THE SOCCER REPORT

Dynamo lose 0-4 away at Sporting KC, Coronavirus halts Italian Serie A

Dynamo lose 0-4 away at Sporting KC, Coronavirus halts Italian Serie A
The Houston Dynamo fell in their first road test of the season. Photo: Houston Dynamo

Coronavirus concern has seeped into the soccer world, especially in the Italian Serie A where matches have gone from being played in empty stadiums to the league being postponed altogether. Major League Soccer had a few matches on the West coast that could potentially have been played behind closed doors - all where played with spectators. As of Monday, MLS has joined other U.S. sports leagues in closing access to locker rooms for media members.

Here is the week that was in the beautiful game:

English Premier League

Top six: 1. Liverpool (82), 2. Man City (57), 3. Leicester City (53), 4. Chelsea (48), 5. Manchester United (45), 6. Wolves (43)

Bottom three (relegation): 18. Bournemouth (27), 19. Aston Villa (25), 20. Norwich City (21)

Scoring leader: 19 - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)

Assists leader: 16 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)

Spanish La Liga

Top six: 1. FC Barcelona (58), 2. Real Madrid (56), 3. Sevilla (47), 4. Getafe (46), 5. Atletico Madrid (45), 6. Real Sociedad (43)

Bottom three: 18. Mallorca (25), 19. Leganes (23), 20. Espanyol (20)

Scoring leader: 19 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)

Assists leader: 12 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)

German Bundesliga

Top six: 1. Bayern Munich (55), 2. Dortmund (51), 3. RB Leipzig (50), 4. Bayer Leverkusen (47), 5. Monchengladbach (46), 6. Schalke 04 (37)

Bottom three: 16. Fortuna (22), 17. Werder Bremen (18), 18. Paderborn (16)

Scoring leader: 25 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Assists leader: 16 - Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)

Italian Serie A

Top six: 1. Juventus (63), 2. Lazio (62), 3. Inter Milan (54), 4. Atalanta (48), 5. Roma (45), 6. Napoli (39)

Bottom three: 18. Lecce (25), 19. SPAL (18), 20. Brescia (16)

Scoring leader: 27 - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)

Assists leader: 12 - Luis Alberto (Lazio)

French Ligue 1

Top four: 1. PSG (68), 2. Marseille (56), 3. Rennes (50), 4. Lille (49)

Bottom three: 18. Nimes (27), 19. Amiens (23), 20. Toulouse (13)

Scoring leader: 18 - Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Assists leader: 14 - Angel Di Maria (PSG)

Major League Soccer

The Houston Dynamo continue winless in their first two matches under new Head Coach Tab Ramos after a 0-4 loss at Sporting Kansas City over the weekend. Offseason signing Darwin Quintero made his debut with the club as a second half substitution while star forward Alberth Elis continues to be out injured.

The Dynamo host Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday at BBVA Stadium.

Liga MX

Clausura 2020

Top eight: 1. Cruz Azul (19), 2. Leon (18), 3. Club America (17), 4. Pumas UNAM (15), 5. CD Guadalajara (15), 6. Juarez (14), 7. Queretaro (14), 8. Pachuca (14)

Scoring leader: 8 - Jonathan Rodriguez (Cruz Azul)

Assists leader: 5 - Roberto Alvarado (Cruz Azul) / Pablo Barrera (Pumas)

Superliga Argentina

Boca Juniors crowned themselves champions of Argentina in dramatic fashion by winning 1-0 over Gimnasia, the team led by BOCA Legend Diego Maradona, and finishing top of the league by one point over archrivals River Plate.

TV listings (All Times CT):

For full info on soccer TV listings and streaming services in the United States, visit worldsoccertalk.com

Tuesday, March 10

3:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)

3:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Valencia vs. Atalanta (Galavision)

7:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] Montreal Impact vs. Olimpia (FS1)

7:30 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Boca Juniors vs. Medellin (beIN Sports en Español)

7:30 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Palmeiras vs. Guarani (beIN Sports)

Wednesday, March 11

2:30 p.m. - [Premier League] Manchester City vs. Arsenal (NBC Sports)

3:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)

3:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] PSG vs. Dortmund (Galavision)

5:15 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] River Plate vs. Binacional (beIN Sports en Español)

5:15 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Colo-Colo vs. Atletico-PR (beIN Sports)

6:00 p.m. - [SheBelieves Cup] USWNT vs. Japan (ESPNEWS, TUDNxtra)

7:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] NYCFC vs. Tigres (FS2)

9:30 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] Club America vs. Atlanta United (FS2)

Thursday, March 12

1:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] LASK vs. Manchester United (UniMas)

3:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Olympiacos vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (UniMas)

9:30 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] LAFC vs. Cruz Azul (FS2)

Friday, March 13

3:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Real Madrid vs. Eibar (beIN SPORTS)

Saturday, March 14

7:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Watford vs. Leicester City (NBC Sports)

10:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester City vs. Burnley (NBC Sports)

12:30 p.m. - [Premier League] Aston Villa vs. Chelsea (NBC Sports)

12:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Union Berlin vs. Bayern Munich (UniMas, TUDN)

7:30 p.m. - [MLS] Houston Dynamo vs. Seattle Sounders FC (KUBE57)

Sunday, March 15

9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] West Ham vs. Wolves (NBC Sports)

11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Tottenham vs. Man United (NBC Sports)

Monday, March 16

3:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Everton vs. Liverpool (NBC Sports)

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
The Texans are favored to beat the Patriots by seven points. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Texans (4-1) will visit the struggling New England Patriots (1-4) this Sunday in a matchup that features teams trending in opposite directions. The Texans, led by rising star quarterback C.J. Stroud, are off to their best start since 2012, while the Patriots, mired in a four-game losing streak, turn to rookie QB Drake Maye for his first NFL start.

Texans Overview:
Houston’s offense has been solid, ranking 6th overall and boasting the NFL’s top passing attack. However, injuries loom large with wide receiver Nico Collins, the league’s leading receiver, placed on injured reserve. The Texans will rely more heavily on veteran Stefon Diggs, who has been a steady contributor, and hope for the return of RB Dameon Pierce. The defense, ranking 4th overall, will look to pressure the rookie quarterback, especially with its league-leading 42% pressure rate, per NextGen stats.

Patriots Overview:
New England’s offense has struggled mightily, ranking 31st overall and dead last in passing. The rookie Drake Maye will attempt to provide a spark after the Patriots’ offense has averaged just 11.5 points per game over their last four losses. However, a banged-up offensive line and key injuries on defense, including the loss of safety Jabrill Peppers, leave the Patriots vulnerable.

Key Matchup:
The Texans' pass rush versus New England’s offensive line will be pivotal. The Texans have terrorized quarterbacks all season, and with the Patriots using their fifth different O-line combination, Maye could be in for a rough debut.

Prediction:
The Texans' explosive passing game and relentless defense give them the upper hand, especially against a Patriots team facing instability on both sides of the ball. Houston is favored by 7 points, and unless New England's rookie QB performs beyond expectations, the Texans are well-positioned to continue their strong start to the season.


_________________


ChatGPT helped with this article.

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome