Goalie Espen Baardsen became the youngest American ever to play in the English Premier League when he came on at halftime of Tottenham’s game at Liverpool May 3.
Spurs lost 2-1, but Baardsen did not allow a goal in 45 minutes of play after replacing England international Ian Walker in the Tottenham nets.
Baardsen is not a year out of high school in Lafayette, Calif. Baardsen played for the U.S. U-20 team in 1994 and 1995, but he chose represent Norway, his parents’ homeland, due to the fierce competition he would face from American goalies for a national team spot. A Norwegian passport also eases work restrictions in England due to a treaty between Norway and England.
Norway has three wins and a tie in the European U-21 tournament with Baardsen in goal.
Other U.S. Abroad news: Michael Mason, rumored to be headed to the Tampa Bay Mutiny, scored for Hamburg in his first game of the year in the German Bundesliga, while Chad Deering also scored for Wolfsburg in a 4-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt that kept it in place for promotion to the First Division.