You May Have Heard There's a Game Today...

Manchester United vs. Barcelona. UEFA Champions League Final. You can see it live from 2:15 p.m. ET on ESPN. We asked a few of the guys in MNT camp for their predictions and you may be surprised by the uniformity of their responses. And speaking of uniforms, in such a close game it's probably the little things that matter (see the last response...)


If you needed any other reason to get excited for the game, check out this great Champions League Top Plays from ESPN:

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

Bundesliga Results

In Germany, Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 pulled off a big 3-0 upset over Hamburg. Cherundolo played the full ninety minutes for Hannover who take on 1.FC Köln on Friday.

Michael Bradley and Borussia Monchengladbach succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday. Bradley entered the game as a second half substitute. Next up for 'Gladbach is Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday, Nov. 8.


1-2 Borussia Mgladbach vs. Eintracht Frankfurt Goa… - MyVideo

In the 2.Bundesliga, Heath Pearce entered the game as a second half sub for Hansa Rostock, but his club eventually lost to RW Oberhauson.

Edu Settling In

Maurice Edu spoke to Rangers' website about settling in with his new club. Edu could feature in tomorrow's Scottish League Cup match against Hamilton, as Rangers continue their defense of the title they won last year.

There's action around Europe tomorrow night, with Michael Bradley and 'Gladbach taking on Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. Heath Pearce and Hansa Rostock face SpVgg in the 2nd Bundesliga, while Danny Szetela and Brescia host Salernitana in Serie B.

There are games in England as well, with Reading visiting to Burnley and Watford traveling to Preston.

This awesome image courtesy or rangers.co.uk

Saturday Results

Tim Howard and Everton fight for a 1-1 draw against Manchester United.

Michael Bradley and 'Gladbach get back on track with a 1-0 win over Karlsruhe.

Steve Cherundolo and Hannover draw, 1-1, with Werder Bremen.

DaMarcus Beasley and Rangers cruise to a 3-1 victory over Hamilton.

On Friday, Heath Pearce came on as a second half sub in Hansa Rostock's 0-0 draw with FSV Frankfurt.

Hannover Needs A Few Players

Trouble for Hannover 96 this week, as a stomach bug has taken down seven 1st team squad players. Add that to a few injuries (which includes Steve Cherundolo's strained abdominal muscle) and Hannover will only have 14 players available for today's 2nd Round DFB-Pokal Cup match with Schalke. Of course that could also mean a start or appearance for Sal Zizzo, the young American made his first Bundesliga appearance this past weekend when he came on as a second half sub. That would assume he isn't effected by the stomach virus though, so we'll have to wait and see. Heath Pearce's Hansa Rostock and Michael Bradley's Bor. M'gladbach are also in action tonight, facing off against Eintracht Frankfurt and Energie Cottbus, respectively.

Rostock Ties 2-2

Heath Pearce and Hansa Rostock tied Ahlen 2-2 today in Bundesliga 2 action (that's a lot of 2's). Pearce started at left back for his club side, and played all 90 minutes in the draw. Rostock remain in 10th place in the table and the club's next match comes a week from today against FC St. Pauli.

Hannover and Rostock Finish with Wins

Hannover 96 and Hansa Rostock finished their respective Bundesliga seasons with wins on Saturday.

Hannover dismantled Energie Cottbus, 4-0, behind three assists from Steve Cherundolo. Sal Zizzo also played 45 minutes in his second Bundesliga appearance of the season for Hannover, who finished the domestic season in eighth place in the table.



Rostock will be heading down to the 2nd Bundesliga next year, but Heath Pearce's team said goodbye to the German top flight with a win. Rostock came form behind to defeat VfL Bochum 2-1. Pearce played the full 90 minutes in the victory.

HEATH PEARCE (HANSA ROSTOCK)

Its been an up and down week for Heath Pearce and Hansa Rostock. On Saturday, the team earned an invigorating victory away to Karlsruhe to lift the team out of the relegation zone. Yesterday, however, Rostock fell at home to Werder Bremen, 2-1, after crawling back into the game and even equalizing in the second half. As it stands, Rostock is still out of the relegation zone, but only just. In 15th place, Heath Pearce and teammates are still ahead of Duisburg (and safe from relegation) by two points, but they've also played one more game. Check the full Bundesliga table here...

Heath Pearce had an assist against Werder Bremen last night...


