Friedel sees red as Villa continue to implode

A roundup of notable U.S. players in action in Europe over the past two weeks:

England

Paul Ellis/GettyImages

It was a rough day at the office for Brad Friedel, center, against Liverpool.

Premier League

Brad Friedel, Aston Villa: The season is going downhill for Villa, and fast.

In pole position to qualify for the Champions League last month, Friedel and Villa have now lost three in a row and trail Arsenal by three points in the race for the much-coveted fourth spot.

Surging Liverpool thrashed Villa 5-0 at Anfield on Sunday, with Friedel earning a red card -- the first of his long English career -- in the second half. Facing Fernando Torres one-on-one, the lethal Spaniard pushed the ball past Friedel and subsequently toppled over the 37-year-old. Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot, and out came the red card to boot.

Friedel had no chance on the four goals conceded before then, especially Albert Riera's rocketed half-volley in the 33rd minute.

Friedel might have done better in the buildup to Tottenham's first goal in Spurs' 2-1 win in Birmingham on March 15. He parried Aaron Lennon's cross, leaving Jermaine Jenas with a tap-in.

Season: 37 games played (0 substitute appearances).

Tim Howard, Everton: The Toffees, virtually assured a spot in next season's Europa League, lost for the second time in 19 matches, 2-1 at relegation contenders Portsmouth on Saturday.

Howard couldn't be faulted on both headed goals by Pompey behemoth Peter Crouch; on the winner in the 75th minute, Howard appeared to be slightly impeded.

Still devoid of offensive sparks Yakubu and Mikel Arteta, Everton downed Stoke City, another relegation contender, 3-1 on March 14. Howard was called into question on Ryan Shawcross' effort -- again a header -- early in the second half.

Season: 37 (0)

Clint Dempsey, Fulham: Almost unbeatable at home, Fulham lost 2-1 to Blackburn on March 11 at Craven Cottage -- after taking the lead in the second minute thanks to Dempsey. He latched on to Danny Murphy's flick and poked the ball past Paul Robinson. A few minutes later, Dempsey, playing up front instead of Bobby Zamora, set up strike partner Andy Johnson, who was denied by a last-ditch tackle.

Sure enough, Fulham registered its first away win in the league this season three days later, topping a sorry Bolton 3-1. Dempsey, back in midfield, was the provider on Diomansy Kamara's 88th-minute goal.

Dempsey, despite suffering from illness, started in Saturday's 2-0 upset win over a suddenly creaking Manchester United in London.

Season: 25 (8): 6 goals.

Brad Guzan, Aston Villa: Guzan backed up Friedel against Tottenham and made his maiden Premier League appearance Sunday, replacing the Ohio native following his dismissal. Guzan's first task was to pick the ball out of the net, as he was beaten by majestic Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's penalty.

With Friedel banned one game, Guzan is expected to make his first league start April 5. It's only against Manchester United, at Old Trafford.

Season: 7 (1): 0

Jonathan Spector, West Ham: Spector earned a second start of the campaign Saturday, getting the nod at right back as part of a 1-1 draw at Blackburn. Matthew Upson's calf injury opened the door for the Illinois native.

Spector and the rest of the back four were put under immense pressure for long spells against Rovers, who missed a slew of chances and had two goals disallowed.

Spector came on at right back in the first half against last-place West Bromwich Albion on March 16 after Upson's enforced departure in the center of defense. Aussie veteran Lucas Neill switched from right back to the center.

Season: 2 (4): 0

Championship

Jay DeMerit, Watford: After missing four games due to a calf injury, DeMerit returned in a 2-1 loss at Cardiff City on March 18.

Unfortunately, DeMerit, who had been impressive alongside Mike Williamson in the center of defense, had to be substituted in Saturday's 0-0 draw at playoff chasing Ipswich. The Hornets captain made a hefty tackle and put in a good block in succession, resulting in a foot injury at the end of the first half.

"His foot went a bit numb," Watford manager Brendan Rodgers said. "You could see he was struggling to move, and we didn't want to make it worse."

The injury isn't serious, and DeMerit was expected to meet up with his international teammates for a pair of upcoming World Cup qualifiers, Rodgers added.

Season: 29 (1): 1

Marcus Hahnemann, Reading: Hahnemann reclaimed his starting spot in goal ahead of young Aussie Adam Federici, making his first three starts since a calf injury ruled out the 36-year-old in early December.

Federici wasn't exactly playing bad, Reading manager Steve Coppell pointed out.

