Author: Christopher Glotfelty (Page 23 of 67)

      Donovan has key presence in Everton debut

      January 9, 2010 /

      Landon Donovan

      Earlier today, Landon Donovan debuted with English Premier League club Everton and earned an assist in the 2-2 draw. The talented striker is currently on loan for ten weeks from the Los Angeles Galaxy.

      From the Los Angeles Times:

      The lead lasted just 16 minutes. Denilson charged down a clearance, and the ball fell to Andrei Arshavin on the edge of the penalty area. Arshavin fed Eduardo da Silva, who touched a pass back to Denilson and his low strike deflected off Osman past U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard.

      With snow blowing around the stadium, Donovan came close to restoring Everton’s lead at the start of the second half. The American weaved into the penalty area, but his curling shot drifted wide.

      Everton replaced Donovan with Diniyar Bilyaletdinov in the 68th minute and went ahead again in the 81st minute. Steven Pienaar raced onto a pass from Tim Cahill and chipped past goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

      Donovan’s two previous attempts abroad were met with mixed results. Regardless, with a record of 5-8-7, Everton can certainly benefit from his services.

      But don’t fret — Donovan will be back on the Galaxy in March. Also, the stint in England shouldn’t be a problem with the U.S. National Team and the upcoming World Cup.

      Soccer

      Davydenko sneaks by Federer, will face Nadal in Qatar final

      January 9, 2010 /

      Well, we can all thank Nickolay Davydenko for spoiling the year’s first chance at an important Rafael Nadal/Roger Federer collision. Davydenko upset Federer 6-4, 6-4 on Friday in the Qatar Open semifinal for his second-straight win against the world’s top player.

      “I’d beaten him once, so I knew I could beat him again. Then I thought, why not this time? I concentrated more on baseline and serves,” Davydenko, who has lost 12 times to Federer, told a news conference.

      “In the second set, it was getting tougher as both of us were tired and couldn’t run fast. It was a difficult situation but fortune favoured me. I think my serve has improved lately.”

      Federer committed 37 unforced errors and had no answer to many of the world number six’s powerful cross-court shots.

      “He deserved the lead, held it and finished the game. Hats off to him. It isn’t that I played too badly, but he played better,” said Federer.

      I just wish I could watch the match at home. Davydenko will undoubtedly have a tough time against world No. 2 Nadal who is blowing by opponents once again. A victory on Sunday would be a nice confidence boost for both players as they head into the Australian Open, which runs from Jan. 18-31. Nadal won that Grand Slam last year in a grueling five-setter against Federer.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Tennis

      Cowboys clinch NFC East title, draw rematch with Eagles

      January 3, 2010 /

      Tony Romo

      The Cowboys definitely had a nice Sunday. After beating the Eagles 24-0, the Cowboys should be brimming with confidence. Nobody expected them to shut out the Eagles but they managed to do so easily.

      Tony Romo got things going early on, throwing a pair of touchdown passes to Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton, respectively. Romo ended up completing 24 of 31 attempts for 311 yards. He’s finally heating up and looks just as good as the other top quarterback. By the end of the first half it was clear that something was wrong with Eagles.

      From then on the Cowboys focused on their defense, which did just enough to prevent the Eagles from gaining any momentum. The Eagles couldn’t convert on third downs and made a couple errors that could have changed the tide of the game.

      This is the time of the season when the Cowboys usually break down. If they continue communicating well on both fronts, the Cowboys might just be the team to beat in the playoffs. Strangely enough, they’ll face the Eagles in the first round. After today’s game, I’m sure they’re more than ready.

      News, NFL

      Vikings show depth in win over Giants

      January 3, 2010 /

      Sidney Rice

      For the second straight week, the New York Giants were horrendous. In their pathetic 41-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, they proved that they need to rebuild. It’s easy to accuse Eli Manning, but I’d put more blame on offensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. The Giants looked confused on each of their drives so it’s no surprise that the Minnesota Vikings defense shut them down. Their only score came on a one-yard run by Danny Ware early in the fourth quarter. Still, Manning wasn’t completely absent as he did manage 141 yards on 17 of 23 attempts. With this defeat, the Giants fail to make the playoffs for the first time in four years. Their fans deserved a solid effort but the Giants just didn’t seem to care.

      As for the Vikings, they straight up abused their opponents. Not only did they show up on defense, but their offense was even more impressive. Brett Favre posted possibly his best game of the season, repeatedly finding receivers Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Percy Harvin. Gradually picking apart an uninspired Giants defense, Favre went 25 for 31 on attempts for 316 yards and four touchdowns. His passes to Rice were a sight to behold. Rice really worked for both of his touchdowns, running interesting routes to fool the coverage.

      The Vikings will now await the results of today’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallsas Cowboys. If the Cowboys beat the Eagles and clinch the NFC East, the Vikings will get the buy in the first week of the playoffs.

      NFL

      Nadal prevails in Abu Dhabi

      January 2, 2010 /

      Rafael Nadal is showing signs of returning to form. In the final of the Capitala exhibition tournament, Nadal defeated Robin Soderling 7-6 (3), 7-5 to kick off the new season and prove he’s tired of the criticism.

      From FOXSports.com:

      Both players held serve throughout the first set before the second-ranked Spaniard won the tiebreaker. Nadal then broke decisively in the sixth game of the second set at Zayed Sports City.

      Soderling ended Nadal’s 31-game unbeaten run on clay at the French Open last year and beat him again at the season-sending ATP Tour World Finals in London.

      Roger Federer defeated David Ferrer of Spain 6-1, 7-5 for third place.

      Nadal said overtaking Federer was not his main focus for 2010.

      “Everybody wants the No. 1 ranking, but, believe me, for me it is not my goal for this year,” the Spaniard said. “To play competitively throughout and win as many tournaments as I can, that is my goal. To be happy playing, to be healthy and to play like I have played over the last two days.”

      Nadal will play in next week’s Qatar Open, the Australian Open beginning Jan. 18 and the ABN AMRO starting Feb. 8 in the Netherlands before taking a break. He injured both knees and his abdomen last season, missing Wimbledon among other tournaments.

      While Roger Federer’s dominance last year was exciting, Nadal’s struggles hurt the sport. If he can learn to take care of his knees, Nadal will prolong his career and break plenty of notable records.

      Tennis

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