoff Cameron had signed there, today we found out that midfielder Maurice Edu was leaving Rangers-bankrupt and banished to Scotland's third division-for greener pastures in the English Premier League. There had been rumors of Edu looking at Ipswich (which plays in The Championship) but I felt all along that he could play at a higher level than that.

From The Sporting News
"After Rangers filed for bankruptcy, Edu announced he would leave the club. He turned down offers from Bursaspor, Evian, Trabzonspor and Valenciennes before accepting the move to Stoke City."

The former University of Maryland star and native of California will never wow you with his flashy moves or impressive statistics. His best attributes as a center midfielder (or center back where he had to play last week against Mexico) include work rate, high fitness level and being a capable two-way player. He is very consistent and you know what to expect from him which is always a good thing.

He also follows the path of Alejandro Bedoya, who left Rangers for Helsingborgs IF (Sweden). Edu had been practicing with Rangers but he didn't suit up in their league games this season. On the other hand, U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra so far has chosen to honor his contract and stay in Scotland. There is only six days left until the transfer window closes (August 31) so I wish I could get to Scotland and convince him that is not the best route for his career. I'm pretty sure that if he wanted to, he could still compete in the EPL or at least a higher level than Scotland in Europe.

MLSSoccer.com reported that Edu (who is 26) became Stoke City's fallback option once Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone wasn't signed. I could care less the reasoning and semantics behind the move, I'm just happy to say that another American is playing in what I consider the top soccer league in the world: the English Premier League. That will never get old in my book.

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Brad Guzan: The Best Backup Goalkeeper That Money Can Buy

It takes a ton of confidence to accept your fate as a backup in professional sports. Doubly so when you do that for both club and country like American Brad Guzan.

Today, Tim Howard's backup inked a new three-year deal with Aston Villa-his English Premier League club.

Guzan will join his teammates on a preseason tour of the United States and he's expected to be at Villa until the end of the 2014-15 season. Irish goalkeeper Shay Given-one of the best at his position in the world-stands in front of Guzan and more substantial playing time in England. Guzan played in seven games last season including one FA Cup match when Given was hurt.

Some people will probably think that Guzan is crazy since at 27, he should be starting to reach his prime years as a pro yet he's going back to a place where he's played in eight EPL games over the last four years (all but one last season) and 10 overall (2 FA Cup matches).

It's hard to say how good he could be since he went from Chivas USA in MLS to Aston Villa in 2008 and he's basically been stapled to the bench since then. He also played on loan at Hull City for four months during the 2010-11 season where he made 16 starts for the Football League Championship squad. Apparently, the new manager of Aston Villa-Paul Lambert-has seen enough since he remarked that "I've watched Brad and some of his games when he was on the team last year and he was excellent."

Howard is 33 and Given is 36 so no matter what, Guzan is much younger than both of the guys he is stuck behind. However, unlike most field positions, players have a better chance to hang around (think Brad Friedel who is 41 on Tottenham) when they are goalkeepers since you don't have to run. For his sanity, let's hope that Guzan gets more of a chance to show what he can do in the next few years. Nobody deserves to sit that much, assuming they have some ability.

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Gareth Bale Signs A 4-Year Extension With Tottenham

Great news for Tottenham and English Premier League fans today as Welsh midfielder Gareth Bale signed a four-year extension to stay at White Hart Lane until 2016.

The 22-year-old (who turns 23 in July) had been rumored to be coveted by Barcelona but in the end, he stayed loyal to the club he's played at for the last five years of his life.

"I've been here for five years now and I've enjoyed every minute. The fans have been great to me and I'd love to re-pay them and do the very best for them. The club is progressing and I want to be a part of that, so it was great to get the deal done.

"I love the club and the fans and I want to play my part in trying to get us back into the Champions League - where we belong. We've a good, young squad and we need to work together to get back on the biggest stage again.

"Everyone gets along and we've got the potential to challenge right at the top of the Premier League. It's exciting times at the club and I'm enjoying it. I don't see any reason to leave.

"I just know I'm improving, I know I'm getting better and my aim is to be as good as I can be. I'm still young, 22, still learning and this is the right place for me to keep progressing as a player. This is the perfect place to do that. Last season I was getting double and treble-marked on the wing, so I was able to come inside and score a few goals in more central areas. Now it's a case of mixing it all up and putting my whole game together.

