Weekend Recap

Some countries in Europe have already begun the domestic calendar, a few started their cup competitions this weekend, while other teams are wrapping up their preseason schedules. Here's a few notes from the past few days:

• Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach got past FSV Frankfurt in the DFB Pokal Cup. Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 fell to Entracht Trier and were eliminated from the competition.
  
• Brad Guzan and Aston Villa beat Juventus in a shootout to claim the Peace Cup title. The preseason tuneup in Spain finished 0-0 after 120 minutes and culminated in pks, where Guzan saved two shots to help Villa beat the Italian club. Fullback Eric Lichaj also featured for Aston Villa.
• DaMarcus Beasley featured for Rangers in two preseason games this weekend. He came on as a halftime sub yesterday in the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal. Beasley also came on in the 61st minute during a 1-0 victory against PSG on Saturday.
  

Cooper Heads to 1860 Munich

U.S. MNT forward Kenny Cooper has signed for 1860 Munich and is set to undergo a medical with the 2.Bundesliga club. Cooper, who was recently named to the CONCACAF Gold Cup all-tournament team, scored 40 goals in 93 appearances for FC Dallas since joining them in 2005. 1860 Munich has some history with American internationals, having had World Cup veterans Gergg Berhalter and Josh Wolff on their books as recently as a few years ago.

Random Fun Fact: German film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, an MNT Blog favorite, was a huge 1860 fan.

Getting Underway in Germany

The DFB Pokal Cup kicks off this weekend in Germany as teams from the Bundesliga get set to take on lower division sides. Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach face FSV Frankfurt, while Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 travel to meet Eintracht Trier on Sunday. Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern get the action underway on Friday with a game against Eintracht Braunschweig.

Hannover Lose to Arsenal

Steve Cherundolo and Hannover fell 1-0 to Arsenal in pre-season action. Cherundolo started and played 74 minutes in the game:

Celebrate Another Season of Bundesliga Soccer with 'Gladbach

Crunch Time for 'Gladbach

One more game for Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach and the club can count itself in for another season in the Bundesliga. Gladbach are three points ahead of Arminia Bielefeld and have super goal difference of four goals. A tie (or anything better) by 'Gladbach against visiting Borussia Dortmund will keep Bradley and his teammates safe. Check here tomorrow (and our twitter feed as well) for updates...

Saturday Results

• Maurice Edu and Rangers beat Aberdeen 2-1 to go top of the Scottish Premier League. Celtic plays tomorrow, but until then Rangers remain three points clear.
• Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach went down 5-0 to Bayer Leverkusen. Gladbach dropped to 15th place, three points clear of the relegation zone.
• Clint Dempsey and Fulham heaped the pressure on Newcastle United by winning 1-0 at St. James' Park.
• Tim Howard and Everton got past West Ham with a 3-1 victory.
• Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege did their part, beating Gent 1-0. Anderlecht also one their final game so the two rivals are headed to a playoff in Belgium.
  

Short Weekend Preview

• Maurice Edu and Rangers look for three points (and a Celtic slip up) on Saturday morning against Aberdeen
• In the Premier League, Everton and Tim Howard host West Ham United (tape delayed on FSC) while Clint Dempsey and Fulham travel to Newcastle United (live on Setanta from 9:40 a.m. ET)
• Everything to play for in the Bundesliga, on both ends of the table. Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach travel to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
• Oguchi Onyewu will try to help Standard Liege past KAA Gent on the final day of the season in Belgium. For a full preview of the final day, listen to our podcast with Gooch from earlier this week.
• On Sunday, Rennes will try to keep their Europa League hopes alive with a trip to Nantes.
• Also on Sunday, José Francisco Torres and Pachuca will try to wrap up their series with Jaguares. Torres scored in the 3-1 victory in the first leg.
  

Goal: Cottbus 0, 'Gladbach 1

Couldn't find the full highlights but here's the late winner from Borussia Mönchengladbach's victory yesterday:

The win takes them three points clear of the relegation zone.

Wednesday Results

• The title race gets closer again in Scotland, just when you thought Rangers would pull ahead after this past weekend. Today Rangers fought back from a goal down, salvaging a point against Hibernian. Maurice Edu again played the full 90 minutes for Rangers, who are ahead of Celtic at the top of SPL on goal differential (EDIT: Celtic are ahead of Rangers on goal difference).
• Late drama in Germany as Borussia Mönchengladbach grabbed a vital win against Energie Cottbus. Gladbach's Dante stole the 90th minute winner, as Michael Bradley's team moved three points clear of the Bundesliga trap door. Bochum and Bielefeld also lost, which mean 'Gladbach moved up to 14th place, three clear of the relegation zone.
  

