AMSTERDAM – A host of Americans clocked in overseas on Wednesday, with Clint Dempsey working an industrious 63 minutes in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 victory over EPL guests Liverpool.
With Brad Friedel serving as Spurs backup, the 2012 US Soccer Athlete of the Year won the free kick that Gareth Bale deposited as the eventual winner in the 16th minute. In all, the active Dempsey fired four shots and drew four fouls in a shortened shift to help Tottenham climb two places to fifth.
Geoff Cameron was safely steady at left back as Stoke City clawed back with two goals in the final nine minutes to down guests Newcastle United 2-1. With three wins and a draw in their last four, the Potters moved into the table's top half.
Everton netminder Tim Howard and his teammates regrouped after conceding a deflected strike in the first minute of a 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Goodison Park. The US No. 1 needed only two saves to end a four-game losing skid in the series while also running his EPL home unbeaten streak to 11 games.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Lletget made the West Ham United bench for the first time, but no further in a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United. The ninth-place Hammers have cooled of late, winning just once in their last six.
One tier down in the Championship, Tim Ream went unused in Bolton's 1-1 derby draw at Blackburn.
In midweek Bundesliga action, Timothy Chandler left with a knock after 58 minutes of slowly warming FC Nürnberg's 4-2 win over visiting Hoffenheim.
The right back allowed the cross for the visitors' first-half equalizer, on which an "MLS assist" went to Daniel Williams. Fabian Johnson also went the distance for 16th-place Hoffenheim, cancelling the positive of an early line clearance with partial culpability on the home side's winner.
One league below in the 2.Bundesliga, Man of the Match Andrew Wooten struck twice inside a seven-minute span of the second half to lift Sandhausen out of the basement with a 3-1 win over Energie Cottbus 3-1.
Moving from right wing back to his natural forward position, the Kaiserslautern loanee leveled matters from the spot in the 66th minute. Moments later, Wooten cleaned up his own rebound to give the hosts their first win in seven games.
Joseph Gyau came on at the hour mark, twice flirting with an equalizer in St. Pauli's 1-0 derby defeat at Braunschweig. The winger had a goal waved off by a teammate's foul in the 75th minute and then drew a save from distance near time.
North of the border in Denmark, Clarence Goodson watched from the dugout as Brøndby reached the DBU-Pokalen final four with a 1-0 upset of visiting holders FC Copenhagen.
