ON THE PITCH
Soccer Recap - Chivas wins Concacaf, Barcelona clinch title ahead of El Clasico
May 2, 2018, 5:59 am
Club Deportivo Guadalajara held off Toronto FC to win the 2018 Concacaf Champions League last Wednesday. Victor Araiza/SportsMap
As the countdown to the 2018 FIFA World Cup continues (now at 44 days), most leagues across the globe are reaching the end of their calendar. The great matches don’t stop, however, as this coming week is packed with blockbusters - including the most heated rivalry in the game as FC Barcelona hosts Real Madrid.
Here is the week that was in soccer:
UEFA Champions League
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino had their way with the Roma defense as the trio guided Liverpool to a 5-2 first leg win at Anfield in the UCL semi finals. Salah led the way with two spectacular goals against his former club in a performance that increased the conversation for the Egyptian to win the Ballon d'Or. A 5-nil lead had LFC looking like they were all but through to the final before two late goals by Roma brought intrigue for the second leg. Roma need three goals at home - something they've done already in the previous round when they eliminated FC Barcelona.
In the other semifinal, another chapter was written in one of Europe's biggest rivalries. Real Madrid defeated Bayern Munich 2-1 at the Allianz Arena behind goals from Marcelo and 22-year-old Marco Asensio. Cristiano Ronaldo was influential in his teams win even if he did not show up on the scoresheet. The defending champions now head back to Madrid looking to go to the final and conquer their third consecutive European title. Joshua Kimmich got the lone goal for Bayern as the Bavarians hope to complete a comeback at the Bernabeu.
Premier League
West Brom, Stoke City and Southampton are all staring at relegation, although Swansea, Huddersfield and West Ham aren't far behind. West Brom and Southampton slightly helped their case with wins over Newcastle and Bournemouth respectively, while Stoke pulled a point against Liverpool. With only two matches on their schedule - one ahead of the other two - Stoke need to win out to stay in the Premier League.
At the top of the table, Chelsea continue to chase London rivals Tottenham to secure a Champions League spot, though it's hard to make up ground as Spurs continue to win. Liverpool remains in the pole position for the third UCL spot as second place Manchester United has already secured qualification.
Top 5: Manchester City* (93), Manchester United (77), Liverpool (72), Tottenham (71), Chelsea (66)
La Liga
FC Barcelona clinched their 25th La Liga title - their seventh in the past 10 seasons - as they demolished Deportivo La Coruña 4-2 away. Club legend Andres Iniesta announced his departure from the Catalan side would come at the end of the season. He initiated last week with that announcement and began this week with his final championship parade. Barcelona have yet to lose this season and have four matches left - including Sunday’s Clasico against Real Madrid - to finish as the only undefeated side in La Liga history.
Based off the same result, Deportivo were assured relegation to Spain’s second division. Las Palmas and Malaga also clinched relegation after not being able to survive the weekend. At the top of the table, Atletico Madrid and Real have secured themselves a Champions League spot for next season.
Top 5: FC Barcelona* (86), Atletico Madrid (75), Real Madrid (71), Valencia (67), Real Betis (59)
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich continued their winning streak going in a 4-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt while Schalke 04, Dortmund and Hoffenheim have assured themselves a spot in at least the Europa League next season. Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig both lost, taking hits to their Champions League qualification goals. Cologne lost 3-2 at Freiburg and are the first Bundesliga team to be relegated to the 2. Bundesliga.
Top 5: FC Bayern Munich* (81), Schalke 04 (57), Dortmund (55), Hoffenheim (52), Bayer Leverkusen (51)
Serie A
Last week, Napoli pulled in close to Juventus at the top of the table to make the title race interesting. This week, Napoli may have conceded the league. Juventus took care of their business by picking up three points in a 3-2 win at Inter Milan. Napoli, on their end, could not pull out a result on the road and lost 3-0 at Fiorentina. In the race for Champions League spots, Roma and Lazio both picked up three points to further solidify their positions at three and four. Atalanta and A.C. Milan both won to stay in sixth and seventh for the moment. Bevento drew 3-3 against Udinese but the result matters little for the one team that is already guaranteed to go down to the Serie B next season.
Top 5: Juventus (88), Napoli (84), Roma (70), Lazio (70), Inter Milan (66)
Ligue 1
Memphis Depay scored in Lyon’s 2-0 win over Nantes to pull his team into second place, jumping Monaco after their 0-0 draw with Amiens. The win pulls Lyon closer to a Champions League spot with three matches left to play. Along with Lyon, Monaco and Marseille are assured at least Europa League next season. Saint-Étienne jumped up to fifth with a 1-0 win at Montpellier. No team is officially relegated to Ligue 2 yet but Metz may clinch that harsh reality if they don’t garner a result this coming weekend. Lille and Troyes are also in position to descend but they have a bit more breathing room.