Midweek Action

Lots of games this Wednesday, so stay tuned as leagues around Europe go down to the wire.

• In Scotland, Maurice Edu and Rangers will look to leapfrog Celtic in the top spot. Celtic won yesterday, but Rangers can go back to the summit of the table with a win against Hibs today.
• Borussia Mönchengladbach escaped the relegation zone on Saturday with a win against Schalke. Now Michael Bradley's team will look to put some daylight between themselves and the other clubs near the bottom: 'Gladbach travels to Energie Cottbus in tonight's Bundesliga six pointer.
• Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes will try to recover from a shock cup final defeat this past weekend with a game against Caen. Rennes still have a shot at qualifying for the Europa League, but they'll need to pick up some major points heading into the final stretch.
• Speaking of the Coupe de France, here are some highlights from the game:
  

Highlights: Bayern Munich v. Borussia Mönchengladbach

Highlights from 'Gladbach's 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich yesterday:

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.
  

Gladbach Set to Face Bayern Munich

Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach head to the Allianz Arena on Saturday to take on Bayern Munich. The game is a big one for both teams - 'Gladbach are trying to jump clear of the relegation zone, while Bayern are looking to keep pace with the leaders at the top of the table. It's been a newsworthy week in Munich, with a coaching change and talk of Ribery leaving the club. You may remember the last time the two sides met. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Bradley getting the tying goal late in the match. You can tune in to Gol TV on Saturday to see the game live from 11:30 a.m. ET.

Weekend Results

• Rangers kept pace with Celtic in the Scottish Premier League by beating Hibernian 3-2. Maurice Edu grabbed the winning goal for Rangers, his second in recent weeks for the Glasgow club.
• Clint Dempsey went the full 90 minutes in Fulham's 0-0 draw with relegation-threatened Middlesbrough.
• Borussia Mönchengladbach missed the chance to move free of the Bundesliga drop zone with a 4-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. Michael Bradley, who played the full 90 minutes, missed a second half penalty for 'Gladbach.
• In a loss with Europa cup implications, Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes fell 3-1 to AS Monaco on Saturday.

Injury Updates

Steve Cherundolo will have hip surgery next week in Germany to fix a problem that has kept him out of action for the last four games, his club Hannover 96 reports. Cherundolo featured in games on Feb. 28 and March 7 for Hannover, but the problem has plauged him since early January. He will be out for several weeks.

Meanwhile, Jozy Altidore is having a minor operation on his toe in Spain, reports Xerez on the club website. Altidore will be evaluated on a weekly basis.

Saturday Results

• Maurice Edu plays 90 minutes in Rangers' 3-1 win over Motherwell.
• Eddie Johnson came on as a late sub as Cardiff continued their promotion push with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
• In more Championship action, Watford and Jay DeMerit snatched a late draw against Bransley.
• Borussia Mönchengladbach and Michael Bradley fell 2-1 to league leaders Wolfsburg.
• Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes got back on track with a 1-0 win over St. Etienne.
• Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege nabbed a 1-0 win at home against KSC Lokeren.
• José Francisco Torres played 45 minutes in Pachuca's 3-1 win over Toluca.
  

Sunday Results

• Eddie Johnson came on as a late sub in Cardiff's 2-2 draw against Swansea City.
• Heath Pearce made a late appearance for Hansa Rostock in their 2-2 draw with FSV Frankfurt.
• Maurice Edu entered the Rangers' game as a 2nd half sub in a 1-0 victory over Falkirk.
• Michael Bradley played 90 minutes for Borussia Mönchengladbach as they earned an important point on the road against Karlsruhe.
• Rennes fell 3-0 to relegation-threatened Sochaux. Carlos Bocanegra played 62 minutes in the defeat.
• Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege went back to the top of the table in Belgium, courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Germinal Beerschot.
• Tim Howard and Everton thrashed Wigan 4-0 at Goodison Park.
  

Gladbach Falter on Friday

Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach failed to get out of the relegation zone this weekend, falling 1-0 to VFL Bochum in the Bundesliga's Friday night game. Bradley picked up a yellow card in the game and Bochum cleared a goalbound attempt off the line in the final stages. Gladbach remain two points adrift from safety, just behind Arminia Bielefeld. Also in Germany on Friday, Heath Pearce played the full game for Hansa Rostock at left midfield in a 1-1 draw with Koblenz.

0-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. VfL Bochum Highli… - MyVideo

Better Highlights: Cologne vs. Gladbach

Here are some longer highlights of Michael Bradley's two-goal performance in Borussia Mönchengladbach's 4-2 win over Cologne at the weekend: