THE SOCCER REPORT
Soccer Recap: Houston Dynamo send off U.S. legend Beasley with win; four unbeaten in Europe's top leagues
Oct 8, 2019, 6:51 am
Houston Dynamo supporters bid farewell to DaMarcus Beasley with a tifo comemorating his career. Courtesy: Houston Dynamo
The 2019 Major League Soccer season has come to an end and will commence after the upcoming FIFA International break. In Europe, four teams in the top five leagues have reached the break with an unbeaten record in league play. Here are the top stories from the week:
Major League Soccer
All 14 playoff spots are accounted for in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs (see standings below). With every match played simultaneously on Sunday, there was also plenty of drama in the golden boot race - won by LAFC's Carlos Vela with an MLS record 34 goals.
The Houston Dynamo sent off U.S. Men's National Team Legend DaMarcus Beasley with a 4-2 win over Zlatan Ibrahimovic's LA Galaxy. Beasley is the only player to have featured in four FIFA World Cup tournaments for the USA and also enjoyed time at historic European clubs like PSV, Rangers and Manchester City.
Final Standings
East: 1. y - NYCFC (64), 2. x - Atlanta (58), 3. x - Philadelphia (55), 4. x - Toronto (50), 5. x - D.C. United (50), 6. x - NY Red Bulls (48), 7. x - New England (45), 8. Chicago (42), 9. Montreal (41), 10. Columbus (38), 11. Orlando (37), 12. Cincinnati (24)
West: 1. s - LAFC (72), 2. x - Seattle (56), 3. x - Real Salt Lake (53), 4. x - Minnesota (53), 5. x - LA Galaxy (51), 6. x - Portland (49), 7. x - Dallas (48), 8. San Jose (44), 9. Colorado (42), 10. Houston (40), 11. Kansas City (38), 12. Vancouver (34)
Golden Boot: 34 - Carlos Vela (LAFC)
Most Assists: 20 - Maxi Morales (NYCFC)
National Women's Soccer League
Only one match took place in league play due to the FIFA International window in the women's game - the Washington Spirit won 3-0 over last place Orlando. The Houston Dash, meanwhile, took their "off" week to travel down to Monterrey, Mexico to take on Liga MX Femenil side Tigres. Kealia Ohai scored in the opening minutes but, after many Dash changes at halftime, the Mexican champions would end up winning 2-1 after two second half goals.
Standings: 1. s - North Carolina Courage (46), 2. x - Chicago Red Stars (44), 3. x - Portland Thorns (39), 4. x - Reign FC (37), 5. Washington Spirit (33), 6. Utah Royals (31), 67. 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 8 Results
- Brighton 3-0 Tottenham
- Norwich 1-5 Aston Villa
- Watford 0-0 Sheffield Utd
- Burnley 1-0 Everton
- Liverpool 2-1 Leicester City
- West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
- Southampton 1-4 Chelsea
- Manchester City 0-2 Wolves
- Arsenal 1-0 Bournemouth
- Newcastle 1-0 Manchester United
Top six: Liverpool (24), Man City (16), Arsenal (15), Leicester City (14),Chelsea (14), Crystal Palace (14)
Scoring leader: 8 - Sergio Aguero (Man City) / Tammy Abraham (Chelsea)
Assists leader: 8 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Spanish La Liga
Top six: Real Madrid (18), FC Barcelona (16), Atletico Madrid (15), Granada (14), Real Sociedad (13), Sevilla (13)
Scoring leader: 6 - Gerard Moreno (Villareal) / Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) / Lorenzo Garica (Real Betis)
Assists leader: 3 - Several players tied
German Bundesliga
Top six: Monchengladbach (16), Wolfburg (15), Bayern Munich (14), Freiburg (14), RB Leipzig (14), Schalke 04 (14)
Scoring leader: 11 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Italian Serie A
Top six: Juventus (19), Inter Milan (18), Atalanta (16), Napoli (13), Roma (12), Lazio (11)
Scoring leader: 7 - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
Assists leader: 5 - Luis Alberto (Lazio)French Ligue 1
Top six: PSG (21), Nantes (19), Angers (16), Bordeaux (15), Lille (15), Reims (14)
Scoring leader: 7 - Victor Osimhen (Lille)
Netherlands Eredivisie
Top four: Ajax (23), PSV (23), AZ Alkmaar (20), Vitesse (20)
Scoring leader: 10 - Donyell Malen (PSV Eindhoven)
Assists leader: 8 - Dusan Tadic (Ajax)
Mexican Liga MX
Top Eight: 1. Necaxa (24), 2. Santos Laguna (23), 3. Queretaro (21), 4. Club America (21), 5. Leon (20), 6. Tigres UANL (20), 7. Pachuca (18), 8. Pumas (18)
Scoring leader: 8 - Julio Furch (Santos) / Mauro Quiroga (Necaxa)
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
Argentina Superliga
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)
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How short-handed Texans can keep vibes high against struggling Patriots
Oct 10, 2024, 6:44 pm
The Houston Texans (4-1) will visit the struggling New England Patriots (1-4) this Sunday in a matchup that features teams trending in opposite directions. The Texans, led by rising star quarterback C.J. Stroud, are off to their best start since 2012, while the Patriots, mired in a four-game losing streak, turn to rookie QB Drake Maye for his first NFL start.
Texans Overview:
Houston’s offense has been solid, ranking 6th overall and boasting the NFL’s top passing attack. However, injuries loom large with wide receiver Nico Collins, the league’s leading receiver, placed on injured reserve. The Texans will rely more heavily on veteran Stefon Diggs, who has been a steady contributor, and hope for the return of RB Dameon Pierce. The defense, ranking 4th overall, will look to pressure the rookie quarterback, especially with its league-leading 42% pressure rate, per NextGen stats.
Patriots Overview:
New England’s offense has struggled mightily, ranking 31st overall and dead last in passing. The rookie Drake Maye will attempt to provide a spark after the Patriots’ offense has averaged just 11.5 points per game over their last four losses. However, a banged-up offensive line and key injuries on defense, including the loss of safety Jabrill Peppers, leave the Patriots vulnerable.
Key Matchup:
The Texans' pass rush versus New England’s offensive line will be pivotal. The Texans have terrorized quarterbacks all season, and with the Patriots using their fifth different O-line combination, Maye could be in for a rough debut.
Prediction:
The Texans' explosive passing game and relentless defense give them the upper hand, especially against a Patriots team facing instability on both sides of the ball. Houston is favored by 7 points, and unless New England's rookie QB performs beyond expectations, the Texans are well-positioned to continue their strong start to the season.
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