THE SOCCER REPORT
Soccer roundup: Premier League returns, Zlatan slams MLS playoff system
Aug 13, 2019, 6:55 am
Liverpool supporters in Houston packed Hugh O'Connors pub in the Marq'E for the opening match of the Premier League season.
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 Sportswww.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
There's a long way to go... But here's how the #PL table stacks up https://t.co/y3EJO1ZteX— Premier League (@Premier League) 1565595123.0
French Ligue 1
Top buts 1ère journée - Ligue 1 Conforama / 2019-20www.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
International Champions Cup (European preseason)
FC Barcelona – SCC Napoli (4-0) HIGHLIGHTSwww.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.
Atletico Madrid defeated Juventus 2-1 in Stockholm, Sweden to conclude the preseason International Champions Cup.
Major League Soccer (USA/Canada)
Two of the bigger stars in the league made headlines for different reasons. First came the news of D.C. United forward Wayne Rooney returning to England in January with Championship side Derby County as a player-coach. Rooney was absent from D.C.'s 2-1 win over LA Galaxy on Sunday.
👀“The system (@MLS Playoffs) is sh*t that’s just the way it is.” - @Ibra_official 🎥 @FntsySportsCave #Zlatan… https://t.co/iW4gaey7Rv— Giovanni Garcia (@Giovanni Garcia) 1565293033.0
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.
The Houston Dynamo, on their behalf, continued their poor road form with back-to-back losses at NYCFC and Philadelphia in the span of four days. The Dynamo return home to face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.
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
.@ClubSantosEn, @Club_Queretaro and @ClubAmerica_EN remain undefeated; @10APG hat-trick; @ClubTiburones' winless st… https://t.co/w55Y1djpZf— Tom Marshall (@Tom Marshall) 1565618617.0
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, 2019www.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)
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Two first-place clubs riding identical hot streaks meet again Wednesday night as the Houston Astros host the Philadelphia Phillies in a marquee midseason showdown.
The Astros, winners of six straight at home, enter with a 46-33 record and a firm grip on the AL West. They've surged behind strong pitching and timely hitting, outscoring opponents by 10 runs over their last 10 games while posting a 3.40 team ERA. Mauricio Dubón has been a spark during that stretch, slugging four homers in his last 10 games, while Isaac Paredes continues to anchor the lineup with a team-high 16 home runs.
They’ll hand the ball to rookie left-hander Colton Gordon, who brings a 2-1 record and 4.54 ERA into his eighth start of the season. Gordon has shown flashes of potential but will face perhaps his toughest test yet against a Phillies lineup loaded with talent and plate discipline.
Philadelphia, 47-32 and sitting atop the NL East, has the third-best on-base percentage in baseball (.331) and no signs of slowing. They've gone 7-3 in their last 10 games, outscoring opponents by 15 runs and batting .267 during that stretch. Trea Turner has begun to heat up, going 12-for-42 in his last 10 contests, while Nick Castellanos remains a consistent threat with 21 doubles and 41 RBIs on the year.
The Phillies will counter with ace Zack Wheeler, who enters with dominant numbers: a 7-2 record, 2.61 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 118 strikeouts. Wheeler’s command and swing-and-miss stuff have been a constant all season, and the Astros will have to work for every base runner.
This is the second meeting between the two clubs this season, with the Astros winning the first contest, 1-0. With both teams trending upward, it has all the makings of another tight, low-scoring battle. The betting line favors Philadelphia (-160), with the over/under set at 7.5 runs — a reflection of the elite pitching expected on both sides.
First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. EDT at Daikin Park.