"Hopefully I'll score more goals next season. I did quite well with my assists last season but I'd like to improve that as well. I'm looking at my all-round game, trying new things and trying to be the best player I can be."

Last season, he had nine goals and 10 assists in 36 Premier League games for Tottenham. He added two goals and four assists in five FA Cup games along with a goal in one Europa game.

He's easily one of my favorite players to watch since he's nothing short of electric when he goes bombing down usually the left side (since he's left footed). I have no problem with La Liga or Barcelona but I'm happy that he'll stay in the EPL since that's the European league that I follow and have the most knowledge about.

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Clint Dempsey Scores The Opening Goal In Fulham's 2-1 Win Vs. Sunderland

This morning, U.S. men's national team superstar Clint Dempsey scored a wonderful goal for Fulham (seen above). The free kick from outside the box was the opening goal as Fulham won 2-1 vs. Sunderland. It was Fulham's finale at Craven Cottage for 2011-12.

It was the 23rd goal of the season (and 50th EPL strike of his career) for Dempsey in all competitions and 17th in English Premier League matches as he continues to push the limits on his record-setting goal scoring pace. He has one more match with Fulham, they go to Tottenham next Saturday (10 a.m.). The match has plenty of meaning for Spurs since they are in a battle with Newcastle to the last fixture for the all-important fourth spot (and Champions League berth) in the EPL.

As Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl pointed out last week in a great article, it will be an interesting summer for Dempsey since he has proven himself more than enough at Fulham. The question is if he'll take his immense talents to a bigger club (Liverpool?) next season; that seems to be the only way he can have a shot at making the Champions League and therefore truly test himself at the top level for clubs.

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10 Goals In His Last 12 English Premier League Matches For Clint Dempsey At Fulham

Clint Dempsey has shown no signs of slowing down his incredible goal-scoring binge at Fulham in the 2011-12 campaign.

This afternoon, he helped his club rally from a bogus 1-0 deficit as they tied Chelsea 1-1 at Craven Cottage.

His header in the 82nd minute was off a corner and it tied the game at 1. Fulham earned two corners in a row and they didn't go to waste as Dempsey was able to free himself from John Terry and place it in the corner of the net away from Peter Cech.

It was Dempsey's 10th goal in his 1ast 12 English Premier League matches. He has a club-record 16 for Fulham this season (22 in all competitions).

The victory meant Chelsea (16-8-9) fell two points behind Tottenham and Newcastle, who are both tied in fourth place with 59 points. Instead, they're currently in sixth place with 57 points. Fulham (11-12-10) was able to move up to ninth place with 43 points.

The Blues benefited from a gift penalty kick in the last minute of the first half as Frank Lampard scored following Danny Murphy's phantom-challenge on Salomon Kalou.

Fulham can reach as high as seventh in the EPL this season and they still get to face the two teams closest to them: Everton-7th with 47 points and Liverpool-8th with 43 points in the upcoming fixtures.

Up next, Fulham hosts Wigan on Saturday, April 21 (10 a.m. EST kickoff).

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Another Match, Another Clint Dempsey Highlight Reel

The good times continue to roll for U.S. star Clint Dempsey in England as he scored twice in today's 5-0 thrashing by Fulham against Wolverhampton.

Dempsey scored his 11th and 12th goals of the EPL season (tying his career-high), both in the second half at Craven Cottage, helping Fulham to its third straight league victory.

After receiving a pass from teammate Danny Murphy, Dempsey made it 3-0 in the 56th minute by dribbling around Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

He rounded out the scoring and his incredible week with a goal in the 83rd minute off an assist from Mahamadou Diarra.

Fulham (9-9-9) is currently in eighth place in the EPL with 36 points. It doesn't look like they'll make the Europa League again (after playing in it last season) since they are 10 points behind No. 5 Chelsea.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Dempsey, who turns 29 on Friday, over the next few seasons. He's playing the best soccer of his life (21 goals in 2011/12 between Fulham and the U.S.) so you have to think that he'll go to a bigger club at some point. As Shimer pointed out, Arsenal could use him right now since he'd be the perfect help behind Robin Van Persie (currently the best striker in the world).

