The Ole BallCoach

Real Madrid outlast Atleti with Street ball moves

Champions League

Real Madrid Player Ratings

Real Madrid Rides out the Storm

Atleti’s Caldron closes with a bang and an Almost Comeback for the Ages

Next Steps for Atletico – Simeion

Player Ratings Atleti

Uncertainty envelops Atletico Madrid – graham Hunter ESPNFC

Juve Fixes What isn’t even broken – Gab Marcotti – ESPNFC

Dani Alves magnificent in move past Monaco – ESPNFC

Buffon Soaks in the Win for Juve Video

Monaco Pride in Defeat

Celta Vigo were Superior to Man United – despite shocking loss

USA

Fast Track of US combined World Cup Bid – Restored – for 2026 bid

Best US Cities to Host 2026 Final?

Jermaine Jones out for June Qualifiers with knee Injury – Stars and Stripes

Who is goalkeeper of the Future?

Yanks Abroad Last Week – S&S

Vote for Pulisic and John Brooks Allstar Teams for German League

Bobby Wood Can’t Save Hamburg all by himself

US U20s World Cup Roster Released

MLS

MLS Power rankings

Toronto FC scores late to beat Columbus

Portland to Expand their park

Matt Hedges – Former Carmel High Star Defender for Dallas FC – Why Don’t You Smile in Photos?

World

Top Teams in World

Chelsea can Win Title Today, Spurs Last Game at White Hart Lane

So Much at Stake for Liverpool on Sat

Messi’s Argentina ban lifted after Appeal

David De Gea Throwing it Down

Indy 11

Injuries Add up for Indy 11 – Soctakes.com

IMS Night – May 20

Indy 11 Discount Ticket Link

SUMMER TIME SOCCER CAMPS

Post2Post Soccer Camps

Provides elite-level training for youth players who want to become better technical and tactical soccer players. Our camps focus on individual technical skills and game tactics in pressure situations using advanced training techniques. Come and join our staff of former Division I college coaches, National Team players, experienced youth, high school and college players for a fun learning experience.Cost: $195 per camper Location: Badger Fields

Goalkeeper Camp: May 30 – June 2, 2017 Field Player Camp: July 24 – 27, 2017

Indy 11 Youth Soccer Camp at Carmel Dad’s Club June 19-22 9 to 12 noon (ages 5-14) $135

Carmel High School Soccer Camps – July 17-20

(called Hounds Soccer Technical/Skills Camp and Hounds Soccer Tactical/Scrimmage Camp) and they are being held at Murray Stadium the week of July 17-20. The format will be where the morning session will run 10:00-12:00. This is the technical skills training – session runs 10 am till 12 pm and it will cost $85. The afternoon session is the tactical/scrimmage session and will run 1:00-3:00 at Murray Stadium. Boys and Girls – 8-14 Cost: $85/per camper per session.

Real Madrid ride out Atletico storm to reach another Champions League final

MADRID — Three quick thoughts from Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 Champions League semifinal second-leg win over Real Madrid on Wednesday at the Vicente Calderon, which sees Los Blancos move on to the final by an aggregate score of 4-2.

Madrid ride out storm to make another final

It has been a year of unbelievable comebacks in the Champions League, and Atletico Madrid came close to pulling off the most amazing of all at a rocking Vicente Calderon on Wednesday, but defending champions Real Madrid rode out the storm to progress to their third Champions League final in four years.Diego Simeone’s home side were incredible during an emotion-packed opening quarter-hour, and they steamrolled a dazed-looking Madrid team who began the game with what had seemed an unassailable 3-0 advantage from the first leg last week.Antoine Griezmann and Koke had already worried visiting goalkeeper Keylor Navas before the latter’s pinpoint corner was bullet-headed to the net by Saul Niguez on 12 minutes. Almost immediately, Fernando Torres was felled in the penalty area by Raphael Varane, and Griezmann’s spot kick made it past Navas even though the Frenchman slipped as he made contact.Down 2-0 on the night, Madrid were really in trouble, although Atletico had to pause for a breather after what had been an incredible opening. The game next entered a niggly phase with two players from each side booked as referee Cuneyt Cakir struggled to maintain control.Los Blancos emerged from the struggle with their composure once more, and they soon got a crucial away goal. Karim Benzema wriggled away from three Atletico defenders along the end line, and pulled back for Toni Kroos, whose shot was saved by Jan Oblak, but Isco was on the spot to scoop in the rebound with 42 minutes played.Atletico came out in the second half having to do it all again. They almost had a third when Yannick Carrasco easily beat Danilo to a long ball, but Navas saved the shot, then made a miraculous stop from substitute Kevin Gameiro’s follow-up header.At the other end, Cristiano Ronaldo saw a goal ruled out for offside, and Benzema had a decent penalty claim, but still Atletico kept pushing, and Gameiro really should have added another after some super work from fellow replacement Angel Correa.That was that, though, and Madrid are into the June 3 decider against Juventus in Cardiff. They remain on course to be the first team to defend the Champions League trophy in its modern format. But they got a huge scare on their last ever visit to the Calderon.

Isco, Benzema provide quality when needed

Madrid were reeling midway through the first half on Wednesday. Stand-in right-back Danilo had already been booked for a needless foul, Casemiro was a shaky presence in deep midfield and talisman Ronaldo was only noticed when he was elbowed in the back of the head by Diego Godin.Amid the chaos there were Blancos players who kept their heads. Luka Modric was a calming presence on the ball in the centre. Both Benzema and Isco had also shown some nice touches, dropping deeper to link the play and try to hold possession, before they were both involved in the night’s crucial moment.The Frenchman’s composure and ability were fantastic as he squeezed his way along the end line, and he also had the vision to see the pass to Kroos, with Isco then exactly in the right spot to cleverly finish the rebound. Madrid have now scored in 61 consecutive games, a testament to their squad’s sheer depth of attacking solutions.Isco might not have started on the night had Gareth Bale not been injured (again), but his worth was huge. Tactically manager Zinedine Zidane gets another player in the centre of the pitch, and the 25-year-old’s skill and touch in tight areas helped avoid the Atletico press and keep the ball moving. The little Andalusian also got involved physically to help his side when the game was at its most intense.The next few weeks are sure to see a lot of talk about Bale racing back to fitness for the final in his home city of Cardiff, but it is difficult to see how Zidane can find a place in this XI for the Welshman.

Atletico salvage some pride

This was the last European night at the old Vicente Calderon, and even though Atletico ended it out of the Champions League, their performance made sure the game will be remembered with pride long after the stadium is gone.The Rojiblanco family had been building a mood of defiance ever since last Tuesday’s first leg at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, with some fans claiming offence at a pregame banner shown by Madrid fans asking “How did it feel?” to have lost the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals to their neighbours. The Calderon faithful shot back on Wednesday with “Proud to not be like you” written across one side of the old concrete bowl.Amid the incredible noise, Diego Simeone’s men showed an almost demonic energy from the off. The roars were even louder when veteran Torres beat Madrid captain Sergio Ramos to the first header, although the referee called play back for a foul. Atletico players seemed to be everywhere, and within the first five minutes they had showed more fight and spirit than in the entire 90 last week.But it was impossible to keep up such intensity for the entire game, even with Simeone regularly jumping off the bench and pumping his arms in the air to rouse the crowd. And when it went into a lull before half-time, Madrid were able to take advantage and get the crucial away goal.”Atletico until death,” sang the stadium through the second half, even when the heavens opened late on, and the home fans could not be but proud of the effort their team put in right until the end. Four straight years of losing to the same opposition in this competition would be tough for anyone to take, never mind when it’s against your closest neighbours and fiercest rivals. But the nature of Wednesday’s performance means that this exit should not be as painful as those that came before.Dermot Corrigan is a Madrid-based football writer

