The Soccer Report
Dynamo greet fans with open practice; U.S. Men's National Team to visit Houston on March 26
Jan 29, 2019, 8:44 am
Houston Dynamo Defender DaMarcus Beasley speaks with the media following an open scrimmage at BBVA Compass Stadium.
European clubs capped off a busy start to the year and now focus their attention to Thursday's transfer deadline day - the soccer equivalent of the "trade deadline" famous in American sports. For the elite clubs, it will be their last opportunity to reinforce their squads before the UEFA Champions League resumes in mid-February.
As always, scroll down to the bottom of this article for notable matches coming up this week.
English Premier League
Clubs in England took a week from league play to take part in cup action this week. Third place Tottenham's depth was tested this week but could not pass the test, crashing out of both the English Football League Cup (semifinals loss on penalties to Chelsea) and the FA Cup (fourth Round loss to Crystal Palace). With injuries to important players like Harry Kane and Dele Alli, Spurs will be tested in their efforts to stay in the top four.
Premier League action resumes on Tuesday with Newcastle-Manchester City and Liverpool-Leicester City as top matchups.
Top six: 1. Liverpool (60), 2. Manchester City (56), 3. Tottenham (51), 4. Chelsea (47), 5. Arsenal (44), 6. Manchester United (44)
Scoring leader: 16 - Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Assists leader: 10 - Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC)
Spain's La Liga
Highlights Girona FC vs FC Barcelona (0-2)youtu.be
The top four in Spain march on with three points a piece but the big question will be if Barcelona can even slip in what's left of the season, at least enough to make the title race interesting. The defending champions bolstered their squad with the addition of forward Kevin-Prince Boateng and made bigger headlines with the €75 million purchase of 21-year-old Frenkie de Jong (who won't join the team until the summer). Atletico Madrid, on their end, signed former Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata on a loan from Chelsea in an attempt to boost their attack and title aspirations.
By the way, Messi continues to dominate the league in goals and assists.
Top six: 1. FC Barcelona (49), 2. Atlético Madrid (44), 3. Real Madrid (39), 4. Sevilla (36), 5. Alavés (32), 6. Getafe (31)
Scoring leader: 19 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Assists leader: 10 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
German Bundesliga
Two former MLS prodigies made their debuts in the Bundesliga. Canada's 18-year-old starlet Alphonso Davies got about 15 minutes of play time in Bayern Munich's 4-1 win over Stuttgart while U.S. Men's National Team 19-year-old midfielder Tyler Adams was named a starter and went full ninety in RB Leipzig's 4-0 win at Fortuna. What about Christian Pulisic? He had the day off, watching from the bench as leaders Dortmund handled Hannover 96 with a 5-1 home win.
Top six: 1. Dortmund (48), 2. Bayern Munich (42), 3. Monchengladbach (39), 4. RB Leipzig (34), 5. Eintracht Frankfurt (31), 6. Hoffenheim (28)
Scoring leader: 13 - Luka Jović (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Assists leader: 9 - Jadon Sancho (Dortmund / Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Italian Serie A
Top six: 1. Juventus (59), 2. Napoli (48), 3. Inter Milan (40), 4. Milan (35), 5. Roma (34), 6. Sampdoria (33)
Scoring leader: 16 - Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria)
Assists leader: 8 - Suso (A.C. Milan)
French Ligue 1
Top six: 1. PSG (56), 2. Lille (43), 3. Lyon (40), 4. Saint-Étienne (36), 5. Strasbourg (35), 6. Montpellier (35)
Scoring leader: 18 - Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
Assists leader: 8 - Angel Di Maria (PSG) / Memphis Depay (Lyon)
Dutch Eredivisie
Top three: 1. PSV Eindhoven (52), 2. Ajax (47), 3. Feyenoord (39)
Scoring leader: 15 - Luuk de Jong (PSV)
Assists leader: 10 - Steven Berghuis (Feyenoord)
Belgian First Division A
Top three: 1. Genk (51), 2. Club Brugge (44), 3. Antwerp (42)
Scoring leader: 16 - Mbwana Samatta (Genk)
Assists leader: 12 - Hans Vanaken (Brugge)
Portuguese Primeira Liga
Top three: 1. Porto (46), 2. Benfica (41), 3. Braga (40)
Scoring leader: 12 - Dyego Sousa (Braga)Assists leader: 7 - Pizzi (Benfica)
Scottish Premier League
Top three: 1. Celtic (48), 2. Rangers (45), 3. Kilmarnock (45)
Scoring leader: 32 - Alfredo Morelos (Rangers)
Assists leader: 8 - James Tavernier (Rangers)
------
Major League Soccer
Dynamo preseason begins with high expectations | The SLICEyoutu.be
The Dynamo continued their preseason with an open scrimmage against their farm team RGVFC on Saturday night at BBVA Compass Stadium. The team will continue their preparations ahead of their annual trip to Tucson, Arizona for MLS preseason friendlies. The Dynamo return to action on February 19 in their Concacaf Champions League bout at Guatemalan side Guastatoya.
