McBride Makes Return

American striker Brian McBride has made his return to the Fulham lineup, coming on in the 70th minute of his club's vital 2-1 victory over Aston Villa this weekend.McBride, 35, had been sidelined since mid-August with a dislocated left kneecap, but showed no signs of the injury in a mid-week friendly against Cardiff City, prompting manager Roy Hodgson to bring the former U.S. international on late in the second-half.

"Brian has done extremely well to be back so early from the injury," said Hodgson. "He's worked very, very hard at it. It was good that he played 90 minutes on Wednesday and I thought the longer the game went on the happier he looked on the field."

McBride has become one of the Cottagers most popular players, and led the club with 12 goals last season. They will look to him - as well as fellow Americans Eddie Johnson, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey and Kasey Keller - to lead a late-season resurgence needed to keep the club from being relegated. Their win on Sunday moves the club to within a single point of Reading, who currently holds the last spot in safety.