THE SOCCER REPORT
Atlanta United wins U.S. Open Cup; LA Derby highlight of MLS rivalry week
Aug 28, 2019, 6:32 am
Houston Dynamo supporters made the road trip up to Frisco for the Texas Derby match against FC Dallas. Credit: Deporte Total USA
MLS Rivalry Week gave the American soccer fan lots to speak about while the heartbeat of "the beautiful game" kept beating thanks to action from all over the world.
Top Stories
90 in 90: FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo | 2019 MLS Highlightswww.youtube.com
- Houston Dynamo lose 1-5 at FC Dallas; playoff possibility virtually over
- Houston Dash fall 0-2 vs. Sky Blue FC; playoff hopes also bleak
- Liverpool, Sevilla, Dortmund and Rennes leaders in their domestic leagues
- Serie A kicks off with Inter, Napoli and Juve all among winners
- Atlanta United defeat Minnesota United 2-1 in the 2019 U.S. Open Cup final on Tuesday night
Atlanta United down Minnesota to win US Open Cup| ESPN FCwww.youtube.com
The rest of the picture from the past week:
English Premier League
Every goal from Premier League 2019/20 Matchweek 3 | NBC Sportswww.youtube.com
Matchday 3 Results
- Aston Villa 2-0 Everton
- Norwich 2-3 Chelsea
- Brighton 0-2 Southampton
- Manchester United 1-2 Crystal Palace
- Sheffield Utd 1-2 Leicester City
- Watford 1-3 West Ham
- Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal
- Bournemouth 1-3 Man City
- Spurs 0-1 Newcastle
- Wolves 1-1 Burnley
Top four: Liverpool (9), Man City (7), Arsenal (6), Leicester City (5)
Scoring leader: 5 - Raheem Sterling (Man City) / Teemu Pukki (Norwich)
Assists leader: 4 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Spanish La Liga
Highlights FC Barcelona vs Real Betis (5-2)www.youtube.com
Matchday 2 - Top Results
- Granada 0-2 Sevilla
- Real Madrid 1-1 Valladolid
- Celta Vigo 1-0 Valencia
- Leganes 0-1 Atletico Madrid
- Barcelona 5-2 Real Betis
Top four: Sevilla (6), Atletico Madrid (6), Real Madrid (4), Valladolid (4)
Scoring leader: 2 - Six players tied
Assists leader: 2 - Ander Capa (Bilbao) / Sergi Roberto (Barcelona)
German Bundesliga
Sancho, Lewandowski, Osako & More - Top 5 Goals on Matchday 2www.youtube.com
Matchday 2 - Top Results
- Cologne 1-3 Dortmund
- Paderborn 1-3 Freiburg
- Fortuna 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen
- Werder Bremen 1-3 Fortuna
- Schalke 04 0-3 Bayern Munich
- Leipzig 2-1 Eintracht
- Hertha 0-3 Wolfsburg
Top four: Dortmund (6), Freiburg (6), Leipzig (6), Wolfburg (6)
Scoring leader: 5 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Assists leader: 3 - Marcel Sabitzer (Leipzig)
Italian Serie A
Parma 0-1 Juventus | CR7 goal ruled out by VAR as Chiellini scores winner | Serie Awww.youtube.com
Matchday 1 - Top Results
- Parma 0-1 Juventus
- Fiorentina 3-4 Napoli
- Udinese 1-0 Milan
- Roma 3-3 Genoa
- Inter 4-0 Lecce
French Ligue 1
Top buts 3ème journée - Ligue 1 Conforama / 2019-20www.youtube.com
Matchday 3 - Top Results
- Monaco 2-2 Nimes
- Strasbourg 0-2 Rennes
- PSG 4-0 Tolouse
- Montpellier 1-0 Lyon
Top four: Rennes (9), Lyon (6), PSG (6), Nice (6)
Scoring leader: 3 - Habib Diallo (Metz) / Memphis Depay (Lyon) / Moussa Dembele (Lyon)
Assists leader: 3 - Thiago Mendes (Lyon)
Netherlands Eredivisie
Matchday 4 - Top Results
- Heracles 1-1 Vitesse
- Heerenveen 0-0 Twente
- Utrecht 1-2 VVV
Top four: Willem II (9), Vitesse (8), Sparta (8), Ajax (7)
Scoring leader: 4 - Vangelis Pavlidis (Willem II)
Assists leader: 4 - Bryan Smeets (Sparta)
Major League Soccer
90 in 90: LAFC vs. LA Galaxy | 2019 MLS Highlightswww.youtube.com
East top seven: 1. Atlanta (48), 2. Philadelphia (48), 3. NYCFC (47), 4. NY Red Bulls (41), 5. D.C. United (39), 6. New England (38), 7. Toronto (37)
West top seven: 1. x - LAFC (62), 2. Real Salt Lake (43), 3. Seattle (43), 4. LA Galaxy (42), 5. Minnesota (42), 6. San Jose (41), 7. Dallas (40)
Scoring leader: 27 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Assists leader: 18 - Maxi Morales (NYCFC)
