Atlanta United wins U.S. Open Cup; LA Derby highlight of MLS rivalry week

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)

houston dynamo houston dash premier league la liga bundesliga seria a ligue 1 liga mx copa libertadores uefa champions league mls soccer

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Has Christian Walker finally turned the corner? Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

The Houston Astros return to Daikin Park on Tuesday night looking to keep their momentum going as they host the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET, with Ryan Gusto (3-1, 2.78 ERA) on the mound for Houston against Detroit’s Reese Olson (3-1, 3.29 ERA).

Winners of seven of their last ten, the Astros (15-13) have found their rhythm after a rocky start to the season. Their recent surge has been fueled by dominant pitching — a 2.35 ERA over the last 10 games — and improved production at the plate, including a .264 team batting average over that span. Houston has also outscored opponents by 18 runs during that stretch and boasts a solid 10-6 record at home.

While the offense has yet to fully catch fire, signs of life are emerging. Jeremy Peña continues to be a steady presence with five doubles and three homers, while Christian Walker has driven in six runs over his last 10 games, including three long balls. The Astros’ bats will be tested against a Tigers staff that leads the American League with a 2.86 ERA.

Houston’s Tuesday starter, Ryan Gusto, has been sharp through his first five outings, posting a 1.10 WHIP and 23 strikeouts. He’ll look to keep Detroit’s bats quiet, especially red-hot Zach McKinstry, who’s hitting .406 over his last 10 games, and slugger Spencer Torkelson, who already has eight homers this season.

The Tigers (18-11) may sit atop their division, but they’ve struggled away from home, going just 5-8 on the road. The Astros will look to capitalize and even the season series in their second matchup with Detroit.

With the offense trending upward and the pitching staff in a groove, Houston has a prime opportunity to keep building momentum in front of the home crowd.

Here's a sneak peek at the Astros lineup. Altuve is once again batting second after asking manager Joe Espada to move him down in the batting order. Zach Dezenzo is playing right field with Cam Smith getting the night off. Jake Meyers is back in center field and Mauricio Dubon is starting at second base.

Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot

A big test awaits

It appears the Astros may have tipped their hand regarding tomorrow's starting pitcher. Chandler Rome is reporting AJ Blubaugh is at Daikin Park today.

The Astros are listed as TBA for tomorrow. Blubaugh last pitched on April 23. Connect the dots. https://t.co/AqPtmMtESd
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 29, 2025

Following Tuesday night's game, Blubaugh has been officially announced as the starter.

AJ Blubaugh will start tomorrow’s game against the Tigers. It will be his major-league debut.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 30, 2025

Espada said Hayden Wesneski is not injured but needs more time to recover from his last start.

^{*ChatGPT assisted.}

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