Heath also tallied an assist in the victory against Karlsruhe on Saturday ... full highlights of that game:


Rostock's next game is a bona fide six pointer - the team faces Energie Cottbus, who are currently two points ahead of Hansa Rostock in the table. That game kicks off on Saturday...

Weekend Update

Fulham recorded its first away victory since 2006 this weekend, defeating Reading 2-0 to reinvigorate the Cottagers' hopes of beating the drop. Brian McBride scored the winning goal (his 3rd of the season), while Kasey Keller made six saves en route to posting a clean sheet. Clint Dempsey started for Fulham, and went 85 minutes before being replaced by Carlos Bocanegra. Marcus Hahnemann was on the losing side for Reading who, despite the loss, remain above the relegation zone.

They're only just out of trouble, however, as Fulham and Bolton victories this weekend have closed the gap in the relegation fight. As it stands right now:

16. Reading, 32 pts
17. Birmingham, 31 pts
18. Bolton, 29 pts
19. Fulham, 27 pts


At the other end of the table, Everton and Tim Howard slipped up in their quest for fourth place and tied Birmingham 1-1.



Jonathan Spector played 90 minutes in a losing West Ham effort - they were pegged back by Bolton with Kevin Davies scoring the lone goal of the match.

Over in Germany, Hansa Rostock earned a vital 2-1 win over Karlsruhe. Heath Pearce came off the bench in the second half to set up Fin Bartels' winning goal in the 84th minute. The win takes Rostock out of the relegation zone for now (they're ahead of Duisburg by 2 points) ...

Hannover were victorious as well, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1. Steve Cherundolo played all 90 minutes for Hannover, who are in action during the midweek against Borussia Dortmund.

Gooch and Standard Liege stayed the course for the league title: their victory this weekend keeps them seven points clear of Anderlecht, with the two teams to play next weekend. In fact, if Liege beats Anderlecht and third-placed Club Brugge does not win, then Liege will be 10 points clear with only three games remaining. THAT would mean, of course, that a party 25-years in the making begins immediately in Liege ...

Weekend Results...

Obviously inspired by his podcast performance, Oguchi Onyewu popped up to score the winner for Standard Liege this weekend. His club beat Mouscron 1-0 on Saturday to inch closer to the Belgian League title...

In Germany, Heath Pearce played 90 minutes for Hansa Rostock this weekend, but his side were upended by a 52nd minute goal from Halil Altintop. The 1-0 loss plunges Rostock into the relegation zone on the Bundesliga table - they're currently in 17th place. With 24 points, Rostock is two points away from safety and they'll need a win this weekend when they travel to face Energie Cottbus. Also in the Bundsliga, Hannover96 was on the losing end of a five goal thriller with Wolfsburg. Steve Cherundolo's team went down 3-2 and is now in 10th place. Sal Zizzo was on the bench for Hannover.

Over to England, where things are going from bad to worse for Fulham. On the end of a 3-1 loss against Sunderland this weekend, the Cottagers are treading water in 19th place. Clint Dempsey came off the bench, while Brian McBride and Kasey Keller played the full 90 minuts. The only good news for the team from this weekend, is the fact that both Birmingham and Bolton lost as well. Up Next? A massive game with Reading away from home.

Tim Howard and Everton picked up some points on Liverpool in the fight for fourth place, courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Derby County. Howard kept his 18th clean sheet (in all competitions), and made 8 saves in the victory. With the three points, Everton climbed to within a victory of Liverpool, who currently occupy the final Champions League spot.

Reading were on the wrong side of a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle, though Bobby Convey made his return from injury. The midfielder came on as a sub in the 60th minute.

Finally, the Dutch Eredivisie playoffs are beginning to take shape over in Holland, and Heerenveen looks to have consolidated its place in the postseason. Saturday's win against WIllem II put Michael Bradley's club on 57 points and that gives them a six point cushion from 7th place. With two games to go, that means that Heerenveen just needs one point to be assured of qualification...

Big Weekend Blowout!

Fulham earned a much needed point away to Blackburn this weekend, courtesy of some late heroics from Jimmy Bullard. The English midfielder confidently stroked an 89th minute freekick over the wall and past Brad Friedel's despairing dive to earn the Cottagers a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park. Eddie Johnson and Clint Dempsey were in the starting lineup for Fulham, which also included a familiar face between the sticks. That's right, Kasey Keller returned to the Fulham lineup for the first time since October and made four saves in the draw. Brian McBride also came off the bench for Fulham. The point stops a run of three consecutive defeats for Roy Hodgson's side, who will look to carry the momentum into next Sunday's showdown with Everton at Craven Cottage.

