Other Americans were in action this weekend in Europe, to varying degrees of success. Tim Howard followed up a solid international performance midweek against Mexico with another shutout for Everton, which is now sitting pretty (for the time being) in fourth place.
But lurking three points behind is a Manchester City team that upset Man United 2-1 on an emotional Sunday in England. City played close to a flawless game, and certainly benefited from Rooney's absence.
Meanwhile, in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt retained their title with a spirited win over Cameroon. To say Egypt flew under the radar would be unfair. True, the defending champion Pharaohs didn't have the European star power, but they had something else going for them: a real team.
As expected, the final against Cameroon was a closely contested affair. Both teams had their fair share of offensive opportunities, and the highlights show that both keepers left their mark by covering some dangerous, well-hit balls. The lone goal came from a Cameroon mistake and Egypt's effort to create something out of nothing. An effort which saw them garner five spots on the all-tournament team.
Congrats Egypt and the organizers of the Africa Cup of Nations, maybe next time we'll have the pleasure of announcing that it's televised in the States. Either way, this bodes well for Africa in 2010.
Catch your breath this week, because next week's going to be busy with a whole lotta Champions League action.
CHANGE REGION