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The value of Champions Leagues, both at home and abroad
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 22, 2019) US Soccer Players - For many years, the United States and its teams and players reliably wore tags like “underdog” and “up-and-comer.” This was a soccer backwater finally growing into a contender after years in the wilderness. Even though the US was and is a superpower almost every other facet, those labels fit in a country where several other . . .
Red Bulls win in CCL
The soccer news starts with another night of the Concacaf Champions League round of 16 first-legs. The New York Red Bulls shutout Atletico Pantoja 2-0 in the Dominican Republic. An own-goal opened the scoring in the 39th minute with Daniel Royer doubling the lead in the 67th. Luis Robles didn't have to make a save to keep the clean sheet. The series concludes on February 27 at Red Bull . . .
Manchester City keeps playing for the quadruple
The soccer news starts with the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, aka the round of 16 of England's bigger cup competition. It's also a February break for the Premier League clubs already out of the competition. That includes one of the two teams at the top of the table with Liverpool exiting in the Third Round. Manchester City is through to the quarterfinals, knocking out Newport County 4-1 on . . .
Borussia Dortmund loses in the Champions League
The soccer news starts with Borussia Dortmund's 3-0 loss at Spurs in the Champions League round of 16. Christian Pulisic subbed out in the 87th minute in a game that Spurs took over in the second-half. Spurs scored in the 47th, 83rd, and 86th minutes with Borussia Dortmund now facing an uphill scenario at home on March 5. "We had only one chance in the first and hardly any in the second-half," . . .
Manchester United regains troubled status
The soccer news starts with Manchester United once again in trouble. Since replacing manager Jose Mourinho with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on an interim basis, United looked like a different club. All of a sudden, their problems turned into advantages. What should've worked in September was now producing wins in January. All of a sudden, Manchester United was in 4th-place, battling Arsenal and Chelsea . . .
The problem with soccer on TV
By J Hutcherson (Feb 12, 2019) US Soccer Players - Soccer makes it easy to go overboard. There are so many leagues with so many games. A still surprising number of them are available in the United States via cable or streaming platforms. That's not news, with the bigger complaint this season more about what isn't easily available. That would be the UEFA Champions League, with one game a day from . . .
The return of the Champions League
The soccer news starts with the knockout round of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League. Back in December, we put PSG and Juventus at the top of the table for the teams with the most to lose this season. It's worth asking if either of them are even favorites a couple of months later. PSG's waltz through Ligue 1 might be the easiest prediction to make across European soccer. They're so much better . . .
European soccer in the US sports marketplace
By J Hutcherson (Jan 22, 2019) US Soccer Players - At some point, it's a safe assumption that European soccer will raise its head just enough to draw the full attention of the major North American pro sports leagues. It hasn't happened yet, regardless of the boosters who want to plug the Champions League, Premier League, or the Bundesliga into the conversation. The ratings aren't there, even if . . .
The Champions League contenders
The conclusion of the 2018-19 Champions League group stage wasn't much of a surprise. The usual suspects all advanced, with another opportunity to see if a combination of the draw and results allows the Spanish giants to dominate the knockout phase. That once again includes Atletico Madrid, back from their Europa League winning season and once again navigating a Champions League group. The only . . .
