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End To End: Pearce Is Up And Down
In Goal.com's newest weekly column, End to End, Noah Davis takes a look at three players who helped their standing on the United States Men's National Team with their performance during the last seven days and three players who hurt themselves in the eyes of Bob Bradley and his staff.
Apr 21, 2009 4:32:25 PM
By Noah Davis
It was a solid week for U.S. Nats abroad, as Tim Howard saved his first two penalty kicks in the Everton net to lead The Toffees to the FA Cup final, while Oguchi Onyewu scored to two for Standard Liège and Charlie Davies netted one in Sweden. Stateside, Kenny Cooper picked up where he left off last season -- tallying again in FC Dallas' win over Toronto FC -- and he now sits tied with Brian McBride and Conor Casey atop Major League Soccer's Golden Boot table. Josh Wolff also doubled up, earning MLS Player of the Week honors in the process None of those four players, however, managed to make it into the first ever End to End column.
Rising
Maurice Edu: The midfielder, who struggled to break into the Rangers' Starting XI, has found time recently thanks to an injury to Lee McCullouch and a suspension handed out to Barry Ferguson. He hasn't taken the opportunity for granted, netting two game-winning goals in as many weeks. Over the weekend, Edu scored his team's third in what would turn out to be a 3-2 victory that left the Rangers just a point shy of Celtic in the Scottish Premier League title race. It was an opportunistic strike but -- as Michael Bradley has shown on the scrappy U.S. team -- being in the right place can often be just as important as a brilliant pass or stunning finish. All goals count the same, right?
Benny Feilhaber: The hero of the 2007 Gold Cup victory over Mexico is finally returning from a brutal knee injury. Since February, the midfielder has seen increasing time in the AGF Aarhus line-up, and he started and played 64 minutes against Copenhagen over the weekend. Feilhaber lost his way during a difficult season at Derby County last year, and who knows if he'll regain his form in Denmark, but the 24-year-old boasts considerable talent. A good showing in the next couple months could lead to a call up during this summer's Gold Cup. Here's hoping least one more golazo remains in that occasionally magical right leg of his.
Heath Pearce: Hear me out before you write this off as the dumbest thing you've ever read. Yes, the wingback was demoted by Hansa Rostock's new manager, Andreas Zachhuber, but it wasn't for "performance reason," as widely reported. Pearce told Goal.com his coach didn't believe the 24-year-old was injured during training, and relegated him to the reserves as a result. More to the point, Pearce barely saw the pitch before the dust-up with Zachhuber. He's young enough that he could improve immensely under the right conditions. Now, he has a chance to find that situation.
Falling
Jemal Johnson: In February, the MK Dons striker scored a series of impressive goals that had U.S. soccer pundits clamoring for him to receive a trial with the Senior National Team. Although the former Manchester United signing found the back of the net six times in during the Dons' campaign, he hasn't seen the pitch recently, staying on the pine against Southend and Bristol Rovers and not making the 18 Saturday against Scunthorpe. Rumors that his playing time has suffered because of contract demands surround the player who's been on six squads since 2004. One thing's for sure: until he gets on the field, he can kiss any potential caps goodbye.
Frank Simek: Another American with a soccer-rich pedigree -- he played in Arsenal's youth system -- Simek can't shake the injury bug. The Sheffield Wednesday right back has managed to play for the Owls only six times this season. He didn't dress early last week in a 3-2 loss against QPR, as a groin strain kept him in street clothes, but he was on the bench against Southampton. He does have five caps for the Red, White, and Blue, but it's hard to see him earning more until he heals and becomes a regular contributor to his club team.
Heath Pearce: The developments of last week are only a boon to his career if he ends up on a club where he plays regularly. Alternatively, he could find himself in another untenable situation. Bradley told Pearce his game needs the kind of refinement that can only come with weekend matches. The American coach needs to shore up the left back and, as the inclusion of DaMarcus Beasley in the position shows, he isn't afraid to experiment. For Pearce's National Team prospects, he needs to leave Rostock and join another squad before his contract expires on June 30.
