THE SOCCER REPORT

Soccer Recap: Suarez back-heel goal steals the show; Arsenal win first under Ljungberg

Victor Araiza
Dec 10, 2019, 4:10 am
Arsenal are back in good spirits after first win in 10 matches. Credit: Adidas

Action rolls in Europe after a weekend that featured the Manchester Derby, only to be followed by the end of the UEFA Champions League group stage and a pre-El Clasico La Liga weekend. This week also features the start of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup.

Off the field, the draw to determine the quarterfinal matchups of the 2020 Concacaf Champions League took place in Mexico CIty on Monday night. The tournament will kick off in February and crown a new champion in May to determine the region's representative in the 2020 Club World Cup.

Major League Soccer clubs in the CCL will begin their preseason on January 11, one week before the rest of the league.

English Premier League

Top six: 1. Liverpool (46), 2. Leicester City (38), 3. Man City (32), 4. Chelsea (29), 5. Man Utd (24), 6. Wolves (24)

Bottom three (relegation): 18. Southampton (15), 19. Norwich City (11), 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 (34), 2. Real Madrid (34), 3. Sevilla (31), 4. Real Sociedad (27), 5. Getafe (27), 6. Athletic Bilbao (26)

Bottom three: 18. Celta Vigo (13), 19. Leganes (9), 20. Espanyol (9)

Scoring leader: 12 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)

Assists leader: 6 - Rodrigo (Valencia)

German Bundesliga

Top six: 1. Monchengladbach (31), 2. RB Leipzig (30), 3. Dortmund (26), 4. Schalke 04 (25), 5. Freiburg (25), 6. Bayer Leverkusen (25)

Bottom three: 16. Fortuna (12), 17. Paderborn (8), 18. Cologne (8)

Scoring leader: 16 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Assists leader: 9 - Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)

Italian Serie A

Top six: 1. Inter Milan (38), 2. Juventus (36), 3. Lazio (33), 4. Cagliari (29), 5. Roma (29), 6. Atalanta (28)

Bottom three: 18. Genoa (10), 19. SPAL (9), 20. Brescia (7)

Scoring leader: 17 - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)

Assists leader: 11 - Luis Alberto (Lazio)

French Ligue 1

Top four: 1. PSG (39), 2. Marseille (34), 3. Lille (28), 4. Rennes (27)

Bottom three: 18. Metz (15), 19. Tolouse (12), 20. Nimes (12)

Scoring leader: 11 - Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco)

Assists leader: 7 - Islam Slimani (Monaco) / Yoann Court (Brest)

Liga MX Playoffs

Monterrey and Club America each punched their ticket to the Liga MX Apertura 2019 final over the weekend. The two will have to wait until Monterrey are done with the FIFA Club World Cup participation to resume the playoffs on Dec. 26.

Quarterfinal results:

  • Club Leon 4-5 agg. Monarcas Morelia
  • Queretaro 2-6 agg. Necaxa
  • Santos Laguna 3-6 agg. Monterrey
  • Club America 2-4 agg. Tigres UANL
Semifinal results:
  • Necaxa 1-3 agg. Monterrey
  • Club America 2-2 agg. Monarcas Morelia, America advance on higher seed tiebreaker
Final schedule:
  • First leg: Dec. 26 at Estadio BBVA, Monterrey
  • Second leg: Dec. 29 at Estadio Azteca, Mexico

Liga MX Femenil Final

Monterrey's female team, "Rayadas," lifted their first Liga MX Femenil title after a 1-0 win over rivals Tigres UANL in the second leg of the final, 2-1 on aggregate. The series drew an attendance of 41,615 in the first leg on Nov. 29 and 38,251 in Sunday's second leg.

