THE SOCCER REPORT
NWSL kicks off 7th season; UCL, UEL semifinalists to be decided
Apr 16, 2019, 9:37 am
THE SOCCER REPORT
The National Women's Soccer League kicked off a historic 7th season and the European competitions got one step closer to crowning their champions in this week's soccer happenings. As always, skip down to the end of this article for a schedule of the top upcoming matches.
Top stories:
After this week, only four teams will remain in the hunt for the title of European Champion. Last Tuesday, Tottenham picked up a narrow 1-0 win over City in the first UCL match at the new Spurs Stadium while Liverpool handled Porto with a 2-0 win at Anfield. On Wednesday, Barcelona came away with a 1-0 win at Manchester United while Juventus drew 1-1 at Ajax.
Crunch time in the #UCL! đŹ Who will qualify for the semi-finals? #MondayMotivation https://t.co/YkH6Sjh9KNâ UEFA Champions League (@UEFA Champions League) 1555320150.0
Arsenal, Chelsea and Valencia all picked up key wins in their search for this year's Europa League trophy and the coveted Champions League qualification that comes with it. The talk of the week, however, was about 19-year-old Portuguese forward João Félix who scored a hat-trick in Benfica's 4-2 win over Frankfurt.
Benfica 4-2 Eintracht Frankfurt: Europa League Recap with Highlights, Goals and Best Momentswww.youtube.com
Top six: 1. Liverpool (85), 2. Manchester City (83), 3. Tottenham (67), 4. Arsenal (66), 5. Chelsea (66), 6. Manchester United (64)
Scoring leader: 19 - Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) / Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Assists leader: 12 - Christian Eriksen (Tottenham) / Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC)
Top six: 1. FC Barcelona (74), 2. Atlético Madrid (65), 3. Real Madrid (61), 4. Sevilla (52), 5. Getafe (51), 6. Valencia (49)
Scoring leader: 33 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Assists leader: 12 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Scoring leader: 21 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Assists leader: 13 - Jadon Sancho (Dortumund)
Top six: 1. Juventus (84), 2. Napoli (67), 3. Inter Milan (60), 4. Milan (55), 5. Roma (54), 6. Atalanta (53)
Scoring leader: 22 - Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria)
Assists leader: 10 - Dries Mertens (Napoli)
Top six: 1. PSG (81), 2. Lille (64), 3. Lyon (56), 4. Saint-Ătienne (53), 5. Marseille (51), 6. Montpellier (48)
Scoring leader: 27 - Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
Assists leader: 11 - Nicolas Pepe (Lille) / Teji Savanier (Nimes)
Top three: 1. Ajax (74), 2. PSV Eindhoven (74), 3. Feyenoord (56)
Championship Round: 1. Genk (41), 2. Club Brugge (37), 3. Antwerp (34), 4. Standard Liege (31), 5. Anderlecht (26), 6. Gent (25)
Top three: 1. Benfica (69), 2. Porto (69), 3. Sporting CP (61)
Top three: 1. Celtic (77), 2. Rangers (66), 3. Kilmarnock (58)
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Liga MX top spenders, and crosstown rivals, Tigres UANL and Monterrey will face off later this month in the final series to determine the new club champion of Concacaf.