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.
It was a solid week for U.S. Nats abroad, as Tim Howard saved his first two penalty kicks in the Everton net to lead The Toffees to the FA Cup final, while Oguchi Onyewu scored to two for Standard Liège and Charlie Davies netted one in Sweden. Stateside, Kenny Cooper picked up where he left off last season -- tallying again in FC Dallas' win over Toronto FC -- and he now sits tied with Brian McBride and Conor Casey atop Major League Soccer's Golden Boot table. Josh Wolff also doubled up, earning MLS Player of the Week honors in the process None of those four players, however, managed to make it into the first ever End to End column.
Rising
Maurice Edu: The midfielder, who struggled to break into the Rangers' Starting XI, has found time recently thanks to an injury to Lee McCullouch and a suspension handed out to Barry Ferguson. He hasn't taken the opportunity for granted, netting two game-winning goals in as many weeks. Over the weekend, Edu scored his team's third in what would turn out to be a 3-2 victory that left the Rangers just a point shy of Celtic in the Scottish Premier League title race. It was an opportunistic strike but -- as Michael Bradley has shown on the scrappy U.S. team -- being in the right place can often be just as important as a brilliant pass or stunning finish. All goals count the same, right?
Benny Feilhaber: The hero of the 2007 Gold Cup victory over Mexico is finally returning from a brutal knee injury. Since February, the midfielder has seen increasing time in the AGF Aarhus line-up, and he started and played 64 minutes against Copenhagen over the weekend. Feilhaber lost his way during a difficult season at Derby County last year, and who knows if he'll regain his form in Denmark, but the 24-year-old boasts considerable talent. A good showing in the next couple months could lead to a call up during this summer's Gold Cup. Here's hoping least one more golazo remains in that occasionally magical right leg of his.
Heath Pearce: Hear me out before you write this off as the dumbest thing you've ever read. Yes, the wingback was demoted by Hansa Rostock's new manager, Andreas Zachhuber, but it wasn't for "performance reason," as widely reported. Pearce told Goal.com his coach didn't believe the 24-year-old was injured during training, and relegated him to the reserves as a result. More to the point, Pearce barely saw the pitch before the dust-up with Zachhuber. He's young enough that he could improve immensely under the right conditions. Now, he has a chance to find that situation.
Falling
Jemal Johnson: In February, the MK Dons striker scored a series of impressive goals that had U.S. soccer pundits clamoring for him to receive a trial with the Senior National Team. Although the former Manchester United signing found the back of the net six times in during the Dons' campaign, he hasn't seen the pitch recently, staying on the pine against Southend and Bristol Rovers and not making the 18 Saturday against Scunthorpe. Rumors that his playing time has suffered because of contract demands surround the player who's been on six squads since 2004. One thing's for sure: until he gets on the field, he can kiss any potential caps goodbye.
Frank Simek: Another American with a soccer-rich pedigree -- he played in Arsenal's youth system -- Simek can't shake the injury bug. The Sheffield Wednesday right back has managed to play for the Owls only six times this season. He didn't dress early last week in a 3-2 loss against QPR, as a groin strain kept him in street clothes, but he was on the bench against Southampton. He does have five caps for the Red, White, and Blue, but it's hard to see him earning more until he heals and becomes a regular contributor to his club team.
Heath Pearce: The developments of last week are only a boon to his career if he ends up on a club where he plays regularly. Alternatively, he could find himself in another untenable situation. Bradley told Pearce his game needs the kind of refinement that can only come with weekend matches. The American coach needs to shore up the left back and, as the inclusion of DaMarcus Beasley in the position shows, he isn't afraid to experiment. For Pearce's National Team prospects, he needs to leave Rostock and join another squad before his contract expires on June 30.
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.
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