After getting limited playing time because of injuries since joining Manchester City on loan from PSV Eindhoven in August, American winger DaMarcus Beasley notched a goal and an assist in two games over three days.
Beasley, in his sixth EPL appearance, came on as a 65th minute sub and scored an 83rd minute gamewinner in Man City’s 1-0 win over West Ham on Dec. 30. (Beasley’s American teammate Claudio Reyna was sidelined with a hamstring injury while American Jonathan Spector went the full 90 for West Ham.)
Beasley took the ball about 40 yards from goal, sliced between a pair of defenders and struck right-footed from eight yards past the near post for his first Premier League goal. (Click here for video of the goal.)
On Jan. 1, Beasley earned his third start of the season and set up the first goal – a give-and-go with Georgios Samaras — in Man City’s 2-1 win over Everton, for which American Tim Howard played goalkeeper.
Reading, with Marcus Hahnemann in goal, bounced back from a 3-2 loss to league leader Manchester United on Dec. 30 to thump West Ham, 6-0, on Monday. Newly promoted Reading is in 9th place, sandwiched by 8th place Everton and 10th place Manchester City. Blackburn, the team of American goalkeeper Brad Friedel, is in 11th place while Fulham (forward Brian McBride and defender Carlos Bocanegra) is in 12th.
Bocanegra scored the late equalizer in Fulham’s 2-2 tie with Chelsea Dec. 30 and he set up McBride’s goal in a 2-2 tie with Charlton Dec. 27.
On Monday, Fulham played to a scoreless tie with Watford, whose American defender Jay DeMerit went the full 90. Bocanegra was involved in a scary clash with his own goalkeeper, Antti Niemi, who fell on his head after going for a cross. After a seven-minute delay, Bocanegra was able to return but Niemi was stretchered off while wearing a neck brace. Medical exams revealed the goalkeeper didn’t suffer a spinal cord or column injury.
McBride leads Fulham in scoring with six goals. Bocanegra has scored twice this season.