Everton 3 Man U 1

What a game. For those of you who were unable to get up at 7:30 a.m. (or 4:30 a.m. PCT) to watch Everton host defending champion Manchester United, you missed a hell of a game. For the second time in just ten days, Everton have come back from down a goal against an EPL giant, but this time, they added a little insurance with Jack Rodwell's goal in the 90th minute.

This game had so many angles: Former Devils Tim Howard and Louis Saha, former Toffee Wayne Rooney who is slowly turning himself into one of the best players in the world, Everton hadn't beat Man U in an EPL game in ages, and Everton missing both Tim Cahill and Fellaini...

I'll have highlights later, but in the meantime, Donovan played really well for the most part, except he "fluffed a sitter" with the ball at his feet only a few yards away from the goal. But he got the Gretzky assist on the second goal and was active the entire game. It was a performance that has mirrored most of his other games in a blue shirt, which is why he was named Everton's player of the month for January.

Also, I guess I can't hide my man-crush on Jack Rodwell (he's bare-chested in the picture above). He showed why he's such a world-class talent in his taking of the third goal. He also showed why Everton should hold onto him for as long as they can, and why he should never be stuck in the back just due to his size.

We'll see how the rest of the weekend plays out, but Everton now sit 8th in the table with 38 points, which leaves them five points back of a Europa spot, and just seven points out of a Champions League spot (one can dream).

Next up for EFC is the return leg to Sporting Lisbon in their Europa League campaign. The match is on Thursday at 3:05 p.m. EST and will be on some random channel on DirecTV. Everton won the first leg at Goodison this past Tuesday by a score of 2-1. Since Sporting got that away goal, Everton really need to buckle down in Portugal.

COYB!

Everton 2 Chelsea 1

So I actually did get to the catch the game today. It took me about 40 minutes to dig my car out of its spot (where it's been hibernating since last Friday), but I made it down to Piper's Pub to catch the last 60+ minutes of the game (including Louis Saha's equalizer just as I got there). It wasn't all that exciting, as I already knew the final score, but anytime Everton beat a league leader is a rare occasion.

When I said earlier that Everton "thoroughly outplayed" Chelsea, that was not totally accurate, but I don't blame myself since that's how most of the reports laid it out. The game was fairly even, particularly between Everton's first and second goal (when the score was even at 1-1), but after the Toffees took the lead, Chelsea dominated for the last 15 minutes as they were pushing for a tie (and a point). Even though it was a nerve-racking last few minutes (well, not for me as I already knew the final score), Everton did a fine job of marking and communicating to ensure solid team defense.

Saha's second goal was pretty brilliant; after measuring a long ball perfectly, he chested the ball down with his back to the goal, turned, and fired a gnarly shot off the volley. Petr Cech was caught kind of flat-footed and probably should have done better with it, but it was still a thing of beauty from the Frenchman.

Donovan did indeed play quite well and it was probably his best game in a blue uniform (which is not to discount his performances against Arsenal, Man City, and Sunderland). Besides earning the PK and delivering the cross on the first goal, he rarely set a foot wrong and contributed to some other fairly good scoring chances. It was the type of performance that should make US fans happy with the World Cup just months away.

Here are the (quite extended) highlights.

I never like to see a player get injured, but the UK press should have quite a field day with the news that a (totally clean) challenge by Donovan on England's starting left-back Ashley Cole broke the Brit's ankle and will keep him out until the start of the World Cup. A lot of US fans were afraid that with Donovan going over to play in England, he might be targeted since the US faces England in their first World Cup Match, "They're gonna take out our best player!" Cole is far from the Three Lions' best player, but who would have thought the opposite might happen?

One final note, it was nice to see Jack Rodwell back on the pitch for Everton after a bit of time off with an injury. He's one of the most impressive youngsters (18) in the EPL, and I hope that Everton are able to hold on to him before he outplays the team (he will). He's a beast of a defensive player, and distributes the ball from the midfield better than any young player I've ever seen. There has been talk of moving him to central defense, a position he played while a youth (this has mostly been from teams thinking about making a move for him). I just don't understand why a team would do that; to me, it's like taking a gifted wide receiver in football and deciding to turn him into a tight end just because he has the body for it.

