THE SOCCER REPORT
Soccer Recap: Liverpool win FIFA Club World Cup, Dynamo eye Liga MX goalkeeper
Dec 24, 2019, 7:40 am
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Saleh/Liverpool
The year may be winding down but the soccer schedule sure isn't. The Premier League will have the spotlight for Boxing Day while a new Liga MX champion will be crowned. Below is a list of upcoming matches plus a review of the past week in the world's most popular sport.
Liverpool FC conquer first Club World Cup title
European Champions Liverpool joined the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup with a 2-1 win in stoppage time over Concacaf Champions Monterrey in the semifinal midweek. They would close out the deal with an extra time 1-0 win over South American Champions Flamengo. Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino was the hero with the late goals in both of the matches.
Monterrey defeated Asian Champions Al-Hilal 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the third place match. Monterrey now returns to Mexico with their sights set on the Liga MX final for the Apertura 2019 season.
Liga MX talent continues immigration to MLS
Officially official. #Crew96 x @Lucazelarayan31 https://t.co/5ceL6unfyE— Columbus Crew SC (@Columbus Crew SC) 1576862798.0
Lucas Zelarayan was the latest name this week to go from a Liga MX club to Major League Soccer this offseason. The former Tigres UANL midfielder joins Columbus Crew on a reported $8 million transfer fee.
Other Liga MX to MLS moves this offseason:
- Alan Pulido - CD Guadalajara to Sporting Kansas City (~ $9.5 million)
- Lucas Cavalini - Puebla to Vancouver Whitecaps FC ($6 million)
Among the transfer season hot stove between the two leagues are the Houston Dynamo who have shown interest in former U.S. Men's National Team goalkeeper William Yarbrough, a two-time Liga MX champion with Club Leon. The move would reunite the Mexican-born goalie with new Dynamo coach Tab Ramos, a former USMNT assistant under Jurgen Klinsmann.
ESPN 97.5 FM host Glenn Davis has confirmed interest in the player by the Houston club, citing transfer fee negotiations as the "final hurdle." The Athletic's Jeff Reuter has added that a loan deal could be a possibility.
European Roundup
English Premier League
Top six: 1. Liverpool (49), 2. Leicester City (39), 3. Man City (38), 4. Chelsea (32), 5. Sheffield Utd (28), 6. Wolves (27)
Bottom three (relegation): 18. Aston Villa (15), 19. Norwich City (12), 20. Watford (12)
Scoring leader: 17 - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Assists leader: 10 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Spanish La Liga
Top six: 1. FC Barcelona (39), 2. Real Madrid (37), 3. Sevilla (34), 4. Atletico Madrid (32), 5. Real Sociedad (31), 6. Getafe (30)
Bottom three: 18. Celta Vigo (14), 19. Leganes (13), 20. Espanyol (10)
Scoring leader: 13 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Assists leader: 6 - Four players tied
German Bundesliga
Top six: 1. RB Leipzig (37), 2. Monchengladbach (35), 3. Bayern Munich (33), 4. Dortmund (30), 5. Schalke 04 (30), 6. Bayer 04 (28)
Bottom three: 16. Fortuna (15), 17. Werder Bremen (14), 18. Paderborn (12)
Scoring leader: 19 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Assists leader: 11 - Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Italian Serie A
Top six: 1. Inter Milan (42), 2. Juventus (42), 3. Lazio (36), 4. Roma (35), 5. Atalanta (31), 6. Cagliari (29)
Bottom three: 18. Brescia (14), 19. SPAL (12), 20. Genoa (11)
Scoring leader: 17 - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
Assists leader: 11 - Luis Alberto (Lazio)
French Ligue 1
Top four: 1. PSG (45), 2. Marseille (38), 3. Rennes (33), 4. Lille (31)
Bottom three: 18. Amiens (17), 19. Nimes (12), 20. Toulouse (12)
Scoring leader: 13 - Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco)
Assists leader: 7 - Three players tied
TV listings (All Times CT):
Thursday, December 26
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Tottenham vs. Brighton (NBC Sports)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Bournemouth vs. Arsenal (NBC Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester United vs. Newcastle (NBC Sports)
2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Leicester vs. Liverpool (NBC Sports)
7:30 p.m. - [Liga MX Final - 1st leg] Monterrey vs. Club America (FS1, FOX Deportes)
Friday, December 27
1:45 p.m. - [Premier League] Wolves vs. Manchester City (NBC Sports)
Saturday, December 28
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Brighton vs. Bournemouth (NBC Sports)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Newcastle vs. Everton (NBC Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Norwich vs. Tottehnam (NBC)
1:45 p.m. - [Premier League] Burnley vs. Manchester United (NBC)
Saturday, December 29
8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Arsenal vs. Chelsea (NBC Sports)
10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Liverpool vs. Wolves (NBC Sports)
7:00 p.m. - [Liga MX Final - 2nd leg] Club America vs. Monterrey (Univision, TUDN)
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The Houston Astros kick off a pivotal weekend series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park — and they'll do so with a familiar face back in the lineup. Carlos Correa, reacquired in a stunning trade deadline move on Thursday, is set to make his return to the Astros and will hit cleanup in his first game back with the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2012.
Correa rejoins a Houston club that sits atop the AL West at 62-47 and is coming off a resounding 9-1 win over Washington on Wednesday, fueled by Jose Altuve’s four-hit performance. The Astros are 27-23 on the road and enter Friday with the fourth-best on-base percentage in the American League (.321).
The Red Sox, meanwhile, have won six of their last 10 games and hold a 34-21 record at home. Boston enters the weekend third in the competitive AL East at 59-51. Outfielder Jarren Duran has been a spark plug, hitting .265 with 29 doubles and 12 triples on the year.
Houston will send right-hander Hunter Brown (9-5) to the mound, while Boston will counter with RHP Cooper Criswell (1-0).
Friday marks the first meeting of the season between these two clubs.
All eyes will be on Correa’s return in a stadium where he’s delivered countless postseason moments. Now, he begins the next chapter of his Astros career, joining a team counting on him to help fuel their playoff push.
Starting lineup
So how will Joe Espada deploy his new toys? Pena is back at shortstop and leading off, with Altuve hitting second and serving as the DH. Jesus Sanchez gets his first Astros, start hitting third, and playing left field. Correa begins his Astros reunion hitting fourth and playing third base.
Big night in Beantown.
⚾️: 6:10 PM CDT | 7:10 PM EDT
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🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM#BuiltForThis x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/ILoVlyqRQg
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 1, 2025
Yainer Diaz (C) will hit fifth, followed by Christian Walker (1B), and Taylor Trammell (CF). It's interesting to see Cam Smith hitting so far down the lineup at eighth. He'll play right field and finally, Mauricio Dubon will hit ninth and play second base.
Betting odds
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -134, Red Sox +113; over/under is 8 runs
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