Liga MX
Top Eight: 1. Queretaro (16), 2. Santos Laguna (15), 3. Club America (15), 4. Tigres UANL (12), 5. Necaxa (10), 6. Leon (10), 7. Atlas (10), 8. Pumas (9)
Scoring leader: 5 - Two players tied
Assists leader: 4 - Luis Quinones (Tigres)
Superliga Argentina
Matchday 4 - Top Results
- Arsenal 0-2 San Lorenzo
- Gimnasia 0-1 Defensa y Justicia
- Velez 3-1 Newell's Old Boys
- Rosario 1-1 Patronato
- Independiente 2-0 Colon
- Godoy Cruz 2-1 Estudiantes
- Cordoba 0-0 Racing Club
- River Plate 0-1 Talleres Cordoba
- Banfield 0-1 Boca Juniors
Top four: Boca (10), San Lorenzo (10), Arsenal Sarandi (9), Rosario Central (8)
Scoring leader: 3 - Three players tied
Assists leader: 2 - Nicolas de la Cruz (River Plate)
National Women's Soccer League
Thorns 3 - Red Stars 0: Midge Purce and Christine Sinclair lead Portland's rout | NWSL Highlightswww.youtube.com
Standings: 1. Portland Thorns (36), 2. North Carolina Courage (31), 3. Chicago Red Stars (29), 4. Utah Royals (28), 5. Reign FC (27), 6. Washington Spirit (25), 7. Houston Dash (22), 8. Orlando Pride (16), 9. Sky Blue FC (14)
Scoring leader: 13 - Sam Kerr (Chicago)
Assists leader: 5 - Lynn Williams (North Carolina) / Yuki Nagasato (Chicago)
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Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):
Wednesday, August 28
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Ajax vs. APOEL (TNT, TUDN)
5:15 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Boca Juniors vs. LDU Quito (beIN Sports)
Thursday, August 29
12:00 p.m. - UEFA Champions League Group Draw (B/R Live)
5:15 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Cerro Porteno vs. River Plate (beIN Sports)
6:00 p.m. - [International Friendly] U.S. Women's National Team vs. Portugal (FS1)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Monterrey vs. Pumas (FS2)
Friday, August 30
1:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Sevilla vs. Celta (beIN Sports en Español)
1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Borussia Monchengladbach vs. RB Leipzig (FS2)
Saturday, August 31
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Southampton vs. Manchester United (NBC Sports)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Bayern Munich vs. Mainz (FS1, FOX Deportes)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Schalke vs. Hertha Berlin (FS2)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Chelsea vs. Sheffield United (NBC Sports)
10:00 a.m. - [La Liga] Osasuna vs. Barcelona (beIN Sports)
11:00 a.m. - [Serie A] Milan vs. Brescia (ESPN+)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Burnley vs. Liverpool (NBC)
11:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Union Berlin vs. Borussia Dortmund (FS2, UniMas)
1:45 p.m. - [Serie A] Juventus vs. Napoli (ESPN+)
7:30 p.m. - [MLS] Sporting KC vs. Houston Dynamo (KUBE 57)
Sunday, September 1
8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Everton vs. Wolves (NBC Sports)
10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Arsenal vs. Spurs (NBC Sports)
12:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Atletico Madrid vs. Eibar (beIN Sports)
1:35 p.m. - [Serie A] Lazio vs. Roma (ESPN2)
2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Villarreal vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)
5:30 p.m. - [MLS] Seattle Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy (FS1)
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C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are looking for answers after their passing game couldn’t get going in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Houston’s passing attack had been a strength all season, and the Texans ranked fifth in yards passing per game through their first six games. But on Sunday at Lambeau Field, Stroud was limited to a career-low 86 yards in the 24-22 loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak.
