THE SOCCER REPORT
Soccer Recap: Suarez back-heel goal steals the show; Arsenal win first under Ljungberg
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.
Where Champions Are Crowned 🏆 #SCCL2020 https://t.co/kJN4F4Q7r4— Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (@Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League) 1575947474.0
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)
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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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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