Liga MX
Monterrey vs. America | 2018-19 Liga MX Highlightsyoutu.be
Scoring leader: 4 - Rogelio Funes Mori (Monterrey) / Leonardo Ramos (Lobos BUAP)
Assists leader: 4 - Carlos Rodríguez (Monterrey)
------
U.S. Men's National Team
MNT vs. Panama: Highlights - Jan. 27, 2019www.youtube.com
The U.S Men officially kicked off their road to Qatar 2022 with their first match under new Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. With seven debutants, the U.S. handled Panama with a 3-0 win in Glendale, Arizona. The roster featured off-season MLS players since the European based players were unable to participate in January camp due to FIFA restrictions.
The USMNT return to action in March during a FIFA International window - meaning European club players are eligible to participate - with one of their matches to be played on March 26 at Houston's BBVA Compass Stadium.
OFFICIAL: We’re excited to welcome the @ussoccer_mnt on March 26 when they host 🇨🇱! Tickets go on sale to the gener… https://t.co/OjRT3WkcNU— BBVA Compass Stadium (@BBVA Compass Stadium) 1548351011.0
U.S. Women's National Team
WNT vs. Spain: Highlights - Jan. 22, 2019www.youtube.com
The U.S. Women continued their preparations for this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup with a 1-0 win at Spain to cap off a two-match tour of Europe. The Women will next be in action in one month with matches against Japan, England and Brazil in the 2019 SheBelieves Cup.
------
Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):
Tuesday, Jan. 29
8:00 a.m. - [AFC Asian Cup] Qatar vs. United Arab Emirates (DAZN)
1:00 p.m. - [Portuguese League] Benfica vs. Boavista (GolTV)
1:45 p.m. - [Coppa Italia] Milan vs. Napoli (ESPN+)
2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Manchester United vs. Burnley (NBC Sports)
Wednesday, Jan. 30
10:30 a.m. - [Coppa Italia] Fiorentina vs. Roma (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [Coppa Italia] Atalanta vs. Juventus (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [Premier League] Bournemouth vs. Chelsea (NBC Sports)
1:45 p.m. - [Scottish Cup] Cowdenbeath vs. Rangers (ESPN+)
2:30 p.m. - [Copa Del Rey] FC Barcelona vs. Sevilla (beIN SPORTS)
6:00 p.m. - [Argentine Superliga] Godoy Cruz vs. River Plate (Fanatiz)
Thursday, Jan. 31
2:00 p.m. - [Coppa Italia] Inter Milan vs. Lazio (ESPN+)
2:30 p.m. - [Copa del Rey] Girona vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)
6:00 p.m. - [Argentine Superliga] San Martin vs. Boca Juniors (Fanatiz)
Friday, Feb. 1
1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Hannover 96 vs. RB Leipzig (FS2/FOX Deportes)
Saturday, Feb. 2
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Tottenham vs. Newcastle (NBC Sports)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Dortmund (FS1/FOX Deportes)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich (FS2/Univision Deportes)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Chelsea vs. Huddersfield Town (NBC Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [La Liga] FC Barcelona vs. Valencia (beIN Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Cardiff City vs. Bournemouth (NBC)
1:30 p.m. - [Serie A] Juventus vs. Parma (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [La Liga] Celta vs. Sevilla (beIN Sports)
2:30 p.m. - [International Friendly] USA vs. Costa Rica (FOX/UniMás/Univision Deportes)
Sunday, Feb. 3
8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Leicester City vs. Manchester United (NBC Sports)
9:15 a.m. - [La Liga] Real Betis vs. Atletico Madrid (beIN Sports)
10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester City vs. Arsenal (NBC Sports)
