THE SOCCER REPORT
River-Boca on tap, Houston Dynamo playoff hopes end
Oct 1, 2019, 8:25 am
River Plate product Tomas Martinez has been a staple of Dynamo lineups in 2019. Credit: Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo are officially eliminated from playoff contention, sentencing their absence from the MLS Cup Playoffs in five of the past six seasons. The Dash are off this week but will be heading down to Monterrey, Mexico for a friendly with Liga MX side Tigres on Saturday night.
On the global scale, one of the most heated rivalries in the sport takes place on Tuesday night as Argentina's River Plate and Boca Juniors face off in the Copa Libertadores semifinals. The matchup is a rematch of the Libertadores finals from last year, a series that had to be finished in Spain because it was not deemed safe to conclude in Argentina.
Here is a review of the past week in soccer:
Major League Soccer
Last Wednesday, LAFC demolished the Houston Dynamo by a scoreline of 3-1 to clinch the best record in MLS and home field throughout the playoffs. The Supporters Shield is the two-year club's first major trophy. Four other Western Conference teams clinched a playoff spot, leaving only two to be decided for the final day of the regular season.
In the East, NYCFC clinched the top spot and a bye in the first round. New England defeated NYCFC on Sunday to secure the final playoff spot in the conference.
Every match will be played simultaneously on Sunday in MLS' "Decision Day." Aside from the final two playoff berths, seeding in the playoffs is also to be decided. Spots 2-4 in each conference host in the first round.
With two goals this week, Carlos Vela tied the single-season scoring record (31) set by Atlata's Josef Martinez in 2018. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not far behind in the Golden Boot race with 29 as the Galaxy come to Houston on Sunday.
East top seven: 1. y - NYCFC (61), 2. x - Atlanta (55), 3. x - Philadelphia (55), 4. x - D.C. United (49), 5. x - NY Red Bulls (48), 6. x - Toronto (47), 7. x - New England (45)
West top seven (and playoff hopefuls): 1. s - LAFC (69), 2. x - Minnesota (53), 3. x - Seattle (53), 4. x - LA Galaxy (51), 5. x - Real Salt Lake (50), 6. Portland (46), 7. Dallas (45), 8. San Jose (44), 9. Colorado (42)
Scoring leader: 31 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Assists leader: 20 - Maxi Morales (NYCFC)
National Women's Soccer League
The four teams in the NWSL playoffs have been decided with only the semifinal matchups to be decided as the league enters it's final two weeks. The Houston Dash will miss out on the postseason once more, a feat never accomplished in club history.
Standings: 1. s - North Carolina Courage (46), 2. x - Chicago Red Stars (44), 3. x - Portland Thorns (39), 4. x - Reign FC (37), 5. Utah Royals (31), 6. Washington Spirit (30), 7. Houston Dash (26), 8. Sky Blue FC (20), 9. Orlando Pride (15)
Scoring leader: 18 - Sam Kerr (Chicago)
Assists leader: 8 - Yuki Nagasato (Chicago)
English Premier League
Matchday 7 Results
- Sheffield Utd 0-1 Liverpool
- Crystal Palace 2-0 Norwich City
- Aston Villa 2-2 Burnley
- Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham
- Wolves 2-0 Watford
- Tottenham 2-1 Southampton
- Chelsea 1-0 Brighton
- Everton 1-3 Manchester City
- Leicester City 5-0 Newcastle
- Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal
Top six: Liverpool (21), Man City (16), Leicester City (14), Arsenal (12), West Ham (12), Tottenham (11)
Scoring leader: 8 - Sergio Aguero (Man City)
Assists leader: 8 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Spanish La Liga
Matchday 6 Results
- Valladolid 1-1 Granada
- Real Betis 3-1 Levante
- FC Barcelona 2-1 Villareal
- RCD Mallorca 0-2 Atletico Madrid
- Leganes 1-1 Athletic Bilbao
- Valencia 3-3 Getafe
- Real Madrid 2-0 Osasuna
- Eibar 3-2 Sevilla
- Celta Vigo 1-1 Espanyol
- Real Sociedad 3-0 Alaves
Matchday 7 Results
- Villareal 5-1 Real Betis
- Athletic Bilbao 0-1 Valencia