Regardless what happens, we have to enjoy Dempsey's season for Fulham since it is truly the greatest one ever for an American overseas. He scored the only goal on Wednesday to help the U.S. beat Italy for the first time ever and he wrapped up the week with a pair of goals in an EPL romp. It must always rule to be Clint Dempsey but particularly now. The guy is on fire everywhere he goes.

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Chelsea's Revolving Door Of Mangers Shows No Sign Of Slowing Down

It's not hard to figure out why Chelsea hasn't won any major titles or the English Premier League in years, they have no consistency within the club besides sticking with veteran players that are past their prime (see: John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard).

After a 1-0 loss to West Brom yesterday, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich fired Andre Villas-Boas after only eight months on the job.

Assistant head coach Roberto Di Matteo will be the interim manager for the rest of the season. Chelsea is currently in fifth place in the EPL (one spot away from Champions League play next year) while they're also still alive (albeit down 3-1) in the Champions League and the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Chelsea's statement on the move:
"Andre Villas-Boas has parted company with Chelsea Football Club today. The board would like to record our gratitude for his work and express our disappointment that the relationship has ended so early.

"Unfortunately the results and performances of the team have not been good enough and were showing no signs of improving at a key time in the season.

"The club is still competing in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup, as well as challenging for a top-four spot in the Premier League, and we aim to remain as competitive as possible on all fronts.

"With that in mind we felt our only option was to make a change at this time. With immediate effect Roberto Di Matteo has been appointed first team coach on an interim basis until the end of the season."

Realistically, all the Blues can hope for in regards to a top four finish in the EPL is that they catch Arsenal (49 points), who is only three points ahead of them. Tottenham (53 points) is the only other team somewhat in range but Chelsea (13-7-7) would have to go on some kind of run which is unlikely plus Tottenham (16-5-6) would have to falter which I don't see happening.

If Chelsea drops out of fifth and it could happen since Newcastle (44 points) is lurking only two points behind, the Blues would miss out on the Europa League as well which is shocking for a club as rich and powerful as them.

It just goes to show you what happens when you stick with an older roster for too long and continue to change manager year after year. There's no consistency from the top and no matter how much money Abramovich throws at his problems, Chelsea is a black hole as currently constructed.

Di Matteo's first match in charge will be Tuesday night's FA Cup replay at Birmingham. Then Chelsea hosts Napoli next week in a Champions League second leg but they'll have to overcome a 3-1 deficit at Stamford Bridge.

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Everton's Player Of The Month For January: Landon Donovan

Sadly, Landon Donovan's second loan at Everton will come to an end on Saturday as Everton faces Blackpool in a fifth-round FA Cup match.

Still, there has been much to celebrate after Donovan has delivered the goods once again for a solid club in the English Premier League. On Tuesday, he was rewarded with the Everton player of the month award for January.

It's the second time in three years that the Los Angeles Galaxy and U.S. midfielder won the Everton player of the month for January. Donovan assisted on five of Everton's eight goals in January and he added another one last weekend.

"It feels good," Donovan told Everton TV. "I think there was a point in January where no one was too happy with the way things were going, but the last few weeks have been a welcome change and a lot better, and it's been a lot more fun to be a part of, for sure."

Highlights included a 1-0 Premier League victory over first-place Manchester City.

"Any time you can beat the leaders it's a pretty special night," Donovan said, "and my dad was there that night, so it made it a little extra special for me."

Two years ago, Donovan scored two goals in 13 games during his first loan to Everton.

"It has a lot of similarities, the way it feels, to the first time," the 29-year-old told Everton TV. "I don't think anything will replicate that first trip here, but I've really enjoyed it. It's been a little easier in a way because I know the people, I know the roads, I know the area."

Thierry Henry couldn't go out on a high note today as Arsenal got whacked 4-0 by AC Milan in a Champions League round of 16 first leg. Let's hope that Donovan can have a little more memorable departure from England. He deserves it after his stellar play for the Toffees once again.

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I Don't Even Like Manchester United But I Will Still Salute Ryan Giggs' Longevity

Everybody knows that I hate Manchester United but in all sports, I'm always fascinated by players that can last for 15+ years.

Today, Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs signed a one-year extension, which will commit him to the EPL giant for a 23rd straight season.

The only player to score in every Premier League season he played, the 38-year-old Giggs made his first-team debut in March 1991 and has never played for another club.