Stroud was 10 of 21 and didn’t have a touchdown pass for the first time this season. The second-year player was under duress for much of the day and was sacked four times and hit seven other times.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and see what those issues were,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “As we watch the film, we’ll see what happened, starting for me the communication and just guys being on the details of the job.”
'Everything is on the table. We have to get it fixed' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on offensive line and if personnel changes are being contemplated @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/AwK0rqeU2z
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 21, 2024
The Texans scored a season-high 41 points in a win over New England a week earlier in which Stroud threw a season-best three touchdown passes despite being without star receiver Nico Collins.
They were unable to replicate that success Sunday with Collins out for the second of at least four games after a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve.
Stefon Diggs led the team with five receptions against the Packers, but they only amounted to 23 yards. Tank Dell, who the Texans expected to step up with Collins out, was targeted four times but didn’t have a catch.
Stroud discussed the importance of getting Dell more involved in the offense.
“We have to find a way to try and get him the rock early and often and then go from there,” he said. “It has to be a focus for us, not only just him, but the whole offense clicking early. That is really my job to get the ball out on time and to where it is supposed to go. So yeah, that definitely has to be fixed.”
Ryans spoke about his confidence is getting Dell going.
'I have all the faith in Tank' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans expressed confidence in Tank Dell ability to get back to making explosive plays again as he did as a rookie @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/bojBEx3lYo
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 21, 2024
What's working
The Texans have forced seven turnovers combined in their last two games after they hadn’t caused any in their previous three games.
Houston scored 16 points off three turnovers Sunday. The Texans had two interceptions and recovered a fumble on a punt. In their win over the Patriots, they scored 17 points off a season-high four turnovers.
What needs help
The Texans won’t get to where they want to be this season if Stroud doesn’t get back on track. Before Sunday, last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year was averaging more than 262 yards passing a game, giving the team confidence that the problems in the passing game are fixable.
Ryans knows the line must give Stroud more time to throw and said the coaching staff will focus on improving in that area this week.
Stock up
RB Joe Mixon continued to shine Sunday in his second game back after missing three games with an ankle injury. Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, had 25 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay.
Mixon is confident the Texans will rebound this week if they quit making mistakes.
“Does it look I’m worried? I’m not worried at all,” he said. “Like I said, we got a ... good football team. At the end of the day, we are our own worst enemy.”
Stock down
Dell was unable to help Stroud get the passing game going. The second-year player had a solid rookie season with 709 yards receiving and seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his leg. But he hasn’t been able to build on that success this year and has just 194 yards receiving with one score in six games.
Injuries
LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion), CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) and S Jimmie Ward (groin) all missed Sunday’s game and it’s unclear if any of these starters can return this week.
Key number
3 — Safety Calen Bullock had his third interception Sunday to tie Dunta Robinson and Jumal Rolle for most interceptions by a rookie in franchise history through the first seven games. He leads NFL rookies in interceptions this season and is tied for third-most among all players.
Next steps
The AFC South-leading Texans (5-2) return to division play Sunday when they host the second-place Colts (4-3), who have won two in a row and four of five.