THE SOCCER REPORT

Premier League race down to the wire; Racing Club win Superliga Argentina

Premier League race down to the wire; Racing Club win Superliga Argentina
Houston Dynamo forward Alberth Elis was named to the MLS Team of the Week after his performance in the 4-1 win at Colorado. Credit: MLS

With international soccer finally concluded, at least until the summer, it's high speed ahead for clubs around the world as league titles, domestic cups and international club competitions start to reach the finish line.

English Premier League

Every goal from Premier League Matchweek 32 | NBC Sportswww.youtube.com

This is where the big money begins to be earned in the Premier League. Liverpool's 2-1 win over Tottenham was the highlight of the weekend but also a big match in terms of the standings. The Reds move to the top spot, at least momentarily, while Tottenham's loss gave way for London rivals Arsenal to jump them for the third spot overall. Manchester United also continue in the top four race as Ole Gunnar Solskjær was named the permanent manager.

Top six: 1. Liverpool (79), 2. Manchester City (77), 3. Arsenal (63), 4. Tottenham (61), 5. Manchester United (61), 6. Chelsea (60)

Scoring leader: 19 - Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Assists leader: 11 - Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC)

Spain's La Liga

All Goals Matchday 29 LaLiga Santander 2018/2019www.youtube.com

Atletico Madrid Manager Diego Simeone said this week that they will fight till their last breath for the league despite it looking like the title has already been won by FC Barcelona. Atletico will have an opportunity, at least, to try to back that claim as the top two sides face off this coming weekend.

Top six: 1. FC Barcelona (69), 2. Atlético Madrid (59), 3. Real Madrid (57), 4. Getafe (46), 5. Alaves (44), 6. Valencia (43)

Scoring leader: 31 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)

Assists leader: 12 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)

German Bundesliga

This year's Bundesliga title will likely be decided this weekend when Dortmund and Bayern Munich face off in Der Klassiker. Dortmund helped their chances by winning this past Saturday but they will still have to fend off the defending champs as only two points separate the two most winning teams in Germany.

Top six: 1. Dortmund (63), 2. Bayern Munich (61), 3. RB Leipzig (52), 4. Eintracht Frankfurt (49), 5. Monchengladbach (47), 6. Werder Bremen (42)

Scoring leader: 19 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Assists leader: 13 - Jadon Sancho (Dortumund)

Italian Serie A

Top six: 1. Juventus (78), 2. Napoli (63), 3. Inter Milan (53), 4. Milan (51), 5. Lazio (48), 6. Atalanta (48)

Scoring leader: 21- Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria)

Assists leader: 9 - Alejandro Gomez (Atalanta) / Dries Mertens (Napoli)

French Ligue 1

Top six: 1. PSG (80), 2. Lille (60), 3. Lyon (56), 4. Saint-Étienne (49), 5. Marseille (48), 6. Stade Reims (46)

Scoring leader: 27 - Kylian Mbappé (PSG)

Assists leader: 10 - Angel Di Maria (PSG)

Dutch Eredivisie

Top three: 1. PSV Eindhoven (67), 2. Ajax (65), 3. AZ Alkmaar (50)

Belgian First Division A

Championship Round: 1. Genk (35), 2. Club Brugge (31), 3. Standard Liege (30), 4. Anderlecht (26), 5. Antwerp (25), 6. Genk (25)

Portuguese Primeira Liga

Top three: 1. Benfica (66), 2. Porto (66), 3. Sporting CP (58)

Scottish Premier League

Top three: 1. Celtic (73), 2. Rangers (60), 3. Kilmarnock (54)

------

Major League Soccer

A Panenka, A Chip, A Stunning Debut Steals the Show in Week 5youtu.be

The Houston Dynamo are one of a handful of undefeated MLS teams through week five of the 2019 season. This past week stood out for the high margin of goals including LAFC's 5-0 win at San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting KC's 7-1 home win over Montreal Impact and the Dynamo's own 4-1 win away at Colorado Rapids. LAFC's Carlos Vela and D.C. United's Wayne Rooney both scored spectacular goals while LA Galaxy picked up three points thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who returned to action after being out injured. Spanish newcomer Alejandro Pozuelo also stole the headlines to start the week after a scoring twice in Toronto's 4-0 win over NYCFC.

