THE SOCCER REPORT
Premier League race awaits final weekend; Liga MX playoffs set
May 7, 2019, 10:22 am
Chelsea secured a Champions League spot for next season while debuting their new kits. Courtesy: Nike, Inc.
UEFA Champions League
FC Barcelona and Ajax took wins in the first leg semi-final matches. Barcelona goes on the road to Liverpool, who will be without Mohamed Salah, while Ajax looks to close out Tottenham at home.
Semifinals - first leg results:
- Tottenham 0-1 Ajax
- FC Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool
UEFA Europa League
Arsenal took a good lead at home but must now close the deal in Spain to advance to the final. With the Premier League results over the weekend, Europa League may be Arsenal's last chance to qualify for next year's Champions League. With Chelsea, assuring themselves a spot in next year's UCL, their biggest motivation to continue strong in the Europa League is the chase for silverware.
Semifinals - first leg results:
- Arsenal 3-1 Valencia
- Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Chelsea
English Premier League
The Premier League title will come down to the final day of the season. Manchester City is in the pole position and will be crowned champions if they win. Liverpool need a win and a City draw/loss. Chelsea clinched a top four finish and a Champions League spot while Manchester United missed out on the latter and will have to settle for Europa League next season.
Top six: 1. Manchester City (92), 2. Liverpool (91), 3. Chelsea (71), 4. Tottenham (70), 5. Arsenal (67), 6. Manchester United (66)
Scoring leader: 22 - Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Assists leader: 15 - Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC)
Spain's La Liga
Top six: 1. (C) - FC Barcelona (83), 2. Atlético Madrid (74), 3. Real Madrid (68), 4. Getafe (58), 5. Valencia (55), 6. Sevilla (55)
Scoring leader: 34 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Assists leader: 13 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) / Pablo Sarabia (Sevilla)
German Bundesliga
Bayern Munich are within reach of the Bundesliga title, needing only a win to clinch it in the penultimate matchday.
Top six: 1. Bayern Munich (74), 2. Dortmund (70), 3. RB Leipzig (65), 4. Eintracht Frankfurt (54), 5. Bayer Leverkusen (54), 6. Monchengladbach (52)
Scoring leader: 22 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Assists leader: 14 - Jadon Sancho (Dortumund)
Italian Serie A
Top six: 1. (C) - Juventus (89), 2. Napoli (73), 3. Inter Milan (63), 4. Atalanta (62), 5. A.C. Milan (59), 6. Roma (59)
Scoring leader: 25 - Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria)
Assists leader: 10 - Alejandro Gomez (Atalanta) / Dries Mertens (Napoli)
French Ligue 1
Top six: 1. (C) - PSG (85), 2. Lille (69), 3. Lyon (63), 4. Saint-Étienne (62), 5. Montpellier (55), 6. Marseille (55)
Scoring leader: 30 - Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
Assists leader: 13 - Teji Savanier (Nimes)
Dutch Eredivisie
Top three: 1. Ajax (80), 2. PSV Eindhoven (80), 3. Feyenoord (62)
Belgian First Division A
Championship Round: 1. Genk (50), 2. Club Brugge (44), 3. Antwerp (38), 4. Standard Liege (36), 5. Anderlecht (30), 6. Gent (26)
Portuguese Primeira Liga
Top three: 1. Benfica (81), 2. Porto (79), 3. Sporting CP (73)
Scottish Premier League
Championship: 1. (C) Celtic (84), 2. Rangers (75), 3. Aberdeen (61)
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Concacaf Champions League
CF Monterrey Highlights vs. Tigres 2www.youtube.com
Monterrey finally lifted a title at their new stadium and it couldn't have come against a sweeter opponent. After winning the first leg 1-0 away, Monterrey tied 1-1 at home against city rivals Tigres to win the 2019 Concacaf Champions League.
Major League Soccer
East top seven: 1. Philadelphia (20), 2. D.C. United (20), 3. Montreal (17), 4. Toronto (16), 5. NYCFC (15), 6. Columbus (13), 7. Orlando (12)
West top seven: 1. LAFC (24), 2. LA Galaxy (22), 3. Houston (19), 4. Seattle (19), 5. FC Dallas (17), 6. Minnesota (15), 7. San Jose (11)
Scoring leader: 11 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Assists leader: 6 - Alejandro Pozuelo (Toronto FC) / Diego Valeri (Portland Timbers) / Nicolas Lodeiro (Seattle Sounders FC)
Liga MX
Top eight: 1. Leon (38), 2. Tigres UANL (34), 3. Monterrey (30), 4. Cruz Azul (29), 5. Pachuca (28), 6. Necaxa (26), 7. Club America (26), 8. Tijuana (25)
Scoring leader: 14 - Angel Mena (Leon)
Assists leader: 10 - Angel Mena (Leon)
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National Women's Soccer League
Standings: 1. North Carolina Courage (8), 2. Utah Royals (9), 3. Chicago Red Stars (5), 4. Portland Thorns (5), 5. Houston Dash (7), 6. Washington Spirit (4), 7. Seattle Reign (3), 8. Sky Blue FC (2), 9. Orlando Pride (1)
Scoring leader: 4 - Crystal Dunn (North Carolina)
Assists leader: 2 - Lynn Williams (North Carolina) / Meghan Klingenberg (Portland) / Yuki Nagasato (Chicago)
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Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):
Tuesday, May 7
2:00p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Liverpool vs. FC Barcelona (TNT, Univision, Univision Deportes)
7:30 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] River Plate vs. Internacional (beIN SPORTS)
Wednesday, May 8
2:00p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Ajax vs. Tottenham (TNT, Univision, Univision Deportes)
5:15 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Cruzeiro vs. Emelec (beIN SPORTS en Español)
6:00 p.m. - [MLS] Atlanta United vs. Toronto FC (ESPN+)
7:00 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Pachuca vs. Tigres UANL (Univision Deportes)
7:30 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Peñarol vs. Flamengo (beIN SPORTS)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Tijuana vs. Leon (Univision Deportes)
Thursday, May 9
2:00p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Valencia vs. Arsenal (B/R Live, UniMas)
2:00p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Chelsea vs. Frankfurt (B/R Live, Univision Deportes)
7:00 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Necaxa vs. Monterrey (Univision Deportes)
7:30 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Boca Juniors vs. Atletico PR (beIN SPORTS)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Club America vs. Cruz Azul (Univision Deportes)
Friday, May 10
