THE SOCCER REPORT

Dynamo stop the bleeding with home draw; La Liga, Bundesliga kick off

Victor Araiza
Aug 20, 2019, 8:26 am
Mauro Manotas scored twice to put a stop to the Dynamo's four-match losing streak. (Credit: Houston Dynamo)

The Houston Dynamo put an end to a four-match losing streak with a 2-2 result at home against the Colorado Rapids last Saturday. It was the first match under Interim Head Coach Davy Arnaud after the firing of the previous manager earlier in the week. In the bigger picture of still making the playoffs, the Dynamo will need to start winning again and see results fall their way as soon as possible. The team's next match is Sunday (7:00 p.m.) at rival FC Dallas.

The Women's local team, the Houston Dash, had a bye week and will be back at home against Sky Blue FC and former Dash Carli Lloyd on Saturday night.

The Leagues Cup tournament continues with Mexican powerhouses Tigres UANL and Club America facing off in the semifinals at BBVA Stadium on Tuesday night. The match has been announced as sold out however tickets are still being sold - the cheapest being a $45 standing room only ticket.

Here are the rest of the top stories from the past week:

English Premier League

Every goal from Premier League 2019/20 Matchweek 2 | NBC Sports www.youtube.com

Matchday 2 Results

  • Arsenal 2-1 Burnley
  • Southampton 1-2 Liverpool
  • Brighton 1-1 West Ham
  • Everton 1-0 Watford
  • Norwich City 3-1 Newcastle
  • Aston Villa 1-2 Bournemouth
  • Manchester City 2-2 Tottenham
  • Sheffield United 1-0 Crystal Palace
  • Chelsea 1-1 Leicester City
  • Wolverhampton 1-1 Manchester United

Spanish La Liga

Highlights Athletic Club vs FC Barcelona (1-0) www.youtube.com

Matchday 1 Results

  • Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona
  • Celta Vigo 1-3 Real Madrid
  • Valencia 1-1 Real Sociedad
  • RCD Mallorca 2-1 Eibar
  • Leganes 0-1 Osasuna
  • Villareal 4-4 Granada
  • Alaves 1-0 Levante
  • Espanyol 0-2 Sevilla
  • Real Betis 1-2 Valladolid
  • Atletico Madrid 1-0 Getafe

German Bundesliga

Emotional Fan Choreography - Union Berlin's Touching Tribute To Deceased Fans www.youtube.com

Matchday 1 Results

  • Bayern Munich 2-2 Hertha Berlin
  • Freiburg 3-0 Mainz
  • Dortmund 5-1 Augsburg
  • Wolfsburg 2-0 Cologne
  • Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 Paderborn
  • Werder Bremen 1-3 Fortuna
  • Mönchengladbach 0-0 Schalke 04
  • Eintracht 1-0 Hoffenheim
  • Union Berlin 0-4 RB Leipzig

French Ligue 1

Matchday 2 - Top Results

  • Lyon 6-0 Angers
  • Nantes 0-0 Marseille
  • Metz 3-0 Monaco
  • Amiens 1-0 Lille
  • Rennes 2-1 PSG

Netherlands Eredivisie

Matchday 3 - Top Results

  • VVV-Venlo 1-4 Ajax
  • AZ Alkmaar 0-0 Groningen
  • Feyenoord 1-1 Utrecht
  • Heracles 0-2 PSV
Major League Soccer

LAFC became the first club of the 2019 season that has clinched a spot in the playoffs. Atlanta United had a big week, winning the Campeones Cup (MLS vs. Liga MX Supercup) 3-2 over Club America on Wednesday, that finished with a 2-0 away win at Portland Timbers in an MLS Cup 2018 rematch.

This following week features plenty of rivalry games including LAFC vs. LA Galaxy and Dallas vs. Houston in the Texas Derby.

East top seven: 1. Atlanta (45), 2. Philadelphia (45), 3. NYCFC (41), 4. D.C. United (39), 5. NY Red Bulls (38), 6. New England (35), 7. Montreal (34)

West top seven: 1. x - LAFC (58), 2. Minnesota (42), 3. LA Galaxy (41), 4. Real Salt Lake (40), 5. Seattle (40), 6. San Jose (38), 7. Portland (37)

Scoring leader: 24 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)

Assists leader: 16 - Maxi Morales (NYCFC)


Liga MX

Top Eight: 1. Queretaro (13), 2. Club America (13), 3. Santos Laguna (12), 4. Tigres UANL (10), 5. Pumas (9), 6. Monterrey 9), 7. Atlas (9), 8. Cruz Azul (8)

Scoring leader: 4 - 4 players tied

Assists leader: 4 - Luis Quinones (Tigres)

Superliga Argentina

El debut de De Rossi en la Bombonera www.youtube.com

Roma legend De Rossi made his long awaited debut at home for Boca Juniors in the 2-0 league win over Aldosivi. The 18-year Serie A veteran could make his debut in Copa Libertadores on Wednesday.

