Weekend Results

• Fulham fell 3-1 to Chelsea in a London derby. Clint Dempsey played the full 90 minutes for Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
• Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich. Bradley played the full 90 minutes, but 'Gladbach could not get a point in their relegation battle.
• Standard Liege's title defense took a hit on Saturday. Oguchi Onyewu's team could only muster a 0-0 draw with Zulte-Waregem. Liege went top of the table with the point, but rivals Anderlecht have a game in hand.
  
• Marcus Hahnemann and Reading are headed for the promotion playoffs in the Championship, after a 2-1 home defeat to Birmingham.
• Eddie Johnson and Cardiff City were robbed of the playoffs after losing 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday.
• Maurice Edu continued his extended run in the Rangers team, playing 90 minutes in a 2-0 win against Hearts.
• In Denmark, Danny Califf's FC Midtjylland beat Michael Parkhurst's FC Nordsjaelland 2-0.
• Pachuca hammered Chiapas 5-1 to add to their league-best points total. José Francisco Torres came on in the 60th minute.
  

Highlights from Denmark

• Benny Feilhaber started for Aarhus in a 1-0 win against league-leaders FC Copenhagen. Highlights here.
• Michael Parkhurst played the full game in Nordsjælland's 3-0 loss to Odense. Highlights here.
• Danny Califf and Midtjylland fell 2-0 to Randers. Highlights here.
• Standings in the Danish league look like this.
  

European Qualfying Results

The European Cup competitions are already underway, with qualifying rounds for both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup being contested this week. The rounds are played over two legs, home and away, over the course of two weeks.

This week, Standard Liege battled Liverpool to a 0-0 draw in Belgium. Oguchi Onyewu was suspended for the game (with cards carrying over from last season's European competition), but Liege gave last season's semifinalists quite a scare. Only goalkeeping heroics from Pepe Reina preserved the draw for Liverpool, as the Spanish goalkeeper made numerous good saves to repel the Liege attack. The 2nd leg of the tie is set for Aug. 27 at Anfield.

In UEFA Cup qualifying Dan Califf and FC Midtjylland defated Manchester City, 1-0, today at the City of Manchester Stadium. A first half goal from Danny Olsen was enough for FCM's defense, which held Man City scoreless on its own ground. On Aug. 28 the tie will conclude in Denmark, with the winner progressing into the First Round proper of the UEFA Cup.



Also in the UEFA Cup, Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes were pegged back, 2-1, against Stabaek in Norway. Despite the loss, a late goal from the French side makes the one goal deficit much more palatable - with the away goals rule in effect, Rennes only need a 1-0 win at home to progress in the Cup.

DANNY CALIFF (AALBORG BK)

The News: Danny Califf and Aalborg BK have been knocked out of the UEFA Cup after today’s 2-1 loss to Getafe.

Of Note: Aalborg’s failure to take at least a point means that even with a win on the final matchday, they’ll be unable to qualify for the round of 32. Nonetheless, the small Danish side has done its fans proud thus far in the competition – AaB’s elimination of Sampdoria in the previous round was one of the stories of the tournament.

Up Next: AaB close out this year’s UEFA Cup campaign with an away fixture at Hapoel Tel-Aviv on December 19.

UEFA Cup: Aalborg BK vs. Getafe

The News: Danny Califf and Aalborg BK host Getafe in a UEFA Cup Group G match on Thursday.

Of Note: These two teams have never met before in European competition, and AaB need a good result to maintain hopes of qualification for the next round. The Danish club endured a tough 3-2 loss to Tottenham on the last matchday, despite holding a 2-0 lead at halftime of that game. Getafe are managed by Danish legend Michael Laudrup, and the Spanish side is competing in the UEFA Cup for the first time. With three points from their first two games, Getafe currently sit in third place

Up Next: The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET. Read the match preview here, and follow the live text updates at UEFA.com.

DAN CALIFF (AALBORG BK)

The News: Dan Califf and AaB endured a tough 3-2 loss away to Tottenham last night.

Of Note: AaB stormed out to a 2-0 lead, but were unable to hold out in the second half. Three goals from Tottenham in the second period condemned the Danish side to their first loss in the UEFA Cup.