Speaking of Everton, Tim Howard's side kept pace with Liverpool by beating Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light. Howard made seven saves in the victory and the Toffees now look forward to Thursday's mammoth UEFA Cup tie with Fiorentina. Everton went down 2-0 to the Viola in Florence last week, so David Moyes' team will have to do at least one better this week if they hope to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Sunday was a day of highs and lows for West Ham's Jonathan Spector. Named to the U-23 Olympic Qualifying squad in the morning, the Illinois native went on to play 90 minutes for West Ham in the London derby against Tottenham. Unfortunately, the Hammers succumbed to a 4-0 defeat to their city rivals. The loss leaves West Ham in 10th place, but more worrying than their league position are the consecutive 4-0 losses they've suffered in recent weeks. They'll look to get back on form against Blackburn at Upton Park on Saturday.

One team who is finding their feet at the right time is Reading who made it two wins in a row on Saturday. Marcus Hahnemann kept another clean sheet as the Royals defeated Manchester City 2-0 at the Madejski Stadium. After seven consecutive defeat, six points from the last two games has lifted Reading out of the relegation zone and ostensibly put their fate in their own hands.

Standard Liege jumped out to stretched its lead at the top of the table to four points following its win on Friday over St. Truiden. Oguchi Onyewu marshalled a backline that held tight for a 2-1 victory.

In Germany, Hannover 96 fell 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen. Steve Cherundolo was deployed at right back for Hannover who next face Arminia Bielefeld in their quest for a European place. You can also read a feature on Steve from Soccernet here.

Heath Pearce made his second consecutive appearance for Hansa Rostock, and helped his side to a 1-1 draw away from home to MSV Duisberg. Pearce came on as a second half sub for Rostock, who take on Hertha Berlin next Saturday.

In Holland, Michael Bradley and Heerenveen snapped out of their mini-slump and earned a solid 3-0 victory at home to NAC Breda. Bradley was on the scoresheet for his club, grabbing the winner in the 32nd minute. Heerenveen remain in sixth place in the Eredivise, tied on 48 points with Feyenoord. On Saturday, Bradley and his club face FC Gronigen, a major rival in the table for a European place. A victory on the weekend could see Heerenveen jump back into the top three, so be sure to check back next week to find out the latest...

Weekend Update!

In Germany, Heath Pearce made his first appearance for Hansa Rostock in over a month, coming on as a halftime substitute against Arminia Bielefeld. Rostock fought back from a goal down, and were rewarded with a late equalizer. The point keeps Rotsock five points clear from the relegation zone in 14th place.

Hannover, meanwhile, won for the first time in six attempts, beating Nunberg 2-1 at home. The ever-present Steve Cherundolo was again deployed on the backline for Hannover, whose win keeps them in eighth place and within touching distance of a European place.

Over in England, the plight of Fulham continued, as the Cottagers succumbed to Manchester United, 3-0. Eddie Johnson got his first ever start for the the club, providing support to captain Brian McBride up front, but Fulham were thwarted by the tough United defense.

There were happier times over in Reading, however, as the Royals stopped a run of recent defeats with an dramatic 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough. Steve Harper popped up in the box in second half injury time to pound home a Stephen Hunt crossand give Reading three much needed points. Marcus Hahnemann kept a clean sheet in the Reading goal, making saves in the victory.

Everton strengthened their claim to fourth place with a well earned 3-1 victory at home to Portsmouth. Tim Howard and the Toffees will now look forward to Thursday's big UEFA Cup Round of 16 match against Fiorentina. Everton travel to Florence to play the first leg at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, before returning back to Merseyside two weeks later.

In the Eredivisie, Heerenveen suffered its second consecutive defeat, this time away to FC Twente. Next Michael Bradley and Heerenveen face fellow European challengers Nac Breda in a six-pointer in the top half of the table. That game takes place on Saturday, but be sure to check back to the Global blog for updates on all the midweek action.

Big Weekend Recap!