The Calderon’s irrepressible European farewell marks end of an Atletico era

MADRID — Diego Simeone was soaked through, but just as immersed in the moment as ever. As the rain hammered down upon Estadio Vicente Calderon, and as supporters reluctantly began to run for shelter, some cowering toward the back of the stands, the Atletico Madrid manager decided to galvanise his public one more time. A matter of minutes remained; Atletico were about to lose a Champions League semifinal to their most bitter rivals, he knew that, but Simeone turned to the masses behind his technical area, clapped his hands high, and the volume reached a crescendo again.Atletico defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in their second leg Wednesday, but Real won the UCL semifinal 4-2 on aggregate. Fifteen minutes after the final whistle, when Atletico’s players came back out, thousands remained in the stadium to show one last gesture of appreciation. Even more would have stayed in their seats if the heavens hadn’t opened, but this was not quite a night for storybook finishes.For the half-hour between the headed opening goal by Atletico’s Saul Niguez and the close-range stab by Real’s Isco that rendered the second half virtually unnecessary, Atletico had fed upon the awesome din inside their home and threatened a night to top any in its 51-year history. Eventually, they were well-beaten. But they still ensured that these walls, reverberating to the tension of one last derby match, will have one last tale to tell before they are rendered into rubble — Vicente Calderon will give way to Atletico’s new home next season — and the next phase of Atletico’s history begins.They had seen defiance — embodied by the prematch tifo that read, “We’re proud not to be like you” — turn into hope and then, when Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann beat keeper Keylor Navas with an element of fortune from the spot, transform into genuine belief. Atletico had begun thrillingly, ripping into Real Madrid and appearing, for a brief time, to have their opponents by the throat. The Calderon was throbbing; the noise was enough to make the most seasoned observers glance at one another with a puff of the cheeks.It was not to last. Instead, this second leg became the kind of rough-edged occasion that perhaps befits the image of this old stadium and its inhabitants; one that brought bundles of pride, but in the end saw Atletico outstripped by their neighbours. Simeone was smiling as he walked into his postmatch news conference. He had dried off and taken a few breaths to recover from 90 minutes of perpetual motion. He had been beaten, but he knew what he had seen: a team that, after being so puzzlingly flat in the first leg, had risen to the occasion this time and shown the best of itself.”I am happy, proud; we competed as we have shown over these five-and-a-half years, battling in the best places,” he said. “We believed we could do it, and people thought it was mind games, but games can be marvellous. The first 20 or 30 minutes will stay in the minds of everyone. There was disorder in our defence and they scored their goal, but the moments in this magic night at the Calderon will be remembered forever.”He was not wrong. It was some European sign-off, and that is why most of those present were keen to drink it in that little bit longer and rise above what might, in other circumstances, have been the kind of outcome from which you slink off home. And perhaps it might have meant something more. The Calderon will host no more games at this level, but it does not take a huge leap of the imagination to see Griezmann playing his next Champions League football in another team’s colours, and the future of Simeone, too, seems far from cut-and-dried. This could have been the end of an era in more ways than one.”I am not thinking about that at this moment, I try and be spontaneous,” Simeone said when asked about his future plans. “We still need to keep improving. The next step is not small, it is very big, but if we can improve then there is a future.”Reading between the lines, the suggestion is that Atletico’s move to the new Wanda Metropolitano stadium needs to bring about a shift in the club’s image. Atletico are a marvellous side but have given the impression of having to strain every sinew to reach their current level. They have battled tremendously, but when faced with Real in four separate Champions League ties across as many seasons, Atletico have fallen just short on each occasion.Real were deserving winners of the semifinal, eventually managing a situation that had threatened to overwhelm them. After getting sucked into Atletico’s early pace, Real eventually came to play around it, drawing niggly fouls and dictating the tempo.Real ‘s Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were near impeccable on the ball; Isco’s dribbling helped displace Atletico’s central midfielders; and then there was the performance of Karim Benzema, who had already threatened a couple of times before the display of power, balance and close control that led to Isco’s goal. Atletico’s centre-backs will not look forward to a second viewing, but it was just reward for the way Real played.”I did not think he [Benzema] could do that,” Zinedine Zidane smiled afterward. “We were talking after the game and I asked how he got out of [the tight space].” Zidane said he knew his team would have to “suffer,” but was correct to say the game “changed completely” after the 25-minute mark.It means he is a game away from winning successive Champions League titles in his first season and a half as a manager; that would be a remarkable feat, particularly noteworthy given that Real’s opponents in the final will be his former club Juventus, and over these two legs he has seen plenty to encourage him. If Real had some luck in the quarterfinal against Bayern Munich, they did not need any here; they look like a juggernaut, and next month’s showdown in Cardiff could not appear more evenly poised.Atletico will watch and wonder whether their time will come again. For the Calderon it will certainly not, and perhaps a Rojiblancos team with a completely different image will next make inroads in Europe. As their stadium is stripped down, they will rebuild; in the meantime, they did their utmost here to put on one final night of sheer theatre. The result was an event that, whichever side you take, was worthy of those sodden celebrations.Nick Ames is a football journalist who writes for ESPN FC on a range of topics. Twitter: @NickAmes82.

Isco, Benzema inspire Real Madrid into the UCL final with street football nous

MADRID — Albeit that this Madrid derby was in the most lucrative and aristocratic tournament in the history of the club game, the 2016-17 Champions League semifinal second leg was neverthless a triumph for “street footballers” and their values.Football at its richest, won by football at its most basic. A red-carpet night, decided by skills honed on black tarmac — and all the more healthy for that.And something I’m thrilled to report to you. Not because of any preference for Madrid over Atletico, but because of a love for the kind of mentality, attitude, decisions and skills that saw the reigning European champions through to a June 3 date vs. Juventus in Cardiff, in the face of what, initially, seemed like overwhelming traffic pouring towards Keylor Navas’ goal.An alien, who just arrived on our planet, could tell you that Isco was, by light years, the best player on the pitch. Far more than his goal, it was his ebullient love of the ball that turned this match back in Madrid’s favour and ensured that the tie was won.Atletico, for all that their flame burned brilliant bright in the first quarter of an hour, didn’t have a remedy. Often, they resorted to fouling him, barging him, kicking him. But, to the great delight of purists everywhere, Isco would jink away, then twist and turn and tie his pursuers in a variety of reef, hitch, shank and double-loop knots.This was Isco’s greatest Madrid match — among an increasingly long list — and came just when, at 2-0 down, his club needed it most.With 16 minutes gone, you might have believed that anything was feasible. Atleti were reminiscent of that day, just over two years ago, when the score between these teams was a four-goal win in the red-and-white favour.Two goals down, Madrid were shaken. Atleti had scored with yet another header against them, Raphael Varane had committed an error and the pace of the game seemed beyond Zinedine Zidane’s side; just one more good shot to the ribs or the jaw and we might have seen a giant begin to stagger. Even topple.What happened next, though, was that Isco — not alone, but the lead soloist — began to dance to some internal music only he could hear. You’d be a liar if you claimed that he did anything less than repeatedly spring up in about five different positions: Left, central and right midfield, second striker and, crucially when a goal needed to be scored, centre-forward.But back to the truth about red carpets and black tarmac. At the heart of football’s soul is the kid with the ball, who wants dribble past every opponent, who makes the entry fee worthwhile and who commands that you fall in love with the sport.Zidane is — not was — a street footballer; you never lose that mentality. He’s said that everything he is now is owed to that upbringing: Learn to be first, to be tough, to own the ball, to avoid skinning your knees. And don’t let anyone bully you. Fight in a metaphorical sense, literally if it’s absolutely required.When Zidane played for Juventus, he was a vastly expensive resource for the Turin club, yet his manager Marcello Lippi had to ban his superstar from joining in games with local kids. Teammate Edgar Davids, another brilliantly-skilled street footballer, would persuade Zidane to join in — something that was expressly forbidden by both their contracts — with the words “You’ve changed!” if the Frenchman showed any hesitation about joining an informal neighbourhood kickabout.What Zidane believes — what made him great — is in front-foot, playground football: “We’ll be better than you, we’ll attack more, we’ll have more quality on the ball, we’ll score more than you.” He learned on the mean streets of northern Marseille and it conditions his thinking to this day.It explains Isco’s selection on Wednesday, when there were copious other options, and also why Zidane was instrumental in the player’s signing in 2013. President Florentino Perez said publicly that his reticence to do the deal was based on the fact that Isco would never get in the Madrid team, only for the club’s then-principal football advisor to persuade him otherwise.”All I want when I play is to be on the ball,” said Isco just before he joined Los Blancos. “As a kid in my neighborhood of Las Flores the locals knew me as ‘the kid who always has a ball at his feet.’ I learned everything I know playing street football. The local square, playing against the big lads, getting kicked, learning how to trick them and to keep possession; that was my school.”Transport all those values forward 20 years to the Estadio Vicente Calderon and you get our man of the match. The more he got on the ball, the more Atleti’s threat dampened; when Isco took possession, the temperature went down. As he dribbled past two or three, the rest of his team breathed out that sigh of: “We’re not on the back foot anymore.”Lately there are those who have argued that, because you can win without dominating possession, either a) you should abandon the idea of controlling the ball throughout the game, or b) having too much of it is actually a bad thing.(I know, they should be outlawed from football and made to play Pétanque or reenact medieval battles.)So to see Madrid wrest control of Wednesday’s game back into their own hands by dominating possession 62-38 at half-time — in enemy territory, no less — was uplifting. But Zidane’s street-footballing mentality and Isco’s “I learned on concrete” skills weren’t alone.Karim Benzema always idolized Ronaldo. No, not that one, though they get on brilliantly.It was the Brazilian Ronaldo upon whom this elegant, clever, technically exquisite footballer modelled himself. Ronaldo learned to play on rock-hard, sun-cemented earth; bumps, bangs and all. To him, without money to pay for his bus fare to go and train with Flamengo, playing on concrete or tarmac would have been a luxury.Now Benzema most certainly is not Ronaldo’s equal, but what he copied from his idol most certainly makes his games worth watching.The goal that ended this tie, that put Madrid in with a chance of their first Liga and European Cup double since 1958, that maintains their chance of being the only club to retain the Champions League title; well, it was just sublime.Benzema dragged of a gaggle of Atleti players with him as he turned and ran. The Fred Astaire-feet, which seemed to bend space and time by looping the ball past Stefan Savic without going over the white painted line for a goal kick? Genius.What Benzema produced was straight out of street football, the way that you slip and skip between parked cars, the kerb of the pavement, a big lump of an opponent, a lamp post.And who was sharp? Who was the only player, who believed Benzema would or could produce a magic trick?Isco, of course: One man with sleight of foot, recognizing another. And so the midfielder, who stepped upon every single blade of grass in the same way he used to dance across cobblestones, was the only player to make a run toward the six-yard box. When Toni Kroos’ shot was parried by goalkeeper Jan Oblak, there was the man of the moment.As for the home side, when the bulldozers and diggers and cranes and drills move in to smash the Calderon to the ground, you won’t be able to hear a decibel of the industrial noise over the primeval roar of “Atleti, Atleti, Atletico de Madrid” that will still echo around that hallowed football site.It will never go away. Nor, I hope, will those who play like Isco and Benzema or who think like Zidane.The street rules.Graham Hunter covers Spain for ESPN FC and Sky Sports