- Getafe 0-2 FC Barcelona
- Granada 1-0 Leganes
- Atletico Madrid 0-0 Real Madrid
- Espanyol 0-2 Valladolid
- Eibar 2-0 Celta Vigo
- Alaves 2-0 RCD Mallorca
- Levante 1-1 Osasuna
- Sevilla 3-2 Real Sociedad
Top six: Real Madrid (15), Granada (14), Atletico Madrid (14), FC Barcelona (13), Real Sociedad (13), Sevilla (13)
Scoring leader: 6 - Gerard Moreno (Villareal)
Assists leader: 3 - Five players tied
German Bundesliga
Matchday 6 Results
- Union Berlin 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
- Hoffenheim 0-3 Monchengladbach
- Mainz 0-1 Wolfsburg
- Augsburg 0-3 Bayer Leverkusen
- Paderborn 2-3 Bayern Munich
- RB Leipzig 1-3 Schalke 04
- Dortmund 2-2 Werder Bremen
- Fortuna 1-2 Freiburg
- Cologne 0-4 Hertha Berlin
Top six: Bayern Munich (14), RB Leipzig (13), Freiburg (13), Schalke 04 (13), Monchengladbach (13), Bayer Leverkusen (13)
Scoring leader: 10 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Italian Serie A
Matchday 5 Results
- Hellas Verona 0-0 Udinese
- Brescia 1-2 Juventus
- Roma 0-2 Atalanta
- SPAL 1-3 Lecce
- Napoli 0-1 Cagliari
- Genoa 0-0 Bologna
- Fiorentina 2-1 Sampdoria
- Parma 1-0 Sassuolo
- Inter Milan 1-0 Lazio
- Torino 2-1 AC Milan
Matchday 6 Results
- Juventus 2-0 SPAL
- Sampdoria 1-3 Inter Milan
- Sassuolo 1-4 Atalanta
- Napoli 2-1 Brescia
- Lazio 4-0 Genoa
- Udinese 1-0 Bolognia
- Lecce 0-1 Roma
- Cagliari 1-1 Hellas Verona
- AC Milan 1-3 Fiorentina
- Parma 3-2 Torino
Top six: Inter Milan (18), Juventus (16), Atalanta (13), Napoli (12), Roma (11), Lazio (10)
Scoring leader: 5 - Four players tied
French Ligue 1
Matchday 7 Results
- Dijon 0-0 Marseille
- Monaco 3-1 Nice
- Brest 2-2 Lyon
- St-Etienne 0-1 Metz
- Amiens 1-3 Bordeaux
- Nantes 1-0 Rennes
- Montpellier 1-0 Nimes
- Toulouse 0-2 Angers
- Lille 2-0 Strasbourg
- PSG 0-2 Stade Reims
Matchday 8 Results
- Lyon 0-1 Nantes
- Bordeaux 0-1 PSG
- Stade Reims 1-2 Dijon
- Metz 2-2 Toulouse
- Monaco 4-1 Brest
- Angers 1-1 Amiens
- Nice 1-1 Lille
- Strasbourg 1-0 Montpellier
- Nimes 0-1 St-Etienne
- Marseille 1-1 Rennes
Top six: PSG (18), Angers (16), Nantes (16), Lille (14), Marseille (13), Nice (13)
Scoring leader: 6 - Three players tied
Netherlands Eredivisie
Matchday 8 - Top Results
- Ajax 2-0 Groningen
- Waalwijk 1-2 Vitesse
- Zwolle 0-2 PSV
- AZ Alkmaar 2-0 Heracles
- Feyenoord 5-1 Twente
Top four: Ajax (20), PSV (20), AZ Alkmaar (19), Vitesse (17)
Scoring leader: 8 - Donyell Malen (PSV Eindhoven)
Assists leader: 8 - Dusan Tadic (Ajax)
Portuguese Primeira Liga
Matchday 7 - Top Results
- Benfica 1-0 Setubal
- Famalicao 3-1 Belenenses
- Vitoria 1-0 Pacos Ferreira
- Rio Ave 0-1 Porto
- Aves 0-1 Sporting CP
Top four: Famalicao(19), Benfica (18), Porto (18), Vitoria (12)
Scoring leader: 6 - Pizzi (Benfica) / Ze Luis (Porto)
Assists leader: 4 - Bruno Fernandes (Sporting)
Scottish Premiership
Matchday 7 - Top Results
- Hibernian 1-1 Celtic
- Rangers 5-0 Aberdeen
- St. Johnstone 0-1 Motherwell
Top four: Celtic (19), Rangers (18), Motherwell (13), Aberdeen (11)
Scoring leader: 6 - Jermain Defoe (Rangers) / Ryan Christie (Celtic)
Assists leader: 4 - James Forrest (Celtic)
Mexican Liga MX
Matchday 11 Results
- Queretaro 1-2 Necaxa
- Tigres 0-1 Puebla
- Leon 1-1 Atlas
- Guadalajara 2-4 Pachuca
- Santos 5-0 Veracruz
- Juarez 1-1 Club America
- Cruz Azul 1-1 Monterrey
- Tijuana 3-2 Monarcas
- Toluca 3-1 Atletico San Luis
Matchday 12 Results
- Puebla 2-1 Leon
- Atlas 2-0 Queretaro
- Pachuca 2-0 Cruz Azul
- Necaxa 0-0 Juarez
- Monterrey 0-2 Tigres
- Club America 4-1 Guadalajara
- Pumas 2-0 Santos
- Atletico San Luis 2-3 Tijuana
- Veracruz 1-1 Toluca
Top Eight: 1. Santos Laguna (23), 2. Necaxa (21), 3. Club America (21), 4. Leon (19), 5. Pachuca (18), 6. Queretaro (18), 7. Tigres (17), 8. Pumas (17)
Scoring leader: 8 - Julio Furch (Santos)
Assists leader: 8 - Miller Bolanos (Tijuana)
Liga MX clubs Tigres UANL and Santos will face off in a club friendly in Houston during the October FIFA International window. Tickets on sale at BBVAStadium.com