"I just thought that Marcus' extra experience would help us at this stage of the season," said Coppell, who took charge of his 1,000th game as a manager March 17 at Doncaster.

Hahnemann had a solid game in his return against Ipswich on March 14, making a superb late save to deny Kevin Lisbie. The Tractor Boys still won 1-0, though.

Following a 1-0 win at in-form Doncaster, Hahnemann earned a second straight shutout Saturday as Reading and Crystal Palace ended scoreless.

The continuing slipups left Reading four points behind Birmingham in the second automatic promotion spot with a game in hand.

Season: 26 (0): 0

Eddie Johnson, Cardiff City (loan from Fulham): On a high in the wake of scoring his first goal in English soccer in more than a year, Johnson almost made it two in two at Norwich on March 10. Johnson started and had a second-half header nicely turned away by David Marshall, and the Bluebirds lost 2-0.

Johnson impressed off the bench in a 1-1 tie at Bristol City five days later, thumping the post with a diving header and playing a role in Ross McCormack's leveler in the 88th minute. Keeper Adrian Basso only parried Johnson's long-range strike, allowing McCormack to pounce on the rebound.

An unused sub against Watford, Johnson emerged in the 76th minute Sunday in a humbling 3-0 home loss to Sheffield United. Cardiff had two players red-carded in the first half.

Only one win in four games pretty much ended Cardiff's hopes of automatic promotion.

Season: 7 (17): 1

Frankie Simek, Sheffield Wednesday: With not much to play for the rest of the season -- out of relegation trouble but a distance away from the playoffs -- it seems Wednesday is exercising caution with Simek.

The right back, who returned from a hamstring strain last month, has been an unused substitute in five of the club's past six games. He played the final 20 minutes in a 2-2 draw at Watford on March 14.

Season: 3 (2): 0

League One

Jemal Johnson, MK Dons: One of the Dons' top performers this season, Johnson, a winger, was dropped by boss Roberto Di Matteo against Huddersfield and Oldham -- he entered as a sub in the 81st and 71st minutes, respectively.

The winger was restored in a demoralizing 1-0 loss at home to Millwall on March 17, and played 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw at Yeovil, in the relegation zone, on Saturday. Johnson manufactured his team's best chance against Yeovil, spinning and drilling a shot punched away by keeper Chris Weale.

Heavy favorites for automatic promotion a month ago, the Dons slipped to fourth, seven points behind second-place Peterborough and now with only two games in hand.

Season: 23 (11): 6

Spain, Primera Liga

Jozy Altidore, Xerez (loan from Villarreal): Not getting any playing time at Xerez, Altidore became linked with a move to another second-tier outfit in Spain, Levante.

"That's the first time I've heard anything like that," the forward told the New York Times. "I don't know about going anywhere else. This is the first I've heard."

How ticked must Villarreal be at Altidore's lack of action?

Season: 3 (4): 1

Italy, Serie B

Danny Szetela, Brescia (loan from Racing Santander): Szetela made a pair of midfield substitute appearances in the second half against Triestina and Modena.

He'll hope to start when Brescia, seeking automatic promotion, visits Salernitana on Monday.

Season: 8 (5): 1

Serie C1

Gabriel Ferrari, Perugia (loan from Sampdoria): Ferrari's loan spell at Perugia hasn't exactly been fruitful. The forward played the final four minutes in a 0-0 draw against Umbrian rivals Ternana on March 15 and most of the second half in Sunday's 2-0 loss at Taranto.

Season: 2 (10): 0

Germany, Bundesliga

Steve Cherundolo, Hannover 96: Cherundolo missed a pulsating 4-4 draw against Borussia Dortmund -- Hannover trailed 4-2 -- and Saturday's 2-2 draw at slumping Hoffenheim with a hip injury reportedly sustained in training.

As a result, the right back didn't get an international call last week.

Season: 16 (2): 0

Michael Bradley, Borussia Moenchengladbach: Bradley netted a brace in a 4-2 win at Cologne on March 14, opening the scoring in the 25th minute when he tapped in Marko Marin's pass from three yards. The attacking midfielder put the game out of reach in the 87th, converting a penalty that just eluded keeper Faryd Mondragon.

That win made it nine points from a possible 12, though Bradley and Moenchengladbach failed to escape the drop zone following a 1-0 home loss to fellow strugglers Bochum on Friday.

It was Bochum's first away win in the league.

