THE SOCCER REPORT
Soccer Recap: Champions League draw reveals Round of 16; MLS adds 30th team
Dec 17, 2019, 11:06 pm
Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus got a favorable encounter in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. Photo: adidas
The week in soccer has left plenty to talk about in domestic and international news. Wednesday will feature some important matches as Mexico's Monterrey faces England's Liverpool in the FIFA Club World Cup and FC Barcelona host Real Madrid in the most notorious rivalry in the sport, "El Clasico."
Major League Soccer announces Charlotte as 30th franchise
14 months. Get ready Charlotte. #CharlotteMLS2021 https://t.co/OpmmfH4rZZ— Bank of America Stadium (@Bank of America Stadium) 1576597264.0
Expansion is a recurring topic these days in MLS as more and more teams sign up to join the league. This time it's Dave Tepper, owner of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, who has ponied up a record $325 million expansion fee to join the largest first division league in the world (in terms of teams).
For the upcoming 2020 year, 26 teams will play in MLS - the league's 25th season. The league only had 12 teams total in 2006 when the Houston Dynamo debuted as the latest "expansion" side after relocating from San Jose. Twenty teams have joined the league since 2005.
UEFA Champions League Round of 16 pits Real Madrid vs. Man City
Round of 16 draw 🔥 Sum up your reaction with a GIF 📱 #UCLdraw https://t.co/fkdBCoX7v6— UEFA Champions League (@UEFA Champions League) 1576495463.0
The Round of 16 matchups for the UEFA Champions League knockout stage are set. The glaring series is between Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Both sides are contenders every year because of the unlimited cash behind their squads but the storyline is the bout between Madrid and the former Barcelona manager. It will also be the first time Zidane and Guardiola meet as managers, both icons of their respective Spanish clubs.
Atletico Madrid versus defending champions Liverpool and Chelsea versus Bayern are also enticing matchups. Defensive Atleti will have a tall task against the heavy metal offense of Liverpool, who will return to Atleti's Wanda Metropolitano stadium - the site of the 2019 UCL final where Liverpool lifted their 6th title. Chelsea and Bayern will have a similar feel as Frank Lampard returns to the site of Chelsea's 2012 Champions League triumph.
Juventus, Tottenham and Barcelona look to be winners of the draw with favorable matchups in the Round of 16. The knockout stage begins in February.
UEFA Europa League Round of 32 announced
🔥 Round of 32 draw 🔥 Sum up your reaction with a GIF 📱 #UELdraw https://t.co/n9CYJkCFUz— UEFA Europa League (@UEFA Europa League) 1576499762.0
The draw for the Europa League was also held on Monday in Switzerland. England's Manchester United and Arsenal plus Italy's Inter Milan are among the favorites to win it all and grab the coveted Champions League entry for the 2020-21 edition.
U.S. Soccer Players of the Year named
NEWS: For the second time, Christian Pulisic has been voted as your @ussoccer Male Player of the Year. 👏👏 Congrats, @cpulisic_10! 🏆🏆— U.S. Soccer MNT (@U.S. Soccer MNT) 1576162771.0
No surprise, Pulisic was named the best male player for U.S. Soccer.
Julie Ertz was named U.S. Soccer Women's Player of the Year given after her performance in last summer's FIFA Women's World Cup. Megan Rapinoe was named Sports Illustrated's 2019 Sportsperson of the Year. The entire U.S. Women's National Team was named TIME Magazine's Athlete of the Year.
FIFA Club World Cup
The end of the year tournament to determine the Club World Champion is underway in Qatar. Flamengo defeated Al-Hilal on Tuesday in the semifinals. The Copa Libertadores champions now await the winner of Wednesday's bout between European Champions Liverpool and Concacaf Champions Monterrey.
