The soccer news starts with a Champions League week in UEFA and in Concacaf. In Europe, Brenden Aaronson’s Red Bull Salzburg takes a 1-1 score to Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich on Tuesday. In one of the bigger surprises of the knockout round, Red Bull showed they could play against the Bundesliga leaders. Salzburg shutout Altach 4-0 at home on Saturday to extend its lead to 18 points at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga table.
It was a really good game!,” Red Bull coach Matthias Jaissle said. “Of course, the clear lead at halftime made it easier for us, also in regard to the match in Munich. I hope now just that everyone is 100% fit for Tuesday.”
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich drew 1-1 at home with Bayer Leverkusen, giving up an own-goal. “The final ball didn’t always come off today, so we didn’t finish the ball off very often,” Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said. “Leverkusen were very defensive in the second half and waited for counterattacks. You always have to be careful with that style of football. Overall, we lacked a bit of bite. The point is a fair result for both teams.
In Concacaf, Tuesday’s matchday sees the quarterfinals open with NYCFC hosting Comunicaciones and Seattle at home against Club Leon. Both of the MLS teams are having issues domestically. New York lost its MLS opener 1-0 at the Galaxy and drew 0-0 in Vancouver on Saturday. Seattle lost 1-0 at home to Nashville to open the season and by the same score at Real Salt Lake in week 2.
New York playing the only non-Liga MX club left in the tournament gives them an obvious advantage, but the Champions League is seldom straightforward. Playing their home game in East Hartford, Connecticut adds an extra travel component after starting the Champions League and the MLS regular season on the East Coast.
As for Seattle, no points from two league games creates the kind of pressure that can’t help but carry into the quarterfinals. Leon beat Juarez 1-0 on Friday, currently 4th in the Liga MX table. They advanced over Guastatoya in the round of 16 3-0 on aggregate.
The US Soccer Federation membership reelected president Cindy Parlow Cone during Saturday’s Annual General Meeting in Atlanta. Cone received 52% of the vote over former president Carlos Cordeiro. “Our membership is vast and varied, just like our country, and there’s a lot of different ideas out there,” Parlow Cone told the media. “From that perspective, I need to do a better job of listening and communicating with our membership. As I’ve said many times, my first couple of years we were really looking to make sure that the ship didn’t sink, because I came into a really challenging situation and had to right the ship, and now we’re sailing in a good direction right now.”
Concacaf and FIFA both released statements over the violence that stopped the Queretaro vs Atlas game on Saturday night in Liga MX. “Concacaf wholly condemns these types of behaviors,” their statement read. “We call on the local authorities to fully investigate these criminal acts, and to hold accountable those who have tarnished our game. The Confederation also believes that strong football sanctions must be applied and will provide any necessary support to the FMF and Liga MX as they investigate.”
FIFA wrote that, “FIFA is shocked at the tragic incident that took place at La Corregidora stadium in the city of Queretaro during the fixture between Queretaro and Atlas. The violence at the La Corregidora stadium was unacceptable and intolerable. FIFA joins the Mexican Football Association and Concacaf in condemning this barbaric incident and encouraging the local authorities to bring swift justice to those responsible. Our thoughts are with all those who suffered its consequences.”
Football Italia’s Lorenzo Bettoni on Weston McKennie’s injury keeping him out for the rest of the season. The Mail on Sunday’s Rob Draper asks about the rumored price for buying Chelsea. iNews’ Daniel Story with Jesse Marsch’s first game in charge at Leeds.
TUESDAY’S SOCCER TV
UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-legs on Galavision: Bayern Munich vs Red Bull Salzburg at 3pm with the series tied 1-1. CBS has Liverpool vs Inter Milan at 3pm with Liverpool leading 2-0. Copa Sudamericana on beIN Sport: Estudiantes Merida vs Metropolitanos at 5:15pm. beIN en Espanol has Royal Pari vs Oriente Petrolero at 5:15pm. Copa Libertadores on beIN Sport: America Mineiro vs Barcelona at 7:30pm. Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals first-legs on FS1: NYCFC vs Comunicaciones at 8pm and Seattle vs Leon at 10pm ET.
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Photo by Imago via ZUMA Press – ISIPhotos.com
