ON THE PITCH
Weekly Soccer Recap: David Beckham brings MLS to Miami; Dynamo kick off preseason
Jan 30, 2018, 12:10 pm
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:
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).
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).
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).
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).
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).
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).
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.
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.
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)
Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.
The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.
On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.
It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.
The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.
How the mighty have fallen.
Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.
Screenshot via: MLB.com
___________________________
*ChatGPT assisted.
Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!