The Soccer Report
Agüero, Messi and Ronaldo among weekend scorers; Atlanta's Almiron sold for MLS-record $26 million
Feb 5, 2019, 7:07 am
Sergio Aguero scored his 10th Premier League hat-trick for Manchester City against Arsenal. Credit: Puma.
There's plenty to digest from the past week in soccer, from the craziness of Thursday's deadline day to the title-implicating results of the weekend. Here is a breakdown of all the action:
English Premier League
There were two rounds of Premier League action this week and both provided some drama in the title race. On Tuesday, Newcastle United looked to have dashed Manchester City's title hopes after the defending champions were upset 2-1 at St. James' Park. That left Liverpool with a chace to extend their lead by as much as seven points with a win over Leicester City on Wednesday, which ended in a 1-1 draw. City would regain their form on Sunday with a 3-1 home win over Arsenal - a result made more important by Liverpool's 1-1 away draw at West Ham on Monday. Now, a title race that could've been all but decided is back to a three point difference, with Spurs quietly two points behind City in third. With 13 dates left to play, the title race is nowhere near over.
Of course, Thursday's transfer deadline day left much to be talked about in the Premier League... for some. Tottenham, for starters, did not make a signing in back-to-back January transfer windows. London rivals Chelsea did as the Blues acquired striker Gonzalo Higuain from Milan. The Argentine, who reunites with his former Napoli manager, scored twice in Saturday's 5-0 win over Huddersfield. Newcastle were among the teams that made a splash by signing Atlanta United's Miguel Almiron for a club record £20 million ($26 million) on a five-year deal.
25/38 #PL https://t.co/9sFHVGlz52— Premier League (@Premier League) 1549346644.0
Top six: 1. Liverpool (62), 2. Manchester City (59), 3. Tottenham (57), 4. Chelsea (50), 5. Manchester United (48), 6. Arsenal (47)
Scoring leader: 16 - Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Assists leader: 10 - Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC)
Spain's La Liga
Highlights FC Barcelona vs Valencia CF (2-2)www.youtube.com
Leo Messi comes up big for FC Barcelona once more, with two goals this week in what could've been a disaster loss to a formidable Valencia who took a 0-2 lead at the Camp Nou. What makes it a sweeter victory is the loss of second place Atletico Madrid, 0-1 at Real Betis, to extend Barcelona's stranglehold on the title. Real Madrid won 3-0 against Alaves and will bank on Barcelona dropping more points to remain hopeful about a last gasp title run.
Off the field, Cirque du Soleil announced a show modeled after the Argentine sensation titled, "Messi10." The show will debut with showings to the public later this year in Barcelona before going international in 2020.
Top six: 1. FC Barcelona (50), 2. Atlético Madrid (44), 3. Real Madrid (42), 4. Sevilla (36), 5. Getafe (32), 6. Real Betis (32)
Scoring leader: 21 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Assists leader: 10 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
German Bundesliga
Leaders Borussia Dortmund continue with breathing room despite dropping points in a 1-1 draw at Frankfurt. Bayern Munich, who was on a charge up the table, lost 3-1 at Bayer Leverkusen to drop down to 3rd in the standings.
Top six: 1. Dortmund (49), 2. Monchengladbach (42), 3. Bayern Munich (42), 4. RB Leipzig (37), 5. Eintracht Frankfurt (32), 6. Wolfburg (31)
Scoring leader: 14 - Luka Jović (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Assists leader: 9 - Jadon Sancho (Dortmund / Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Italian Serie A
Juventus 3-3 Parma | Gervinho Snatches Late Draw After Ronaldo Double | Serie Ayoutu.be
It was a bit of a down week for Juventus after the Italian giants were eliminated from the Coppa Italia in a 3-0 quarterfinal loss at Atalanta. The slump carried over to their league form as the defending champions dropped points against Parma thanks to a goal given up in stoppage team. Cristiano Ronaldo did score twice and retook the leadership in the scoring table.
Top six: 1. Juventus (60), 2. Napoli (51), 3. Inter Milan (40), 4. Milan (36), 5. Atalanta (35), 6. Roma (35)
Scoring leader: 17 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Assists leader: 8 - Suso (A.C. Milan)
French Ligue 1
Top six: 1. PSG (56), 2. Lille (46), 3. Lyon (43), 4. Saint-Étienne (37), 5. Montpellier (36), 6. Strasbourg (35)
Scoring leader: 18 - Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
Assists leader: 8 - Angel Di Maria (PSG) / Memphis Depay (Lyon) / Nicolas Pepe (Lille)
Dutch Eredivisie
Top three: 1. PSV Eindhoven (55), 2. Ajax (50), 3. Feyenoord (39)
Scoring leader: 18 - Luuk de Jong (PSV)
Assists leader: 10 - Steven Berghuis (Feyenoord) / Steven Bergwijn (PSV)
Belgian First Division A
Top three: 1. Genk (54), 2. Club Brugge (45), 3. Antwerp (45)
Scoring leader: 17 - Mbwana Samatta (Genk)
Assists leader: 12 - Hans Vanaken (Brugge)
Portuguese Primeira Liga
Top three: 1. Porto (50), 2. Benfica (47), 3. Braga (46)
Scoring leader: 13 - Dyego Sousa (Braga)
Assists leader: 9 - Pizzi (Benfica)
Scottish Premier League
Top three: 1. Celtic (54), 2. Rangers (48), 3. Aberdeen (46)
Scoring leader: 13 - Alfredo Morelos (Rangers)
Assists leader: 8 - James Tavernier (Rangers)
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Major League Soccer
MLS took a major stride in it's attempt to grow into a "selling league" with the record sale of Atlanta United's Miguel Almiron to the Premier League's Newcastle United for a reported $26 million transfer fee. That wasn't the only bit of craziness as D.C. United's own #10 Luciano Acosta was reportedly on his way to PSG, and even flew to Paris to complete the transfer, before the deal fell apart after the clubs could not agree on a price.