The Toffees are off until next Tuesday when they begin the knockout stages of the Europa Cup. They will play in home and away against Sporting Lisbon of the Portuguese Liga. I'll have more as we get closer. But if you have DirecTV, you get all of the Europa Cup games.

And then there's this cool look at keeping Donovan from an Everton blog.

Everton 0 Liverpool 1... Ugh

Wow, that was disappointing.

After being gifted a man advantage for the last 50 minutes of the game, Everton played with no creativity or passion, while Liverpool did everything you need to do to win a game when a man down. I give credit to Liverpool and Rafa Benitez, they outmanaged and outclassed the Toffees. But, really, what a sad display from Everton on one of the most important days of the year. A few quick thoughts:

What the hell was that Tim Howard? Just a terrible effort on the corner that led to the goal. It didn't help that Phil Neville sat their like a puddy mannequin, but there is no reason Dirk Kuyt should be able to stand his ground there.

Donovan didn't play well, but he wasn't the biggest culprit. It doesn't help pairing him up down the right hand side with Phil Neville, who contains no creativity whatsoever, but LD gave up the ball too easily, with most of those turnovers coming in compromising positions that led to Liverpool breakouts. But he also had a few plays that led to some good scoring chances.

I am always amazed by how much Dirk Kuyt gets out of his talent (I always find myself watching Liverpool and saying to myself, "Kuyt sucks."), I have to tip my hat to him. He always shows up at the Merseyside Derby and is a tough, hard-nosed forward. His game is similar to Tim Cahill's, except he is not as annoying to the opposing team.

Everton missed Fellaini's game in the second half, and thank God his leg is not broken, but how in the world did he make it far enough in the game for that challenge that led to the red card to actually happen. Before that, after a whistle, he kicked Kuyt in the head while the Dutchman was down (Kuyt was wearing quite the raspberry in the second half), that alone should have brought on some sort of caution, but add that to the fact that he skated after the red-card challenge...

Anybody who says soccer is for pansies should have watched this game, it settled down in the second half, but the first 45 minutes was full contact and just brutal.

Everton have to regroup quickly because they have Chelsea at home on Wednesday, and now is no time to go on a losing streak.

The Merseyside Derby

If you want a summary, read Wikipedia. I'm not going to say it's the best rivalry in sports, let alone soccer, but it has such interesting origins. A rent dispute caused Everton to move from their original home at Anfield to Goodison Park (if you want to know how far apart the two stadia are, check out Google Maps. It would be like if Shea and Yankee stadium were just across Central Park from each other... and they were both 100+ years old). During the move a faction of the Everton squad, including the President of the club, split off to form Liverpool FC. It's an amazing history.

Last year was the best series of Merseyside Derby's that I have witnessed since I began to support the club in 2006 (the first MD I saw was a 3-0 thrashing by Everton at Goodison-awesome video). But last year was what the rivalry is all about. Usually the two teams only meet twice -a home and away- but in the 2008/2009 season, we were spoiled with four Merseyside Derby's. The first was at Goodison where Fernando Torres dominated the Toffees and won the game 2-0 pretty much single handily. The second game was a fantastic 1-1 game that was tied up by Tim Cahill in the 86th minute.

And then the two teams met in the FA Cup (a tournament that would be the equivalent of every baseball team -pro/semi-pro- in the US playing in a tournament), in which Steven Gerrard (Liverpool's white knight) played a quick one-two with Torres and blistered one into the net to tie the game 1-1 (although Timmy Howard would want that one back). Since the game ended as a tie, the two teams played in what they call a replay, the grounds are switched and by the end of the second game, it comes down to aggregate score.

So the teams met two weeks later at Goodison, and the game played out as a stalemate 0-0, which led into extra-time. And in the 118th minute, Dan Gosling scored the winner that eventually led Everton to the FA Cup Final (The Super Bowl of English Football). I have never felt as good after an Everton win than that game.

