THE SOCCER REPORT

Liverpool win sixth Champions League; summer of soccer begins

Liverpool win sixth Champions League; summer of soccer begins
Courtesy adidas

Liverpool F.C. are back at the top of European football after winning their sixth Champions League, standing alone as the third on the list behind A.C. Milan's nine and Real Madrid's 13 UCL trophies. Now the world moves on to international soccer with the upcoming summer that features World Cup qualifiers, the UEFA Nations League, Euro 2020 qualifiers, the Concacaf Gold Cup, Copa Libertadores and the FIFA Women's World Cup.

UEFA Champions League

Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool: 2019 Champions League Final Recap with Highlights, Goals, and Best Momentswww.youtube.com

Liverpool capped off an incredible season with a 2-0 win over fellow Premier League side Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday. A final that wasn't the best watch for the neutral fan saw the Reds pick up an important piece of silverware and the club's first European crown since the 2005 Champions League final.

Jurgen Klopp's men were awarded a penalty in the first minute of the match and never looked back after goalscorer Mo Salah put them in the lead. Despite a rally in the second half by Spurs, Divock Origi would ice the match in the 87th minute.

UEFA Europa League

Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal: 2019 Europa League Final Recap with Highlights, Goals, and Best Momentswww.youtube.com

Chelsea were the English side victorious in the other final this past week, one that saw London rivals face off for the secondary European crown. A stalemate in Baku, Azerbaijan for the first half ended with a 4-1 Chelsea rout thanks in part to an Eden Hazard double. The Belgian has been linked to departing the Premier League and joining Spanish side Real Madrid this summer.

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Major League Soccer

East top seven: 1. Philadelphia (28), 2. D.C. United (27), 3. Atlanta (26), 4. NY Red Bulls (24), 5. Montreal (24), 6. NYCFC (20), 7. Toronto (18)

West top seven: 1. LAFC (37), 2. LA Galaxy (28), 3. Seattle (26), 4. Houston (24), 5. FC Dallas (21), 6.Minnesota (21), 7. Real Salt Lake (19)

Scoring leader: 16 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)

Assists leader: 10 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)

National Women's Soccer League

Standings: 1. Washington Spirit (16), 2. Portland Thorns (14), 3. Utah Royals (13), 4. North Carolina Courage (12), 5. Chicago Red Stars (11), 6. Houston Dash (11), 7. Seattle Reign (10), 8. Sky Blue FC (2), 9. Orlando Pride (1)

Scoring leader: 6 - Sam Kerr (Chicago)

Assists leader: 3 - Jaelene Hinkle (North Carolina) / Meghan Klingenberg (Portland) / Yuki Nagasato (Chicago)

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Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):

Tuesday, June 4

10:30 a.m. - [FIFA U20 World Cup] France vs. USA (FS2)

Wednesday, June 5

1:45 p.m. - [UEFA Nations League] Portugal vs. Switzerland (ESPN2, Univision Deportes)

6 p.m. - [International Friendly] USA vs. Jamaica (FS1)

6:30 p.m. - [MLS] Montreal vs. Seattle (ESPN+)

7:30 p.m. - [International Friendly] Brazil vs. Qatar (beIN Sports)

Thursday, June 6

1:45 p.m. - [UEFA Nations League] Netherlands vs. England (ESPN2, Univision Deportes)

Friday, June 7

2:00 p.m. - [FIFA Women's World Cup] France vs. South Korea (FS1, Telemundo)

7:00 p.m. - [International Friendly] Argentina vs. Nicaragua (beIN Sports)

Saturday, June 8

8:00 a.m. - [FIFA Women's World Cup] Germany vs. China (FS1, Telemundo)

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The Astros beat the Phillies, 2-1. Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images.

Cam Smith hit an RBI single in the eighth inning to give the Houston Astros a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

The rookie's second hit of the game came off Orion Kerkering (5-3) and gave the Astros their fourth straight win.

Brandon Marsh tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the top of the inning to end the Phillies' 26-inning scoreless streak.

The Astros took a 1-0 lead on Yainer Diaz’s RBI single in the second inning. They only managed three more hits off Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez, who struck out 11 with zero walks over six innings. Sanchez has not issued a walk in three straight starts.

Hunter Brown lowered his league best ERA to 1.74 by scattering three singles over seven shutout innings, with nine strikeouts. He did not allow a runner to reach second base.

Bryan Abreu (3-3) struck out Trea Turner to end the eighth, and then struck out Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, and Nick Castellanos in the ninth.

Abreu joined Julia Morales after the game and talked about his impressive performance!

Rafael Marchán had two of the Phillies' four hits. Bryson Stott reached base twice and scored the Phillies' lone run.

Key moment

Smith’s RBI.

Key stat

Brown’s 1.74 ERA is the fourth best in Astros history through 16 starts and the best since Justin Verlander posted a 1.60 ERA through 16 starts in 2018.

Up next

The Astros open a three-game series against the Cubs on Friday with LHP Brandon Walter (0-1 3.80 ERA) on the mound.

The Phillies open a three-game series at the Braves on Friday with RHP Mick Abel (2-1 3.47 ERA) against Atlanta RHP Bryce Elder (2-4 4.77).

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