TV listings (All Times CT):

Tuesday, December 10

11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Champions League] RB Salzburg vs. Liverpool (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)

11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Napoli vs. Genk (Galavision)

2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Inter Milan vs. FC Barcelona (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)

2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Ajax vs. Valencia (Galavision)

Wednesday, December 11

11:30 a.m. - [FIFA Club World Cup / Playoff] Al Sadd vs. Hienghène (FS2, FOX Deportes)

11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Dinamo Zagreb vs. Man City (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)

11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Atalanta (Galavision)

2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Brugge vs. Real Madrid (UniMas, TUDN)

2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Bayer Leverkusen vs. Juventus (TNT, Galavision)

Thursday, December 12

11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Standard Liege vs. Arsenal (UniMas)

11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Europa League] APOEL vs. Sevilla (TUDN)

11:55 a.m. - [UEFA Europa League] LASK vs. Sporting CP (Galavision)

2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Manchester United vs. AZ Alkmaar (UniMas)

2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Wolves vs. Besiktas (TUDN)

2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Porto vs. Feyenoord (Galavision)

Friday, December 13

1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Hoffenheim vs. FC Augsburg (FS2, TUDN)

2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Alaves vs. Leganes (beIN SPORTS en Español)

Saturday, December 14

6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Liverpool vs. Watford (NBC Sports)

8:00 a.m. - [FIFA Club World Cup / Quarterfinal] Al-Hilal vs. ES Tunis (FOX Soccer Plus, FOX Deportes)

8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Bayern Munich vs. SV Werder Bremen (FS1)

8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Mainz 05 vs. Borussia Dortmund (FS2, TUDN)

9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Chelsea vs. Bournemouth (NBC Sports)

9:00 a.m. - [La Liga] Real Sociedad vs. FC Barcelona (beIN Sports)

11:30 a.m. - [FIFA Club World Cup / Quarterfinal] Monterrey vs. Al Sadd or Hienghène (FS2)

11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Southampton vs. West Ham (NBC)

1:30 p.m. - [La Liga] Atletico Madrid vs. Osasuna (beIN SPORTS)

Sunday, December 15

8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Wolves vs. Spurs (NBC Sports)

8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Wolfsburg vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach (FS1)

10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Arsenal vs. Manchester City (NBC Sports)

11:00 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Schalke 04 vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (FS1)

2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Valencia vs. Real Madrid (beIN SPORTS)

Monday, December 16

6:00 a.m. - Draw for UEFA Champions League and Europa League knockout stage (UEFA.com, B/R Live)

2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Crystal Palace vs. Brighton (NBC Sports)

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Chicharito to MLS gains steam

Soccer Report: Real Madrid win Spanish Super Cup, Dynamo continue off-season additions

Real Madrid visited Houston last July as part of the 2019 International Champions Cup. Manuel Gonzalez / DTUSA

The 2020 MLS SuperDraft brought a few more additions to the Houston Dynamo, bringing the number of players under contract to 25 as of Tuesday morning. South of the border, the Clausura 2020 season got underway in Liga MX and cup action dominates the talk over in Europe.

Here are the top stories of the weekend:

Houston Dynamo add Croatian GK, select four MLS SuperDraft

The Dynamo officially announced the signing of GK Marko Marić from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Monday. The Austrian born player who has played internationally for Croatia is expected to be the starting man in goal this season. The signing was first reported by KXLN's Lester Gretsch back in December.

The club also selected four players in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, two in Rounds 1 & 2 on Thursday followed by the other two in Round 3 & 4 on Monday. The selections, which still have to come to terms on a contract, are as follows:

  • Rd 1, #8 overall - F Garrett McLaughlin (SMU)
  • Rd 2, #34 overall - M Luka Prpa (Marquette)
  • Rd 3, #70 overall - GK Duncan Turnball (Notre Dame)
  • Rd 4, #86 overall - F Kyle Edwards (UTRGV)

For a full list of Matt Jordan's selections in the SuperDraft during his Dynamo tenure click here. Also, check out the top five draft picks in club history.