On the field, less than a month remains for the start of the 2019 season as teams begin to take part in friendlies. The Dynamo returns to competitive action in about two weeks for their part in the Concacaf Champions League before kicking off the season on March 2nd against Real Salt Lake. In the meanwhile, the club is in Tucson,Arizona for preseason friendlies against MLS competition (times and dates in the schedule below).
Liga MX
Tijuana vs. Toluca | 2019 Liga MX Highlightswww.youtube.com
Top eight: 1. Monterrey (11), 2. Necaxa (10), 3. Tigres UANL (10), 4. Atlas (10), 5. Chivas Guadalajara (10), 6. Club America (9), 7. Club Leon (8), 8. Lobos BUAP (7)
Scoring leader: 4 - Rogelio Funes Mori (Monterrey) / Leonardo Ramos (Lobos BUAP)
Assists leader: 4 - Carlos Rodríguez (Monterrey)
Superliga Argentina
Top four: 1. Racing Club (42), 2. Defensa y Justicia (39), 3. Boca Juniors (31), 4. Atletico Tucuman (31)
Scoring leader: 14 - Lisandro Lopez (Racing)
Assists leader: 5 - Luis Miguel Rodriguez (Atletico Tucuman)
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U.S. Men's National Team
MNT vs. Costa Rica: Highlights - Feb. 2, 2019www.youtube.com
The U.S. Men's National Team notched their second win under new coach Gregg Berhalter with a 2-0 result over Costa Rica. The result should be taken with a grain of salt given it wasn't either team's best squad due to this match not being played on a FIFA international date, meaning European-based players would not be released. The USMNT's next friendlies should provide a better litmus test when they face off on March 21st against Ecuador and March 26th against Chile, the latter taking place in Houston at BBVA Compass Stadium.
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Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):
Tuesday, Feb. 5
11:30 a.m. - [German Cup] Heidenheim vs. Bayer Leverkusen (ESPN3)
1:45 p.m. - [German Cup] Dortmund vs. Werder Bremen (ESPN3)
Wednesday, Feb. 6
11:30 a.m. - [German Cup] RB Leipzig vs. Wolfsburg (ESPN3)
1:45 p.m. - [Premier League] Everton vs. Manchester City (NBC Sports)
1:45 p.m. - [German Cup] Hertha Berlin vs. Bayern Munich (ESPN3)
1:45 p.m. - [German Cup] Schalke 04 vs. Dusseldorf (ESPN3)
2:00 p.m. - [Copa Del Rey] FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (beIN SPORTS)
7:00 p.m. - [MLS Preseason] Houston Dynamo vs. Minnesota United (HoustonDynamo.com)
Thursday, Feb. 7
1:30 p.m. - [Serie A] Lazio vs. Empoli (ESPN+)
2:00 p.m. - [Copa del Rey] Real Betis vs. Valencia (beIN Sports)
Friday, Feb. 8
1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Mainz vs. Bayer Leverkusen (FS2)
1:30 p.m. - [Serie A] Chievo vs. Roma (ESPN+)
7:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Veracruz vs. Tigres UANL (Univision Deportes)
Saturday, Feb. 9
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Fulham vs. Manchester United (NBC Sports)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] RB Leipzig vs. Frankfurt (FOX Deportes)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Borussia Dortmund vs. Hoffenheim (FS2/Univision Deportes)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Liverpool vs. Bournemouth (NBC Sports)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Huddersfield vs. Arsenal (CNBC)
9:15 a.m. - [La Liga] Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Brighton vs. Burnley (NBC Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Bayern Munich vs. Schalke 04 (FS2)
1:30 p.m. - [Serie A] Parma vs. Inter Milan (ESPN+)
7:00 p.m. - [MLS Preseason] Houston Dynamo vs. Seattle Sounders FC (HoustonDynamo.com)
7:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Club America vs. Club Leon (Univision)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Necaxa vs. Chivas Guadalajara (Univision)
Sunday, Feb. 10
7:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Tottenham vs. Leicester City (NBC Sports)
10:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester City vs. Chelsea (NBC Sports)
11:00 a.m. - [Serie A] Sassuolo vs. Juventus (ESPN2/ESPN Deportes)
12:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Toluca vs. Cruz Azul (Univision)
1:30 p.m. - [Serie A] AC Milan vs. Cagliari (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [La Liga] Athletic Bilbao vs. Barcelona (beIN Sports)
Monday, Feb. 11
2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Wolves vs. Newcastle United (NBC Sports)
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.