Calendario Confirmado para las Finales de la Liga de Campeones Concacaf Scotiabank 2019 Ida: 23 de Abril en⊠https://t.co/4MleK8XcY5â Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (@Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League) 1555086789.0
The best is yet to come for @martineztomas34 and the red-hot @HoustonDynamo: https://t.co/BMyolKjqYV https://t.co/l8JbvCbv4iâ Major League Soccer (@Major League Soccer) 1555412428.0
East top seven: 1. D.C. United (14), 2. Columbus (13), 3. Montreal (11), 4. Toronto (10), 5. Philadelphia (10), 6. Orlando (8), 7. Cincinnati (8)
West top seven: 1. LAFC (19), 2. Seattle (16), 3. LA Galaxy (15), 4. Houston (13), 5. FC Dallas (13), 6. Minnesota (10), 7. Sporting KC (9)
Scoring leader: 8 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Assists leader: 5 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Scoring leader: 12 - Angel Mena (Leon)
Assists leader: 9 - Angel Mena (Leon)
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#Highlights: Big goals, bigger saves as the @HoustonDash and @ReignFC draw on opening week. #HOUvSEA | #NWSL https://t.co/w0LYog5CDQâ NWSL (@NWSL) 1555291587.0
Standings: 1. Portland Thorns (3), 2. Washington Spirit (3), 3. Chicago Red Stars (1), 4. Seattle Reign (1), 5. Houston Dash (1), 6. North Carolina Courage (1), 7. Utah Royals (0), 8. Orlando Pride (0), 9. Sky Blue FC (0)
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FINALLY! #TotalAFCON2019 groups are here! đ Which is the most exciting group? đ€ https://t.co/LNeByDBlsnâ CAF (@CAF) 1555098772.0
Our @GoldCup Group C doubleheader on June 21 is set! đžđ» El Salvador đ Jamaica đŻđČ đđł Honduras đ Curaçao đšđŒ đïžâŠ https://t.co/ysjaLTjQT7â BBVA Compass Stadium (@BBVA Compass Stadium) 1554935654.0
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Tuesday, Apr. 16
1:45 p.m. - [Premier League] Brighton vs. Cardiff (NBC Sports)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] FC Barcelona vs. Manchester United (TNT, UniMas/Univision Deportes)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Juventus vs. Ajax (B/R Live, Galavision)
Wednesday, Apr. 17
12:00 p.m. - [Ligue 1] Nantes vs. PSG (beIN Sports)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Manchester City vs. Tottenham (TNT, UniMas/Univision Deportes)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Porto vs. Liverpool (B/R Live, Galavision)
9:00 p.m. - [MLS] Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. LAFC (ESPN+)
Thursday, Apr. 18
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Napoli vs. Arsenal (B/R Live, Univision Deportes)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Chelsea vs. Slavia Prague (B/R Live, Galavision)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Valencia vs. Villarreal (B/R Live, UniMas)
Friday, Apr. 19
2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Alaves vs. Valladolid (beIN Sports)
1:45 p.m. - [Ligue 1] Nantes vs. Lyon (beIN Sports)
2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Leicester City vs. Newcastle (NBC Sports)
10:00 p.m. - [MLS] LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo (Twitter, UniMas)
Saturday, Apr. 20
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester City vs. Tottenham (NBC Sports)
8:30 a.m. - [Budesliga] Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen (FS1, Univision Deportes)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Bournemouth vs. Fulham (NBC Sports)
9:15 a.m. - [La Liga] Eibar vs. Atletico Madrid (beIN Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Newcastle vs. Southampton (NBC Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Budesliga] Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. RB Leipzig 05 (FS1)
1:45 p.m. - [La Liga] Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad (beIN Sports)
3:00 p.m. - [MLS] Atlanta United vs. FC Dallas (ESPN)
5:00 p.m. - [NWSL] Sky Blue FC vs. Houston Dash (YahooSports.com)
7:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Cruz Azul vs. Pumas (Univision)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Chivas vs. Puebla (Univision)
Sunday, Apr. 21
7:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Everton vs. Manchester United (NBC Sports)
8:30 a.m. - [Budesliga] Freiburg vs. Dortmund (FS1, Univision Deportes)
9:15 a.m. - [La Liga] Real Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao (beIN Sports)
10:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Cardiff vs. Liverpool (NBC Sports)
3:00 p.m. - [MLS] D.C. United vs. New York City FC (ESPN)
6:00 p.m. - [MLS] LAFC vs. Seattle Sounders FC (FS1)
Monday, Apr. 22
2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Chelsea vs. Burnley (NBC Sports)
Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions â but trending in slightly different directions.
The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where theyâve compiled a 30-13 record â a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.
On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
Fridayâs pitching matchup features Houstonâs Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicagoâs Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, whoâs slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio DubĂłn, whoâs found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.
Itâs the first meeting of the season between these two clubs â and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.
The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.
How the mighty have fallen.
Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.
Screenshot via: MLB.com
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