The first derby (pronounced darby, by the way) this season was a game in which Everton dominated but lost at Goodison 2-0; they had three goals called off-side and carried the run of play for most of the game, but were a bit unlucky. This has not been Liverpool's best season, and Everton have not lost since that first Merseyside Derby; it's always tough to even get a point from a trip to Anfield, but now would be as good a time as ever.

COYB!

Donovan a Permanent Toffee

As I noted earlier, Landon Donovan recently said he could see himself extending his stay with Everton. There are some interesting aspects to a few of his quotes, especially regarding Bayern Munich. But what I want to do is look at whether or not this would be a good idea.

When the loan deal was announced, I was pretty fired up. Arguably the greatest American soccer player ever was coming to my favorite club. This is what I had to say then, and I stand by that, especially considering how well he has performed in his first two games. I thought he would do well because he is smart and productive. He wouldn't set the league on fire, but he'd fit in well with the likes of Pienaar, Fellaini, Bilyaletdinov, and Osman.

The problem with Donovan on the international level, is that US fans expect him to be the focal point and for everything to run through him, but that's just not his game. He's much more suited as a complimentary player, playing on the flanks and attacking from the wings. The better the team, the more you appreciate his play; we saw this when Beckham came to LA, you saw it with the Confederation Cup team (never has so much skill been on a US squad), and you're seeing it with Everton; a team that has finished in the top 6 of arguably the best league in the world the past three years (Everton's table placement when Donovan joined them is not indicative of their talent level).

But I digress. Let me get back to the original question, would Donovan staying at Everton be good for him and the club? Let's look at it from Donovan's angle first. LD will be in his age 28 season for this upcoming World Cup and should be at his peak (athletically). So the 2014 WC will come when he is 32, at which point most athletes are on the down-side of their careers. I wish there was a place that compared soccer players the way baseball-reference does for baseball players, but how worse could he get from ages 28 to 32?

LD's never had any serious injuries and keeps himself in top shape. He will be on the wrong side of thirty, but the only aspect of his game that will digress over those years would be his pace, everything else has a chance to improve (and there is still room for improvement). Basically, the way I look at it is there's a good chance that by staying in Europe over the next four years, he will be a better player (performance wise) at age 32 than 28. Being in leagues (and possibly playing in European competitions) with more distinguished players, faster play, and more diversity will only help Donovan improve to the point where he is a better overall player in 2014. After '14 would be the time for him to come back to the States (or Mexico), and keep in form to play in the '18 WC as a 36 year old (at which point he will most likely be the super-sub Coby Jones type player).

As for Everton, it wouldn't hurt to have a guy of Donovan's capabilities on their roster over the next few years, but with youngsters like Jack Rodwell, Dan Gosling, Fellaini, and James Wallace on the roster and Mikel Arteta returning from injury, not to mention possible additions through the transfer window, it's not a given that Donovan will always have a spot in the starting 11.

I guess what I'm saying is that I think LD should stay in Europe even after this summer's World Cup, because it will benefit him and the US national team, but if loses his spot at Everton, or outgrows the club, he should move on. This is definitely the honeymoon period (when LD took corners this past Saturday, Everton fans showered him with chants of U-S-A), so there was bound to be this type of talk, but it's important to keep a long-term perspective on the situation. I would love to see LD and Everton grow together and he become a staple on the right flanks at Goodison, but it's just not that likely to happen.

Everton 2 Arsenal 2

Such heartbreak.

One of the first complaints new soccer fans have with the game is accepting that a match can end in a tie. To which I explain that there's really no such thing. Today's game at Emirate's Stadium between Everton and Arsenal is a fine example of that. Everton twice had the lead, only to give it up on deflected goals both times, with the latter coming in stoppage time. Whenever your team gives up a lead in stoppage time, it feels like a missed opportunity or more simply, a loss. Instead of three points, you get just one. And it hurts even more when it happens on the road. Now really, I shouldn't be complaining. It's a point on the road to a league leader, who early in the season destroyed us by a score of 6-1 . It's a very valuable point, even more so when considering how closely we are to the drop zone. But three points would have been oh so sweet. Alas, alas.