Juventus — fix it even if it ain’t broke

You have to go all the way back to Chelsea in 2012 — five years and five managers ago — to find a Champions League winner that has changed more than Juve have in the past two seasons.Well-run clubs never need to rebuild; they simply reload. It’s an old maxim and it’s generally true. If you’re a dominant side, you maintain that dominance through continuous small changes rather than periodic blow-ups. Get the small changes right and you won’t need to rebuild.But for every rule, there’s a counterargument: Juventus’ run to the Champions League final, after they dispatched a young and vibrant Monaco side in the semifinals on Tuesday, is Exhibit A. When they take the pitch in Cardiff, assuming Sami Khedira recovers from injury, it could well be that Gianluigi Buffon and Leonardo Bonucci will be the only holdovers from the side that lost the Champions League final to Barcelona two years ago.Sure, had Giorgio Chiellini not been injured for the 2015 final, it would be three out of 11, but it’s still a pretty staggering turnaround in just two seasons. Indeed, 12 of the 18 in the matchday squad that day have now left the club.Contrast this with their opponents that day, Barcelona, who have shed six. Or, for that matter, Real Madrid, who also lost six players (if you want to count Alvaro Morata, who left and came back, it’s seven) from the side who won the trophy in 2014. You have to go all the way back to Chelsea in 2012, five years and five managers ago, to find a Champions League winner that has changed more than Juve have in the past two seasons.You simply can’t weather that much change unless you’re a well-run club. And that goes beyond the manager, Massimiliano Allegri, right up to the higher reaches with sporting director Fabio Paratici and chief executive Beppe Marotta.Not only have they rebuilt on the fly, they’ve done it twice in two seasons. In the summer of 2015, they lost Carlos Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal. Last summer, it was Paul Pogba and Morata.It’s easy to say “well, they lost good players but replaced them with good ones too in the form of Sami Khedira, Paulo Dybala, Miralem Pjanic, Alex Sandro, Dani Alves, Mario Mandzukic and Gonzalo Higuain.” That’s true, but there are two points to make there.The first is that if replacing good players with equally good ones were that easy, every rich club would be doing it successfully. Heck, Paratici and Marotta have made plenty of mistakes themselves over the years, it’s the nature of the beast. (Old-school Serie A followers may recall Marotta’s time at Atalanta when he broke the bank to sign Luca Saudati and Gianni Comandini.) But the point is they got more right than wrong, especially over the past few seasons.Secondly, quite clearly the newcomers aren’t carbon copies of the guys they replaced. Here Allegri must get a ton of credit.Dybala is unlike any player Juventus have had for a long time; Higuain was a proven commodity as a lone striker in a 4-3-3 and yet Allegri found a way for him to be equally productive with a partner up front or in a different system, without wingers. Pjanic might be a gifted passer and free kick taker like Pirlo, but the similarities end there. Allegri realized early on he couldn’t be trusted with the deep playmaking duties on his own in the same way you could trust the “Bearded One,” so he stuck Khedira there and found a different role for Pjanic.The wide men represent an even bigger change. Stephan Lichtsteiner is a reliable, gutsy, hard-working full-back, but he’s an up-and-down guy; Alves is a wholly different beast altogether; Patrice Evra may have been comparable to Alex Sandro years ago, but past his 30th birthday he was a purely defensive full-back.Then, of course, there’s Mandzukic. Allegri didn’t reinvent the wheel by putting a hulking 6-foot-3 guy out on the wing — some of us are old enough to remember Egil Olsen and Jostein Flo — and, of course, Mandzukic occasionally played there in the past, but it still takes a thorough readjustment of the system to pull it off. A guy his size, with 30-year-old legs won’t be able to chase attacking full-backs, the way a more traditional winger might, nor is he going to beat anybody and put in a cross. But what he does offer is tremendous mismatches against opposing full-backs and a continuous aerial far post threat — as he proved with his opening goal against Monaco on Tuesday night.Allegri has overseen all these changes, but he didn’t prompt them. When he took the job, he knew Pirlo and Evra were old and would be moving on, but he hoped that Pogba, Morata and Vidal might stick around. When they did not, he worked with the hand he was dealt. He may have tremendous pieces, but they are still ones that needed to be fit together. And, crucially not just fit together well enough to win Serie A, but also to go deep in the Champions League.In addition, once Allegri had a set up in place that was yielding results and cruising along nicely in Serie A and in Europe, he conjured up a Plan B, which became the Plan A we saw against Barcelona. He chose to cram Pjanic, Mandzukic, Higuain, Dybala and Juan Cuadrado into the same XI at the same time. Thus was born the “5-star” option.He could have played it safe and relied on the tried-and-tested formula that got Juve where they were. A stout midfield, blue-collar wide men, Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini locking the door at the back, and somebody to nick a goal at the other end. But he explained that he was no longer convinced this was the best way to win, not against big European sides. You had to take the game to them; you had to go toe-to-toe and dominate the pitch, playing in their half. Tight defending and counterattacking were too reliant on chance and probability to succeed.It’s one thing to make sweeping changes when things aren’t going right — after all, the definition of insanity is making the same decisions again and again while expecting different outcomes — but it’s a totally different matter to take something which “ain’t broke” and “fixing it” to make it better. All the while knowing full well that your “fixes” might actually make it worse.And that’s what sets Allegri, and the guys above him who supported him, apart from the pack this season. Before he was reloading/retrenching/readjusting by necessity. Now, it’s by choice. And it’s working.

Dani Alves simply superlative as Juventus move past Monaco

Defensively strong and offensively brilliant, Juventus played with balance and experience to defeat Monaco 2-1 to progress to the final of the Champions League.Presided over by a tactical genius, Juve’s progression wasn’t in much doubt after the victory in Monaco. With Dani Alves demonstrating his vision and Mario Mandzukic scoring in addition to mastering every role on the pitch, Juve produced the perfect team performance to secure another victory and their ninth Champions League final, keeping hopes of the treble alive.

Positives

Dani Alves must surely be considered the man of the two-legged semifinal. A veteran who boasts experience and great fight, he is relentless in his ability to deliver the perfect assist, given how he can spot the perfect pass like no other. His contribution to the team has helped Juventus grow offensively, and the team are no longer considered simply defensive but rather enthralling going forward as well.

Negatives

Having conceded only two goals in the entire tournament, it was a shame that Juventus conceded their third tonight. A drop in concentration led to a Kylian Mbappe goal that should serve to remind the Italians that the fight is never over until the final whistle.

Manager rating out of 10

9 — Massimiliano Allegri must surely be considered the best tactician in the world, based on how balanced and tactically fluid his Juventus have been this season. Shackling Europe’s best offence before then allowing his side to express their full attacking potential is a feat that must be admired and studied for years to come.

Player ratings (1-10, with 10 the best; players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):

GK Gianluigi Buffon, 6 — Struggled initially but initiated the attack that led to the first goal. Intelligent, solid and visionary. There was nothing he could do about Mbappe’s consolation strike.

DF Andrea Barzagli, 6 — Wouldn’t let Mbappe out of his sight. A good performance from the player who, alongside Dani Alves, shackled the “wonderkid” until he was taken off.

DF Leonardo Bonucci, 6 — A leader who simply read every move perfectly, he commanded the defence with authority.

DF Giorgio Chiellini, 7 — A hero when called upon, Chiellini rescued his team from Falcao just before the end of the first half. He is a reliable warrior who wins his aerial duels and tries to block everything.

DF Alex Sandro, 6 — Boasting stamina and offensive ambition, it was his run down the left wing that led to the first goal, even if he isn’t always the most secure defensively.

MF Miralem Pjanic, 6 — The Bosnian is happy to show off his strength, fighting to win possession and always on hand to get Juventus moving. He is reliable when he has the ball at his feet.

MF Sami Khedira, NR — Taken off with injury after only 10 minutes.

MF Dani Alves, 10 — The man of the tie, the creator of all things beautiful, Alves was the personification of perfection. He not only helped Barzagli defend against Mbappe but also delivered a brilliant assist before demonstrating audacious technique to score Juve’s second on the night.

MF Paulo Dybala, 6 — Worked his magic between the lines, coordinating Juve’s countless attacks in the first half. A true playmaker. He had a chance for goal, but Subasic produced the save.

MF Mario Mandzukic, 7 — On a brilliant run that led to his important opening goal, Mandzukic was everywhere, fighting for ball until the final moment. He was simply sensational to deliver a booming long pass forward for Higuain, proving he really can do it all.

FW Gonzalo Higuain, 7 — Always available for the pass, Higuain boasts such great movement, even if he couldn’t score the goal he wanted. Always on hand to help his teammates and duel with the centre-backs, he provided what should have been a great assist for Mandzukic, but it wasn’t converted.

Substitutes

MF Claudio Marchisio, 6 — Delivering more attacking third passes than any other Juve player, Juventus are lucky to have such a gem to call upon from the bench. Tidy and intelligent, Marchisio knows how to provide balance.

MF Juan Cuadrado, 6 — Had a good chance for goal but took too many touches. A lot of energy but little incisiveness.

DF Mehdi Benatia, NR — Not on long enough to make an impact.

Mina Rzouki covers Juventus and the Italian national team f

Power Rankings: UCL finalists Juventus No. 1, Real Madrid No. 2

Europe’s top clubs keep winning. As a result, Juventus remain top and there’s only one new entry in this week’s Power Rankings.

Juventus(no change)

Max Allegri’s side dropped more Serie A points when Torino came within a whisker of winning the Turin derby, but Juve can still clinch the title this weekend. After that, focus will turn to the Champions League final, which they reached by beating Monaco 4-1 on aggregate.

Real Madrid(no change)

Zinedine Zidane rotated heavily for the visit to Granada, but it mattered little as Madrid eased to a 4-0 win. The main men returned in the Champions League semifinals at Atletico, where plenty of experience and some Karim Benzema magic sealed a place in Cardiff next month.

Chelsea(no change)

Relegation-threatened Middlesbrough were probably the ideal opponents to alleviate any pre-title nerves, and so it was that Chelsea swept to a 3-0 win with a minimum of fuss. It means three more points will seal the deal; they could be collected at West Brom on Friday.

Barcelona(no change)

Since a 2-0 defeat at Malaga appeared to end Barca’s hopes of winning La Liga, Luis Enrique’s side have reeled off five straight wins, scoring 20 goals in the process. The latest, a 4-1 thrashing of Villarreal, saw Lionel Messi net his 50th and 51st goals of the season.

Bayern Munich(no change)

The German champions coasted through a 1-0 win over Darmstadt, who were relegated as a result. The season is meandering to a close for Bayern, with Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso’s final games before retirement the only notable moments that remain.

