MLS all-stars fall to Everton in shootout
Last Updated: Thursday, July 30, 2009 | 1:57 AM ET
CBC Sports
Everton keeper Tim Howard loosens up just prior to Wednesday's match against the MLS all-stars. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)Goalkeeper Tim Howard stopped Freddie Ljungberg's do-or-die penalty-kick attempt to give English side Everton the victory over the MLS all-star team on Wednesday night in suburban Salt Lake City.
After the sides finished regulation time tied at 1-1 and each netted three penalty tries, Ljungberg needed to score to force a seventh round of kicks. The Seattle Sounders forward tried a soft chip, but a diving Howard reached back to get a hand on it.
The save dealt the MLS stars their first loss in six matches against international opponents.
"There's always a bit of luck involved," said Howard, who was named the game's most valuable player. "He had me for the most part. I was just able to get a little piece of it."
Everton's Louis Saha and the Houston Dynamo's Brad Davis traded goals in the first half, and Howard — a former MLS player — made six stops to help send the match into the tiebreaker.
"He's one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he showed that again," said Landon Donovan, an L.A. Galaxy star and Howard's teammate on the American national team.
Canadian international Will Johnson, who plays for hometown Real Salt Lake, scored in the shootout after coming on as a substitute for the start of the second half.
Donovan and Conor Casey also scored in the shootout for MLS. Leighton Baines, Philip Neville, Joleon Lescott and Jack Rodwell countered for Everton, which is preparing for the start of the English Premier League season in mid-August.
Howard holds off Casey
Everton capitalized on Stuart Holden's terrible giveaway to open the scoring in the 12th minute. The Houston Dynamo midfielder presumable didn't see Saha, who intercepted Holden's intended pass in front of the MLS goal and beat goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
Holden made amends and helped his side even the score in the 26th minute. Casey did the heavy lifting, outmuscling Baines in the Everton penalty area and sending a pass across to Holden, who tipped the ball over to Davis at the left post for an easy finish.
"[The goal] gave them confidence," Neville said. "They gave us a real tough game after that. It was a good learning curve."
Holden and Casey conspired again before halftime, with the former delivering a cross that barely cleared the scalp of an Everton defender. Casey's header caught Howard leaning the wrong way, but the Everton keeper had the reflexes to make a lunging save on his U.S. international teammate.
The second half belonged mostly to the MLS squad, which generated a handful of excellent scoring chances en route to finishing with a 21-11 shots advantage.
In the 75th minute, Donovan received a gorgeous feed from Ljungberg on the doorstep of the crease. But the Galaxy forward's shot rang off the inside of the post and stayed out.
Casey had a golden opportunity from point-blank range in the 84th minute, but 17-year-old forward Jose Baxter saved the day for Everton by trapping the low shot between his feet.
Casey got in alone again in the dying seconds of extra time, but an aggressive Howard came sliding out to corral the ball and gave his friend a good-natured ribbing when the final whistle sounded.
