Americans Abroad recap: Howard has successful week

Everton started out the week strong, blowing out Cheltenham Town 5-1 in FA Cup action as five different Toffees tallied a goal. Tim Howard started and made five quality saves as the visitors dominated the League Two outfit from start to finish.

On Saturday, Howard made three stops en route to a clean sheet but Everton failed to score against Swansea, leaving the contest at 0-0. The Merseyside club remains in fifth place.

Dempsey quiet as sub

Clint Dempsey came on for the final 20 minutes on Saturday as Tottenham notched a disappointing draw against cellar-dwellers QPR. Brad Friedel played his usual Premier League backup role.

Roma drops another

Michael Bradley started on Sunday but Roma struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities despite controlling possession. Ultimately, Alejandro Gomez broke the deadlock, giving Catania a quality 1-0 win over Roma. Bradley attempted one shot during the match, and it was a bad miss as he fired over the net from close range before halftime. Roma has now lost three of the last four but remains within European striking distance, sitting sixth in the table.

Stoke rocked by Chelsea

Stoke was its own worst enemy on Saturday, with Jon Walters scoring two own goals as Chelsea defeated the Potters 4-0 at Britannia Stadium. Geoff Cameron started and played the full 90 but the defense was noticeably shaky throughout and the powerhouse from London took full advantage. Maurice Edu again wasn't in the game-day roster.

Villains drop two

Brad Guzan and Eric Lichaj were both given a rest on Tuesday but Aston Villa struggled, losing 3-1 to Bradford City in the first leg of their Capital One cup semifinal. Lichaj was once again absent on Saturday but Brad Guzan started and made three saves as Southampton bested Villa 1-0 thanks to Rickie Lambert’s first half penalty strike. The loss dropped the club down to 18th in the table.