ON THE PITCH

Weekly Soccer Recap: David Beckham brings MLS to Miami; Dynamo kick off preseason

Victor Araiza
Jan 30, 2018, 12:10 pm
David Beckham's group were awarded Major League Soccer's 25th franchise. MLSsoccer.com

The MLS offseason is officially over but the biggest move off the field came from a former player. Overseas, cup competition is heating up since most leagues already - unofficially - know it’s champion. This was the week in soccer:

Premier League

The Premier League took a backseat to domestic cup competition this week. Midweek, Manchester City and Arsenal won their League Cup semifinal matches against Bristol City and Chelsea respectively. The final is set for Feb. 25 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Over the weekend, the FA Cup took priority with fourth round matchups. The upsets came from West Brom as they won 3-2 at Liverpool and Wigan Athletic who bested West Ham 2-nil at home. There will be four replay matches next week for the four draws, including Tottenham vs. League Two side Newport County. Chelsea, Leicester City, Manchester City and Manchester United all walked into the next round with big wins.

The Premier League returns with matches on Tuesday.

Top 5: Manchester City (65), Manchester United (53), Chelsea (50), Liverpool (47), Tottenham (45).

La Liga

Leganés remain the only Madrid area team in the Copa del Rey as both Atlético and Real were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Atlético could not overcome the likes of Sevilla and Real Madrid were humbled 2-1 by Leganés, who advance on away goals. The semifinal series will begin this week between Leganés vs. Sevilla and FC Barcelona vs. Valencia.

League action took place over the weekend with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi leading the charge for Barcelona - this week with only one goal apiece. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a double - both goals coming via penalties - as Real cruised to a 4-1 win at Valencia. Atlético defeated Las Palmas 3-0 at home.

The 5: Barcelona (57), Atlético Madrid (46), Valencia (40), Real Madrid (38), Villarreal (37).

Bundesliga

Just when Bayern Munich looked beatable, they overturn a 2-0 deficit to win 5-2 over Hoffenheim. Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke kept their spots at second and third with 2-nil wins. Eintracht Frankfurt had a 2-nil win of their own over Borussia Mönchengladbach, catapulting them up to fourth in the standings. Leipzig drops to fifth as a result of their 1-1 draw vs. Hamburg. Christian Pulisic started in Dortmund’s 2-2 draw with Freiburg.

On that note, Borussia Dortmund fans will be pleased to know that their club is headed stateside after the conclusion of the Bundesliga. They will play at LAFC in the new Banc of California Stadium (date and time TBD) in one of their 2018 tour stops.

Top 5: Bayern Munich (50), Bayer Leverkusen (34), Schalke 04 (34), Eintracht Frankfurt (33), RB Leipzig (32).

Ligue 1

Another win for PSG with Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Angel Di Maria guiding the club to a 4-0 win over Montpellier. Neymar’s double came with one of his goals via the penalty spot but the spotlight went to Cavani, who surpassed Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the club’s all-time leading scorer. Monaco dropped to fourth place after a 2-2 tie at Marseille - an important result as only the top three are guaranteed a spot in the UEFA Champions League. Monaco can jump back into the top three with a home match against Lyon this coming weekend.  

Top 5: Paris Saint-Germain (59), Lyon (48), Marseille (48), Monaco (47), Nantes (37).

Serie A

The most compelling title race in Europe out of the top five leagues is heating up as neither Napoli or Juventus want to give away an inch. Napoli cruised to a 3-1 over Bologna while Juventus won 3-0 at Chievo Verona. Lazio had a hiccup this week, losing 2-1 at A.C. Milan, while Inter tied 1-1 at SPAL and Roma lost 1-0 vs. Sampdoria.

The top 5: Napoli (57), Juventus (56), Lazio (46), Inter Milan (44), Roma (41).

Liga MX

The early season shuffling at the top of the table continues as only Pumas UNAM and Santos Laguna were able to keep a place in the the top five. Pumas continues to be the leader but were held to a 1-1 draw at Lobos BUAP. Former Houston Dynamo Erick Torres missed out on his debut but did make the gameday roster. In one of the standout matches, Tigres defeated Pachuca 3-2 at home. Monterrey picked up a 2-1 win at Chivas and Leon were dismantled 4-0 at home against Necaxa - still no word on Landon Donovan’s potential debut.

The top 5: Pumas UNAM (8), Monterrey (8), Tijuana (8), America (8), Santos (7).

Major League Soccer

Quite possibly the most awaited expansion announcement took place at the Adrienne Arsht Center on Monday as Miami was awarded an MLS franchise. Very few details were given other than the team is expected to play in the league during the 2020 season - 19 years after the folding of the previous Miami MLS franchise. The club is still looking for a temporary home as their soccer-specific stadium will not be built in time for their inaugural campaign. The event garnered major media attention because of the involvement of David Beckham.

Off the field, plenty of transfer moves continue to reshape the league. Houston Dynamo sold their 2017 top scorer Erick Torres to Liga MX leader Pumas while the Cyle Larin era is over in Orlando in a move that sends the Canadian to Champions League side Besiktas of Turkey. Orlando City have also bolstered their midfield with the addition of Justin Meram from Columbus and Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic is reportedly close to finalizing a deal with LA Galaxy.

