Mexico (16th) is set to play Uruguay (5th) at NRG Stadium on Sept. 7, giving soccer fans an opportunity to watch two world-class teams square off. Uruguay is coming from their first match since their 2-0 loss in the World Cup quarterfinal against none other than the world champion, France. Uruguay’s most notable victories during the World Cup were 3-0 vs the host nation Russia, and 2-1 vs Crisitano Ronaldo’s (Juventus) Portugal in the round of 16. Elite players like Claudio Suarez (F.C. Barcelona), Diego Godin (Atletico de Madrid), and Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray) are on the active roster for their match vs. Mexico.
Mexico, on the other hand, is coming from what many fans consider a disappointing World Cup. El Tri seemed to regress as the tournament went on after their “golden generation” failed to pull through to the coveted fifth match that they’ve never reached. Their victories against Germany and South Korea were followed by two devastating defeats against Sweden, and the round of 16 elimination game vs Neymar’s (Paris Saint Germain) Brazil.
But regardless of the past, Mexico turns the page and they do so by facing a strong Uruguay. Mexico’s previous coach, Juan Carlos Osorio, denied a contract extension offered by the Mexican Soccer Federation and recently took the head coaching job for Paraguay. Mexico’s Interim coach, Ricardo “El Tuca” Ferreti , decided to devise a roster of fearless young players to face Uruguay in Houston, and the United States in Nashville just four days later. Even though Mexico’s roster may be full of youngsters, players like Hirving “El Chucky” Lozano (PSV Eindhoven), 18-year-old Diego Lainez (Club America), and Roberto Alvarado (Cruz Azul) are displaying quality in their clubs, giving Mexican fans hope for a possible World Cup appearance in Qatar 2022.
Houston is set to bid to be a host city for the North American World Cup in 2026, where each host city will host at least six matches. Mexico vs. Uruguay will offer Houstonians an early taste of what a World Cup atmosphere is like.
Every goal from Matchday 23 in the Premier League | NBC Sports
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The race for the top four spots continues to intensify in the Premier League with Manchester United running hot with six straight wins. Their latest win over Brighton now puts the Red Devils three points out of a Champions League spot, thanks to Arsenal's 2-0 win over London rivals Chelsea. At the top of the table, Liverpool continue to march on despite complicating themselves a bit in an eventual 4-3 win over Crystal Palace. Manchester City also picked up three points with the hope of catching up if Liverpool were to slip up.
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
Top six: 1. FC Barcelona (46), 2. Atlético Madrid (41), 3. Real Madrid (36), 4. Sevilla (33), 5. Alavés (32), 6. Getafe (31)
The Bundesliga is back on after the end of the winter break. The top two dogs in the title fight- Dortmund and Bayern Munich - each picked up three points. The storyline here will be to see if Dortmund will be able to break Bayern's quest for a seventh consecutive league title. Dortmund's 1-0 win over Leipzig featured a unique matchup for American fans as U.S. men's national team players Christian Pulisic and Leipzig's Tyler Adams were on opposite ends of the sideline. Adams, who recently transferred to RB Leipzig from sister club New York Red Bulls, is still waiting to make his Bundesliga debut.
Juventus and A.C. Milan faced off midweek in the SuperCoppa Italiana final that was contested on foreign soil in Saudi Arabia. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the lone goal to pick up his first piece of silverware with his new club.
Top six: 1. Juventus (56), 2. Napoli (47), 3. Inter Milan (40), 4. Milan (34), 5. Roma (33), 6. Lazio (32)
Chris Duvall says winning mentality set on day one
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Preseason is officially underway for all 24 teams in Major League Soccer, including the hometown Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo will host an open practice at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday. The transfer saga surrounding star Alberth Elis appears to be over as reports from Honduras state that the player has agreed to forego his transfer demand, at least until the summer transfer window.
Up the road in Austin, Major League Soccer announced Austin FC as the newest club to join the league. The team will begin play in the 2021 season. Soccer Matters host Glenn Davis spoke exclusively with MLS Commissioner Don Garber and FOX Sports Analyst Alexi Lalas on what the addition of Austin means for the league and soccer in Texas.
Liga MX
Top eight: 1. Chivas Guadalajara (9), 2. Monterrey (7), 3. Toluca FC (6), 4. Lobos BUAP (6), 5. Club America (6), 6. Necaxa (6), 7. Tigres UANL (4), 8. Atlas (4)
Scoring leader: 4 - Leonardo Ramos (Lobos BUAP)
Assists leader: 3 - Carlos Rodríguez (Monterrey)
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Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):
Tuesday, Jan. 22
1:30 p.m. - [Women's International Friendly] Spain vs. USA (ESPN2/Univision Deportes)
1:45 p.m. - [Portuguese League Cup] Benfica vs. Porto (fuboTV)
2:30 p.m. - [Copa Del Rey] Getafe vs. Valencia (beIN SPORTS)
Wednesday, Jan. 23
1:45 p.m. - [English League Cup] Burton Albion vs. Manchester City (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [Scottish Premiership] Kilmarnock vs. Rangers (B/R Live)
2:30 p.m. - [Copa Del Rey] Sevilla vs. FC Barcelona (beIN SPORTS)
7:00 p.m. - [Argentine Superliga] River Plate vs. Union Santa Fe (Fanatiz)
Thursday, Jan. 24
12:30 p.m. - [Copa del Rey] Espanyol vs. Real Betis (beIN Sports)
1:45 p.m. - [English League Cup] Chelsea vs. Tottenham (ESPN+)
2:30 p.m. - [Copa del Rey] Real Madrid vs. Girona (beIN Sports)
Friday, Jan. 25
1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Hertha Berlin vs. Schalke (FS2/Univision Deportes)
1:45 p.m. - [Scottish Cup] Cowdenbeath vs. Rangers (ESPN+)
1:55 p.m. - [English FA Cup] Arsenal v Manchester United (ESPN+)
Saturday, Jan. 26
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Borussia Dortmund vs. Hannover (FS1/Univision Deportes)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Monchengladbach vs. Augsburg (FS2)
9:00 a.m. - [English FA Cup] Manchester City v Burnley (ESPN+)
9:15 a.m. - [La Liga] Atletico Madrid vs. Getafe (beIN Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Werder Bremen vs. Frankfurt (FS2)
1:30 p.m. - [Serie A] A.C. Milan vs. Napoli (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [La Liga] Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Betis (beIN Sports)
Sunday, Jan. 27
9:15 a.m. - [La Liga] Girona vs. FC Barcelona (beIN Sports)
10:00 a.m. - [English FA Cup] Crystal Palace v Tottenham (ESPN+)
11:00 a.m. - [Serie A] Torino vs. Inter Milan (ESPN+)
12:00 p.m. - [English FA Cup] Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday (ESPN+)
1:30 p.m. - [Serie A] Lazio vs. Juventus (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [La Liga] Espanyol vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)