English Premier League

Top six: 1. Liverpool (61), 2. Man City (47), 3. Leicester City (45), 4. Chelsea (39), 5. Man Utd (34), 6. Sheffield (32)

Bottom three (relegation): 18. Aston Villa (21), 19. Bournemouth (20), 20. Norwich City (14)

Scoring leader: 17 - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)

Assists leader: 14 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)

Real Madrid win Spanish Super Cup

FC Barcelona sack Manager Ernesto Valverde

Mexican star Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez linked to LA Galaxy

Italian Serie A

Top six: 1. Juventus (48), 2. Inter Milan (46), 3. Lazio (42), 4. Atalanta (35), 5. Roma (34), 6. Cagliari (29)

Bottom three: 18. Genoa (14), 19. Brescia (14), 20. SPAL (12)

Scoring leader: 20 - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)

Assists leader: 11 - Luis Alberto (Lazio)

Liga MX Clausura 2020 kicks off

The second half of the Liga MX calendar year kicked off over the weekend with only four teams not participating in the first week, Apertura 2019 finalists Monterrey and Club America among them. The teams that took three points in their first outing of the year were Leon, Chivas Guadalajara, Atlas, Pumas UNAM, Xolos of Tijuana and Toluca.

TV listings (All Times CT):

For full info on soccer TV listings and streaming services in the United States, visit worldsoccertalk.com

Tuesday, January 14

8:00 a.m. - [Coppa Italia] Napoli vs. Perugia (ESPN+)

11:00 a.m. - [Coppa Italia] Lazio vs. Cremonese (ESPN+)

1:45 p.m. - [Coppa Italia] Inter vs. Cagliari (ESPN+)

2:00 p.m. - [English FA Cup] Tottenham vs. Middlesbrough (ESPN+)

Wednesday, January 15

11:00 a.m. - [Coppa Italia] Milan vs. SPAL (ESPN+)

1:45 p.m. - [Coppa Italia] Juventus vs. Udinese (ESPN+)

1:45 p.m. - [English FA Cup] Manchester United vs. Wolves (ESPN+)

2:00 p.m. - [Ligue 1] Monaco vs. PSG (beINSports)

Thursday, January 16

2:00 p.m. - [Coppa Italia] Parma vs. Roma (ESPN+)

9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] FC Juarez vs. Pumas UNAM (TUDN)

Friday, January 17

1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Schalke 04 vs. Borussia Monchengladbach (FS2, TUDN)

2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Leganes vs. Getafe (beIN Sports)

9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Atlas vs. Puebla (TUDN)

Saturday, January 18

6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Watford vs. Tottenham (NBC Sports)

8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Augsburg vs. Borussia Dortmund (FS1, FOX Deportes)

8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Hoffenheim vs. Frankfurt (FS2, TUDN)

9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Arsenal vs. Sheffield United (NBC Sports)

9:00 a.m. - [La Liga] Real Madrid vs. Sevilla (beIN Sports)

11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Newcastle vs. Chelsea (NBC)

11:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] RB Leipzig vs. FC Union Berlin (FS2, FOX Deportes)

1:45 p.m. - [Serie A] Napoli vs. Fiorentina (ESPN+)

2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Eibar vs. Atletico Madrid (beIN Sports)

5:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Monterrey vs. Monarcas Morelia (FOX Deportes)

7:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Pachuca vs. C.D. Guadalajara (Univision, TUDN)

9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Club America vs. Tigres (Univision, TUDN)

Sunday, January 19

5:30 a.m. - [Serie A] A.C. Milan vs. Udinese (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)

8:00 a.m. - [Serie A] Lecce vs. Inter (ESPN+)

8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Burnley vs. Leicester City (NBC Sports)

8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Hertha Berlin vs. Bayern Munich (FS1, TUDN)

10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Liverpool vs. Manchester United (NBC Sports)

11:00 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Paderborn vs. Bayer Leverkusen (FS2, FOX Deportes)

11:00 a.m. - [Serie A] Genoa vs. AS Roma (ESPN+)

11:30 a.m. - [Liga MX] Toluca vs. Necaxa (Univision, TUDN)

1:45 p.m. - [Serie A] Juventus vs. Parma (ESPN+)

2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] FC Barcelona vs. Granada (beIN Sports)

3:30 p.m. - [Liga MX] Queretaro vs. Tijuana (TUDN)

6:45 p.m. - [Liga MX] Santos Laguna vs. Leon (FOX Deportes)

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