THE SOCCER REPORT
Dynamo tie LA Galaxy in sold out opener; Real Madrid take El Clasico and La Liga lead
Mar 3, 2020, 6:33 am
Mauro Manotas' goal earned the Dynamo their first point of the season. Photo: Manuel Gonzalez / Deporte Total USA
MLS is back with its 25th season and the opening weekend had plenty of big goals and special moments. Over in Europe, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona met in the sport's most talked about rivalry worldwide.
Here is a recap of last week's top action:
International Club competitions
UEFA Champions League
Round of 16 - First Leg
- Chelsea 0-3 Bayern Munich
- Napoli 1-1 FC Barcelona
- Lyon 1-0 Juventus
- Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City
Concacaf Champions League
Round of 16 - Second Leg
- Atlanta United 3-0 Motagua (ATL advances 4-1)
- Cruz Azul 4-0 Portmore United (CAZ advances 6-1)
- New York City FC 1-0 AD San Carlos (NYC advances 6-3)
- Montreal Impact 0-0 Saprissa (MTL advances, 2-2 agg, on away goals)
- Tigres UANL 4-2 Alianza FC (TIG advances 5-4)
- Club America 1-1 Comunicaciones (2-2 agg., AME advances 5-3 on pens.)
- Seattle Sounders FC 2-2 Olimpia (4-4 agg., OLI advances 4-2 on pens.)
- LAFC 3-0 Club Leon (LAFC advances 3-2)
Quarterfinals take place March 10-18
English Premier League
Liverpool FC's bid for an undefeated season ended at the hands of Watford, who jump out of the relegation zone with a 3-0 victory.
Top six: 1. Liverpool (79), 2. Man City (57), 3. Leicester City (50), 4. Chelsea (45), 5. Manchester United (42), 6. Wolves (42)
Bottom three (relegation): 18. Bournemouth (27), 19. Aston Villa (25), 20. Norwich City (21)
Scoring leader: 17 - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) / Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Assists leader: 16 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Spanish La Liga
With goals from Vinicius and Mariano, Real Madrid took a 2-0 win in El Clasico and the lead at the top of the table in La Liga.
Top six: 1. Real Madrid (56), 2. FC Barcelona (55), 3. Sevilla (46), 4. Getafe (45), 5. Atletico Madrid (44), 6. Real Sociedad (43)
Bottom three: 18. Mallorca (22), 19. Leganes (20), 20. Espanyol (20)
Scoring leader: 18 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Assists leader: 12 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
German Bundesliga
Top six: 1. Bayern Munich (52), 2. RB Leipzig (49), 3. Dortmund (48), 4. Monchengladbach (46), 5. Bayer Leverkusen (44), 6. Schalke 04 (36)
Bottom three: 16. Fortuna (21), 17. Werder Bremen (17), 18. Paderborn (16)
Scoring leader: 25 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Assists leader: 16 - Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Italian Serie A
Top six: 1. Lazio (62), 2. Juventus (60), 3. Inter Milan (54), 4. Atalanta (48), 5. Roma (45), 6. Napoli (39)
Bottom three: 18. Genoa (22), 19. Brescia (16), 20. SPAL (15)
Scoring leader: 27 - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
Assists leader: 12 - Luis Alberto (Lazio)
French Ligue 1
Top four: 1. PSG (68), 2. Marseille (55), 3. Rennes (47), 4. Lille (46)
Bottom three: 18. Nimes (27), 19. Amiens (22), 20. Toulouse (13)
Scoring leader: 18 - Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Assists leader: 14 - Angel Di Maria (PSG)
Major League Soccer
The 25th season of MLS got underway with a soccer game with American football lines... just like the good old days (thanks to XFL at D.C. United's Audi Field).
The Houston Dynamo hosted LA Galaxy and the signing of the offseason in Mexican superstar Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward stole the spotlight but it would be the South American goalscorers who would get on the scoresheet. Cristian Pavon opened the scoring for LA while Mauro Manotas earned the point for the Dynamo - match ended in a 1-1 tie. Alberth Elis and offseason signing Darwin Quintero were among the players who missed the sold out home opener due to injury.
Over 59,000 packed Nissan Stadium in Nashville for the expansion side's opening match against Atlanta United, with the visitors taking a 2-1 victory. David Beckham's Inter Miami, the other expansion team this year, lost 1-0 at LAFC on Sunday.
Liga MX
¡PERO QUÉ 🐕 GOLAZO DE GIGNAC! La chilena que nos acaba de regalar el francés es de otro planeta. SIN PALABRAS 🤩 🐯… https://t.co/NAgUPke49d— TUDN USA (@TUDN USA) 1583036937.0
Clausura 2020
Top eight: 1. Cruz Azul (16), 2. Club America (16), 3. Leon (15), 4. Juarez (14), 5. Pumas UNAM (14), 6. Santos Laguna (14), 7. Queretaro (13), 8. CD Guadalajara (12)
Scoring leader: 7 - Jonathan Rodriguez (Cruz Azul) / Andre-Pierre Gignac (Tigres UANL)
TV listings (All Times CT):
For full info on soccer TV listings and streaming services in the United States, visit worldsoccertalk.com
Tuesday, March 3
1:45 p.m. - [English FA Cup] Chelsea vs. Liverpool (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [German Cup] Schalke 04 vs. Bayern Munich (ESPNU, ESPN Deportes)
4:15 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Defensa y Justicia vs. Santos (beIN Sports)
6:30 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] America de Cali vs. Gremio (beIN Sports Connect)
Wednesday, March 4
1:45 p.m. - [English FA Cup] Sheffield Wednesday vs. Man City (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [English FA Cup] Spurs vs. Norwich (ESPN+)
Thursday, March 5
1:45 p.m. - [English FA Cup] Derby vs. Man United (ESPN+)
6:00 p.m. - [SheBelieves Cup] USWNT vs. England (ESPN2, TUDN)
Friday, March 6
8:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Pumas UNAM vs. Club América (TUDN)
Saturday, March 7
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Liverpool vs. Bournemouth (NBC Sports)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Wolfsburg vs. RB Leipzig (FS1, FOX Deportes)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Arsenal vs. West Ham (NBC Sports)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Wolves vs. Brighton (CNBC)
9:00 a.m. - [La Liga] Atletico Madrid vs. Sevilla (beIN Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Burnley vs. Spurs (NBC Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [La Liga] FC Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad (beIN Sports)
7:30 p.m. - [MLS] Houston Dynamo at Sporting KC (KUBE57)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Atlas vs. Chivas (Univision)
Sunday, March 8
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Chelsea vs. Everton(NBC Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Man United vs. Man City (NBC)
3:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Real Betis vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)
Monday, March 9
3:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Leicester City vs. Aston Villa (NBC Sports)
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The Astros didn’t leave Seattle with a series win, but they may have gained something just as important: a reminder that resilience still runs deep in this group.
After a grueling extra-inning loss on Saturday, one that included the loss of Isaac Paredes to a hamstring injury, Houston regrouped on Sunday and hammered the Mariners 11-3. Christian Walker provided the turning point with a much-needed go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, while Taylor Trammell added a two-run double and a solo shot of his own. With Chas McCormick back from the injured list but still finding his footing, Trammell is quickly making his case as the best option in center field moving forward.
Manager Joe Espada continues to juggle a lineup that’s been in constant flux. Rookie Cam Smith, who had a clutch two-run double in Sunday’s win, has struggled as of late, going just 2-for his last 24. While his ability to get hits in clutch situations has been extremely valuable, the lack of a consistent spot in the batting order may be taking its toll. Giving Smith a stable home in the cleanup spot, even temporarily, might be a helpful reset.
Then again, the cleanup role hasn’t been kind to everyone.
Last night, Christian Walker, batting 4th, went 0-4, 2 K
- Walker for the season, batting 4th: .167 BA, .498 OPS
- Both are MLB worst (min. 75 AB batting 4th, 51st of 51)
- His 210 AB batting 4th are 6th most in MLB
- He's hitting .317 w/ .887 OPS when batting anywhere but 4th
— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) July 19, 2025
Walker has been markedly less effective when hitting fourth this season, a trend that continues despite his strong Sunday performance. Sometimes, the data is clear: the four-hole might not be for him. He's literally been the worst cleanup option in baseball this season. Hit him fifth.
Behind the plate, Victor Caratini continues to impress, while Yainer Diaz is back in a cold stretch. Since the break, Diaz is just 1-for-14, raising questions about his timing and confidence as the summer grind deepens.
On the mound, the biggest developments are happening off the field. Cristian Javier and Spencer Arrighetti both completed three-inning rehab outings with Double-A Corpus Christi, while Luis Garcia threw two innings in a rehab start with Low-A Fayetteville. The trio’s return could mark a major turning point for the Astros, especially as Lance McCullers continues to struggle in his own comeback. McCullers lasted just 2 2/3 innings in Saturday’s loss, allowing four runs and showing little of the form that once made him one of the rotation’s anchors.
There’s been hesitancy to replace McCullers with someone like Arrighetti while he’s still building back arm strength, but the argument grows thinner each time McCullers falters. If healthy, even a three- or four-inning version of Javier or Arrighetti could give Houston more consistency at the back of the rotation.
Despite the weekend loss, the Astros still hold one of the best offenses in baseball, second in batting average, 12th in OPS, and 11th in slugging. The pitching staff remains stout, ranking sixth in ERA and second in WHIP. This team is far from unraveling.
With reinforcements on the way and a lineup that’s still capable of putting up crooked numbers, the Astros aren’t panicking. If anything, Sunday’s blowout win showed they’re ready to weather whatever’s next.
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.
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