National Women’s Soccer League

In an announcement that shook the reputation of the top division in Women’s Soccer, the Boston Breakers have ceased operations just weeks before the start of preseason after a new ownership group could not be established. A dispersal draft will be held Tuesday afternoon to decide the destination of the players on the roster. The Houston Dash will pick sixth in the snake draft.

Upcoming matches (All Times CT):

Tuesday, Jan. 23:

1:45 p.m. - [Coppa Italia] Atalanta vs. Juventus (GolTV)

2 p.m. - [Premier League] Huddersfield vs. Liverpool (NBC Sports)

2 p.m. - [Coupe de la Ligue] Rennes vs. Paris Saint-Germain (beIN Sports)

Wednesday, Jan. 24:

1:45 p.m. - [Coppa Italia] Milan vs. Lazio (GolTV)

2 p.m. - [Premier League] Spurs vs. Manchester United (NBC Sports)

2:30 p.m. - [Copa del Rey] Leganes vs. Sevilla (beIN Sports)

8 p.m. - [International Friendly] Mexico vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (UniMas/Univision Deportes)

Thursday, Jan. 25:

2:30 p.m. - [Copa del Rey] Barcelona vs. Valencia (beIN Sports)

Friday, Jan. 26:

1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Koln vs. Dortmund (FS1)

1:45 p.m. - [Coupe de la Ligue] Marseille vs. Metz (beIN Sports)

Saturday, Jan. 27:

6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Burnley vs. Manchester City (NBC Sports)

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

8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Schalke vs. Werder Bremen (FS2)

9 a.m. - [Premier League] Manchester United vs. Huddersfield (NBC Sports)

10 a.m. - [Ligue 1] Lille vs. Paris Saint-Germain (beIN Sports)

11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Arsenal vs. Everton (NBC/Telemundo)

11:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Mönchengladbach vs. RB Leipzig (FS2)

1:45 p.m. - [La Liga] Levante vs. Real Madrid (beIN Sports)

Sunday, Jan. 28:

8:15 a.m. - [Premier League] Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle (NBC Sports)

8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Augsburg vs. Frankfurt (FS1)

9:15 a.m. - [La Liga] Espanyol vs. Barcelona (beIN Sports)

10:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Liverpool vs. Spurs (NBC Sports/Telemundo)

11 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Hamburg vs. Hannover (FS2)

1:45 p.m. - [La Liga] Atletico Madrid vs. Valencia (beIN Sports)

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How Deshaun Watson holds the key to the next Texans head coach hire

It's all about Deshaun. Photo by Getty Images. Composite image by Brandon Strange.

The Texans moved to 3-7 following their 27-20 win over the Patriots. They are still without a permanent head coach and general manager. There lies the problem, and those problems will be settled this upcoming offseason. The new general manager and head coach will steer this franchise in the direction it needs to go in. Undoubtedly, Deshaun Watson will be at the forefront of what they do. How can he not be? You don't take a job like this with a quarterback like him and not consider him the centerpiece. What else would make one take either of those jobs? The salary cap hell the team is facing? The lack of draft picks coming off a terrible year? The faith ownership has placed in the NFL's version of Littlefinger?

Watson is the lone attraction to the flaming dumpster fire Cal McNair allowed to occur on his watch. If he's not careful, it could get worse and he'll find it hard to recover from. Watson signed an extension that'll keep him in Houston for another four years. He'll still be in his prime (barring any serious, career-threatening injury), and be eligible to hit the market as a free agent before he turns 30. So who do the Texans hire as head coach that can get the most out of Watson? Who can convince him to stay and re-sign after his extension is up?

The main cast of characters will most likely take better jobs. The Jets job is more attractive because of the cap space and draft picks. If the Falcons job opens up, so is it because of Matt Ryan and that offense. What coach/coaches would be interested in taking on this job that would be viable candidates given that the best of the best would take other jobs? Jayson Braddock and I tackled this topic not too long ago on Late Hits. Here are a few guys off the beaten path we felt were contenders:

Brian Daboll, Bills offensive coordinator: Daboll is a guy who, according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, is openly campaigning for this job. The work he's done with Josh Allen has been remarkable. Allen has gone from a raw prospect with all the physical tools to an MVP candidate. Who wouldn't want a guy like that in Watson's ear guiding him over the foreseeable future?

Greg Roman, Ravens offensive coordinator: Roman has done wonders for Colin Kaepernick and Lamar Jackson. He helped Kaepernick reach a Super Bowl with the 49ers and turned Jackson into last season's league MVP. Given his history with athletic quarterbacks, he should be a natural fit and given full consideration.

Tony Elliott, Clemson offensive coordinator: Here's where it gets interesting. Elliott has been the OC (or co-OC) at Clemson since 2015. He has an established relationship with Watson and a proven track record as a coordinator of high-powered offenses in college. He's the type of hire that won't cost as much as some big names will, but might be able to provide the same spark.

Note that all three of these guys are offensive coaches. I fully understand that the defense is an issue and needs help desperately. I also understand that the previous two coaches were offensive guys as well. But Watson is your franchise quarterback and the most attractive piece in a pile of flaming dung that resides on Kirby. If anyone is going to take this job, it'll be because of number four. I know these aren't the sexy names most folks would want to hear, but these names are more realistic as candidates. None of them has head coaching experience. That fact cheapens their price tag and lends itself to them being long shots. A lot of this depends on the general manager hire. We'll get into that in another articel. For right now, dwell on this and let me know what you think.

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