Top 5: Paris Saint-Germain* (91), Lyon (72), Monaco (71), Marseille (70), Saint-Étienne (52)
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Concacaf Champions League
After a 2-1 loss in the first leg at home, Toronto FC needed to bring out their full arsenal if they were to walk out of Guadalajara as winners of the Concacaf Champions League. Orbelin Pineda’s goal in the 18th minute put Chivas up 1-nil before Jozy Altidore would tie things up six minutes later. Sebastian Giovinco, named the player of the tournament, would place TFC in the lead right before halftime to even the score on aggregate. In the second half, missed opportunities cost both sides and - given that the rules don’t allow for extra time - it was straight to a penalty shootout to decide the champion. Missing none of their kicks to Toronto’s two, it was Chivas who would lift their first international title since 1962 and advance to the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup.
Champions: Club Deportivo Guadalajara, 4-2 on penalties (3-3 agg.)
Major League Soccer
The story of the week may be the final game of weekend as new club LAFC debuted at home with a 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC. Even for over ninety minutes, the home side got the winner in stoppage time to inaugurate the Banc of California Stadium. David Villa reached 400 career goals as he led New York City to a 3-1 home win over FC Dallas, and back to the top of the MLS standings. Among other notable results, LA Galaxy fell 2-3 at home to the New York Red Bulls. Both NY teams will meet this coming weekend in their first derby of the year.
The Houston Dynamo, meanwhile, could not build on a 5-1 win over a depleted Toronto FC the previous week. Taking on a Minnesota side that was missing at least three key players, Alberth Elis put the Dynamo up 1-0 in the 10th minute. Another of Minnesota’s top players, Christian Ramirez, would leave the game in the 30th minute but the home side would fight back behind the efforts of former Liga MX midfielder Darwin Quintero. The Loons would break a four-game losing skid with a 2-1 win over the Dynamo as Houston would drop points in their third away game this season.
East Top 6: NYCFC (20), Atlanta United (19), Orlando City (16), New England Revolution (14), Columbus Crew SC (14), NY Red Bulls (12)
West Top 6: Sporting KC (17), LAFC (15), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (13), FC Dallas (12), LA Galaxy (10), Real Salt Lake (10)
Liga MX
The playoffs are set for the Clausura 2018 season in Liga MX. Pumas UNAM and Monarcas Morelia assured themselves the last two spots by virtue of their results this weekend. Among the sides that just missed out were Pachuca and Landon Donovan’s Leon, who won 2-0 at Chivas. Cruz Azul won 2-1 at Veracruz but that was hardly a consolation prize for a disappointing season. Monterrey rivals Tigres and Rayados met in a 2-2 derby draw that was a rematch of last season’s final. Mexican legend Rafa Marquez played his final minutes as he ended his club career and awaits to learn if he will be going to the FIFA World Cup with Mexico at the age of 39. Lobos BUAP was the side that gets “relegated” but that is yet to be seen as neither of the second division champions meet Liga MX’s requirements to be a first division team, leaving uncertainty for the number of teams that will participate in the top-flight next season.
Top 8: Toluca (36), Club America (29), Monterrey (29), Santos Laguna (29), Tigres UANL (28), Tijuana (25), Pumas (24), Monarcas Morelia (24)
Playoff matchups: (1) Toluca vs. (8) Monarcas, (2) Club America vs. (7) Pumas UNAM, (3) Monterrey vs. (6) Tijuana, (4) Santos Laguna vs. (5) Tigres UANL
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National Women’s Soccer League
The Houston Dash fell 2-0 to North Carolina Courage at BBVA Compass Stadium in the Lifetime Game of the Week. The home side simply could not contain the best team of the league - and the only undefeated team left - as Kealia Ohai made her home debut this season. The Dash are now on a five-game winless streak to start the season in what is becoming a harsh test for first-year Manager Vera Pauw. Earlier in the week, it was revealed that Pauw’s assistant and former Boston Breakers Head Coach Lisa Cole had parted ways with the team a few weeks back. It appears former Dynamo Brian Ching is an assistant, at least for the moment.
Top 4: North Carolina Courage (16), Chicago Red Stars (9), Portland Thorns (8), Seattle Reign (7)
Upcoming matches (All Times CT):
Tuesday, May 1:
1:45 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich (FS1/FOX Deportes)
Wednesday, May 2:
1:45 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Roma vs. Liverpool (FS1/ESPN Deportes)
7:30 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Pumas vs. Club America (Univision Deportes)
9:30 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Tijuana vs. Monterrey (Univision Deportes)
Thursday, May 3:
2:05 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Atletico Madrid vs. Arsenal (FS1/ESPN Deportes)
2:05 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Salzburg vs. Marseille (FS2)
7:30 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Tigres UANL vs. Santos Laguna (Univision Deportes)
9:30 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Monarcas Morelia vs. Toluca (Univision Deportes)
Friday, May 4:
2 p.m. - [Premier League] Brighton vs. Manchester United (NBC Sports)
Saturday, May 5:
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Stoke City vs. Crystal Palace (NBC Sports)
9 a.m. - [Premier League] Bournemouth vs. Swansea (NBC Sports)
9 a.m. - [Premier League] West Brom vs. Tottenham (CNBC)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Everton vs. Southampton (NBC)
12:55 p.m. - [MLS] New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC (ESPN).
