Photo by John Todd/ISIphotos.com

It's not uncommon for American soccer fans and pundits to debate on who is the better U.S. men's national team player between Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, but one former U.S. international has weighed in on the matter and has created quite the stir in doing so.

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

After three years as a backup, Brad Guzan will make his first Premier League start on Saturday for Aston Villa, and the club is already in the process of trying to extend his stay at Villa Park before his current deal expires this summer.

Sacha Kljestan's run of form is turning out to be anything but temporary.

Kljestan continued his strong season for Anderlecht, scoring a goal in the club's 5-3 triumph over Lokomotiv Moscow in their UEFA Europa League battle. His curling effort to the far corner dug Anderlecht out of an early 1-0 deficit and helped the Belgian side win its group, which should make for a more favorable result during Friday's knockout round draw.

Things just keep getting better for Clint Dempsey, and keep getting worse for Bolton.

The Cottagers posted a 2-0 victory on the Trotters to keep Bolton buried at the bottom of the English Premier League standings. Clint Dempsey opened the scoring with his team-leading fifth goal of the season to push Fulham to 11th in the Premier League standings.

One-time U.S. youth international Preston Zimmerman doesn't have a single cap for the senior U.S. national team, and while it wasn't likely that he'd be receiving his first call-up sometime soon anyway based on his current level of play and club standing, he didn't do himself any favors by using social media to voice his opinion about the current U.

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Charlie Davies' comeback in 2011 was one of the stories of the year in American soccer, as he returned to the playing field less than two years removed from a horrifying car accident that nearly took his life and did take the life of another passenger.

It wasn't exactly a beautiful game, but Manchester United's 1-0 victory against Aston Villa was loaded with talking points.

The biggest storyline from the match wasn't United's victory, but the serious ankle injury suffered by Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, who rolled his ankle and appeared to suffer severe ligament damage.

Clint Dempsey and Fulham own the Monday Premier League spotlight, welcoming Liverpool to Craven Cottage (3 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN3.com).

Fulham is in need of a result to get a bit more separation from the relegation zone and make its way toward a mid-table standing. Liverpool, meanwhile, will take to the field without central midfield stalwart Lucas for the first time since he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

While Santos Laguna is busy trying to climb out of a one-goal deficit in the Mexican Apertura final, the club has an eye on sustaining its success during the Clausura campaign as well. A piece of that puzzle involves Herculez Gomez.

Cash-strapped Estudiantes Tecos has sold Gomez to Santos Laguna, putting the U.

The opportunity for American managers in Europe haven't been easy to come by, but a young American is ready to blaze a trail after only recently retiring as a player.

Former U.S. national team defender Gregg Berhalter has been named the new manager of Swedish club Hammarby, the club announced on Monday.

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

Eddie Johnson's long wait to find a new club has come to an end.

The American forward has signed with Mexican club Puebla, where he will team with DaMarcus Beasley and play under former Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio.

Merry Christmas to most of you out there, and a happy Chinese food meal to everyone else. For the next-to-last day of goodie-palooza, let's get everybody up to speed with the curious case of Omar Gonzalez.Of course, he's been reportedly linked to interest from teams on both sides of the Atlantic drink, with some of teams named accurately and others not.

Let us not forget it's Chanukah, yo. Like any proper showcase, we've saved the juiciest morsel for last. Fair warning, though, it is conditional.Remember how Teal Bunbury had a Bolton visit at least temporarily nixed because of his Olympic camp call-up? Well, he wasn't the only one in Florida last week with scuttled plans.

By FRANCO PANIZO

Having been beaten by Kilmarnock in shocking fashion last week, Carlos Bocanegra, Maurice Edu and Alejandro Bedoya enter their match against Dunfermline Athletic with one thing in mind: Winning.

Rangers is still four points clear of Celtic for first place in the Scottish Premier League, but the Blues need to bounce back from last weekend's defeat.

With his side down one, Jozy Altidore has bagged an insistent 20th minute equalizer from some dreamy combo play with Brett Holman. While we wait for the clip, let's just see if he's got any more in him today...- Greg Seltzer

With his side down one, Jozy Altidore has bagged an insistent 20th minute equalizer from some dreamy combo play with Brett Holman.FYI: He now has five on the Eredivisie season (in the 14th of the 34 matches) and 11 across all competitions - well on pace to both fulfill my promise of 10 league goals and put him one short of a third place tie with DaMarcus Beasley in the category of goals in a

Jozy Altidore scored his fifth goal of the season for AZ Alkmaar, but lost 5-1, snapping an 11-game unbeaten streak.
How the rest of our Americans did check out Steve Goff's Washington Post blog.
Video of Jozy's goal.
Video from 723 Football Media


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By FRANCO PANIZO

Jozy Altidore has been no stranger to scoring nice goals this season, but the one he bagged this weekend is arguably among his best of the year.

Altidore finished off a beautiful passing sequence in AZ Alkmaar's match against Heerenveen when he got an open look from close range after a beautiful first touch that got him by a defender.

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The time for Brad Guzan to prove his worth at Aston Villa has finally come.

The American goalkeeper is slated to become the Villans' starter for the next month after scans revealed that regular starter Shay Given has a hamstring tear. Guzan replaced Given in the first half of Saturday's 1-0 loss to Manchester United and did not allow a goal.

Clint Dempsey has tapped home a spilled Danny Murphy shot with five minutes remaining to put Fulham up 1-0 on 10-man visitors Liverpool. It was his fourth goal of the EPL season and sixth across all competitions this term.- Greg Seltzer

Clint Dempsey's legend at Fulham continues to grow with every goal he scores.