Up Next: For the next match in the UEFA Cup, AaB host Getafe on December 6 at 2:45 pm ET. A result in that match is imperative for Califf and his club, who have only one point thus far in Group G.

UEFA Cup: Tottenham vs. Aalborg BK

The News: Dan Califf and AaB face Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur tonight at White Hart Lane. And here's a question for all you people that slaughter our trivia in the MNT Blog: have you ever seen Dan Califf play for his club team? We're guessing no, but today you can right that egregious wrong! That's right, FSC will be airing this game starting today at 2:30 pm ET so be sure to take a long lunch hour and catch some of the action.

Of Note: AaB drew their first and only match against Anderlecht, while Tottenham have won one and lost one thus far in Group G play. The two clubs have never met before in a UEFA tournament, and AaB will be looking to continue their improbable run through this year's competition. The Danish side were the unfashionable choice in the last round against Sampdoria, but after eliminating them, and tying Anderlecht in their opening match of the group stage, AaB see no reason to believe why their good form can't continue. Last time out for Tottenham, new manager Juande Ramos commandeered a 2-0 away win for Spurs over Hapoel Tel-Aviv in his first UEFA Cup match.

Up Next: The match kicks off at 2:45 pm ET, and you can read previews of it here and here. If you're unlucky enough to not be near a TV this afternoon, you can also follow along with live text updates at UEFA.com.

Quick UEFA Cup Wrap Up

Everton and Tim Howard made it six points from two games after last night’s UEFA Cup victory over Nürnberg. The Toffees left it a bit late, but goals from Mikel Arteta and Victor Anchibe handed the English club a deserved 2-0 victory. At the back, Tim Howard and the defense kept an important clean sheet that will undoubtedly boost confidence ahead of Sunday’s mammoth clash with Chelsea. Everton couldn’t be better positioned for that match, with five victories on the trot and Australian international Tim Cahill getting back to his best after injury.

Dan Califf and Aalborg BK claimed a late draw against Anderlecht, after Mattias Lindstrom equalized for the Danish side in the 86^th minute. After the international break, Califf and his club will put their European credentials to the test, as they take on Tottenham, who are the favorites of the group. First, however, they’ll turn their sights back to the Danish league, and prepare to face FC Nordsjælland on Sunday.

As a side note, both Califf and Howard are part of Bob Bradley’s initial 17-man roster that will travel to South Africa later this month.

UEFA Cup Preview

Everton and Tim Howard travel to Germany to face Nurnberg in a game that kicks off at 3 p.m. ET. The two clubs come into tonight’s match with extremely contrasting fortunes: Everton have won four in a row as they push up the Premier League table, while Nurnberg have endured an appalling start to the season and currently sit in the relegation zone in the Bundesliga. Nonetheless, the UEFA Cup is a different competition all together, and the slate is clean for the German club, who will play their first group match today. Everton, on the other hand, have already played one group match against Larissa, where the Toffees triumphed 3-1. Read up on some facts about the match here and be sure to follow live text updates of the game at UEFA.com.

Aalborg BK, led by American defender and club captain Dan Califf, plays its first group stage game tonight against Belgian side Anderlecht. AaB (as the Danish side is abbreviated) has already played nine European games this season, as they had to qualify for the UEFA Cup through the Intertoto Cup. Califf and AaB defeated the heavily favored Serie A side Sampdoria in the qualification round in order to be drawn into group G. As you may remember, the MNT Blog spoke to Califf about that victory over Samporia during the recent camp in Switzerland. You can read about all the pre-game happenings here, and be sure to follow the game when it kicks off at 1:15 p.m. ET here.

DAN CALIFF (AALBORG BK)

The News: Aalborg have been drawn into Group G with RSC Anderlecht (BEL), Tottenham Hotspur FC (ENG), Getafe CF (ESP), and Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)

Of Note: One of two representatives from Denmark in the Group Stage, Aalborg advanced by getting past Italian side Sampdoria on away goals. They will face two-time UEFA Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur, as well as an Anderlecht side that has played over 80 matches in tournament history and has the 1983 cup in their trophy case.

Up Next: Aalborg open up at home against Anderlecht on November 8 at Aalborg Stadium