Americans Keeping Up

Soccer is not America's game (news flash, I know). Instead, that title goes to either football, basketball or baseball, depending on who you talk to. And there's a fundamental, obvious difference between those three sports and soccer: The "American" games are played with one's hands and all involve throwing and catching.

So perhaps it's not surprising that American goalkeepers have had the most success among yankee soccer players who have ventured abroad. Kasey Keller has enjoyed a solid career in England and, now, Germany. Brad Friedel has earned a starting spot for Blackburn and Tim Howard - who has fallen off the map a bit since the early part of this century - signed a contract with mighty Man U and is now on loan to Everton.

Friedel and Howard did the U.S. proud this weekend in Premiership play. Howard blanked Liverpool for his second consecutive shutout and Friedel stopped two penalty kicks in a scoreless draw with Sheffield United. For now, these as well as other U.S. keepers abroad can keep one American foot in the door of international club soccer while our field players catch up to the rest of the world.