11:00 a.m. - [Serie A] Inter Milan vs. Bologna (ESPNews/ESPN Deportes)
1:45 p.m. - [La Liga] Real Madrid vs. Alaves (beIN Sports)
Monday, Feb. 4
2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] West Ham vs. Liverpool (NBC Sports)
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
A new challenge awaits, and the Astros know what’s at stake
Jun 27, 2025, 2:05 pm
The Houston Astros didn’t just sweep the Philadelphia Phillies. They sent a message.
In three tightly contested games against one of the best teams in baseball, the Astros leaned on their elite pitching and timely offense to secure a statement sweep. Hunter Brown was electric in the finale, shutting down the Phillies’ lineup and showing the kind of dominance that’s become a defining feature of his game. Bryan Abreu slammed the door with four strikeouts to close out the win, and rookie Cam Smith delivered the deciding blow — an RBI single in the eighth to drive in Isaac Paredes, lifting the Astros to a 2-1 victory.
It wasn’t a series filled with offensive fireworks, but that’s exactly the point. Both teams sent out top-tier pitching throughout the series, and Houston was the team that kept finding a way. For much of the season, the Astros’ inconsistent offense might’ve been a concern in a series like this. But this time, it felt different. The bats showed up just enough, and the pitching did the rest.
Now, with Houston on pace for 96 wins at the halfway point, the question becomes: Is the league officially on notice?
Maybe. Maybe not. But one thing is certain, the Astros have the third-best record in baseball, they’re 17-7 in one-run games, and they’re playing with the kind of rhythm that’s defined their near-decade of dominance. Unlike last year’s uneven campaign, this version of the Astros looks like a team that’s rediscovered its edge. Whether or not they need to take care of business against the Cubs to validate it, their recent run leaves little doubt: when Houston is clicking, there are very few teams built to stop them.
Off the field, however, a bit of long-term uncertainty is starting to creep in. Reports surfaced this week that extension talks with shortstop Jeremy Peña have been put on hold as he recently signed with super-agent Scott Boras. The combination has led many to wonder if Peña might follow the same free-agent path as Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, and others before him. Boras clients rarely settle early, and Peña, now one of the most valuable shortstops in the game, could command a price tag the Astros have historically avoided paying.
If Peña and even Hunter Brown are likely to get priced out of Houston, the front office may need to pivot. Isaac Paredes could be the most logical extension candidate on the roster. His approach — particularly his ability to pull the ball with authority — is tailor-made for Daikin Park and the Crawford Boxes. Last year, Paredes struggled to leave the yard at Wrigley Field, but in Houston, he’s thriving. Locking him in long term would give the Astros offensive stability and the kind of value they’ve typically targeted.
As for Cam Smith, the breakout rookie is far from free agency and will remain a cost-controlled piece for years. That’s exactly why his contributions now, like his clutch eighth-inning knock to beat Philadelphia, matter so much. He's one more reason why the Astros don’t just look good right now. They look dangerous.
And the rest of the league is starting to feel it.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
___________________________
*ChatGPT assisted.
Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!