THE SOCCER REPORT
Messi, Rapinoe headline FIFA Football Awards winners; Houston Dash end home schedule on ESPN2
Sep 24, 2019, 6:54 am
THE SOCCER REPORT
Monday's FIFA Football Awards winners left plenty to talk about, and debate, as Lionel Messi and Megan Rapinoe were named The BEST players in their category. On the local spotlight, the Houston Dynamo picked up a second win under Interim Manager Davy Arnaud while the Houston Dash prepare to close out the season with a nationally televised home match on Wednesday.
Make sure you get to @BBVAStadium early on Wednesday! @BBVA_USA will be giving out these sunglasses to the first 1,… https://t.co/4vWhejlvpp— Houston Dash (@Houston Dash) 1569280500
Here is the recap of the previous week followed by a schedule of upcoming matches:
The 2019 edition of FIFA's annual award ceremony took place Monday night in Milan. The following are the winners of each category:
Men's Player: Lionel Messi
Women's Player: Megan Rapinoe
Men's Coach: Jurgen Klopp
Women's Coach: Jill Ellis
Men's Goalkeeper: Alisson
Women's Goalkeeper: Sari van Veenendaal
Puskás Award: Daniel Zsori
Fan Award: Silvia Grecco
Fair Play Award: Marcelo Bielsa
Men's World11: Alisson; Matthijs de Ligt, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Virgil van Dijk; Frenkie de Jong, Eden Hazard, Luka Modric; Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi
Women's World11: Sari van Veenendaal; Lucy Bronze, Nilla Fischer, Kelley O'Hara, Wendie Renard; Julie Ertz, Amandine Henry, Rose Lavelle; Marta, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe
The race to the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs continues with two weeks left in the regular season. Houston, mathematically still in contention, avoided elimination with a 2-1 comeback win over Orlando City on Saturday night at BBVA Stadium. The Dynamo traveled to Los Angeles on Monday and will play twice this week - Wednesday at LAFC and Sunday at Real Salt Lake.
Sunday's matches will air simultaneously by conference. The matches in the East will air at 4 p.m. CT with the West matches following at 6:30 p.m. CT. FS1 will feature a doubleheader with updates from all matches.
East top seven: 1. x - NYCFC (58), 2. x - Atlanta (54), 3. x - Philadelphia (52), 4. x - D.C. United (48), 5. x - NY Red Bulls (47), 6. x - Toronto (46), 7. New England (41)
West top seven: 1. x - LAFC (65), 2. Seattle (50), 3. Minnesota (49), 4. LA Galaxy (48), 5. Real Salt Lake (47), 6. FC Dallas (45), 7. San Jose (44)
Scoring leader: 29 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Assists leader: 19 - Maxi Morales (NYCFC)
Standings: 1. s - North Carolina Courage (46), 2. x - Chicago Red Stars (41), 3. x - Portland Thorns (39), 4. Utah Royals (31), 5. Reign FC (31), 6. Washington Spirit (26), 7. Houston Dash (25), 8. Sky Blue FC (19), 9. Orlando Pride (14)
Scoring leader: 18 - Sam Kerr (Chicago)
Assists leader: 8 - Yuki Nagasato (Chicago)
Group Stage - Matchday 1 Standings
Group A: PSG (3), Club Brugge (1), Galatasaray (1), Real Madrid (0)
Group B: Bayern Munich (3), Tottenham (1), Olympiacos (1), Red Star Belgrade (0)
Group C: Dinamo Zagreb (3), Man City (3), Shakhtar Donetsk (0), Atalanta (0)
Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow (3), Juventus (1), Atletico Madird (1), Bayer Leverkusen (0)
Group E: Red Bull Salzburg (3), Napoli (3), Liverpool (0), Genk (0)
Group F: Slavia Prague (1), Inter Milan (1), FC Barcelona (1), Dortmund (1)
Group G: RB Leipzig (93), Zenit (1), Lyon (1), Benfica (0)
Group H: Ajax (3), Valencia (3), Chelsea (0), Lille (0)
Matchday 6 Results
Top six: Liverpool (18), Man City (13), Leicester City (11), Arsenal (11), West Ham (11), Bournemouth (10)
Scoring leader: 8 - Sergio Aguero (Man City)
Assists leader: 7 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Matchday 5 Results
Top six: Athletic Bilbao (11), Real Madrid (11), Granada (10), Real Sociedad (10), Sevilla (10), Atletico Madrid (10)
Scoring leader: 5 - Gerard Moreno (Villareal) / Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Assists leader: 3 - Ander Capa (Bilbao) / Angel Montoro Sanchez (Granada) / Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)
Matchday 5 Results
Top six: RB Leipzig (13), Bayern Munich (11), Dortmund (10), Freiburg (10), Schalke 04 (10), Monchengladbach (10)
Scoring leader: 9 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Matchday 4 Results
Top six: Inter Milan (12), Juventus (10), Napoli (9), Roma (8), Lazio (7), Atalanta (7)
Scoring leader: 5 - Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo)
Matchday 6 Results
Top six: PSG (15), Angers (12), Nice (12), Rennes (11), Marseille (11), Lille (910)
Scoring leader: 5 - Moussa Dembele (Lyon) / Victor Osimhen (Lille)
Matchday 7 - Top Results
Top four: Ajax (14), PSV (14), Vitesse (14), AZ Alkmaar (13)
Scoring leader: 7 - Donyell Malen (PSV Eindhoven)
Assists leader: 6 - Dusan Tadic (Ajax)
Matchday 6 - Top Results
Top four: Famalicao(16), Benfica (15), Porto (15), Rio Ave (10)
Scoring leader: 6 - Pizzi (Benfica) / Ze Luis (Porto)
Assists leader: 4 - Bruno Fernandes (Sporting)
Matchday 5 - Top Results
Top four: Celtic (18), Rangers (15), Aberdeen (11), Motherwell (10)
Scoring leader: 5 - Jermain Defoe (Rangers) / Odsonne Edouard (Celtic) / Ryan Christie (Celtic)
Assists leader: 4 - James Forrest (Celtic)
Matchday 10 Results
Top Eight: 1. Santos Laguna (20), 2. Leon (18), 3. Queretaro (18), 4. Necaxa (17), 5. Club America (17), 6. Monarcas (16), 7. Monterrey (15), 8. Tigres UANL (14)
Scoring leader: 8 - Julio Furch (Santos)
Assists leader: 4 - Four players tied
Liga MX clubs Tigres UANL and Santos will face off in a club friendly in Houston during the October FIFA International window. Tickets on sale at BBVAStadium.com
Matchday 7 Results
Top four: Boca (17), Talleres (16), Argentinos Juniors (15), Lanus (14)
Scoring leader: 4 - Nicolas Dominguez (Velez)
Assists leader: 2 - Several players tied
ðŸ‡ðŸ‡³ Alberth Elis Hear from the @HoustonDynamo / @FenafuthOrg forward on Tuesday night when he joins #SoccerMatters… https://t.co/d55baFxti8— Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis (@Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis) 1569292215
Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis airs every Tuesday 7-9 p.m. on KFNC 97.5 FM - ESPN Houston. This week's guests include Houston Dynamo forward Alberth Elis and former U.S. Women's National Team player and national broadcaster Aly Wagner.