He beat Bobby Charlton's long-standing appearance record in the 2008 Champions League final and has played 898 matches for United, 140 more than Charlton.

United manager Alex Ferguson says "he has constantly reinvented himself, adapted to the changing nature of the game and retained that desire and hunger for success."

The Welsh living legend isn't a novelty either; if you've watched any of the Red Devils' games the last few seasons you've noticed that while Giggs isn't the same player he once was, he is still more than capable of giving them a lift off the bench.

He's an inspiration to soccer players around the globe that shows you don't have to be wildly talented or athletically gifted to forge an incredible career. Giggs' best characteristics are toughness, intelligence, adaptability and a high level of fitness.

Congrats Ryan, here's to many more years of success with Manchester United.

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Clint Dempsey Continues To Find The Back Of The Net For Fulham Football Club

Transfer day came and went yesterday in European soccer and Clint Dempsey stayed at Fulham despite some rumors that he might be going to a bigger, more iconic club.

Dempsey is on fire with Fulham right now. He scored the lone goal for the home team today as Fulham tied West Brom 1-1 at Craven Cottage in an English Premier League match.

I wish I could give you a better highlight but all I could get was this post from Deadspin.

The goal came in the 69th minute and it gave Fulham a temporary 1-0 lead. West Bromwich tied it in the 82nd minute. It was Dempsey's seventh goal in his last three matches at Craven Cottage; he fell off his hat trick pace (of the last two games) but he still managed to find the scoresheet.

By no means was it Dempsey's most electrifying strike, I would argue that the through ball was better, but it was still a coolly placed finish from one of the world's top goal-scorers.

Your move Donovan.

PS. I'm loving the back and forth between these two American stars in England. It seems like every game brings a new gift from either of these guys. Just imagine if they can play like this together under Jurgen Klinsmann. Now that is an exciting thought.

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Another American Will Play In The English Premier League: Tim Ream Goes To Bolton

Ironically on a day when four Americans face off in an FA Cup match pitting Everton (Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann and Landon Donovan) vs. Fulham (Clint Dempsey), another U.S. teammate Tim Ream officially completed his signing with Bolton.

He inked for 3.5 years with the EPL squad that is struggling to stay above relegation. Bolton is currently 17th out of 20 teams (the bottom two get relegated) over halfway through the season (22 of 38 matches played already).

The 24-year-old defender, formerly of the New York Red Bulls, had to cut short his honeymoon in Tahiti to head to England.

Ream convinced Bolton manager Owen Coyle of his worth while training in December with Bolton's squad and completed a transfer from Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls on Thursday.

"I was married for all of 24 hours when I got the phone call," Ream said. "The manager asked if I'd be willing to cancel the honeymoon and come to Bolton and honeymoon here. As much as we were disappointed that we had to pass up the trip, I think we both knew it was in our best interests. Hopefully, it shows my commitment to being here and doing well here."

Ream's wife took a little more convincing.

"I can't really repeat what she said," Ream said. "But her and I have talked, and as long as we're together in whatever we do I think both of us will be happy. She wants the best for me, and I just want her to be happy.

Ream fills the gap in Bolton's roster created by the sale of Gary Cahill to Chelsea earlier in Europe's January transfer window.

Stuart Holden, an American midfielder, is also on Bolton so Ream will have a familiar face around the training grounds and at the games.

Ream's transfer fee of $2.75 million is the highest ever for an MLS defender and sixth highest for an American player-behind Maurice Edu, Jozy Altidore, Stern John, Howard and Dempsey.

"I knew there was interest in me when I came over last year and trained for a couple of weeks, and then after Christmas time things really did start to ramp up," Ream said. "Negotiations started, and that's when I knew things were getting serious. Even before that week I aimed to challenge myself in England and, if an opportunity arose, I wanted to come over and try to make it here."

Coyle is sure Ream has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.
"He is a U.S. international - a player that year-on-year has progressed and got better, and he will continue to do that," Coyle said. "Tim is everything that we want in the players we are bringing to the club when we spend in the transfer market. He is young, has a tremendous attitude and a winning mentality."

A finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year award in 2010, Ream was selected to the MLS All-Star team last year and has played seven times for the U.S. national team.