Liga MX Femenil
Matchday 13 Results
- Necaxa 0-1 Queretaro
- Juarez 1-2 UANL
- Atlas 2-2 Cruz Azul
- UNAM 1-1 Monarcas
- Veracruz 1-1 Guadalajara
- America 2-1 Pachuca
- Santos 0-0 Puebla
- Atletico San Luis 1-2 Leon
- Tijuana 2-1 Toluca
Top Eight: 1. Monterrey (30), 2. Pachuca (26), 3. Tigres (25), 4. Guadalajara (23), 5. Atlas (21), 6. America (21), 7. Tijuana (21), 8. Monarcas (18)
Scoring leader: 13 - Mónica Monsiváis (Monterrey)
Argentina Superliga
Matchday 8 Results
- Aldosivi 1-2 Union
- Patronato 1-1 Lanus
- Arsenal 3-0 Estudiantes
- Gimnasia 0-2 River Plate
- Boca 1-1 Newells
- Banfield 0-1 San Lorenzo
- Huracan 0-0 Atletico Tucuman
- Velez 0-1 Defensa y Justicia
- Rosario Central 1-1 Racing Club
- Independiente 3-2 Talleres Cordoba
- Cordoba 1-0 Godoy Cruz
- Colon 1-0 Argentinos Juniors
Top four: Boca (18), San Lorenzo (16), Talleres Cordoba (16), Arsenal Sarandi (15)
Scoring leader: 4 - Bruno Pitton (San Lorenzo) / Nicolas Dominguez (Velez)
Assists leader: 3 - Mathias Abero Villan (Patronato)
Argentina Female
The first matchday in Argentina's female football featured the first Boca vs. River matchup of the professional era.
Matchday 1 Results
- Villa 1-5 Rosario Central
- Gimnasia 2-0 Huracan
- Platense 1-5 Racing Club
- Estudiantes 3-1 Belgrano
- SAT 1-0 El Porvenir
- Boca Juniors 5-0 River Plate
- Lanus 1-3 San Lorenzo
- Urquiza 2-1 Independiente
Top four: SAT (3), Boca Juniors (3) Racing Club (3), Rosario Central (3)
TV listings (All Times CT):
Tuesday, October 1
12:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Real Madrid vs. Club Brugge (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)
1:45 p.m. - [English Championship] Leeds vs. West Bromwich (ESPN+)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Tottenham vs. Bayern Munich (TNT, Galavision)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Juventus vs. Bayer Leverkusen (UniMas, TUDN)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Galatasaray vs. PSG (B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Atletico Madrid (B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Manchester City vs. Dinamo Zagreb (B/R Live)
7:30 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] River Plate vs. Boca Juniors (beIN SPORTS)
Wednesday, October 2
12:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Slavia Prague vs. Borussia Dortmund (TNT, Galavision)
12:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Genk vs. Napoli (UniMas, TUDN)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] FC Barcelona vs. Inter Milan (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Liverpool vs. Salzburg (Galavision, B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] RB Leipzig vs. Lyon (B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Valencia vs. Ajax (B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Lille vs. Chelsea (B/R Live)
7:30 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Gremio vs. Flamengo (beIN SPORTS)
Thursday, October 3
12:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] AZ Alkmaar vs. Manchester United (TUDN, B/R Live)
12:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Feyenoord vs. Porto (Galavision, B/R Live)
12:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Wolfsburg vs. Roma (B/R Live)
12:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Besiktas vs. Wolves (UniMas, B/R Live)
12:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Young Boys vs. Rangers (B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Sevilla vs. APOEL (UniMas, B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Sporting CP vs. LASK (Galavision, B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Arsenal vs. Standard Liege (TUDN, B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Rosenborg vs. PSV Eindhoven (B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Celtic vs. Cluj (B/R Live)
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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