Monaco(no change)

Their Champions League dream came to an end against Juventus, but Monaco can console themselves with having lit up European football this season. Plus, they are on the brink of winning Ligue 1; they will clinch this weekend if results go their way.

Atletico Madrid(no change)

It will hurt badly that they have been knocked out of the Champions League by their bitter, cross-city rivals for the fourth straight season. But at least Atletico restored some pride with a vibrant 2-1 win at the Calderon on Wednesday. Maybe next year?

Borussia Dortmund(+1)

Dortmund took a big step toward securing third place in the Bundesliga by beating their immediate competition, Hoffenheim, 2-1 at the weekend. Thomas Tuchel’s side have a two-point cushion with two games remaining.

AS Roma(+1)

The Giallorossi retained their grip on second place in Serie A behind champions-elect Juventus by thrashing Milan 4-1 last weekend. Napoli are just a point back; can Luciano Spalletti & Co. hang on?

Ajax(new)

Ajax have been in superb form of late and could still sneak the Eredivisie title from Feyenoord, who have a one-point lead, in the league’s final weekend. If they fail, not to worry: Ajax secured a place in the Europa League final after overcoming Lyon 5-4 on aggregate.Dropping out: Tottenham

EPL Predictions this weekend

WEST HAM: Liverpool desperately need a win at the London Stadium to cement their Champions League aspirations and may find hosts West Ham in a relaxed mood after reaching 42 points with the win over Spurs. EastEnders love an end-of-season knees-up, though, and both teams may have to settle for a point.
Prediction: West Ham 2-2 Liverpool — Peter Thorne

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool have been quite efficient in picking up points on their travels recently, while West Ham no longer have the home advantage of Upton Park and have struggled since moving to their new stadium. The Reds will get the win they need, but it will be close.
Prediction: West Ham 1-2 Liverpool — Dave Usher

MAN CITY: Prior to last season’s 3-1 home defeat to a vigorous Leicester side that would be heralded Premier League champions, this weekend’s visitors to the Etihad had inflicted next to no damage in Manchester for three decades. With City going hard for the finishing tape and a third-place finish, expect a home win.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Leicester — Simon Curtis

LEICESTER: Leicester will be glad they are safe, since an away trip to City followed by a home fixture with Tottenham is hardly ideal at this stage of the season. The Foxes underlined their title credentials at City last term and another shock win would virtually guarantee a top-half finish. A comfortable home win is likely but perhaps Leicester can raise their game to influence the race for Champions League football.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Leicester — Ben Jacobs

STOKE: Stoke will be revelling in the prospect of assuming the role of party-poopers in what could be Arsene Wenger’s final Premier League away game as Arsenal manager. The ever-industrious Mame Diouf deserves another start up top while Marc Muniesa will be lucky to escape the manager’s ire and keep his place following the horror show of his last performance.
Prediction: Stoke 2-1 Arsenal — James Whittaker

ARSENAL: Having not won at St Mary’s since 2003, Arsenal will be hoping their 2-0 over Southampton on Wednesday augurs well as they prepare for another away trip to a ground that has been difficult for them. The last time the Gunners went to Stoke and won was in 2010, so they have a similar hoodoo to break on Saturday. It’s a big test, but one they should just about be able to come through.
Prediction: Stoke 1-2 Arsenal — Tom Adams

Yanks Abroad: 10 things you need to know from this past weekend

A quick check-in with the US Internationals playing abroad.by Cody Bradley@ThatCodyTho May 8, 2017, 4:15pm PDT

Alex Morgan

She picked up two more goals in Lyon’s 9-0 victory over Soyaux. It was the 11th consecutive D1 title in France for Lyon. LINK

DeAndre Yedlin

Yedlin helped get the scoring started for Newcastle in a 3-0 win with an assist in the 23rd minute. He is on his way back to the Prem!

John Brooks

Hertha Berlin had a very rough day against RB Leipzig. RBL won the match 4-1 and guaranteed themselves a UCL playoff spot. But, Brooks returned from injury and went the full 90. He obviously did not play well in the hefty defeat and earned himself a yellow card.

Christian Pulisic

He was in the lineup but did not appear for Dortmund in the 2-1 win over Hoffenheim that put them back into a guaranteed Champions League group spot.

Crystal Dunn

The Chelsea forward came on in the 61’ in a 4-0 win over Reading. She didn’t score but she did create the final goal for The Blues. LINK

Ethan Horvath

The 21 year old made his debut in goal for Club Brugge in Belgium. His blunder led to a goal, but Brugge got all three points for his first match with a 3-1 win over Royal Chaleroi. It even looked as though he deserved an assist with a long ball in the match.

Carli Lloyd

She played as both a forward and a midfielder for a double game week for Manchester City. City drew with Birmingham 1-1 and defeated Reading 3-2 on Sundat.

Bobby Wood

The struggles continued for Bobby Wood this weekend. But Hamburger SV was able to get the 0-0 draw. The only goal HSV has scored in the last three weeks was credited as an own goal. Bobby hasn’t scored in the last seven matches (but he has picked up two assists in that span). The point could prove to be HUGE for Hamburg as they fight to avoid relegation.

Timmy Chandler

Timmy was named the captain of Eintracht Frankfurt for the first time in his career. Good to see him developing and getting respect. But Frankfurt lost 2-0 to Wolfsburg and sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga.

Geoff Cameron

Went the full 90 for Stoke City against Bournemouth in a 2-2 draw. He had a pretty decent match, winning his aerials and duels, and he added a couple key passes on the other end as well.

USA’s U-20 World Cup roster offers several surprises

Tab Ramos throws us some curveballs.by Rob Usry@RobUsry May 9, 2017, 9:42am PDT

Another FIFA U-20 World Cup is upon us and for the second straight cycle Tab Ramos has the United States looking pretty good heading into the tournament. Back in March, a group full of primarily domestic-based players won their first CONCACAF Championship for the age group. On Tuesday, Ramos named an altered 21-player roster with some very interesting changes to what worked earlier this year.”We are very excited to once again provide a great competitive opportunity to our players and are looking forward to heading to Korea Republic,” Ramos said in a statement released by U.S. Soccer. “As always there were some extremely tough decisions to make. This is a talented age group.”The most notable roster decision has to be the inclusion of 17-year-old strike Josh Sargent. The St. Louis native is fresh off scoring five goals for the U.S. U-17’s at their CONCACAF Championship. They’ve decided that their striker pool isn’t adequate enough and have reached into the younger age group to pluck their star player. It could be argued that striker was the most disappointing position in March with Jeremy Ebobisse failing to offer much of a scoring threat. Sargent’s inclusion is a bold move that proves Ramos and his staff think he could really improve the team’s chances to go far.

Another interesting choice is Atlanta United academy’s Lagos Kunga a speedy winger who only received his first ever call-up to the U-20’s for the most recent training camp in England in April. It’s quite rare to see a player come around so late in the cycle and make the final roster. Either he really impressed in that one camp or he fits a certain need that the Ramos felt the team lacked.Notable absences from the squad include many high profile names playing across Europe. None of the Schalke trio of Haji Wright, Weston McKinnie, or Nick Taitague were called in. It’s quite possible that the Bundesliga club declined to release them for the tournament. Which, unfortunately is their right as it is for every club. Other omissions include Fiorentina’s Josh Perez, Villarreal’s Mukwelle Akale, Manchester United’s Matthew Olosunde, Wolfsburg’s McKinzie Gaines, and Werder Bremen’s Isiah Young.Both Gedion Zelalem and Cameron Carter-Vickers are playing in their second straight U-20 World Cup after heavily featuring in the 2015 tournament.The majority of the roster is holdover from the qualification triumph. Including Brooks Lennon who starred for the team during that tournament from his right wing spot and has gone on to earn some starting nods for Real Salt Lake in MLS.The U-20’s kickoff the World Cup in South Korea on Monday, May 22 against Ecuador at 4:00 a.m. ET.

Here’s the full roster:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jonathan Klinsmann (University of California; Newport Beach, Calif.), J.T. Marcinkowski (Georgetown; Alamo, Calif.), Brady Scott (De Anza Force; Petaluma, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (7): Danny Acosta (Real Salt Lake; Salt Lake City, Utah), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur FC; Westcliff-on-Sea, England), Marlon Fossey (Fulham FC; Surbiton, England), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; Tucson, Ariz.), Aaron Herrera (University of New Mexico; Las Cruces, N.M.), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City; Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Tommy Redding (Orlando City SC; Oviedo, Fla.)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls; Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Luca De La Torre (Fulham FC; San Diego, Calif.), Derrick Jones (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.), Eryk Williamson (University of Maryland; Alexandria, Va.), Gedion Zelalem (Arsenal FC; Bethesda, Md.)

FORWARDS (6): Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers; Bethesda, Md.), Lagos Kunga (Atlanta United FC Academy; Tucker, Ga.) Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake; Paradise Valley, Ariz.), Emmanuel Sabbi (Unattached; Columbus, Ohio), Josh Sargent (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri; O’Fallen, Mo.), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake; Park City, Utah)

THREE THINGS: #INDVFCE

Indy Eleven remains undefeated in 2017, gaining sixth point in sixth consecutive draw May 8, 2017

ENTER PLUMHOFF AND POLTRONIERI

New-in-Blue Jason Plumhoff and Brandon Poltronieri made their club debut on Saturday as late substitutes in the match against FC Edmonton. Plumhoff came in for Indy midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic in the 79^thminute and Poltronieri entered for striker Eamon Zayed in stoppage time in an attempt to bring in fresh legs and find a goal. Although their time on the pitch was limited, fans had a chance to see both new signings in action for the first time while key players, such as Ben Speas, Don Smart, and Marco Franco, work towards becoming match fit in the coming weeks.Plumhoff is a youth product of German giants Bayern Munich and SpVgg Unterhaching prior to relocating to the States. After a successful collegiate career with La Salle University, Plumhoff signed his first professional contract in 2015 with USL’s Harrisburg City Islanders, scoring 10 goals in 22 appearances. The following year, the German native made the jump to the NASL, which included stints at both FC Edmonton and Jacksonville Armada FC.Poltronieri, a native of Costa Rica, began his right through the ranks with Costa Rican FPD side Brujas FC, which included on and off loans with Portuguese side Lexioes SC and Mexican side CD Barrio Mexico before eventually finding his way in the States. Eventually, Poltronieri made his way to the NASL, first joining the Atlanta Silverbacks for a short stint before linking up with Indy Eleven captain Colin Falvey in Ottawa Fury’s squad and more recently playing for USL’s Phoenix Rising FC before arriving in Indy’s lineup.

JON BUSCH, OUR GOALTENDER, AND SAVIOR

Indy Eleven ‘keeper Jon Busch continued to show off his skills after a crucial save late in the game kept the score level for the home side. In the 74^th minute, the 40-year-old ‘keeper sent the ball over the crossbar after FC Edmonton’s Sabri Khattab sent a ball flying towards the back of the net from outside of the box. “Buschy” made a nearly identical save during Indy’s previous home outing against San Francisco Deltas on April 22 in the 75^th minute, when visiting winger Kyle Bekker sent a ball flying towards the upper left corner of the goal before Busch punched the ball over the bar to keep the score 0-0 and Indy undefeated at home, once more. Busch’s blocked attempt puts him at nine in 2017, placing him among the top 10 ‘keepers with the most saves in the NASL this season. The 2008 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year has kept his goals against average (GAA) below 1.00 since joining “Indiana’s Team” in 2016. Fans have the opportunity to pledge a donation for every save Busch makes in the 2017 season for his SAVES for SEALS initiative.

KELLER BUILDING MINUTES

Eleven veteran Daniel Keller found himself in the starting line-up for the second consecutive match and his fourth start in total for the 2017 campaign. In the last six matches, Keller has racked up a total of 378 minutes of play time so far this season, putting him within minutes of his total playtime during the 2016 season (402) and just over one-third of his total playtime since his first season in Indy in 2015 (1000). As his minutes on the pitch continue to rise, so does the young midfielder’s stats. In five games, Keller has put in impressive performances which have seen him win all but one of his tackles, 18 clearances, eight interceptions, and winning close to three-fourths of his duels as well as completing almost three-fourths of his passes. With a few of our defenders currently out injured, Keller has moved back in the defensive line and stepped up to the role presented to the former University of Louisville Captain.

Earn your Degree While You Watch Your Kids Soccer Practice – ½ the time and cost of Traditional Schools

Check out The Ole Ballcoach online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Proud Member of the Brick Yard Battalion – http://www.brickyardbattalion.com , Sam’s Army- http://www.sams-army.com , American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite

5/9/16 Champions League today and Wed, Europa League Thurs

May 9, 2017 gatorbest

The Champions League is down to the final 4 – after the first legs – it looks like Juventus and Real Madrid are on their way to the Finals. Yes Real still must go to Atletico but with a 3-0 lead – it looks good for the Madradista’s returning to the finals looking for the back to back. For Juve – the old lady and the old Goalkeeper Gigi Buffon came thru again as they continued their shutout streak (since mid-November in Champions League) with 6 great saves and a 2-0 win at Monaco behind 2 Higuain goals off of Dani Alves passes. Return legs are Tues – Juventus hosting Monaco at 2:45 on Fox Sports 1 and Wed same time and channel for Atletico vs Real Madrid and Renaldo.

Huge congrats to all the volunteers at Carmel FC who helped the Challenge Cup and President’s Cup games go off without a hitch this past weekend at River Road Fields despite some interesting and very wet conditions. Congrats to those teams advancing.

cfcprezcup

Prezcupteam

GAMES ON TV

Tues –May 9 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Juventus vs Monaco (2-0)

Weds May 10 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid (0-3)

Thur –May 11 Europa League

3:05 pm FoxSport1 Man U vs Celta Vigo (1-0)

3:05 pm FoxSport2 Lyon vs Ajax (0-2)

Friday, May 12

3 pm NBCSN West Brom vs Chelsea

Sat, May 13

7:30 am NBCSN Man City vs Leicester City

9:30 am FOX RB Leipzig vs Bayern Munich

9:30 am Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Ausburg

10 am NBC live Sunderland vs Swansea (relegation)

12:30 pm NBCSN Stoke City vs Arsenal (US Cameron)

7:30 pm Myindy TV Miami vs Indy 11

9 pm ESPN Chicago vs Seattle Sounders

Sun, May 14

9:15 am NBCSN West Ham vs Liverpool

11 am NBCSN Tottenham vs Man United

2 pm beIN Sport Las Palmas vs Barcelona

4 pm ESPN Portland Timbers vs Atlanta United

6 pm Fox sport 1 NY Red Bulls vs LA Galaxy

8 pm Fox Sport 1 Dallas vs NYCFC

Monday, May 15

3 pm NBCSN Chelsea vs Watford

Tues, May 16

3 pm NBCSN Man City vs West Brom

2:45 pm NBC live Arsenal vs Sunderland

Thursday, May 18

2:45 pm NBCSN Leicester City vs Tottenham

Juve’s Gigi Buffon to make 100^th Champions League Appearance vs Monaco at home Tues

Champions League

Simieon has hope for Atleti miracle at home vs Real – ESPNFC

Juve in Control but don’t rule out Monaco just yet. ESPNFC

Marcelo and Dani Alves continue to redefine the Fullback Role Gab Marcoti – ESPNFC

Gigi Still a Rock after 100 Champ League Games

Just how Brilliant is Juve and Italy’s Gigi Buffon?

Gigi’s Greatest Nights

Saves vs Monaco 1^st leg

5 Best Saves for Gigi>

Europa League

Rashford Crashes a goal for Man United Lead in 1^st Lege

Ajax Crushes Lyon 4-0

Gianluigi Buffon still Juventus’ rock after 100 Champions League games

Gianluigi Buffon celebrated his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance for Juventus on Wednesday with a clean sheet in a victory in the first leg of the semifinal round against Monaco.Buffon became only the second Italian player to reach the century mark for one club after Paolo Maldini, who did so in 2007 and finished with 109 appearances for AC Milan.Coach Leonardo Jardim praised Buffon’s effort in the 2-0 victory, saying that the goalkeeper “pulled off two or three incredible saves” that moved the club closer to their ninth appearance in the final.Juventus, who are unbeaten in 11 Champions League games this season, have not conceded a goal since the group stage — a run of 621 minutes, the fifth-longest streak in the history of the competition.The last player to score against Buffon in a Champions League game was Sevilla’s Nicolas Pareja, who did so in the ninth minute of a 3-1 victory for Juventus on Nov. 22.Until Wednesday, Juventus had never kept six consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League. They now have a goal difference of plus-17, the best of any club in the competition, and have only allowed two goals, tied for the fewest in the tournament despite having played five more games.The last club to keep a clean sheet in each of their first five knockout-round games was Arsenal, who did so over their first six games in 2005-06 before losing to Barcelona in the final.Monaco failed to score for the first time in 30 home games this season and only the fourth time in 58 games in all competitions. They entered Wednesday undefeated at home this season in the Champions League and had outscored their opponents 11-3 in their last home four games in the competition.

Buffon’s #UCL wish: ‘I have always wanted to win it’

Monday 8 May 2017 by Paolo Menicucci in Turin

Ready to make his 150th UEFA club competiton appearance in the semi-final decider, Gianluigi Buffon recalled past near misses, and said what it would mean to finally win the UEFA Champions League.

On Monaco …

I’ll let you into a little secret. Around the 30-minute mark of their match away to Manchester City, I sent a message to one of our directors, saying: “Hey, this lot could make it to the final; they’re really strong!” That shows you how much respect we have for them. They play positive, energetic football and they’re a sparkling, physical side with quality players and a lot of experience. We know that if we want to get another shot at winning the Champions League, we have to overcome an obstacle that’ll be at least as tricky as Barcelona in footballing terms.

On feeling his age at 39 …

Monaco’s Kylian Mbappé was born in December 1998. I had already played at the World Cup in France by then! That’s the nice thing about having such a long career: meeting kids who weren’t even born when you already had a chunk of your career under your belt.I was thinking the other day that I’ve managed to span almost three generations. When I started playing, you still had guys born in the end of the ’50s and the ’60s –and I’ll finish with guys born in the 2000s. It’s a huge span of time! It’s nice knowing that I’m playing with the future Messis, Cristiano Ronaldos and Neymars, because in ten years, after I have been retired for a while, they will be confirmed superstars and I’ll remember facing them at the dawn of their careers.

How brilliant is Buffon?
Buffon’s first 1,000 games

On making up for past final losses …

There’s definitely a desire to make up for losing the final in Berlin [to Barcelona in 2015], but I also have to make amends for Manchester in 2003 [when Juventus lost to AC Milan on penalties], so going back through the years my motivation is a lot deeper.In 2015, we lost it at a moment when Barcelona were on the ropes. We let in a goal almost on the counterattack: Messi hammered a shot on goal, I diverted it and Suárez scored.Losing on penalties in 2003 was very painful, but since I was only 25, I was fairly calm because I was convinced I’d win many more! That’s the exuberance of youth. I was so close to winning it on that occasion; they missed three penalties in that final – I saved two of them. Strange things happen. It wasn’t meant to be and we weren’t good enough. In sport and life, those who deserve it more probably end up getting their rewards.After the return leg against Barcelona this season I was very happy, of course, but I did not celebrate too much, because I know that after a certain point you either win the trophy or get disappointed. And since I have been disappointed so many times, I want to get the victory before allowing myself to celebrate!

On what it would mean to finally lift the trophy …

It would mean a lot for me. It would be the greatest joy of my career, together with the [2006] World Cup, because it would almost be a reward – the end of a very difficult road paved by bravery, stubbornness and hard work. I have always wanted to win it and I have always been convinced that I can do it together with my team, the fans, my colleagues. That would be great – we can talk about it later if it happens!

Juventus appear Cardiff-bound but don’t rule out Monaco just yet

Ahead of Juventus and Monaco’s Champions league semifinal second leg, Julien Laurens and James Horncastle have been chatting again.The Italian side lead 2-0 on aggregate after a commanding display in the teams’ opening game but, as Julien says to begin; it’s not over yet…

So James, my friend,

You didn’t think you would get rid of me so easily, did you? No, I am still here, just like Monaco! And Juventus should be careful not to write them off before the second leg, as many people — including you! — are doing. This tie is not over just yet. Juve were so “Juve” last week, efficient with Gonzalo Higuain and solid with Gianlugi Buffon; nothing new there. But there is still hope for Monaco, who found a way to create big chances in the first leg, and unsettle the Juve defence.

This time, playing away from home will even be better for them. They are so good on the counter, as we saw at Manchester City (despite their defeat), at Dortmund and also at Wembley against Tottenham. Leonardo Jardim and his players have learnt from the first leg; they won’t make the same mistakes and they will not give up. They really believe they can come back in this tie. They have already scored over 150 goals this season in all competitions and so naturally fancy themselves to add two more — at least — to that tally.

Julien, I’m glad you brought up Buffon, mon cher,

I still find it baffling how reluctant people are to consider him the undisputed world No. 1. Maybe it’s because he’s 39 and, after a while, people want to see a new champion. But if Juventus have kept a club record six consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League this season and are currently 621 minutes and counting without conceding a goal, it’s down in no small part to their inspirational captain.

OK, Paulo Dybala stole the headlines against Barcelona and it was Higuain and Dani Alves’ turn against Monaco. But, in each of those games, Buffon came up big. People are quick to forget how he denied Andres Iniesta when the score was 1-0 in Turin or, last week, Kylian Mbappe at 0-0, Radamel Falcao at 1-0 and Valerie Germain at 2-0. Buffon had to pull off five saves at the Stade Louis II, which is the most he’s had to make in this competition since the group stages of last season. No wonder La Stampa celebrated his Mani d’oro — “golden hands.” “He’s still the best goalkeeper in the world,” Juventus manager Max Allegri said after the first leg; Buffon ttranscends his position. On the flight back to Turin, one of his teammates was overheard saying: “He’s our Cristiano Ronaldo.” And even if Monaco do get past him, Jules, do you really see them winning at the J Stadium, where Juve have lost only once in Europe? Need I remind you that was more than four years ago.

Ha, I love Buffon too, James!

And I agree with you that he is the undisputed No. 1. The Champions League is the only thing that is missing from his trophy cabinet and unfortunately for him, he will have to wait at least another year to win it, because Monaco will win in Turin and go through. After all, this is a season in which Barcelona produced the remontada of all remontadas against Paris Saint-Germain; there is another twist to come and it will happen on Tuesday. If any team is capable of a great comeback, it is Monaco!This time, Jardim will get his tactics right. Benjamin Mendy will be back, while. Falcao and Mbappe want their revenge over Buffon and will take their chances. The Monegasques will continue to create chances and bring craziness, pace and intensity to the game, everything that Juve will not want. They will want to slow the game down and control it but Bernardo Silva, Thomas Lemar and Co. will be unstoppable. Monaco have a rendezvous with destiny and they won’t miss it.

Jules, tu es fou! Crazy, I tell you.

You do know that only two teams have overturned a first-leg defeat at home in the Champions League knockout rounds? One was Louis van Gaal’s Ajax against Panathinaikos in 1996 — let’s just pause for a moment to reminisce about Jari Litmanen. OK, done — and the other was Inter against Bayern Munich back in 2011, AKA when Inter used to get into the Champions League.Granted, Monaco have been breathtaking on the road this season.They scored twice at Villarreal and Spurs and three times at Man City and Dortmund; beads of sweat are forming on my brow just thinking about it! But then I remember that this Juventus team has reached half-time in 12 games this season without even allowing a single shot on goal. What really struck me in Monaco was how confident, assured and unflappable Juve looked. They seemed completely at ease, which is perhaps the biggest measure of how far Allegri has brought them on from the days of Antonio Conte.Perhaps by dint of not being associated with a buzzword style like gegenpressing or tiki-taka, Allegri does not receive the acclaim he richly deserves. He is a masterful tactician, has great instincts, has managed a transition to enable young players to come through and turned Juventus into so much more than a team with a great defence. No one saw 3-4-2-1 coming last week and, watching the game back, Juventus changed system five times in the game. Allegri kept Jardim guessing and I’m not sure he’ll have the answers on Tuesday!

Come now, James!

As an educated man, you know what R. D. Laing (who died in France, not far from Monaco, by the way) used to say: “Insanity: a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world.” It has been a crazy season in a crazy world and Monaco beating Juve on Tuesday, however hard it might seem, would be a perfect addition to the story!And I am glad you brought up the Ajax ’96 team because, in many ways, this Monaco side is similar to that of LVG back them, boasting youth, talent, belief and insouciance. I am convinced that, before being dismantled like Ajax were, Monaco will make it all the way to the top. Just like Ajax did.Focus on the league, Jules; leave Europe to the Old Lady.Allegri rested eight players for this game, while. Jardim only rotated Mbappe and Tiemoue Bakayoko. A big part of that is to do with depth, but I think it also shows Monaco’s intentions. A first league title since 2000 is within touching distance and, regardless of how this project started, that’s a remarkable achievement. Jardim said he wouldn’t swap winning the league for one night in Turin. Ligue 1 is returning to the Principality but the Champions League is en route to Turin via Cardiff.James and Julien will return after Tuesday’s game to react to the tie’s conclusion.

Marcelo, Dani Alves continue to redefine full-back role for Real, Juve

Maybe it’s a coincidence. Maybe there is no deeper tactical significance. Maybe they aren’t a dying breed but rather a one-off. Maybe they’re just two hugely gifted Brazilian full-backs who interpret the game in their own unique way. The fact that, for many years, they were teammates with the Selecao and rivals on the pitch is just another wrinkle.I honestly don’t know. I just find Marcelo and Dani Alves hugely compelling. And the fact that within the space of 26 hours, each played a key role in helping Real Madrid and Juventus take a giant step towards the Champions League final, is as good an excuse as any to write about them and their role in the game.The headlines went to the two outstanding natural goalscorers they play with — Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain — and that’s more than understandable. But the way they played underscores the fact that even though next month Marcelo turns 29 and Dani Alves 33, they represent a certain type of modern full-back, one that is frankly exceedingly rare.For a start, let’s get one thing clear. In 2017, full-back is not a defensive position. In most games regardless of the league, full-backs regularly rank in the top three or four in terms of touches on the ball. We may think in terms of 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 but the fact is when teams get the ball, the central defenders sit back, often with a holding midfielder, and one or both full-backs are way up the pitch, out on the wing.For top teams, that 4-3-3 becomes a 2-3-5 (or 3-2-5, if the defensive midfielder slips between the central defenders) when in possession. And even on a more conservative team, where only one full-back attacks at a time and the defence shifts across, the 4-3-3 becomes a 3-3-4. If you don’t notice this when you watch a game on TV, watch one in person. And if you can’t, check out heat maps and average positions.That part isn’t new. It used to be pretty simple (and in recreational football, it still is). Your left-back was whatever left-footed defender you could find and while he didn’t need to be particularly skillful, he needed to be left-footed because it’s easier to defender balls from that flank when you’re left-footed.Your right-back was usually the either the third-best centre-back on your team, which meant he was unlikely to be particularly gifted on the ball, or would be a guy with the skill set of a central defender who happened to be a little short. Gary Neville was perhaps one of the last great right-backs in this mold: Sir Alex Ferguson famously said he would have been the perfect centre-back had he been a few inches taller. (It’s not a knock on Neville, by the way — he was an exceptional footballer and what he lacked in attacking technique, he more than made up for through intelligence and work ethic.)That began to change in the late 1950s and 1960s with the emergence of the first great attacking full-backs. And for the last 10-15 years, everybody’s full-backs (at least on the better teams) have known how to attack and spend tons of time up the pitch. The difference is that the vast majority are basically adjunct old-school wingers. They pound the flank, up and down, providing width and putting in crosses. This became especially important as wingers increasingly became wide forwards, attacking midfielders or second-striker types who were encouraged to come inside at every opportunity.Here’s the thing about Marcelo and Dani Alves, though. They can do that part of the game. They can run and beat opponents and provide service to the middle (with a back-heel no less, if necessary). But they’re also devastating when they come into the middle and when they do that, they turn into legitimate attacking midfielders, No. 10s willing and able to play one-twos, pick out passes or shoot on goal. There’s a creative element and a passing quality to their game that we ordinarily associate with midfielders. This creates overloads and mismatches galore, wreaking havoc in the opposition.Juve boss Max Allegri was glowing when he lauded Alves after the Monaco game. “Did you see him? Did you see his assists? That’s what a central playmaker does…” That’s why he leaped at the opportunity to sign him as a free agent over the summer even though it meant committing a lot of cash to a guy who will be 35 when his contract expires.Zinedine Zidane — possibly because his bar is set way higher given his own playing career — wasn’t quite as effusive. But he has said in no uncertain terms that Marcelo is one of the pillars of his team. And against the sort of massed defences that Real often face, his ability to go central and help Luka Modric and Toni Kroos with playmaking duties is invaluable not least because it allows Zidane to carry Casemiro, whose attacking contribution is far more limited.Does it come at a price? Sure. Neither is an exceptional one-on-one defender. And, yes, when you spend so much time up the pitch, you leave space behind you. In most games, it matters little because their teams have so much of the ball and their teammates adjust and compensate. When they do screw up, it often looks bad.There’s also a question of durability perhaps because of their style of play. Dani Alves has not started more than 29 league games in a season since 2011 and Marcelo, who is five years younger, has done it just twice. But it’s a price worth paying.That skill is exceedingly rare even among the best full-backs in Europe. Think of the top full-backs in the world and, with a few exceptions (Bayern’s duo of David Alaba and Phillip Lahm come to mind) the vast majority are essentially up-and-down types. They don’t have that additional dimension these two offer.You wonder whether Dani Alves and Marcelo, had they been born and come through the ranks somewhere other than Brazil, would simply have been pushed to play as attacking midfielders or wingers (which, incidentally, Dani Alves did early in his career). And conversely, you wonder whether a promising attacking midfielder might not consider a career change to the flank (provided he has the requisite athleticism) rather than entering the crowded market for “No. 10s.”Time and again they’ve shown their value by interpreting what is still a fundamentally unglamorous role in their own way. And proving themselves to be not just indispensable but genuine difference-makers too.Gabriele Marcotti is a Senior Writer for ESPN FC

5/5/17 Indy 11 Tix Discount for Sat Night Game, Champs League 2nd legs, CFC host Cup Games, Game TV Schedule

May 5, 2017 gatorbest

The Indy 11 look to extend their NASL Record Non-Losing Streak to 21 games as they face FC Edmonton this weekend at 7:30 pm at the MIKE in their brand new Adidas Uniforms. NASL Player of the month Justin Braun will lead the blues. Get discounted tickets for the game and games in May/June/Jule by clicking Indy 11 Discount Ticket Link. This Sat night is Craft Beer Night as special Craft beers will be served starting 2 hours before gametime. This year’s edition of the Indy Eleven Craft Beer Fest will feature at least 13 breweries, with all but one bringing brews for tasting from right here in the Hoosier State.

So I have been frustrated with MLS for not showing good games this season – but man they have a doosy on Sat on ESPN at 2:55 pm with Defending Champs Seattle hosting Toronto FC. Both teams are on form as Seattle erased a 3 goal deficit last week to tie 3-3 and Toronto won 2-0 behind 2 great goals by Jozy Altidore. Set those DVRs or tune for the best match-up at least on TV of the MLS season so far. In other news the MLS Allstar game featuring defending Champions League Champs Real Madrid vs the MLS All-Stars will be held in Chicago on Wednesday Night, Aug 2 at Soldier Field. I am planning to go and would love to set up a caravan up there if anyone else wants to come. This is an exclusive link to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public Thursday morning. https://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/0400524DB5832485?CAMEFROM=CFC_MLG_17ASG_PREFIREDATABASE Tickets are about $60 in the upper decks and $90 for level 2 behind the goals (where we are looking) RE: If you would like to order tickets together and head over.

Carmel FC is proud to be hosting Challenge Cup and President’s Cup games this weekend May 5-7 at the River Road fields in East Carmel about 2 miles from Badger. CFC parents sign up here if you would be willing to volunteer to help: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090b44aaad22a0fe3-carmel.

Coaches and parents check out this great read Developing Warriors not Winners sent by our CFC DOC Matt Coyer.

GAMES ON TV

Thur –May 4 Europa League

3 pm FoxSport2 Celta Vigo vs Man U

Fri, May 5

3 pm NBCSN West Ham vs Tottenham

Sat, May 6

7:30 am NBCSN Man City vs Crystal Palace

9:30 am Dortmund vs Hoffenhiem

12:30 pm beIN Spo Barcelona vs Villarreal

12:30 pm NBC live Swansea vs Everton

2:45 pm beIN sport Granada vs Real Madrid

2:55 pm ESPN Seattle host Toronto FC (replay of Champ game)

7:30 pm Myindy TV Indy 11 vs Edmonton

Sun, May 7

8:30 am NBCSN Liverpool vs Southhampton

11 am NBCSN Arsenal vs Man United

1:30 pm Min United vs Sporting KC

Mon, May 8

3 pm NBCSN Chelsea vs Middlesbrough

Tues –May 9 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Juventus vs Monaco

Weds May 10 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid

Thur –May 11 Europa League

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Man U vs Celta Vigo

Sat, May 13

7:30 am NBCSN Man City vs Leicester City

9:30 am Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Ausburg

12:30 pm NBC live Stoke City vs Arsenal (US Cameron)

7:30 pm Myindy TV Miami vs Indy 11

9 pm ESPN Chicago vs Seattle Sounders

Sun, May 14

9:15 am NBCSN West Ham vs Liverpool

11 am NBCSN Tottenham vs Man United

4 pm ESPN Portland Timbers vs Atlanta United

Craft Beer Fest this Satruday – vs FC Edmonton

INDY 11

What to Watch for vs FC Edmonton

Justin Braun Wins Player of the Month

Ben Spea Wins Play of the Month

Indy 11 sign 2 new Players

Indy 11 stays Unbeaten with 1-1 Draw at Jax

3 Things Indy 11 vs Jax 1-1 Tie

Indy 11 Discount Ticket Link

Champions League

Behind Great Defense and 2 goals Juve has 1 foot in final

Monaco a Fluke? ESPNTV?

Juve Does what they need to on the Road = SI

Renaldo’s Hat Trick puts Real 1 foot into Final

Renaldo reminds us why he is 1 of top 2 players in the World today

Renaldo was Magnifico

Tues –May 9 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Juventus vs Monaco

Weds May 10 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid

Thur –May 11 Europa League

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Man U vs Celta Vigo

MLS

Orlando goes Top with Kaka score

What to watch for Week 10 – Armchair Analyst

MLS Expansion News –SI – Planet Football

Time ticks on Beckham, Miami |

Do St. Louis, Charlotte bids have a pulse? |

Quiet confidence in Sacramento |

San Diegans sign on |

Nashville meets with Garber

USA

Miseducation of Julian Green – Stars and Stripes

US Hot List Overseas? ESPNFC

US Hot List Last Week

What do MLS Goalie Woes say about State of USMNT GK Pipeline?

Johannsson Where might he end up in MLS?

World Soccer

Power Rankings

Can Arsenal finally beat Man U?

World Races for titles,Champions League and Relagation are up for grabs still in most of the leagues in the world. Of course Bayern won the Bundesliga again as did Juve in Italy and Chelsea has a 4 pt lead in the EPL.

PREVIEW | #INDy 11 V FC Edmonton

Indy Eleven vs FC Edmonton – #INDvFCE Saturday, May 6, 2017 – 7:30 P.M. EST Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Indiana
Watch/Listen Live: Local TV: MyINDY TV-23 Streaming Video: ESPN3
THE EDDIES RETURN TO INDY

“Indiana’s Team” makes their return to Carroll Stadium this Saturday as the “Fight for Three” continues on home turf against Canadian rivals FC Edmonton. From the two sides’ first meeting in Spring 2014, Indy has held a diverse record when it comes to competition against the Eddies (3W-2D-4L, plus one postseason win).Despite forward Justin Braun’s Player of the Month performance and Indy’s position among the top three highest scoring clubs, Indy currently sits in sixth place after each of the club’s first five matches resulted in a draw. While the last regular season match against Edmonton ended in a 2-1 loss away from home, the “Boys in Blue” will continue to fight for NASL supremacy and seek redemption for lost points in previous encounters. FC Edmonton currently sits at the bottom of the 2017 table with three points and a record of 1W-0D-4L. Edmonton’s visit to the Circle City this Saturday will mark the end of a three-game travel week for the visitors. Prior to their match with Indy, Edmonton has lost 2-0 away at Miami FC during regular season play and a 1-0 defeat away to former Canadian NASL rivals Ottawa Fury FC in leg one of the Canadian Cup Championship. This Saturday also marks the third out of six games the Canadian side will have to play within a 14-day time span. This bombardment of matches bodes well for Eleven head coach Tim Hankinson, who hopes that his side can have a leg up on their competitors in the rest column.“Any team that plays in Miami in the heat and humidity, and has to travel internationally from Canada to that tip of the U.S., and then return, and then have to play against really what is an archrival team in Ottawa in the Canadian Cup…traveling again internationally here, the weather conditions won’t be an issues for them, but it takes something out of the team,” detailed Hankinson. “We’ve tried to manage our training to be as fresh as possible come Saturday because I think that fresh legs will be the difference maker.”

WHO TO WATCH INDY ELEVEN EDITION: DF LOVEL PALMER

After a Team of the Week performance in Week 6 against Jacksonville, Jamaican defender Lovel Palmer looks to continue to fortify Indy Eleven’s backline. Away to Armada FC, Palmer’s performance saw the NASL veteran accumulate a total of five clearances out of dangerous territory, five interceptions, a shot within the opposition’s box, and win 60-percent of his duels and while completing over three-fourths of his passes. The former Chicago Fire SC man now finds himself among the list of top players to complete clearances with 22 total for his season so far.This Saturday is projected to be Palmer’s first start against Edmonton on home turf, which his last performance against the visitors at home on July 23, 2017, saw the defender play eight minutes after subbing in for former Eleven midfelder Dylan Mares in the 82^nd minute.

WHO TO WATCH FC EDMONTON EDITION: FW TOMI AMEOBI

England native and former Leeds United forward Tomi Ameobi returns for his fourth season with FC Edmonton. Since his arrival in Canada in 2015, Ameobi has tallied over 3,900 minutes of playtime over the span of 53 games and has netted 10 goals and three assists, making him the leading goalscorer for the current Eddies squad. During his breakout season in 2015, the Newcastle United youth product finished as co-leader in scoring with seven goals under his belt. In 2017, Ameobi has started the first five matches of Edmonton’s Spring season and has racked up a single goal for the Canadian side.Since August 2015, Ameobi has made a total of five appearances (four in regular season play & one in The 2016 Championship Semifinal) and has only managed one goal for his side in 358 minutes against the “Boys in Blue.”

