13 May 1982 - Gooch Is Loose

On 13 May 1982, US international and FC Twente center back Oguchi “Gooch” Onyewu was born in Washington, DC.

Onyewu played for years at Clemson University (2000-01), then signed with French side Metz in 2002. He made only three appearances for Metz, however, before moving to Belgian club La Louvière on loan. In 2004, he moved again, signing with Standard Liège. He flourished there, twice being named to the Belgian league’s Best XI and winning the Foreign Player of the Year in 2005. He won back-to-back league titles with Standard in 2008 and 2009 before making a shock move to AC Milan for the 2009-10 season.

A knee injury forced him to miss the entire Serie A season, however, and in 2011 Milan sent him on loan to defending Eredivisie champions FC Twente, where he has helped them hold on to the top spot.

Onyewu has played for the United States since 2004, winning the 2005 and 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cups.

7 March 2010 - Twente Go Top

On 7 March 2010, FC Twente leapfrogged PSV Eindhoven to take the top spot in the Eredivisie table. They would hold on to it for the remainder of the season to claim their first league championship.

Founded in 1965, Twente's previous best finish was second, which they first achieved in 1974. They did it again in 2009, under the guidance of new manager Steve McClaren, then in his first season with the club.

Twente got off to a remarkable start in McClaren's second season, winning 17 and drawing four of their first 21 matches. They had reached the top spot and held it for 10 weeks during that spell, but dropped into second place after a couple of scoreless draws in January. PSV, meanwhile, claimed first place with an even better run of 20 wins and five draws in their first 25 matches. But PSV slipped on 6 March, losing 1-2 away to NAC Breda. The loss opened the door for Twente, who were one point back.

On Sunday, 7 March, Twente were away at RKC Waalwijk, whom they had narrowly beaten at home in August, 2-1. The return fixture was equally tight, with only a header from Twente midfielder Kenneth Perez separating the two sides. It was enough, though, to secure the full three points for the visitors, who jumped two points past PSV to top the league.

PSV had a chance to reclaim the lead two weeks later when they hosted Twente, but they played to a 1-1 draw. Twente did lose to Alkmaar in April, but remained on top to claim their first league title while PSV slipped to third.

The two sides are again battling for the title in 2011, with PSV currently sitting on top, three points clear of second-place Twente.