[AMERICANS ABROAD] Goalkeeper Brad Friedel set the English Premier League record for most consecutive appearances. Jozy Altidore got his first Spanish La Liga start. Edgar Castillo helped Santos advance to the Mexican semifinals. Michael Bradley had a rough day in the Bundesliga.

Friedel, while helping Aston Villa to a 0-0 tie with Fulham in which he twice denied fellow American Clint Dempsey, set the EPL record for consecutive appearances with 167, surpassing fellow goalkeeper David James' mark.

"It's always nice to get personal achievements in the game, but that's not why I play," said the 37-year-old Friedel, who joined Aston Villa this season from Blackburn. "It's a team sport, and if the truth be told I would have preferred to have got the three points here today instead of the point.

 

Friedel first moved to England in 1997, after two years with the Columbus Crew, and played 25 games for Liverpool. He moved to Blackburn and played 27 games in the second division as Blackburn won promotion to the EPL. The keeper then played 260 EPL games for Blackburn before moving to Aston Villa and has made a total of 300 EPL appearances.

"It is remarkable in this day and age, whether you're a keeper or not, to play that number of games consecutively," said Aston Villa coach Martin O'Neill of Friedel's 167-game streak. "It is fantastic."

Friedel, an Ohio product who win the 1990 NCAA title with UCLA, earned 82 caps for the USA. He saw action in the 2002 and 1998 World Cups, and was a reserve at the 1994 World Cup.

Altidore, 19, had made three appearances off the bench since joining Villarreal last summer. He got his first start and played 70 minutes in a 2-1 win over Recreativo Huelva. Altidore played alongside Italian-American Giuseppe Rossi on the frontline.

In Mexico, Castillo went the full 90 for defending champ Santos as it beat San Luis, 2-1, to win the quarterfinal series, 5-2, on aggregate. Cuauhtémoc Blanco, on loan from the Chicago Fire, scored from the penalty spot for Santos. Californian Michael Orozco stayed on the San Luis bench. Santos faces Toluca in the semis.

In Germany, Bradley opened the scoring by deflecting the ball into his own net from close range as Borussia Moenchengladbach slipped back into the relegation zone with a 3-1 loss to lowly Energie Cottbus. Steve Cherundolo was subbed at halftime because of an injury as his Hannover 96 beat Karlsruhe, 3-2. Neven Subotic made his 15th straight start for Borussia Dortmund, which tied, 0-0, with VfL Wolfsburg.

In the German second division, Matt Taylor scored his fifth goal of the season for Koblenz, which beat Rot-Weiss Ahlen, 4-1.

FRANCE. Freddy Adu stayed on the bench as Monaco beat Auxerre, 1-0. But defender Carlos Bocanegra helped Rennes down Paris SG, 1-0, as Rennes moved into second place, five points behind Lyon.

ENGLAND. Tim Howard notched three saves for Everton as it beat Tottenham, 1-0. Everton is in seventh place. Eddie Johnson continues his struggles at second-tier Cardiff, staying on the bench during a 2-2 tie with Swansea City.

SCOTLAND. Neither Maurice Edu nor DaMarcus Bealsey saw action for Rangers in a 2-1 loss to Hearts.

BELGIUM. Oguchi Onyewu went the full 90 for Standard Liege in 0-0 tie with Mechelen. Defending champ Standard Liege is in third place.