Liverpool gain nine-point lead over City
Soccer Recap: Seattle wins MLS Cup, Liverpool top Man City, Bayern Munich stomp Dortmund
Nov 12, 2019, 7:33 am
Liverpool gain nine-point lead over City
Seattle Sounders FC return to the pinnacle of American soccer after defeating Toronto FC 3-1 in front of 69,274 spectators on Sunday - a new record for a sporting event at CenturyLink Field. Across the Atlantic, Liverpool widened the gap between themselves and defending champions Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Among the other top stories this week:
The 2019 MLS season concluded with the MLS Cup championship game on Sunday. Seattle Sounders FC and Toronto FC met in the final for the third time in the last four years. Seattle defeated Toronto by a 3-1 scoreline to collect their second MLS Cup - joining the Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City with two league titles (only LA Galaxy and D.C. United have more with five and four, respectively).
2019 Major League Soccer Awards
Goalkeeper - Vito Mannone (Minnesota United FC) / Defenders - Ike Opara (Minnesota United FC), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United FC), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC) / Midfielders - Eduard Atuesta (LAFC), Carles Gil (New England Revolution), Maxi Moralez (New York City FC), Alejandro Pozuelo (Toronto FC) / Forwards - Zlatan Ibrahimović (LA Galaxy), Josef Martínez (Atlanta United FC), Carlos Vela (LAFC)
The offseason is officially underway with a temporary trade window until Wednesday, followed by a series of offseason drafts. It is important to note that the current Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire and will be an additional story to follow.
Most of the focus in the Premier League was on the battle of the top two teams from last season. Liverpool expanded the gap in the title race to a nine-point lead over Manchester City after a 3-1 win at home.
Top six: Liverpool (34), Leicester City (26), Chelsea (26), Man City (25), Sheffield Utd (17), Arsenal (17)
Scoring leader: 11 - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Assists leader: 9 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Lionel Messi scored three in Barcelona's 4-1 win over Celta Vigo. Real Madrid collected a 4-0 win at Eibar. The two Spanish giants share the top of the table on points and are on a collision course towards their December 18th meeting.
Top six: FC Barcelona (25), Real Madrid (25), Atletico Madrid (24), Sevilla (24), Real Sociedad (23), Athletic Bilbao (20)
Scoring leader: 9 - Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Assists leader: 4 - Several players tied
Bayern Munich looks to be back on the right course, responding to the dismissal of their Head Coach Niko Kovac with a 4-0 win over rivals Borussia Dortmund. Borussia Monchengladbach lead the Bundesliga standings at the moment.
Top six: Monchengladbach (25), RB Leipzig (21), Bayern Munich (21), Freiburg (21), Hoffenheim (20), Dortmund (19)
Scoring leader: 16 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Assists leader: 6 - Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Thorgan Hazard (Dortmund)Top six: Juventus (32), Inter Milan (31), Lazio (24), Cagliari (24), Atalanta (22), Roma (22)
Scoring leader: 14 - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
Assists leader: 8 - Luis Alberto (Lazio)Top six: PSG (30), Marseille (22), Angers (21), St-Etiene (21), Lille (19), Montpellier (19)
Scoring leader: 9 - Moussa Dembele (Lyon), Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco)
Newly appointed U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski got his first wins in a pair of friendlies after a 3-2 win over Sweden and a 6-0 rout of Costa Rica.
Ecuador's Independiente del Valle defeated Argentine side Club Atlético Colón with a 3-1 result at the Estadio General Pablo Rojas in Asunción, Paraguay on Saturday. This marked the first time the tournament was decided by a one match final in a neutral location. It is also Independiente del Valle's first international title. The Copa Sudamericana is South America's secondary international tournament, similar to the UEFA Europa League.
Tuesday, November 12
1:00 p.m. - [International Friendly] Netherlands vs. Slovenia (GolTV)
Wednesday, November 13
10:00 a.m. - [AFCON qualifying] Cameroon vs. Cape Verde (beIN SPORTS)
Thursday, November 14
10:00 a.m. - [AFCON qualifying] Egypt vs. Kenya (beIN SPORTS)
11:00 a.m. - [EURO qualifying] Turkey vs. Iceland (ESPN2, TUDN)
1:00 p.m. - [AFCON qualifying] Ghana vs. South Africa (beIN SPORTS)
1:45 p.m. - [EURO qualifying] Czech Republic vs. Kosovo (ESPNEWS)
1:45 p.m. - [EURO qualifying] France vs. Moldova (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [EURO qualifying] France vs. Moldova (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [EURO qualifying] Portugal vs. Lithuania (TUDN)
Friday, November 15
6:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Nations League] France vs. Moldova (ESPN2, UniMas, TUDN)
8:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Nations League] Portugal vs. Lithuania (Univision, TUDN)
Jeremy Peña is putting together the best season of his career, and it’s time to start asking some serious questions about what comes next.
After a strong rookie campaign and a magical playoff run in 2022, Peña has reemerged as one of the best shortstops in baseball. His numbers are now right in line with, and in some cases better than, Bobby Witt Jr., the player many consider the gold standard at the position. But Peña's resurgence isn't the only headline, he’s now officially signed with Scott Boras, baseball’s most powerful agent, signaling that a major payday could be on the horizon.
That decision raises real questions about Peña’s future in Houston. With just two years left on his deal, is he heading toward the same path as other homegrown stars who have ultimately walked in free agency? Or will the Astros finally reverse course and invest long-term in one of their own? The team’s payroll philosophy, built around letting expensive veterans leave while developing new talent, has worked for years. But Peña’s rise is testing just how far that system can stretch.
As his star continues to rise, the pressure is mounting. Will Houston commit to keeping him, or let another one slip away?
Be sure to watch the video below as ESPN Houston's Paul Gallant weighs in!
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