It was a highly entertaining game either way. Lots of chances, great skill, and excellent flow. It's the type of game you hope plays out every week. A few thoughts.

Landon Donovan started the game, which says a lot about his fitness considering he has not played a competitive match since November, and played quite well for about 65 minutes (UPDATE: he was pulled due to leg cramps, I would think the weather had something to do with this). His corner kick assisted on the first goal, which was surprising as I think LD's dead ball kicks are one of the weaker parts of his game (I would much rather see Dempsey take the US free kicks, and there are better corner men in the US pool, although the best don't always play- Adu, Holden, Rogers). He was deployed correctly on the wing, but Armand Traore (Arsenal's left back) looked completely overmatched as Donovan seemed to have free reign up the right hand side. He linked well with Phil Neville (Everton's right-back), and completed a majority of his passes. The only complaint would be his clearance in the box that led to Arsenal's first goal, although much of that blame can be laid on Tim Cahill, who failed to win that clearance. All in all, it was a very solid beginning to Donovan's Toffee career, which should only get better as he plays more games with the squad.

Steven Pienaar's chip over Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia for Everton's second goal was world class, and a skill that seems vacant from some of the best strikers. A fine example would be James Vaughan's excellent chance just a few moments later, as he was sprung on a breakaway from (another) great ball from Cahill. Instead of doing the simple chip again, Vaughan blasted it right at the keeper even after his angle had been cut. If Vaughan scores that goal, the game is over and I wouldn't feel "so un-sat-is-fied" right about now.

Arsenal are a fun team to watch. They pass the ball well, and have so much skill all over the pitch. I would love to see them win the league this year instead of Man U or Chelsea, as they play a much more attractive game. Out of the big four, Arsenal is the easiest to pull for.

Everton's next game is home at Goodison Park, Saturday at 12:30 pm, against the worst team money can buy in Manchester City. It's gonna be a tough match up, but Everton is in no position to drop points at home. COYB!

This is a pretty good recap of the game and Donovan's performance from Soccernet.com.

Donovan gets the 9

This is pretty cool. Especially considering he will only be at the club for 10 weeks. I'm thinking of making a purchase...

When I made the decision about what EPL team I wanted to follow way back in the summer of '06 (it coincided with the aftereffect of the World Cup and Bill Simmons effort to do the same), I told myself I wanted a team with history, that was not in the top four or a financial giant, and had an American on the team. Everton fit because of it's storied history, a propensity to do more with less, and America's number one keeper Tim Howard between the pipes. I've been pretty lucky that EFC have been quite good throughout the 3+ years I have been a supporter (although this year is trying). Howard has been one of the better keepers in the league during his time with the Grand Old Club, but Donovan's arrival has brought a new enthusiasm to my support.

I'm not even a huge Donovan fan, his personality has always rubbed me the wrong way and his game is fairly boring. But I am not one of the thousands of US fans who despise him (I still don't get that, it's fair to think he is overrated, but to openly root against him just to vindicate your beliefs is anti-fan- it's similar to Steelers' fans and Limas Sweed). The more you watch the US team, the more you realize how important his presence is within the team. The Donovan obsession is one whole long post in itself, but if you want a good briefer, Jen Chang at ESPN.com sums it up pretty well.

Either way, I am excited to see how he does, especially since I know the team so well. What's fortunate about the way the Tofees play, is that the midfield positions rotate, even more so now that they are missing a few strikers and will play five middies. It's the type of free-flowing offense that will suit LD well. Wherever he might play on the field (as a starter or sub), he's smart enough and quick enough to excell.

The first game he may show in will be Saturday, 10 am at Arsenal, who are playing lights out right now and embarrassed Everton on opening day at Goodison 6-1. The game will be on TV, live starting at 9:30 am on Setanta (Yay! A reason to go to an Irish pub in the AM).

With football season pretty much over for Pittsburgh fans, there's not much holding you back on weekends (except for Pens and the occasional Pitt basketball game). With the World Cup just months away, now would be the time to get into the soccer spirit. And what better club to follow than The People's Club? COYB!!!!