Matchday 3 - Top Results

  • Newell's 2-0 Union
  • San Lorenzo 2-2 Rosario Central
  • Racing Club 1-6 River Plate
  • Defensa y Justicia 0-3 Arsenal Sarandi
  • Boca Juniors 2-0 Aldosivi
  • Estudiantes 3-0 Independiente

National Women's Soccer League

Standings: 1. Portland Thorns (33), 2. Chicago Red Stars (29), 3. North Carolina Courage (28), 4. Utah Royals (27), 5. Reign FC (27), 6. Houston Dash (22), 7. Washington Spirit (21), 8. Sky Blue FC (13), 9. Orlando Pride (11)

Scoring leader: 12 - Sam Kerr (Chicago)

Assists leader: 5 - Lynn Williams (North Carolina) / Yuki Nagasato (Chicago)

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Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):

Tuesday, August 20

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

7:30 p.m. - [Leagues Cup] Club America vs. Tigres (ESPN2, TUDN)

9:30 p.m. - [Leagues Cup] LA Galaxy vs. Cruz Azul (ESPN2, TUDN)

Wednesday, August 21

5:15 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] LDU Quito vs. Boca Juniors (beIN Sports)

7:00 p.m. - [MLS] DC United vs. NY Red Bulls (UniMas, TUDN)

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

9:30 p.m. - [MLS] LAFC vs. San Jose Earthquakes (UniMas, TUDN)

Thursday, August 22

5:15 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] River Plate vs. Cerro Porteño (beIN Sports)

7:30 p.m. - [Copa Sudamericana] Corinthians vs. Fluminense (beIN Sports)

8:30 p.m. - [MLS] Sporting KC vs. Minnesota United (ESPN)

Friday, August 23

1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Koln vs. Borussia Dortmund (FS2)

2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Aston Villa vs. Everton (NBC Sports)

3:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Levante vs. Villarreal (beIN Sports)

7:00 p.m. - [MLS] Orlando City vs. Atlanta United (ESPN)

9:00 p.m. - [MLS] Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders (ESPN)

Saturday, August 24

6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Norwich vs. Chelsea (NBC Sports)

8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Dusseldorf vs. Bayer Leverkusen (FS1, TUDN)

9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace (NBC Sports)

11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Liverpool vs. Arsenal (NBC)

11:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Schalke vs. Bayern Munich (FS1, TUDN)

12:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Real Madrid vs. Valladolid (beIN Sports)

6:00 p.m. - [MLS] NYCFC vs. NY Red Bulls (ESPN2)

7:30 p.m. - [NWSL] Houston Dash vs. Sky Blue FC (YahooSports.com)

Sunday, August 18

8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Bournemouth vs. Manchester City (NBC Sports)

10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Tottenham vs. Newcastle (NBC Sports)

12:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Leganes vs. Atletico Madrid (beIN Sports)

3:00 p.m. - [NWSL] Portland Thorns vs. Chicago Red Stars (ESPNews)

5:00 p.m. - [MLS] FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew (FS1)

7:00 p.m. - [MLS] FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo (FS1)

9:00 p.m. - [MLS] LAFC vs. LA Galaxy (FS1)

premier leagu... football laliga spanish league soccer bundesliga rb leipzig 1. fc union berlin daniele de rossi boca

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Houston needs a win to advance

ALWC Game 2 Preview: Astros vs. Twins

Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

It took all nine innings, but the Astros rallied late and took Game 1 by a score of 4-1 and are in the driver's seat in this best-of-three series. They'll return to Target Field, home of the Twins, on Wednesday afternoon to try and get the win and advance to the ALDS. Here's what you need to know about Game 2:

Game Facts

When: Wednesday, 12:08 PM Central

Where: Target Field - Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV: ESPN 2

Streaming: ESPN App

Pitching Matchup: Jose Urquidy+ vs. José Berríos.

Series: HOU leads 1-0.

Series Schedule

Date & Time (Central) Location Pitching Matchup
Game 1 Astros 4, Twins 1 Target Field, Minneapolis Greinke vs. Maeda
Game 2 Wed 9/30, 12:08 PM Target Field, Minneapolis Urquidy+ vs. Berríos
Game 3* Thu 10/1, 12:08 PM Target Field, Minneapolis McCullers Jr.+ vs. Pineda+

* If necessary.
+ Projected starters.

Game Storylines

Houston's offense has to get going earlier

The Twins' error in the ninth inning in Game 1 was a gift for the Astros that they were able to take advantage of and score the winning runs. It's unlikely to be handed another chance like that in the postseason, so in Game 2, it's paramount that Houston creates their own opportunities at the plate.

The good news is, every batter in the lineup was able to reach base in the first game, either by hit or walk. However, they would go 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position while leaving nine on base during the game. Because they can't expect to have two pitchers to combine for a one-run game on Wednesday, they will have to carry over the momentum from the end of Game 1 into Game 2 to build a lead their bullpen can carry.

Trust your arms to navigate through

Whether it's Jose Urquidy, who is the likely candidate, or anyone else who ends up starting Wednesday's game, the Astros have to be prepared to have a longer stretch of innings filled by their bullpen. Despite his struggles to end the regular season, Greinke did well only to allow one run to the Twins over his four innings in Game 1.

You should expect a similar outcome in Game 2, where hopefully your starter can hold the Twins at bay for as long as they can before needing to make the change to relievers. It will be interesting to see how Dusty Baker plays that situation, mostly dependent on the score at the time, as he could have someone like Cristian Javier come in for multiple innings. The only thing the Astros shouldn't do is fire too many of their bullets and put their chances in a potential Game 3 at risk.

Be sure to check SportsMap after the final out for an in-depth recap of the game, and follow me on Twitter for updates and reactions throughout each playoff game: @ChrisCampise

astros preview alwc game 2 astros vs twins mlb astros

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