9:00 p.m. - [MLS] Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Portland Timbers (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 11
8:30 a.m. - [Budesliga] RB Leipzig vs. Bayern Munich (FOX, UniMas)
8:30 a.m. - [Budesliga] Dortmund vs. Dusseldorf (FS1, FOX Deportes)
1:00 p.m. - [MLS] FC Dallas vs. NY Red Bulls (Univision, Twitter)
2:30 p.m. - [NWSL] Utah Royals vs. Houston Dash (YahooSports.com)
7:00 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Tigres vs. Pachuca (Univision Deportes)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Leon vs. Tijuana (Univision Deportes)
9:00 p.m. - [MLS] Seattle Sounders FC vs. Houston Dynamo (KUBE 57)
Sunday, May 12
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Manchester City (NBC Sports)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Liverpool vs. Wolves (NBC)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Leicester City vs. Chelsea (CNBC)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Tottenham vs. Everton (SyFy)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Burnley vs. Arsenal (MSNBC)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester United vs. Cardiff City (USA)
1:30 p.m. - [MLS] Atlanta United vs. Orlando City (ESPN)
6:00 p.m. - [MLS] D.C. United vs. Sporting KC (FS1)
6:00 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Club America vs. Cruz Azul (Univision Deportes)
8:00 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Leon vs. Necaxa (Univision Deportes)
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Oct 22, 2024, 3:10 pm
C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are looking for answers after their passing game couldn’t get going in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Houston’s passing attack had been a strength all season, and the Texans ranked fifth in yards passing per game through their first six games. But on Sunday at Lambeau Field, Stroud was limited to a career-low 86 yards in the 24-22 loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak.
Stroud was 10 of 21 and didn’t have a touchdown pass for the first time this season. The second-year player was under duress for much of the day and was sacked four times and hit seven other times.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and see what those issues were,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “As we watch the film, we’ll see what happened, starting for me the communication and just guys being on the details of the job.”
'Everything is on the table. We have to get it fixed' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on offensive line and if personnel changes are being contemplated @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/AwK0rqeU2z
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 21, 2024
The Texans scored a season-high 41 points in a win over New England a week earlier in which Stroud threw a season-best three touchdown passes despite being without star receiver Nico Collins.
They were unable to replicate that success Sunday with Collins out for the second of at least four games after a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve.
Stefon Diggs led the team with five receptions against the Packers, but they only amounted to 23 yards. Tank Dell, who the Texans expected to step up with Collins out, was targeted four times but didn’t have a catch.
Stroud discussed the importance of getting Dell more involved in the offense.
“We have to find a way to try and get him the rock early and often and then go from there,” he said. “It has to be a focus for us, not only just him, but the whole offense clicking early. That is really my job to get the ball out on time and to where it is supposed to go. So yeah, that definitely has to be fixed.”
Ryans spoke about his confidence is getting Dell going.
'I have all the faith in Tank' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans expressed confidence in Tank Dell ability to get back to making explosive plays again as he did as a rookie @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/bojBEx3lYo
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 21, 2024
What's working
The Texans have forced seven turnovers combined in their last two games after they hadn’t caused any in their previous three games.
Houston scored 16 points off three turnovers Sunday. The Texans had two interceptions and recovered a fumble on a punt. In their win over the Patriots, they scored 17 points off a season-high four turnovers.
What needs help
The Texans won’t get to where they want to be this season if Stroud doesn’t get back on track. Before Sunday, last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year was averaging more than 262 yards passing a game, giving the team confidence that the problems in the passing game are fixable.
Ryans knows the line must give Stroud more time to throw and said the coaching staff will focus on improving in that area this week.
Stock up
RB Joe Mixon continued to shine Sunday in his second game back after missing three games with an ankle injury. Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, had 25 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay.
Mixon is confident the Texans will rebound this week if they quit making mistakes.
“Does it look I’m worried? I’m not worried at all,” he said. “Like I said, we got a ... good football team. At the end of the day, we are our own worst enemy.”
Stock down
Dell was unable to help Stroud get the passing game going. The second-year player had a solid rookie season with 709 yards receiving and seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his leg. But he hasn’t been able to build on that success this year and has just 194 yards receiving with one score in six games.
Injuries
LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion), CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) and S Jimmie Ward (groin) all missed Sunday’s game and it’s unclear if any of these starters can return this week.
Key number
3 — Safety Calen Bullock had his third interception Sunday to tie Dunta Robinson and Jumal Rolle for most interceptions by a rookie in franchise history through the first seven games. He leads NFL rookies in interceptions this season and is tied for third-most among all players.
Next steps
The AFC South-leading Texans (5-2) return to division play Sunday when they host the second-place Colts (4-3), who have won two in a row and four of five.