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.
  

Cup Final Saturday, Pt. 2

Tim Howard isn't the only American playing in a cup final today. DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu could feature for Rangers in the Scottish Cup final as they look to complete a domestic double. Rangers won the league last week, and this time around they'll look to upend Falkirk in today's final from Hampden Park.

Rangers won this competition last year, with DaMarcus Beasley contributing a goal in a 3-2 victory against Queen of the South.

Maurice Edu is facing the proverbial "race against time" in order to be fit for the game. Edu sustained a slight thigh knock in last weeks game against Dundee United. According to BBC Sport's Live Text, Edu has been left out of the lineup. No word on official lineups at this moment.

Stay tuned as we'll provide a few updates on this game and the FA Cup final throughout the day...

Short Interview with Maurice Edu

Here's a short clip from a press conference with Rangers' midfielder Maurice Edu.



Rangers are preparing for Saturday's Scottish Cup final against Falkirk on May 30.

Celebrate an SPL Title with Rangers

Rangers captured the Scottish Premier League title yesterday, giving DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu much to celebrate (along with the rest of the blue half of Glasgow). Here is the final few minutes and post-game celebration:

Big Sunday for MNT Players Abroad

• Maurice Edu and Rangers try to sew up the SPL league title Dundee Utd. Here's a link - http://www.freedocast.com/forms/PopOut.aspx?sc=427231E3213910A1 - if you want to watch it live. A Rangers win will give them the crown.
• Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege face Anderlecht in the second leg of the playoffs in Belgium. The first leg finished 1-1.
• Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard will do battle in England, as Fulham and Everton meet to close out the season in the Premier League. Jonathan Spector will also be in action for West Ham as they take on relegation-threatened Middlesbrough.
• José Francisco Torres and Pachuca try to reach the final in Mexico as they will attempt to close out their semifinal tie with Indios.
  

Celtic Draw Gives Advantage to Rangers

Maurice Edu and Rangers did their part this weekend, beating Aberdeen 2-1 on Saturday.
Not so much for Celtic, who failed to break down Hibernian's defense during a 0-0 draw. The results mean Rangers are top of the table going into the final game in the Scottish Premier League.



After winning the Old Firm derby game last weekend, Rangers sputtered in midweek, drawing 1-1 with Hibs. That draw gave Celtic a leg up over Rangers, but the Hoops' failure to win this weekend means they may have just blown their shot at a fourth consecutive title.

Of course, there's still one massive game to go and, if this week is any indication, there could just be one or two twists left. Here's how it looks going into the final day: Rangers are leading Celtic by two points, meaning any Rangers win will give them the title. If Celtic fail to win, then Rangers will also be crowned Champions. If Rangers draw and Celtic win, Celtic will take the title by virtue of goal difference.

Rangers face Dundee Utd away while Celtic hosts Hearts. Both games kickoff at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday.

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.
  

Highlights: Hibernian 1, Rangers 1

Brief highlights from yetserday's 1-1 draw between Hibernian and Rangers. Rangers fought back from a goal down to grab the tie, but they'll probably still view this opportunity as two points lost. Celtic are ahead of Rangers on goal differential with two games remaining. Here's how it looks: Rangers host Aberdeen at Ibrox on Saturday while Celtic go to Hibs on Sunday. The final game sees Celtic hosting Hearts and Rangers traveling to Dundee United.

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:
  

Old Firm Success

Maurice Edu and Rangers beat Celtic 1-0 to move to the top of the Scottish Premier League table. Edu, who made his debut in the fixture, played the full 90 minutes. Rangers used a Steven Davis goal to go two points clear of their rivals, and the team will try to keep its momentum going when they take on Hibernian next Wednesday.

Podcast with Maurice Edu

Maurice Edu has enjoyed a bit of an extended run in the Rangers starting lineup and the timing couldn't be better. Rangers are surging in the Scottish Premier League, closing the gap to one point with Celtic at the top of the table. The two Old Firm sides meet this weekend in the storied Glasgow derby, and Edu looks set to feature at Ibrox. We caught up with Edu from Glasgow as the MNT midfielder looks for a successful end to his first season abroad. Listen to ussoccer.com's full podcast with Maurice Edu here...

Also, we have some extended highlights of Rangers' victory over Hearts from this past weekend. Edu played the full 90 minutes:

Edu Interview

Maurice Edu spoke to the Daily Record about the massive Old Firm game on the horizon. Edu featured for 90 minutes during Rangers' 2-0 victory against Hearts, and the midfielder is set to retain his place for the game against Celtic this Saturday.

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.
  

Saturday Results

• Rangers beat St. Mirren 3-0 in the semifinal of the Scottish Cup at Hampden Park. Maurice Edu played the full 90 minutes for Rangers.
• Clint Dempsey and Fulham held off Stoke City with a 1-0 victory at Craven Cottage. The win vaulted Fulham into seventh place in the table, ahead of West Ham for the final Europa League spot next year.
• Tim Howard and Everton fell to Manchester City, losing 2-1 at Goodison Park.
• Jay DeMerit and Watford nabbed a 3-2 win against Coventry City while Eddie Johnson and Cardiff City were 3-0 losers in Roy Keane's managerial debut for Ipswich Town
• Standard Liege won easily KV Mechelen, but they are still second in the table behind Anderlecht on goal differential. With both clubs on 70 points, Liege trails their rivals by four goals with three games remaining.
  

Edu's Goal

Finally tracked down Maurice Edu's recent goal for Rangers in their 3-2 win against Hibernian.

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.

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.
  

Thursday Update

We mentioned yesterday that DaMarcus Beasley was substituted early in the first half after a collision that left him with a bruised rib. Well, after a scan, Rangers are revealing that the injury is nothing more than a bruise - so thankfully no break. It will keep DaMarcus out this weekend, however, and Rangers haven't set a timetable for his return yet.

Still searching for Maurice Edu's goal - any leads, readers? Regardless, here is manager Walter Smith talking about Mo's contribution and here you can see Mo talking before yesterday's match.

Tim Howard sustained a slight thigh injury during Sunday's win, but he should be ready for Sunday's big clash with Aston Villa, according to Evertonfc.com.

Clint Dempsey and Fulham are preparing for Sunday's trip to Manchester City. Here's an interesting article from The Guardian's David Pleat where he talks about what makes the Cottagers' defence so tough to break down.