European Roundup
English Premier League
Top six: 1. Liverpool (49), 2. Leicester City (39), 3. Man City (35), 4. Chelsea (29), 5. Tottenham (26), 6. Man Utd (25)
Bottom three (relegation): 18. Southampton (15), 19. Norwich City (12), 20. Watford (9)
Scoring leader: 16 - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Assists leader: 9 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Spanish La Liga
Top six: 1. FC Barcelona (35), 2. Real Madrid (35), 3. Sevilla (31), 4. Getafe (30), 5. Atletico Madrid (29), 6. Real Sociedad (28)
Bottom three: 18. Celta Vigo (14), 19. Leganes (10), 20. Espanyol (10)
Scoring leader: 12 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) / Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Assists leader: 6 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) / Rodrigo (Valencia)
German Bundesliga
Updated after Tuesday, Dec. 17 results
Top six: 1. RB Leipzig (34), 2. Monchengladbach (31), 3. Dortmund (30), 4. Schalke 04 (28), 5. Bayern Munich (27), 6. Freiburg (25)
Bottom three: 16. Fortuna (12), 17. Cologne (11), 18. Paderborn (9)
Scoring leader: 18 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) / Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)
Assists leader: 10 - Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Italian Serie A
Updated after Tuesday, Dec. 17 results
Top six: 1. Inter Milan (39), 2. Juventus (39), 3. Lazio (36), 4. Roma (32), 5. Cagliari (29), 6. Atalanta (28)
Bottom three: 18. Brescia (13), 19. Genoa (11), 20. SPAL (7)
Scoring leader: 17 - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
Assists leader: 11 - Luis Alberto (Lazio)French Ligue 1
Top four: 1. PSG (42), 2. Marseille (35), 3. Lille (31), 4. Rennes (30)
Bottom three: 18. Metz (16), 19. Nimes (12), 20. Toulouse (12)
Scoring leader: 11 - Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco)
Assists leader: 7 - Islam Slimani (Monaco) / Yoann Court (Brest)
TV listings (All Times CT):
Wednesday, December 18
11:30 a.m. - [FIFA Club World Cup] Liverpool FC vs. CF Monterrey (FS2, FOX Deportes)
11:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Bayer Leverkusen vs. Hertha Berlin (FOX Soccer Plus, TUDN)
11:30 a.m. - [Dutch Cup] Telstar vs. Ajax (GolTV)
11:55 a.m. - [Serie A] Sampdoria vs. Juventus (ESPN+)
1:00 p.m. - [La Liga] FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)
1:45 p.m. - [English League Cup] Everton vs. Leicester City (ESPN+)
1:45 p.m. - [English League Cup] Oxford vs. Manchester City (ESPN+)
2:00 p.m. - [English League Cup] Manchester United vs. Colchester (ESPN+)
Friday, December 20
1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Hoffenheim vs. Borussia Dortmund (FS2, TUDN)
2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Eibar vs. Granada (beIN SPORTS en Español)
Saturday, December 21
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Everton vs. Arsenal (NBC Sports)
8:30 a.m. - [FIFA Club World Cup Third Place] Liverpool/Monterrey vs. Al Hilal (FS2, FOX Deportes)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Bayern Munich vs. VfL Wolfsburg (FS1)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] RB Leipzig vs. Augsburg (TUDN)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Norwich vs. Wolves (NBC Sports)
9:00 a.m. - [La Liga] Barcelona vs. Alaves (beIN Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester City vs. Leicester City (NBC)
1:30 p.m. - [La Liga] Atletico Madrid vs. Osasuna (beIN SPORTS)
Sunday, December 22
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Watford vs. Manchester United (NBC Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Tottenham vs. Chelsea (NBC Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [FIFA Club World Cup Final] Liverpool/Monterrey winner vs. Flamengo (FS2, FOX Deportes)
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Nick Chubb didn’t expect to be a Houston Texan. At least, not until he got the call on a quiet Saturday at home and was on a flight the next day. It happened fast — too fast, even, for the four-time Pro Bowler to fully process what it all meant. But now that he’s here, it’s clear this wasn’t a random landing spot. This was a calculated leap, one Chubb had been quietly considering from afar.
The reasons he chose Houston speak volumes not only about where Chubb is in his own career, but where the Texans are as a franchise.
For one, Chubb saw what the rest of the league saw the last two seasons: a young team turning the corner. He admired the Texans from a distance — the culture shift under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the explosive rise of C.J. Stroud, and the physical tone set by players like Joe Mixon. That identity clicked with Chubb. He’d been a fan of Ryans for years, and once he got in the building, everything aligned.
“I came here and saw a bunch of guys who like to work and not talk,” Chubb said. “And I realized I'm a perfect fit.”
As for his health, Chubb isn’t running from the injuries that cost him parts of the past two seasons, he’s owning them. But now, he says, they’re behind him. After a full offseason of training the way he always has — hitting his speed and strength benchmarks — Chubb says he’s feeling the best he has in years. He’s quick to remind people that bouncing back from major injuries, especially the one he suffered in 2023, is rarely a one-year journey. It takes time. He’s given it time.
Then there’s his fit with Mixon. The two aren’t just stylistic complements, they go way back. Same recruiting class, same reputation for running hard, same respect for each other’s games. Chubb remembers dreading matchups against the Bengals in Cleveland, worrying Mixon would take over the game. Now, he sees the opportunity in pairing up. “It’ll be us kinda doing that back-to-back against other defenses,” he said.
He’s also well aware of what C.J. Stroud brings to the table. Chubb watched Stroud nearly dismantle Georgia in the College Football Playoff. Then he saw it again, up close, when Stroud lit up the Browns in the postseason. “He torched us again,” Chubb said. Now, he gets to run alongside him, not against him.
Stroud made a point to welcome Chubb, exchanging numbers and offering support. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the kind of leadership that helped sell Chubb on the Texans as more than just a good football fit — it’s a good locker room fit, too.
It appears the decision to come to Houston wasn’t part of some master plan. But in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Chubb is a player with a no-nonsense work ethic, recovering from adversity, looking to write the next chapter of a career that’s far from over. And the Texans? They’re a team on the rise, built around guys who want to do the same.
You can watch the full interview in the video below.
And for those wondering how Joe Mixon feels about Nick Chubb, check out this video from last season. Let's just say he's a fan.
I’ve seen some speculation indicating that Joe Mixon may not be happy the Texans signed Nick Chubb. If that is what you believe, watch this clip from an interview with @greenlight pod last year & get back to me. pic.twitter.com/3vaip85esj
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) June 11, 2025
*ChatGPT assisted.
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