"This was a hard decision for me considering the fact that I enjoyed playing for the Red Bulls and was looking forward to the upcoming MLS season," Ream said. "However, after consulting with those closest to me, I decided that this was a once in a lifetime chance that I could not pass up."

Let's cross our fingers for a couple things: Holden's health, Ream getting playing time and of course, Bolton not getting relegated. This is a great move regardless, but it definitely loses some shine if they get bounced from the EPL this spring and fall back down to the League Championship.

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Landon Donovan Returns On Loan To Everton

Great news today for U.S. men's soccer team fans as it was announced that Landon Donovan will return to Everton in January for a two-month loan with the Toffees.

His Major League soccer team, the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy, broke the news which will give Everton some attacking help as they try to improve on a particularly slow start in the English Premier League.

The Toffees are currently in 12th place (out of 20) in the EPL and if anything, they're lucky to be even that high since they've scored a measly 15 goals in 14 matches.

Donovan will be eligible to play starting January 4 as Everton hosts Bolton. He will be there for nine matches (8 EPL, 1 FA Cup), through a farewell game on February 25 at Liverpool.

Unfortunately, in that time frame Everton won't play Fulham and Donovan's U.S. teammate Clint Dempsey but they have notable matches Jan. 11 at Tottenham, Feb. 1 they host Manchester City and Feb. 11 they host Chelsea.

Tim Howard is still Everton's No. 1 goalkeeper so Donovan will be reunited with him. You probably remember that the first time around (January-March 2010) that Donovan scored two goals in 13 matches for the Toffees but most importantly, he won over the fickle English fans who understandably doubted his abilities.

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Manchester United Injuries Start To Pile Up After One EPL Game in 2011-12 Season

Sunday was an up and down day for Manchester United, the defending English Premier League champions.

The Red Devils managed to salvage a 2-1 win on the road at West Bromwich in their 2011-12 EPL opener.

More importantly, defender Rio Ferdinand picked up a hamstring injury (forcing him to get subbed out after 76 minutes) and it has already been announced that he's expected to miss six weeks. If he's out for that projected time period, he'll miss club matches against Arsenal and Chelsea along with England national team Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales.

Fullback Rafael da Silva was out 10 weeks after injuring his shoulder in training before the season had even started and center back Nemanja Vidic also exited today's game with an injury (to his calf) and he'll likely miss two weeks.

These three injuries to their defense means that Manchester United could be shaky in the back heading into a tough early stretch in the EPL (vs. Tottenham and vs. Arsenal in the next two weeks).

"Rio has a hamstring injury. He will be out for six weeks,'' said Ferguson. "With Nemanja, we hope it is a nerve in his calf. He felt it prior to the game but he wanted to play. That may be a couple of weeks.''

The bright spot for Ferguson is the anticipated return of Patrice Evra from a knee injury against Spurs next Monday.

"We can always put Fabio on the right if we need to. We also have Chris Smalling, so we will get through,'' said Ferguson.

While I don't like Man U at all, I never root for injuries to good players (or anyone for that regard) so hopefully these guys all get back to the field in due time.

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Vuvuzelas blow

I'm proud to say that for the entire 2010 World Cup, both Shimer and myself did well to not fall into the trap of the lazy American sports fan and writer: criticizing vuvuzelas.

Don't get me wrong, we don't love them either but I really didn't find them to be that much of a distraction during the games. A tell-tale sign of someone that never watches soccer jumping aboard the World Cup bandwagon was their first observation: "what's with those annoying horns?"

I bring this up not to simply toot our own horns (get it?) but since a bunch of English Premier League teams are banning the stupid plastic instruments.

The league itself hasn't made an official ruling yet but Tottenham, Arsenal, Birmingham, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, West Ham and Sunderland have all banned them from their home parks.

"Following discussions with the police and representatives from the local licensing authorities, the club will not be permitting vuvuzelas or similar instruments into White Hart Lane on match days," Tottenham said. "We are concerned that the presence of the instruments within the stadium pose unnecessary risks to public safety."

"Vuvuzelas [are] not welcome at Emirates Stadium," Arsenal said. "This decision has been taken to ensure the enjoyment and safety of supporters on match days, which is of paramount importance to the club."

Birmingham said it consulted supporters and health and safety authorities before banning the trumpet, while Sunderland will turn away the vuvuzela because it does not permit any musical instruments into its Stadium of Light.