Fulham v. Newcastle - Clint Dempsey and Carlos Bocanegra both played 90 minutes, but Fulham were undone by a late Joey Barton goal from the penalty spot. Controversial 90th minute penalty calls are not, it seems, limited to to the realm of the U-23s, and you can be the judge on this one-



Everton v. West Ham - With Saturday's 2-0 win, Tim Howard and Everton made it two victories in a week over West Ham. On Wednesday, Everton defeated the Hammers 2-1, earning their place in the Carling Cup semifinals for the first time in 19 years:


Saturday, the scoreline was different but the result was the same. Yakubu has been in menacing form recently, and he again grabbed the winning goal for Everton. Defensively, Howard kept his third consecutive clean sheet in the Premier League.





Everton have been in great form lately, but they'll be put to the test over the holiday period. They face Manchester United away on Saturday, before hosting Bolton and Arsenal on the 26th and 29th.


Derby v. Middlesbrough - Derby County remain marooned at the foot of the bale, after a brilliant volley from Tuncay handed Middlesbrough a 1-0 win over the Rams. Benny Feilhaber and Eddie Lewis did not play in the game.




Jay DeMerit and Watford slipped to defeat at home to Plymouth, and as a result were overtaken at the top of the table. DeMerit went the full 90 minutes, as he looks to be fully recovered from a calf injury earlier this season. With the loss however, Watford drop to second in the Championship table, one point behind West Brom.

Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege drew Dender 0-0 in Belgium on Saturday. Gooch was part of a backline that kept its seventh clean sheet of the season, however the tie means that Standard, despite being undefeated, are still three points behind Club Brugge at the top of the table.


Michael Bradley and Heerenveen have moved up to third place in the Eredivisie after a 5-1 thrashing of NAC Breda. The impressive result puts Bradley and his club ahead of Feyenoord on goal differential, and they remain a mere two points behind leaders Ajax.

Steve Cherundolo and Hannover, meanwhile, were on the other side of that 5-1 scoreline, losing heavily on Friday to Energie Cottbus.

Heath Pearce and Hansa Rostock will undoubtedly be lifted by their 2-0 win over VFL Bochum on Sunday. Pearce came on in the 84th minute to help close out the game, and the win lifts Rostock out of the bottom three, giving them a nice boost before the month long winter break.


Freddy Adu came off the subs bench for Benfica, but couldn't turn around a 1-0 loss to Belenenses. Benfica now sit 10 points behind leaders Porto.

Quick Bundesliga Wrap

• Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 were on the winning end of a seven-goal thriller with Werder Bremen on Saturday. The 4-3 win lifted Hannover into fifth place and denied Bremen a chance to move to the top of the Bundesliga table. Cherundolo, as always, was deployed at right back for his team, who were powered to victory by a Mike Hanke hat trick. On Friday, Hannover face Energie Cottbus as they look to end the first half of the season on a positive note. After the weekend, the Bundesliga takes a long winter break before resuming in early February.

• Heath Pearce started and played the full 90 minutes for Hansa Rostock, but his team was on the losing end of a 3-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday. Pearce was on the left side of defense for his team, and played a complete game for the first time in over two months. The loss leaves Rostock at 16^th place and in the relegation zone. However, with a win against VFL Bochum on Sunday, Rostock can get out of the dreaded bottom three before the winter break.

(Brief) Weekend Recap

Hansa Rostock 0 – Hannover 96 3: Heath Pearce and Rostock played Steve Cherundolo and Hannover close, but a flurry of late goals gave the visitors the victory. The scoreline was more lopsided than it should have been, and Rostock had a good amount of chances before Hannover broke the deadlock in the 84^th minute. Pearce, who came on as a left winger at halftime, was put through on goal in the 63rd minute, but his left footed volley was well saved by the Hannover keeper.

NEC Nigmegen 0 – Heerenveen 1: Michael Bradley and Heerenveen were victorious in rainy conditions on Sunday. The victory keeps Heerenveen in fourth place, five points behind Feynoord, and seven points behind the leaders PSV.

Benfica 0 – Porto 1: Freddy Adu came off the bench in the 79^th minute, but couldn’t change the result for his club who remain in second place with the loss.

Portsmouth 0 – Everton 0: What looked to be one of the best games of the weekend on paper failed to live up to its billing, and turned out to be a fairly uneventful draw. Everton lacking the punch they had last week during their seven goal victory, and couldn’t convert any of their chances. At the other end, however, the Toffees were tight at the back, led by Tim Howard’s seven saves, and they earned a clean sheet to preserve the draw.

Reading 1 – Middlesbrough 1: Bobby Convey started on the wing again for the Royals, while Marcus Hahnemann took up his familiar post in the net, where he made 10 saves. Reading’s next match is against Liverpool on Saturday.

West Ham 0 – Chelsea 1: The Hammers were undone by a late goal from Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole in the 76^th minute. Three minutes later Jonathan Spector came on as a sub for West Ham.

Not too much else of note to talk about, other than to remind everybody about today’s big game! Fulham travels to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United, in a game to be televised live on Setanta. Extended coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET, though the actual kickoff isn’t until about an hour later. Be sure to check back here after the match for highlights…

Friday Bundesliga: Hansa Rostock v Hannover 96

The News: Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 travel to face Hansa Rostock and Heath Pearce in Bundesliga action on Friday. The game will be televised live at 2:30 pm ET on Gol TV.

Of Note: Hannover 96 is coming off of a tough loss against Schalke 04 last week and will look to get their charge for a European place back on track. Meanwhile Hansa Rostock have slipped down the table of late, but they are undefeated in their last five games at home. Cherundolo missed this past weekend's game due to lingering effects from an ankle injury sustained against South Africa, however he should return for today's game. On Sunday, Heath Pearce came on as a second half sub for Rostock who fell, 2-0, to Hamburg.

Up Next: The game kicks off at 2:30 pm ET. As we mentioned, its being shown live on Gol TV, and you can read a match preview here.

A Short Update...

A brief wrap up of the goings on for Saturday’s league games…

Fulham slipped to defeat against Liverpool at Anfield, despite holding out for the majority of the game. Fernando Torres came off the bench to score the winner for the home side in the 81^st minut, as the Cottagers were again plagued by giving up a late goal. Four minutes later, Steven Gerrard converted from the spot to put the result out of reach for Fulham, who started both Clint Dempsey and Carlos Bocanegra.

At Pride Park, Jonathan Spector was in the starting lineup for visiting West Ham and his team ran rampant over Derby County. The final score was 5-0, and Spector was behind West Ham’s third goal. It was his shot off a corner kick that led to an eventual own goal by Eddie Lewis. There remain some questions over who will claim the goal, but for now it looks as if the own goal ruling stands. We’ll be sure to keep you informed if the men in suits decide differently, and award Spector what would be his first goal in English football.

In Germany, Heath Pearce made a brief cameo for his club, Hansa Rostock, during their 3-2 win over Energie Cottbus. Pearce came on as a sub in the 86^th minute. Meanwhile, Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 were on the losing end of a 1-0 game against Hertha Berlin.

Cup-Mania!

In the Carling Cup yesterday, Jonathan Spector and West Ham United came from behind to defeat Coventry City 2-1. The win secures the Hammers’ passage into the fifth round, though they don’t yet know who their opponent will be. Spector came on at halftime and sparked an improvement in West Ham, who got an injury time winner from Carlton Cole to sneak out a win. Today in the same competition, Tim Howard and Everton travel to lower division Luton for an evening kickoff.

Over in Germany, cup action was also on the cards. Heath Pearce was in the starting lineup for Hansa Rostock for the first time in over a month, as they dismantled Kickers Offenbach 6-0. In a match up of two 2^nd Bundesliga sides, Gregg Berhalter and Josh Wolff helped guide 1860 Munich to a 2-1 victory over Mainz. Neven Subotic, who scored at the weekend for Mainz, was not in action for his club.

Today, Michael Bradley and Heerenveen take on Ajax in a tough third round matchup in the Dutch Cup, while across the channel, DaMarcus Beasley and Rangers travel to Fir Park stadium to take on Motherwell in the quarterfinals of the Scottish Cup. Rangers were eliminated from the competition at this stage last year by St. Johnstone, and will look to better that performance in today’s encounter.

In Portugal, Freddy Adu and Benfica face Setubal in the second leg of the cup tie. Last week, Adu grabbed a late equalizing goal to make sure that Benfica went into tonight’s rematch on level terms. With a goal at the weekend and manager Hector Camacho slated to rest some established starters Adu could make his way into the first eleven. As a side note, the League Cup in Portugal works much differently than most other countries on the continent. Instead of a single elimination, bracket style, tournament, all the clubs playing tonight will vie for progression into a group stage, where a round robin group of matches will then determine who competes in the final.