(September 23, 2002) - The penalty spot would dictate terms for both of the USA's England-based
international goalkeepers this past week. Tottenham Hostpur fell to
third place in the English Premier League after a Ruud Van Nistlerooy PK
in the 63rd minute lifted Manchester United past Kasey Keller and Spurs
at Old Trafford. Meantime, Brad Friedel continued his World Cup form in
defending against spot kicks, this time stoning Alan Smith midway in the
second half to preserve Blackburn's 1-0 victory against Leeds. With the
win, Rovers climb into the top half of the table in the ninth position.
Jovan Kirovksi made his debut appearance in the first team for
Birmingham City, entering for the final ten minutes as City dropped a
1-0 decision to Middlesbrough. Claudio Reyna's side has been unable to
stem the tide, as Sunderland suffered their third consecutive scoreless
defeat, a 2-0 loss to Newcastle. Sunderland sit second from the bottom
in the table, collecting just five points from seven matches. In the
First Division, Eddie Lewis came on in the second half of Preston North
End's 2-0 win against Derby County. PNE remain undefeated on the
season; however, they have only taken full points in two matches and
currently hold the 12th spot in the table. In the German Bundesliga,
Tony Sanneh scored his first goal of the 2002-03 campaign, netting the
game winner as FC Nurnberg felled VfL Wolfsburg 2-0. The win was the
second of the year for Sanneh's German club in six matches. Hannover 96
earned a 2-2 draw with VfL Bochum, as Steve Cherundolo completed his
seventh straight start. Hannover are still in search of their first
home victory of the season. Gregg Berhalter made his third straight
start since joining Energie Cottbus, the side falling victim to league
leaders Bayern Munich at the Olympiastadion in Munich. In the Dutch
Eredivisie, John O'Brien and Ajax remained perfect for the new season,
capturing their fifth win in a row against Roosendaal. The Amsterdam
side still sit behind PSV Eindhoven on goal differential. At NAC Breda,
Earnie Stewart is proving dangerous off the bench, this time netting his
first goal of the campaign to secure his side's 2-0 win against FC
Twente. The victory elevated NAC Breda to fourth place in advance of
their showdown with Ajax this coming Sunday. David Regis played the
second 45 minutes in FC Troyes 1-0 loss to Nice; the club having just
one win in eight matches. Fellow U.S. defender Frankie Hejduk also saw
action as a second-half sub, completing the final 24 minutes of FC St.
Gallen's 2-2 draw home to Servette.
Copyright © 2002, mysoccer.com