Zizzo Loaned To Fortuna Dusseldorf

American midfielder Sal Zizzo has been loaned from Hannover 96 to newly promoted Second Bundesliga side Fortuna Dusseldorf on a 1-year deal.

The 22 year-old Olympian and UCLA alum is expected to see more playing time in Dusseldorf and perhaps increase his chances for a senior US team callup in the coming year.

What do you think? Can Sal Zizzo recapture the mojo of his US youth team days and get onto Bob Bradley's radar scope?

Zizzo, Bradley Face Off in Gladbach

Two young Americans faced off in Bundesliga action this weekend as Michael Bradley's Borussia Moenchengladbach hosted Hannover 96 and Sal Zizzo (Steve Cherundolo is still out with a hip injury). Bradley went the full 90 for Gladbach, which collected all three points in a 3-2 win. Zizzo entered the match in the 62nd minute for Hannover, making only his third appearance of the season.

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Landon Donovan played the second half with Bayern Munich's down 2-0 to 1FC Koeln. While he was involved in some good chances for Bayern, the Bavarians could only crack the Geissbock's defense once, in the 84th minute, to end up 2-1 for the Koelners.

Donovan Sees Sub Minutes In Bayern Win Over Dortmund

Landon Donovan saw 18 minutes of playing time tonight in Bayern Munich's 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, coming on for Luca Toni in the 72nd minute with the score tied at 1-1. Donovan's smart runs up front opened space for Bayern's Miroslav Klose to score goals in the 88th and 90th minutes.

Midfielder Sal Zizzo dressed but did not play for Hannover in their 3-1 loss to Energie Cottbus while Steve Cherundolo, out with an injury, did not suit up.

In the Second Bundesliga, Grover Gibson is still out injured so he missed Rot-Weiss Ahlen's 2-1 win over his old club FC Augsburg.

Zizzo, Hannover Drop Friendly To AC Milan

American Sal Zizzo made a rare appearance for Hannover 96 in last night's friendly against visiting AC Milan. The Bundesliga side put in a surprisingly strong performance against the star-studded Milan team, especially on defense, but was unable to hold off the Rossoneri for good.

With his team down 2-1 in the second half, Zizzo came on in the 66th minute, replacing Jan Rosenthal at right midfield where he immediately got into the mix. In the 74th minute, Zizzo's sent in a cross to Mike Hanke, who bicycled the ball in to tie the score at 2-2.

But this could not last as three minutes later, a Kaka combination with Fillipo Inzhagi found Luca Antonini - who then sent in a good cross which "Pippo" converted to make it 3-2. All in all, the former UCLA man made a solid showing but only time will tell if the young American (who was recently linked in a loan deal to Hansa Rostock) will see more playing time this spring.

American defender and Hannover stalwart Steve Cherundolo did not play in the match.

Zizzo: Would "Gladly" Go To Rostock

Germany's national daily Bild is reporting that new Hansa Rostock manager Dieter Eilts still has his eyes on three new players to strengthen the side and Hannover's young American Sal Zizzo is one of them. In previous weeks, reports out of Hannover indicated that the club was not keen on selling the 21 year-old San Diego native.

At the same time, Hansa may be able to take Zizzo on loan since he has primarily seen action with the reserve team this season (11 appearances) while only seeing three first team matches as a substitute in one cup and two league matches.

After making a strong showing at the 2007 U-20 World Championships, Zizzo's European pro career has gone reasonably well but he appears ready to kick it into the next gear. When asked about the potential move, Zizzo told Bild: "I'd gladly go to Rostock."

Eilts appears to have the pedigree to bring Hansa's ship back on course, having previously led Werder Bremen to Bundesliga and German Cup wins.

Cherundolo, Hannover In Action Against 1FC Koeln

American Steve Cherundolo is starting at right back for Hannover 96 right now against 1FC Koeln in Bundesliga action tonight in Germany. Follow the match here. In German.

Update: Christoph Daum's 1FC Koeln came out on top 2-1 over Hannover. With Hannover leading 1-0 in the first half, Cherundolo nearly set up a score in the 36th minute when his cross found Jiri Stanjer who poked the ball wide. A Koeln corner kick was nodded hom by Youssef Mohamed to tie the score at 1-1.

In the 50th minute, another fine Cherundolo cross tipped away by Koeln keeper Mondragon to set up a corner kick. Hannover then had several good scoring chances parried away by Mondragon. Koeln went on top for good in 71st minute on Mike Hanke's fluke deflection of a Wilfried Sanou shot from just outside the area.

Cherundolo and Hannover Down Hertha 3-1

After a mistake-ridden 4-2 preseason loss to RCD Mallorca last week, Hannover 96 redeemed itself last night with a 3-1 win over fellow Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin. As expected, American Steve Cherundolo went the distance at right back while newcomer Sal Zizzo was not selected for the team.

Among the good news for Hannover was to see newcomer (and former Bayern Munich player) Jan Schlaudraff score goals in the 19th and 68th minutes. Cherundolo covered well in the back and managed to contribute on offense in the 44th minute sending a perfect through-ball to find Schlaudraff, who then tapped it to Mike Hanke, who easily stroked it into the Hertha goal to make it 2-0.

While Hertha's young American defender Bryan Arguez did not play last night, he appears to be out of the doghouse having started in a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Friday.

Sal Zizzo: Rough Outing For Hannover Against Mallorca

There has been some speculation during the preseason that Hannover veteran Steve Cherundolo may get bumped from his starting right back role by a younger player, including possibly young American Sal Zizzo. After a 4-2 friendly loss to RCD Mallorca Friday night in which coach Dieter Hecking gave Zizzo a start, Cherundolo's job looks as secure as ever.

The largely experimental team made many mistakes which their Mallorcan hosts capitalized on each time, especially toward the end of the match. Zizzo was credited with many defensive mistakes, including getting the blame for causing the penalty kick which let Mallorca's Jose Manuel Jurado tie the score at 2:2. Zizzo was replaced in the 62nd minute by 19 year-old Leon Balogun as Mallorca scored two more goals by Oscar Trejo in the 72nd and Juan Arango in the 77th minute to make it 4-2.

Hecking seemed to be saving his first team for the next match in the preseason tourney against Hertha Berlin on Sunday night - expect to see Cherundolo in his customary right back position. Also, given Bryan Arguez' current situation at Hertha Berlin, it is doubtful if he will play against Hannover on Sunday.

Cherundolo Reports In At Hannover Training Camp

US and Hannover 96 defender Steve Cherundolo has now reported into his club's training camp after being given a bit more time to rest after three tough international matches for the USA. During the break, he also changed agents, from his longtime representaive Dr. Michael Becker to the Hannover based Harun Arslan. Arslan also represents other players for Hannover plus German national team coach Joachim Löw.

As you can see in the photo here, assistant coach Ingo Geissler put Cherundolo to the test early in a drill to maintain balance on a training ball while heading the ball back repeatedly. Who needs the 10 minute abs video when you can do this drill?