3 p.m. - [MLS] LAFC vs. FC Dallas (Univision/Twitter)
6 p.m. - [NWSL] Sky Blue FC vs. Houston Dash (go90/NWSLsoccer.com)
7 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Club America vs. Pumas (Univision Deportes)
7:30 p.m. - [MLS] Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy (KUBE 57)
9 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Monterrey vs. Tijuana (Univision Deportes)
Sunday, May 6:
7:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester City vs. Huddersfield (NBC Sports)
10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Chelsea vs. Liverpool (NBC Sports)
10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Arsenal vs. Burnley (CNBC)
1:45 p.m. - [La Liga] FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)
12 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Toluca vs. Monarcas Morelia (Univision Deportes)
6 p.m. - [Liga MX Playoffs] Santos Laguna vs. Tigres UANL (Univision Deportes)
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After finishing up with the Guardians the Astros have a rather important series for early May with the Seattle Mariners heading to town for the weekend. While it’s still too early to be an absolute must-win series for the Astros, losing the series to drop seven or eight games off the division lead would make successfully defending their American League West title that much more unlikely.
Since their own stumble out of the gate to a 6-10 record the Mariners have been racking up series wins, including one this week over the Atlanta Braves. The M’s offense is largely Mmm Mmm Bad, but their pitching is sensational. In 18 games after the 6-10 start, the Mariners gave up five runs in a game once. In the other 17 games they only gave up four runs once. Over the 18 games their starting pitchers gave up 18 earned runs total with a 1.44 earned run average. That’s absurd. Coming into the season Seattle’s starting rotation was clearly better on paper than those of the Astros and Texas Rangers, and it has crystal clearly played out as such into the second month of the schedule.
While it’s natural to focus on and fret over one’s own team's woes when they are plentiful as they have been for the Astros, a reminder that not all grass is greener elsewhere. Alex Bregman has been awful so far. So has young Mariners’ superstar Julio Rodriguez. A meager four extra base hits over his first 30 games were all Julio produced down at the ballyard. That the Mariners are well ahead of the Astros with J-Rod significantly underperforming is good news for Seattle.
Caratini comes through!
So it turns out the Astros are allowed to have a Puerto Rican-born catcher who can hit a little bit. Victor Caratini’s pedigree is not that of a quality offensive player, but he has swung the bat well thus far in his limited playing time and provided the most exciting moment of the Astros’ season with his two-out two-run 10th inning game winning home run Tuesday night. I grant that one could certainly say “Hey! Ronel Blanco finishing off his no-hitter has been the most exciting moment.” I opt for the suddenness of Caratini’s blow turning near defeat into instant victory for a team that has been lousy overall to this point. Frittering away a game the Astros had led 8-3 would have been another blow. Instead, to the Victor belong the spoils.
Pudge Rodriguez is the greatest native Puerto Rican catcher, but he was no longer a good hitter when with the Astros for the majority of the 2009 season. Then there’s Martin Maldonado.
Maldonado’s hitting stats with the Astros look Mike Piazza-ian compared to what Jose Abreu was doing this season. Finally, mercifully for all, Abreu is off the roster as he accepts a stint at rookie-level ball in Florida to see if he can perform baseball-CPR on his swing and career. Until or unless he proves otherwise, Abreu is washed up and at some point the Astros will have to accept it and swallow whatever is left on his contract that runs through next season. For now Abreu makes over $120,000 per game to not be on the roster. At his level of performance, that’s a better deal than paying him that money to be on the roster.
Abreu’s seven hits in 71 at bats for an .099 batting average with a .269 OPS is a humiliating stat line. In 2018 George Springer went to sleep the night of June 13 batting .293 after going hitless in his last four at bats in a 13-5 Astros’ win over Oakland. At the time no one could have ever envisioned that Springer had started a deep, deep funk which would have him endure a nightmarish six for 78 stretch at the plate (.077 batting average). Springer then hit .293 the rest of the season.
Abreu’s exile opened the door for Joey Loperfido to begin his Major League career. Very cool for Loperfido to smack a two-run single in his first game. He also struck out twice. Loperfido will amass whiffs by the bushel, he had 37 strikeouts in 101 at bats at AAA Sugar Land. Still, if he can hit .225 with some walks mixed in (he drew 16 with the Space Cowboys) and deliver some of his obvious power (13 homers in 25 games for the ex-Skeeters) that’s an upgrade over Abreu/Jon Singleton, as well as over Jake Meyers and the awful showing Chas McCormick has posted so far. Frankly, it seems unwise that the Astros only had Loperfido play seven games at first base in the minors this year. If McCormick doesn’t pick it up soon and with Meyers displaying limited offensive upside, the next guy worth a call-up is outfielder Pedro Leon. In January 2021 the Astros gave Leon four million dollars to sign out of Cuba and called him a “rapid mover to the Major Leagues.” Well…
Over his first three minor league seasons Leon flashed tools but definitely underwhelmed. He has been substantially better so far this year. He turns 26 May 28. Just maybe the Astros offense could be the cause of fewer Ls with Loperfido at first and Leon in center field.
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via YouTube: stone cold stros - YouTube with the complete audio available via Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.