Season: 17 (2): 5

Bryan Arguez, Hertha Berlin: Arguez was part of the U.S. squad that reached the final of the U-20 CONCACAF Championships in the Caribbean, losing to Costa Rica.

Season: No appearances

Sal Zizzo, Hannover 96: Zizzo, a winger, didn't make the bench against Dortmund and Hoffenheim.

Season: 0 (4): 0

France, Ligue 1

Freddy Adu, Monaco (loan from Benfica): Adu got into the squad, though he didn't play, against Toulouse and Nancy in the league. He failed to dress in Monaco's French Cup quarterfinal loss to Grenoble.

"My struggles to find a regular spot on the team continue," Adu wrote in his blog posted on Monaco's Web site on March 11. "I feel as though I am playing well in training, but I just can't seem to convince the coaching staff about me as of yet. I am determined to show what I can do here. It will come. I know it will. In the meantime, I obviously just have to keep working hard every day at training to help the team get better and improve my game."

Season: 1 (9): 0

Carlos Bocanegra, Rennes: Rennes reached the French Cup semifinals thanks to a 2-0 win over lower-division Rodez on March 18; Bocanegra slotted into the defense as usual.

With Rennes trailing 2-0, the fullback departed in the 67th minute against Le Mans on March 14, and his teammates rallied to earn a point. Bocanegra contested 90 minutes in Saturday's ill-tempered 0-0 draw against resilient Valenciennes.

The draws all but ended Rennes' slim title hopes.

Apologies to Bocanegra -- he scored his first goal domestically, not first for Rennes, as we reported, two weeks ago. Bocanegra of course tallied in the UEFA Cup in September.

Season: 32 (1): 2

Belgium, Jupiler League

Oguchi Onyewu, Standard Liege: Standard, seeking a second straight title, relinquished the top spot after losing 1-0 at Charleroi -- which did the double over Standard this season -- on Sunday.

Standard, now two points behind Anderlecht, downed Genk 2-0 a week earlier. Onyewu started both games in his customary position of central defense.

Season: 37 (1): 3

Scotland, Premier League

DaMarcus Beasley, Rangers: Call it a bad week for Rangers.

The blue side of Glasgow lost the League Cup final 2-0 in extra time to Celtic on March 15, with Beasley not making the bench.

The winger returned Saturday, when Rangers blew a 2-0 lead at home and drew Hearts 2-2. Beasley set up Kyle Lafferty's opener after intercepting a pass.

Celtic didn't take full advantage of the league lull, needing a late equalizer against Dundee United on Sunday to regain its three-point advantage.

Season: 6 (5): 0

Maurice Edu, Rangers: The good news for Edu is that, at worst, he's now getting into the first-team squad. He did so against Celtic and Hearts, without coming on.

Season: 5 (1): 0

Denmark, Superligaen

Danny Califf, FC Midtjylland: Nursing a thigh injury, the defender missed Midtjylland's 2-1 loss at Odense on March 14. Midtjylland, winless in four and 13 points behind league leader Copenhagen, visits Aalborg on Monday and Califf should be ready.

Season: 16 games played, 0 goals

Jeremiah White, Aarhus: White played 90 minutes in a 1-1 tie against Vejle on March 9, went from midfield to striker in a 2-0 loss at Brondby on March 15 and also started in a 1-0 loss at Esbjerg on Sunday.

Aarhus hasn't won in four matches since the season's resumption.

Season: 21 games played, 2 goals

Benny Feilhaber, Aarhus: Out since August with a knee injury, the midfielder returned and played the final five minutes -- replacing White -- against Brondby. He didn't dress Sunday.

Season: 2 games played, no goals

Michael Parkhurst, Nordsjaelland: Parkhurst collected a yellow card in the seventh minute and was subbed at halftime in his March 15 home debut, a 2-1 loss to third-to-last Horsens. He bounced back Sunday, seeing out all 90 minutes of a 3-1 win at second-to-last Sonderjyske that gave Nordsjaelland breathing room near the relegation zone.

Season: 4 games played, 0 goals

Marcus Tracy, Aalborg: Tracy made his debut against Manchester City in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, when he was called upon in the 77th minute. The striker played all of extra time, too, as Aalborg unluckily exited on penalties in the round of 16.

Season: 1 game played, 0 goals

Sweden, Allsvenskan

Season starts next month.

Ravi Ubha is a London-based freelance journalist covering Americans abroad for ESPNsoccernet. He also covers tennis for ESPN.com.