Tuesday, September 24
12:00 p.m. - [Serie A] Hellas Verona vs. Udinese (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [English League Cup] Arsenal vs. Nottingham Forest (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [English League Cup] Colchester vs. Spurs (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [English League Cup] Preston vs. Man City (ESPN+)
2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] FC Barcelona vs. Villarreal (beIN Sports)
2:00 p.m. - [Serie A] Brescia vs. Juventus (ESPN+)
Wednesday, September 25
11:30 a.m. - [Eredivisie] PSV vs. Groningen (ESPN+)
12:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Mallorca vs. Atletico Madrid (beIN Sports)
12:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Roma vs. Atalanta (beIN Sports)
1:45 p.m. - [English League Cup] Chelsea vs. Grimsby (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [English League Cup] MK Dons vs. Liverpool (ESPN+)
2:00 p.m. - [English League Cup] Man United vs. Rochdale (ESPN+)
2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Real Madrid vs. Osasuna (beIN Sports)
2:00 p.m. - [Serie A] Inter Milan vs. Lazio (ESPN+)
7:30 p.m. - [NWSL] Houston Dash vs. Washington Spirit (ESPN2)
9:30 p.m. - [MLS] LAFC vs. Houston Dynamo (KUBE 57)
Saturday, September 28
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Sheffield United vs. Liverpool (NBC Sports, Universo)
6:30 a.m. - [Scottish Premiership] Hibernian vs. Celtic (B/R Live)
8:00 a.m. - [Serie A] Juventus vs. SPAL (ESPN+)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Paderborn vs. Bayern Munich (FS2, TUDN)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Chelsea vs. Brighton (NBC Sports, Universo)
9:00 a.m. - [La Liga] Getafe vs. Barcelona (beIN Sports)
10:30 a.m. - [Ligue 1] Bordeaux vs. PSG (beIN Sports)
11:00 a.m. - [Serie A] Sampdoria vs. Inter (ESPN+)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Everton vs. Manchester City (NBC)
11:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Dortmund vs. Bremen (FS2)
2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)
6:00 p.m. - [Superliga Argentina] Boca Juniors vs. Newell's Old Boys (Fanatiz)
7:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Monterrey vs. Tigres UANL (FOX Deportes)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Club America vs. Guadalajara (Univision, TUDN)
Sunday, September 29
8:00 a.m. - [Serie A] Udinese vs. Bologna (ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes)
10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Leicester vs. Newcastle (NBC Sports, Telemundo)
9:00 a.m. - [La Liga] Getafe vs. Barcelona (beIN Sports)
11:00 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Cologne vs. Hertha Berlin (FS2)
1:45 p.m. - [Serie A] Milan vs. Fiorentina (ESPN+)
2:00 p.m. - [Primeira Liga] Rio Ave vs. Porto (GolTV)
4:00 p.m. - [MLS] NY Red Bulls vs. D.C. United - with Eastern Conf updates (FS1)
6:30 p.m. - [MLS] Minnesota vs. LAFC - with Western Conf updates (FS1)
Monday, September 30
2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Manchester United vs. Arsenal (NBC Sports, Universo)
Coming off a dominant offensive performance, the Houston Astros return to the field Wednesday night looking to keep their momentum rolling against the Athletics. Cam Smith’s four-hit breakout powered a 13-3 rout on Tuesday, and now the Astros aim to take control of the series in Game 3 of the four-game set.
Houston, sitting atop the AL West at 42-31, will send left-hander Framber Valdez to the mound. Valdez has been in strong form all season, posting a 7-4 record with a 3.10 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 2025. He’ll be looking to build on Houston’s recent pitching success. The Astros have held opponents to a 2.60 ERA over their last 10 games while going 7-3 in that span and outscoring opponents by 24 runs.
The A’s will counter with veteran right-hander Luis Severino, who enters with a 2-6 record and a 4.47 ERA. While his season has been inconsistent, Severino still has the ability to miss bats and will look to keep an Astros lineup in check that’s hitting .271 over its last 10 contests.
The Athletics come in at 30-45 overall and 13-24 at home, and though they've dropped three of four to the Astros this season, the power potential is always there. The A’s have launched 92 home runs so far — seventh-most in the majors — with Tyler Soderstrom and Max Muncy continuing to anchor the offense. Soderstrom has already racked up 14 homers and 45 RBIs on the year, while Muncy has gone deep three times over his last 10 games.
Houston’s offense has been steadily rising, fueled by key performances from both veterans and emerging talent. Jeremy Peña continues to provide steady production with 15 doubles and nine homers on the year, while rookie Cam Smith has caught fire, going 14-for-40 with four doubles and two homers in his last 10 games.
The Astros are 33-13 this season when they out-hit their opponent, and they’ll look to follow that blueprint again Wednesday. First pitch is set for 10:05 p.m. EDT in West Sacramento, with Houston holding a 3-1 edge in the season series.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -162, Athletics +136; over/under is 9 runs
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