East top seven: 1. D.C. United (10), 2. Columbus Crew (10), 3. Toronto (9), 4. Philadelphia (7), 5. Cincinatti (7), 6. Montreal (6), 7. Orlando (5)

West top seven: 1. LAFC (13), 2. Seattle (10), 3. Houston (10), 4. FC Dallas (10), 5. LA Galaxy (9), 6. Sporting KC (7), 7. Minnesota (6)

Liga MX

Mejores Goles | Jornada 12 | LIGA Bancomer MXwww.youtube.com

Top eight: 1. Leon (29), 2. Tigres UANL (26), 3. Monterrey (23), 4. Club America (22), 5. Necaxa (21), 6. Pachuca (20), 7. Cruz Azul (19), 8. Puebla (19)

Scoring leader: 11 - Angel Mena (Leon)

Assists leader: 8 - Angel Mena (Leon)

Superliga Argentina

After leading much of the league at the top of the standings, Racing Club de Avellaneda clinched the Argentine league title over the weekend with a 1-1 draw against Tigre. The result put the league out of reach for second place Defensa y Justicia, who Racing will actually host on Sunday in what could've been a game of higher stakes.

Top four: 1. Racing Club (56), 2. Defensa y Justicia (52), 3. Boca Juniors (50), 4. River Plate (45)

Scoring leader: 17 - Lisandro Lopez (Racing)

Assists leader: 9 - Walter Montillo (Tigre)

------

Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):

Tuesday, Apr. 2

12:00 p.m. - [Serie A] AC Milan vs. Udinese (ESPN+)

12:30 p.m. - [La Liga] Atletico Madrid vs. Girona (beIN Sports)

1:45 p.m. - [Premier League] Wolves vs. Man United (NBC Sports)

2:00 p.m. - [Serie A] Cagliari vs. Juventus (ESPN+)

2:30 p.m. - [La Liga] Villarreal vs. Barcelona (beIN Sports)

7:30 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Paranaense vs. Boca Juniors (beIN Sports)

9:15 p.m. - [Copa MX Semifinal] Club America vs. Tijuana (Univision Deportes)

Wednesday, Apr. 3

11:30 a.m. - [German Cup] Bayern Munich vs. Heidenheim (ESPNews, ESPN Deportes)

1:45 p.m. - [Premier League] Tottenham vs. Crystal Palace (NBC Sports)

2:00 p.m. - [Serie A] Genoa vs. Inter Milan (ESPN+)

2:00 p.m. - [French Cup Semifinal] PSG vs. Nantes (beIN Sports Connect)

2:30 p.m. - [La Liga] Valencia vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)

5:15 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Internacional vs. River Plate (beIN Sports)

9:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] Tigres UANL vs. Santos Laguna (YahooSports.com, Univision Deportes)

Thursday, Apr. 4

11:30 a.m. - [Eredivisie] PSV vs. Zwolle (ESPN+)

1:30 p.m. - [Belgian League] Anderlecht vs. Brugge (B/R Live)

2:30 p.m. - [La Liga] Real Sociedad vs. Real Betis (beIN Sports)

8:00 p.m. - [International Friendly] U.S. Women's National Team vs. Australia (FS1)

9:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] Monterrey vs. Sporting KC (YahooSports.com, Univision Deportes)

Friday, Apr. 5

1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Mainz 05 vs. SC Freiburg (FS2)

2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Southampton vs. Liverpool (NBC Sports)

Saturday, Apr. 6

9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Newcastle vs. Crystal Palace (NBC Sports)

9:15 a.m. - [La Liga] Real Madrid vs Eibar (beIN Sports)

11:30 a.m. - [Budesliga] Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund (FOX)

11:30 a.m. - [FA Cup Semifinal] Manchester City vs. Brighton and Hove Albion (ESPN+)

1:45 p.m. - [La Liga] FC Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid (beIN Sports)

2:00 p.m. - [MLS] D.C. United vs. LAFC (FOX)

Sunday, Apr. 7

8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Everton vs. Arsenal (NBC Sports)

10:00 a.m. - [FA Cup Semifinal] Watford vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (ESPN+)

2:00 p.m. - [MLS] FC Cincinnati vs. Sporting KC (ESPN)

8:00 p.m. - [International Friendly] U.S. Women's National Team vs. Belgium (ESPN2)

Monday, Apr. 8

2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Chelsea vs. West Ham (NBC Sports)

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
Is Kyle Tucker at least another month away from returning? Composite Getty Image.

The latest update from Astros GM Dana Brown on the club's flagship station did not ease anyone's concerns this week. Brown said he was optimistic that Kyle Tucker would be back before September. September?

Which made us wonder what type of injury Tucker is really dealing with? A bone bruise doesn't typically take this long to heal.

Be sure to watch the video above as ESPN Houston's Joel Blank and Barry Laminack share their thoughts on Tucker's health, the Astros' secrecy when it comes to injuries, and much more!

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome