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)
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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)
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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.
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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)
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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