THE SOCCER REPORT
U.S. Men host Chile in Houston, Cristiano Ronaldo exits early from Portugal match
Mar 26, 2019, 8:09 am
Christian Pulisic highlights Team USA's roster to face Chile on Tuesday night at BBVA Compass Stadium. Courtesy: Nike, Inc.
This week's international fixtures continue with a local connection to the action as the U.S. Men's National Team is set to host reigning South American Champion Chile at BBVA Compass Stadium. It will be the fourth match, and toughest test yet, for Manager Gregg Berhalter since being appointed to the position back in December.
Team USA is 3-0-0 under Berhalter after defeating Ecuador, 1-0, in a friendly last Friday in Orlando. The current roster includes 15 players who ply their trade domestically in Major League Soccer and is headlined by 20-year-old Bundesliga star Christian Pulisic, who will join Premier League club Chelsea this summer after a $73 million move.
Tickets still remain for tonight's match with just over half of the stadium expected to be full. Attendance has been an issue for the USMNT following their failure to qualify to the last year's FIFA World Cup, but the Harris County - Houston Sports Authority will be hoping to attract as big a crowd as possible in their efforts for Houston to be a 2026 FIFA World Cup host city.
Lift off in t-minus 24 hours.— U.S. Soccer MNT (@U.S. Soccer MNT) 1553558400.0
International Friendlies
Among some of the other international friendlies that stood out where Venezuela's 3-1 victory over Argentina in Madrid, Spain. Despite it being an exhibition, much of the headlines after would be about Lionel Messi's window to win a championship with his home country. The FC Barcelona star left the national team after that match as an injury precaution. Among those that featured where also Atlanta United teammates Gonzalo Martinez (Argentina) and Josef Martinez (Venezuela), the latter scoring the final goal of the game via a penalty.
👑 @JosefMartinez17 scores from the spot to put 🇻🇪 up 3-1 vs Leo Messi and 🇦🇷 https://t.co/1wnNoXfi7v— MLS Rewind (@MLS Rewind) 1553291183.0
Mexico began life with their new coach Gerardo Martino with a 3-1 win over Chile in San Diego, California. The win provided many talking points and positives for El Tri as they, like the United States, prepare for this summer's Concacaf Gold Cup. Mexico hosts Paraguay on Tuesday night in Santa Clara, California.
Panama tied Brazil 1-1 in Portugal where former Houston Dynamo Adolfo Machado scored for the Central Americans in their historic draw with the five-time FIFA World Cup champs.
UEFA EURO 2020 qualifiers
⏰ RESULTS ⏰ 🔥 Moise Kean nets on competitive debut for Italy 😮 Sergio Ramos Panenka penalty secures Spain win 💪 E… https://t.co/JYEWHNGwL8— UEFA EURO 2020 (@UEFA EURO 2020) 1553377728.0
One of the bigger international tournaments besides the FIFA World Cup is the European Championship. The 2020 edition, to be disputed across 12 European countries to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the competition, is undergoing it's qualification stage. One of the thrillers this week has been Germany's 3-2 win at rival Netherlands. France, the current World Champion, continues to look strong as they demolish their competition.
A local tie to the Euro 2020 qualifiers exists as Houston Dynamo defender Aljaz "Kiki" Struna started in both of Slovenia's matches this week, the two results ending in 1-1 draws to Israel and Macedonia.
🚨 RESULTS 🚨 Performance of the night? 🤔 👏 France, England & Turkey cruise to victory ✅ Portugal and Serbia play… https://t.co/FDw53BlPXL— UEFA EURO 2020 (@UEFA EURO 2020) 1553550248.0
For the defending European Champions Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo suffered an injury that saw him leave their 1-1 draw with Serbia. Overlapping to club competition, many wonder how big of a hit this could be for Juventus in their aim to win the UEFA Champions League.
A worrying sight for Juventus 😬 Cristiano Ronaldo was forced off after pulling up in Portugal’s Euro 2020 qualifie… https://t.co/C6eNWRIgVC— ESPN FC (@ESPN FC) 1553547169.0
Concacaf Nations League
The 16 confirmed teams for #GoldCup2019 Watch the Groups & Schedule Unveil on April 10th at Banc of California Stad… https://t.co/96qXXgClm7— Gold Cup 2019 (@Gold Cup 2019) 1553560698.0
All the participants in this summer's Concacaf Gold Cup are now confirmed after action wrapped up in the Nations League tournament. Houston Dynamo midfielder Darwin Ceren was one of the players involved in pivotal matches as he started and helped El Salvador win 2-0 over Jamaica.
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Upcoming Matches (All Times CT):
Tuesday, Mar. 26
1:00 p.m. - [UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier] Armenia vs. Finland (ESPN3, Univision Deportes)
2:00 p.m. - [International Friendly] Morocco vs. Argentina (beIN Sports)
2:45 p.m. - [UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier] Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Greece (ESPN3)
2:45 p.m. - [UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier] Malta vs. Spain (ESPN+, Univision Deportes)
2:45 p.m. - [UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier] Italy vs. Liechtenstein (ESPN+)
2:45 p.m. - [International Friendly] Czech Republic vs. Brazil (ESPN3)
7:00 p.m. - [International Friendly] USA vs. Chile (ESPN2, UniMas)
9:00 p.m. - [International Friendly] Mexico vs. Paraguay (UniMas)
Wednesday, Mar. 27
1:00 p.m. - [UEFA Women's Champions League] PSG vs. Chelsea (beIN Sports)
7:30 p.m. - [Copa Libertadores] Cruzeiro vs. Deportivo Lara (beIN Sports)
Friday, Mar. 29
2:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Hoffenheim vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen (FS2, Univision Deportes)
3:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Girona vs. Athletic Bilbao (beIN Sports)
Saturday, Mar. 30
7:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Fulham vs. Manchester City (NBC Sports)
9:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Freiburg vs. FC Bayern Munich (FS2, UniMas)
10:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester United vs. Watford (NBC Sports)
10:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Brighton vs. Southampton (CNBC)
10:15 a.m. - [La Liga] FC Barcelona vs. Espanyol (beIN Sports)
12:30 p.m. - [Premier League] West Ham vs. Everton (NBC Sports)
12:30 p.m. - [La Liga] Celta Vigo vs. Villarreal (beIN Sports)
12:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] RB Leipzig vs. Hertha BSC Berlin (FS2)
2:30 p.m. - [MLS] San Jose Earthquakes vs. LAFC (Twitter, Univision)
2:45 p.m. - [La Liga] Alaves vs. Atletico Madrid (beIN Sports)
8:00 p.m. - [MLS] Colorado Rapids vs. Houston Dynamo (KUBE57)
Sunday, Mar. 31
8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Cardiff City vs. Chelsea (NBC Sports)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Hannover 96 vs. FC Schalke 04 (FS1, Univision Deportes)
10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Liverpool vs. Tottenham (NBC Sports)
2:45 p.m. - [La Liga] Real Madrid vs. Huesca (beIN Sports)
5:30 p.m. - [MLS] Orlando City vs. D.C. United (FS1)
8:00 p.m. - [MLS] LA Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers (ESPN2)
Monday, Apr. 1
2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Arsenal vs. Newcastle (NBC Sports)
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.