U.S. Soccer Elsewhere: Megan Rapinoe Scores, Timmy Chandler Assists
By Doug Smith
Megan Rapinoe is currently playing for Division One Lyon in France and has wasted no time making an impact. In a 5-1 victory over Guingamp the midfielder opened the scoring for her squad. Rapinoe found herself in the middle of the pitch on a ball that took a deflection. Rapinoe did not hesitate and beat the defender to the ball that fluttered over the keepers diving save attempt. You can check out the video below.
Timmy Chandler came through for the second straight week with a late assist for Nürnberg. They trailed Stuttgart after Die Schwaben scored in the 51st minute. Chandler only had a 64% pass completion percentage, but delivered a smart ball to Markus Feulner in the 77th minute. Feulner did a lot of the work, but it was a good transitional play from Nürnberg. Chandler did also pick up a yellow card in the 58th minute. The draw keeps Chandler’s team nine points clear of the drop zone. You can check out the highlights here.
Jermaine Jones also recorded an assist for Schalke as they earned their first victory in six matches. The 2-1 victory over Düsseldorf kept the Royal Blues just one point out of a Europa League spot with Hannover beating Hamburg 5-1. Jones also picked up a a yellow card giving him two for the week following the Champions League match in which he also scored. Check out the nifty header to set up the goal below.
Augsburg and Hoffenheim swapped places in the table with Augsburg pulling out the 2-1 victory. Fabian Johnson played the entire match while neither Danny Williams or Michael Parkhurst saw action. Hoffenheim are now in the automatic relegation spot.
Feb 6, 2013; San Pedro Sula, HONDURAS; USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan before a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Honduras at Estadio Olimpico. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
In the Barclays Premier League Brek Shea made his debut for Stoke City coming on earlier than expected due to an injury to Michael Etherington. Shea and teammate Geoff Cameron lost to Fulham 1-0 on a superb strike from Dimitar Berbatov. Cameron started the game as the attacking midfielder behind the attackers, but played almost a rover role before being subbed out of the match. Shea had a better second half, but still left a question of how he will fit in the system of Tony Pulis.
Aston Villa lost 2-1 to Arsenal with the winning tally coming in the 85th minute. Brad Guzan saw 24 shots come his way with 14 on target. The loss moved the Villians back into the relegation zone based on goal differential.
Clint Dempsey and Tottenham face West Ham tomorrow with a chance to move into the top three in the table.
In the English Championship Jonathan Spector played the full match for Birmingham City in a 2-0 win over Peterborough. Zak Whitbread did not see any action for Leicester City.
In Italy Michael Bradley had the assist on the game winner as AS Roma beat Atalanta 3-2. Check out the highlights below.
In Mexico, Herculez Gomez played 62 minutes for Santos Laguna as they earned a 1-0 victory over then second place Club America. UANL Tigres opened up a three point advantage at the top of the table with Jose Torres going 63 minutes in a 2-1 win. Michael Orozco Fiscal got a red card in a 3-0 loss for Puebla against Monterrey. DaMarcus Beasley played the first half in that match. Club Tijuana snapped their two game losing streak in Liga MX with Joe Corona going only the final three minutes.
A couple other U.S. players scored this weekend. Terrence Boyd scored as a target attacker for Rapid Vienna. Alejandro Bedoya also scored for Helsingborgs in a friendly as you can see here.