THE SOCCER REPORT
Soccer roundup: Premier League returns, Zlatan slams MLS playoff system
The start of the 2019/20 Premier League season left plenty of stories for soccer fans to digest but it wasn't the only thing to talk about. The French top division also kicked off, Zlatan Ibrahimovic used the word "s***" to describe Major League Soccer's regular season structure and Wayne Rooney is headed back to England after the conclusion of the current domestic season.
Here are the top stories you need to know from the past week:
English Premier League
Every goal from Premier League 2019/20 Matchweek 1 | NBC Sports www.youtube.com
UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool kicked off the new season with a 4-1 win at home while defending PL champions Manchester City followed that up with a 5-0 win at West Ham. The season is expected to be another two team race between them but Manchester United had something to say about that with a 4-0 win over Chelsea in the most touted match of the week. U.S. Men's National Team's Christian Pulisic and Chelsea Legend Frank Lampard made their debuts with the club as player and manager, respectively.
Matchday 1 Results
- Liverpool 4-1 Norwich City
- West Ham 0-5 Manchester City
- Bournemouth 1-1 Sheffield United
- Burnley 3-0 Southampton
- Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton
- Watford 0-3 Brighton
- Spurs 3-1 Aston Villa
- Leicester City 0-0 Wolverhampton
- Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal
- Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea
French Ligue 1
Top buts 1ère journée - Ligue 1 Conforama / 2019-20 www.youtube.com
The trio of Cavani, Mbappe and Di Maria scored for champions Paris Saint-Germain as the Neymar saga continues behind the scenes. The Brazilian has been rumored to leave the French giants for a return to Spain with either his former club Barcelona or their hated rivals Real Madrid. Elsewhere in France, 19-year-old American Tim Weah made his debut with Lille after a $11.4 million move from PSG back in June.
Matchday 1 - Top Results
- Monaco 0-3 Lyon
- Marseille 0-2 Stade Reims
- Dijon 1-2 St-Ettiene
- Lille 2-1 Nantes
- PSG 3-0 Nimes
Netherlands Eredivisie
Matchday 2 - Top Results
- Ajax 5-0 Emmen
- Waalwijk 0-2 AZ Alkmaar
- Heerenveen 1-1 Feyenoord
- PSV 3-1 Den Haag
Scottish Premier League
Matchday 2 - Top Results
- Motherwell 2-5 Celtic
- Rangers 6-1 Hibernian
FC Barcelona – SCC Napoli (4-0) HIGHLIGHTS www.youtube.com
FC Barcelona faced off against Napoli in back-to-back friendlies during the past week. Barcelona won the first encounter in Miami's Hard Rock Stadium by a 2-1 scoreline and the second with a 4-0 thumping at "The Big House" in Michigan.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic made news midweek after criticizing the regular season format in MLS. The news came a day before the Galaxy announced Boca Juniors forward Cristian Pavon as its latest signing.
East top seven: 1. Philadelphia (45), 2. Atlanta (42), 3. D.C. United (39), 4. NYCFC (38), 5. NY Red Bulls (37), 6. New England (34), 7. Montreal (33)
West top seven: 1. LAFC (55), 2. Seattle (39), 3. Minnesota (38), 4. San Jose (38), 5. LA Galaxy (37), 6. Real Salt Lake (37), 7. Dallas (36)
Scoring leader: 23 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Assists leader: 15 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Liga MX
Top Eight: 1. Santos Laguna (12), 2. Queretaro (10), 3. Club America (10), 4. Tigres UANL (9), 5. Atlas (9), 6. Guadalajara (7), 7. Tijuana (7), 8. Pumas UNAM (6)
Scoring leader: 4 - Andre-Pierre Gignac (Tigres), Brian Lozano (Santos)
Assists leader: 4 - Luis Quinones (Tigres)
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National Women's Soccer League
Highlights: Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash | August 10, 2019 www.youtube.com
The Houston Dash picked up a 1-0 win at Orlando to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Standings: 1. Portland Thorns (30), 2. Chicago Red Stars (29), 3. North Carolina Courage (28), 4. Reign FC (26), 5. Utah Royals (24), 6. Houston Dash (22), 7. Washington Spirit (21), 8. Orlando Pride (11), 9. Sky Blue FC (9)
Scoring leader: 12 - Sam Kerr (Chicago)
Assists leader: 5 - Lynn Williams (North Carolina)
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Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):
Tuesday, August 13
1:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League Qualyfing] Copenhagen vs. Red Star Belgrade (B/R Live)
1:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League Qualyfing] Ferencváros vs. Dinamo Zagreb (B/R Live)
Wednesday, August 14
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Super Cup] Liverpool vs. Chelsea (TNT, Univision)
7:00 p.m. - [Campeones Cup] Atlanta United vs. Club America (ESPN2, TUDN)
Thursday, August 15
4:00 p.m. - [Women's International Champions Cup] Atletico Madrid vs. Lyon (ESPN+)
6:30 p.m. - [Women's International Champions Cup] Man City vs. North Carolina Courage (ESPN+)
Friday, August 16
1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Bayern Munich vs. Hertha Berlin (FS2)
2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Athletic Bilbao vs. Barcelona (beIN Sports)
Saturday, August 17
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Arsenal vs. Burnley (NBC Sports)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Borussia Dortmund vs. Augsburg (FS1, UniMas)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Southampton vs. Liverpool (NBC Sports)
10:00 a.m. - [La Liga] Celta Vigo vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester City vs. Spurs (NBC, Telemundo)
8:00 p.m. - [MLS] Houston Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids (KUBE57)
9:00 p.m. - [MLS] LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders FC (ESPN2)
Sunday, August 18
8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Sheffield United vs. Crystal Palace (NBC Sports)
10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Chelsea vs. Leicester City (NBC Sports)
Monday, August 19
2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Wolves vs. Manchester United (NBC Sports)