The Texas native did it again on Monday, scoring an 85th-minute winner for Fulham in a 1-0 victory over Liverpool. Minutes after hitting the crossbar with a bending effort from the top of the area, Dempsey found himself in perfect position to slot home a spilled rebound by Pepe Reina from close range.

Photo Credit: AFPThe Deuce was on the loose this afternoon after the Nagadoches (Texas) native bagged a rebound goal to give his Fulham side a 1-0 victory over Liverpool. The goal, Dempsey's 37th in England makes him the all-time leading goal scorer for Yanks in England. Brian McBride, who also played for Fulham (and one of the stadiums bars is named after) now sits in second with 36 goals.

The 2011 Generation adidas tour team will be special guests at the key Ajax v Real Madrid Champions League Matchday 6 tilt tomorrow night. I will be talking to a couple of those MLS rising stars before they head down to the game, and then more throughout their stay in the Netherlands.And just to tantalize you a little further, tomorrow's Postcard From Europe subject is none other than white-hot

The latest edition of our new NSC custom acts as annex to today's Postcard From Europe with Big Bad Brad.On whether he could take over as cup goalie should they reach the late stages or a final:"That hasn't been discussed. We have a great group of goalkeepers, so there's no way that would be discussed.

photo by Ben Queenborough/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Phil Neville is in favor of manager David Moyes bringing in reinforcements to the club during the winter transfer window in January, but one player the Everton captain doesn't see being brought in is Landon Donovan.

By FRANCO PANIZO

Brad Friedel made waves with his comments about Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey this week, but its his team that has been making waves in the Premier League recently. Friedel and Tottenham Hotspur have not lost in the Premiership since the second week of the season, but they'll have to see off tricky Stoke City this weekend if they are to continue their run of good form.

Photo by Florian Eisele/ISIphotos.com

Timmy Chandler has enjoyed a solid start to the Bundesliga season for FC Nurnberg, and at least one other club has taken notice.

According to German publication Bild, VfB Stuttgart has set its sights on Chandler as a potential replacement for expensive fullback Khalid Boulahrouz.

Not only is Brad Guzan set for his first EPL start tomorrow, it seems the club are ready to ensure he doesn't run out of contract for a while longer than June.Anybody else going to watch this one? I sure am. Without trying to seem like a joy profiteer from Shay Given's misfortune, Guzan has well-earned this shot (and a certain other one, as well).

The last American starter of the day is the first to ring the bell; Sporting CP defender Oguchi Onyewu was the star of the first half, most notably due to nodding home the 1-0 on 22 minutes. The game is now at halftime, so it could be a while before the clip surfaces.- Greg Seltzer

By FRANCO PANIZO

There were several noteworthy performances from the Americans Abroad contingent this weekend, but none was better than the match put in by Oguchi Onyewu.

Onyewu was the only American to find the back of the net this past weekend, as he hit the winner in Sporting CP's 1-0 victory over CD Nacional de Madeira.

With all due respect to Abed Nadir, at Hammarby, it's now Gregg Berhalter.- Greg Seltzer

Maurice Edu has done well for himself ever since joining Rangers from Toronto FC in 2008, and the club hopes to keep him for the long haul.

Rangers manager Ally McCoist said that the club has begun to have contract extension talks with Edu and his representatives. The U.

The next two days are rather crucial for a number of Americans abroad, as their quests to reach the UEFA Europa League knockout stage come down to the final game of group play.

Clint Dempsey and Fulham control their own destiny and can advance as the second-place team from Group K with a win over Odense BK on Wednesday (3 p.

Both Filham's Clint Dempsey and Anderlecht's Sacha Kljestan have bagged first half goals to put their sides on the board in Europa League Matchday 6 action (and each's side has subsequently added a second).The man they call Deuce deposited a redirected cross for his third Europa League strike of the tourney edition and fifth in his career.

Jonathan Spector's Birmingham City take on Slovenia's SK Maribor at St Andrews tonight, knowing their Europa League odyssey will come to an end if they fail to win."We are making a good run of it, " Spector told NSC, "so hopefully we can advance to the group stage. We definitely want to make the most of this and get as far as we possibly can.

New York Red Bulls sporting director Eric Soler may have said Tim Ream is not for sale, but that hasn't stopped Bolton Wanderers from continuing to admit interest in the American center back.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle spoke about Ream on Thursday, admitting that the club is still keen on acquiring him during the winter transfer window.

If Edson Buddle's absence from FC Ingolstadt's match-day roster this past weekend didn't raise eyebrows, what has transpired since surely will.

According to German outlet Kicker, Ingolstadt manager Tomas Oral has dismissed Buddle from the relegation-threatened team until after the winter break.

photo by Chris Brunskill/ISIphotos.com

Landon Donovan is heading back to Everton.

Donovan will join the Toffees from the Los Angeles Galaxy on a two-month loan that will run until Feb. 25, the Galaxy announced on Thursday.

"The opportunity to return to Everton and play for such a well-respected club and a manager that I hold in such high regard was something that was simply too good to pass up.

I love it... Landon Donovan on Moysie's side - Part Deux.- Greg Seltzer

By FRANCO PANIZO

Zak Whitbread is on the brink of doing something that he's only done once this season: Start consecutive games.

A week after returning to Norwich City's lineup in a surprise victory over Newcastle, Whitbread appears set to start for the Canaries when they play Tim Howard and Everton.