MATCH-UP TO MARK: FW JUSTIN BRAUN VS. DF ALBERT WATSON

Earning NASL Player of the Month for the month of April, Justin Braun will be battling Albert Watson, one of Edmonton’s longest serving players in their current squad, for his position in the visitor’s box this Saturday when the “man on fire” clashes with the Irishman.Out of the six goals scored by “Indiana’s Team” on the season, Braun has been involved with all but one (three goals, two assists). In Week 6, Braun netted his 11^th career goal for Indy in the 25^th minute against Jacksonville Armada FC, which led him past former Eleven “original” Dylan Mares to claim second place on the club’s top goalscoring charts. Forward Eamon Zayed, who led the way in scoring in Indy’s 2016 campaign, has now been responsible for two (one goal, one assist), both of which have been linked with Braun. The striking duo’s interplay in front led Indy Eleven to a 2016 Spring Championship title and helped the club finish runner-up in the 2016 Championship finals, and the forwards are looking to improve upon their record. Watson signed for FC Edmonton back in 2013 and has made full 90-minute appearances in seven of the nine regular season matches the Eddies have played against Indy. The U-23 Ireland National Team member currently sits in sixth place among the top players with 25 total clearances to his name. The former Linfield FC player also has completed over 80-percent of his passes, won four-fifths of his tackles and has provided a defensive wall with six blocks. The defender and his staunch protective nature will prove to be an obstacle for any attacker who crosses his path.

Armchair Analyst: MLS Match-up Week 10

May 5, 20179:30AM EDTMatthew DoyleSenior WriterThe 94th game of the 2017 MLS regular season will mark the quarter pole of this year’s circuit of 374 games. As such, next week’s content plan includes looks at some of our early-season award winners like MVP, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year, etc. So keep that in mind as you watch this weekend’s games. Also keep in mind that, historically speaking, teams that are over the red line by mid-May have about a 90 percent success rate when it comes to staying in playoff position. That’s not a guarantee – everyone remembers what the Seattle Sounders and, to a lesser extent, D.C. United did last season. Still, it’s something to be aware of. There’s a nasty habit of writing off early-season struggles and assuming a correction can be made come summer. But more often than not those corrections don’t actually fix teams that have, for one reason or another, looked broken. On to the weekend ahead…

Call the Police

It’s fitting that the game wrapping up the season’s first quarter is the rematch of the one that capped last season, the 2016 MLS Cup final between Seattle and Toronto FC. This time it’ll be Seattle hosting, and Saturday’s contest (3 pm ET; ESPN & ESPN Deportes in US | CTV & TSN2 in Canada) gives us a chance to take the measure of the champs. Attack-wise, they’re as they were last year, only more so because 1) Clint Dempsey is back and healthy and playing good soccer, and 2) Joevin Jones is even more comfortable with his role as an overlapping, attacking left back. There are a lot of reasons why the Sounders attack is so scary and so effective, and lots of those come down to the mastery of Dempsey and Nicolas Lodeiro, or the threat of Jordan Morris, or the cleverness of center forward Will Bruin or midfielder Harry Shipp (two guys that GM Garth Lagerwey picked up this winter for a song), or the platform provided by this team’s rock solid central midfield duo. When the Sounders attack up that left flank they’re damn near unstoppable. Jones doesn’t just add an extra body: He adds an extra playmaker (five assists already this year), and that forces the opposing defense to either come all the way out to the touchline to meet him, or to track him all the way to the endline. While he’s doing that, Lodeiro has become expert at ghosting around into odd little pockets of space that no other attack in the league is quite multi-faceted enough to open up.It doesn’t always come off, obviously, but it’s quite a bit of fun to watch. The fact that they’re getting robbed by the woodwork at a record-shattering pace isn’t an indication that they’re cursed, rather that they’re creating the type of looks that eventually start to fall:

Washingtonians are having less fun watching the Seattle backline, which has been crippled by injury all year. Chad Marshall is still out, and it doesn’t seem like Brad Evans is all that close to returning. That’s left the Sounders in a situation where Tony Alfaro is getting decisive minutes maybe a little earlier than they’ve wanted, and where Gustav Svensson, a deep midfielder at heart, has spent more time in the heart of the defense and at right back than anyone would’ve expected.Now, teams have started to figure out they can bully Svensson in the box itself. Juan Agudelo dunked on him last week, and Jozy Altidore is even more of a physical presence than his younger countryman.The good news for Seattle is that Roman Torres is healthy and will probably be playing in the backline on Saturday (he played as a striker in his return to the lineup as a late-game toss-of-the-dice against the Revs, and it worked). He and Alfaro should start together, and Svensson should either get a break, or get shuffled back out to right back.I’ll also be watching: TFC are coming off a hard-fought, fast-paced midweek home win over Orlando City. So they’re traveling cross-country on short rest to play a non-conference road game during a month in which they’ve got eight games scheduled (including Canadian Championship work).There’s going to be some squad rotation here. Maybe even a lot of squad rotation.

Gonzalo Higuain’s goals put Juventus in commanding position vs. Monaco

MONACO — Three thoughts on an enthralling first leg at the Stade Louis II as Juventus picked up a commanding 2-0 win:

Juventus have one foot in the final

Wednesday’s result made it clear: Juventus have one foot in the Champions League final. It would take an astonishing second-leg turnaround, even allowing for the gifts of this Monaco side, to deny them after a 2-0 victory earned through a superb goal in each half from Gonzalo Higuain. The first half will be replayed for weeks; the second might well have decided the tie and, in the end, Juventus deserved nothing less.The key for Massimiliano Allegri’s side was depriving Monaco of the kind of momentum that has blown other opponents away. They took the sting out of the opening 10 minutes and had the first half-chance when Dani Alves, connecting at the back post, volleyed just over the head of an unmarked Mario Mandzukic.Yet the joy of Monaco this season has been that chances tend to come along so easily. Two excellent openings fell to Kylian Mbappe as they settled into the game: the 18-year-old headed straight at Gianluigi Buffon when he should have done far better. Then, in the 16th minute, he got in front of his marker sharply to direct a fizzing Nabil Dirar cross toward goal. This time, Buffon’s save down at his near post was superb.All of a sudden, Buffon was busy. Radamel Falcao was next to threaten, looping a header that the keeper had to claw away. Juventus were under real pressure now, but as sides of their experience do, they responded emphatically and Higuain’s goal was sublime. The striker sent Alves scampering away down the inside-right channel before, in a stunning piece of synchronicity, arriving at the perfect time to side-foot the Brazilian’s astute back-heel past Danijel Subasic.Now the wind had gone from Monaco’s sails and it took until after the interval for them to regain a head of steam. Then, it took just two minutes for Falcao to sidefoot at Buffon after being played in by Bernardo Silva. Monaco had upped the tempo but it was another big miss and Claudio Marchisio, shooting at the legs of Subasic, almost made them pay again.The reprieve was only temporary. Juve’s second goal arrived just before the hour when the outstanding Alves robbed a dithering Tiemoue Bakayoko, received a pass from Paulo Dybala and crossed perfectly for the onrushing Higuain at the far post. The finish was again clinical. Juventus’ celebrations allowed no doubt about the goal’s importance, and Monaco, for all their endeavour, had no answer in the remaining 31 minutes.It will have to be some response on Tuesday if they are to trouble the Italians further.

Dani Alves rolls back the years in vintage performance

At times, Allegri’s side were stretched more than at any point in this Champions League campaign, but they got the job done with some conviction, and the sense grows that there is no better team in Europe at the moment.While Higuain and Buffon will take the headlines, this was also a triumph for a manager who continues to impress. With Sami Khedira suspended and Monaco holding a physical advantage in central midfield, he opted for a three-man central defence with wing-backs to either side.While the idea was to shore things up, the move made a decisive difference in attacking areas. That is largely because Alves, who turns 34 on Saturday, put in a performance reminiscent of his most dynamic days at Barcelona and Sevilla.His two assists, a sparkling run and back-heel for the first goal and a perfectly weighted cross for the second after he’d pressed high up the pitch to win the ball back, were of the highest quality, and he gave Djibril Sidibe (primarily a right-back but repositioned to the left) an uncomfortable night throughout. Alex Sandro had slightly more trouble against Nabil Dirar on the other side, but it was Alves, whose energy levels never dropped, who made the difference.Juventus’ defence gave up chances but, when they were extended, the peerless Buffon was in immaculate form. His final save of the night was a last-minute tip-over from Valere Germain’s header. Had that gone in, there would have been a morsel of encouragement from Monaco, but the visitors were, overall, convincing winners. They play with a level of control and flexibility across all areas of the pitch that few can match, and it came to the fore yet again here.Juventus are utterly ruthless at both ends of the pitch; can anyone stop them now?

Mbappe and Monaco fall just short

It’s no surprise that 18-year-old strikers will miss chances, but it said something for the regard in which Mbappe is held that his 13th-minute miss, a harmless nod at Buffon when he had both space and time, was so surprising. Mbappe is such a razor-sharp customer, and his lavish talent was evident in abundance here; he will regret not opening the scoring, though, and it was symptomatic of a night on which Monaco did not quite fire.They have an uphill task now, but if Allegri retains the same formation in Turin, Juventus’ gnarled back three will know to expect a vigorous examination in the second leg. Among Mbappe’s many impressive facets is that he shirks nothing: he was back for more within moments of that fluffed header, forcing Buffon into a much more difficult save, and there was a spell before Higuain’s tie-altering goal when he had his battle-worn opponents firmly on the back foot.Mbappe’s work rate and cleverly timed spins out to the left caused problems throughout; perhaps the best example of his all-round package came a few seconds after the break when a wonderful, cushioned touch past Leonardo Bonucci and jet-heeled dash into the area led to a cutback that none of his teammates could put away. Like his pursuers, perhaps they simply could not keep up.Monaco will rue their missed opportunities (and Mbappe was not the only culprit) but eventually their inexperience told. They were not helped by a hamstring injury to their flying left-back, Benjamin Mendy, that ruled him out of the match and meant the equally exhilarating Sidibe had to be redeployed in his position. The balance and directness that have characterised so much of their play were not quite there and barring one cute pass for Falcao, the creative wiles of Bernardo Silva were relatively subdued too.The error by Bakayoko that led to Higuain’s second goal spoke volumes: in the end Juventus were just slicker and sharper. This tie was never going to make or break the careers of Mbappe and his thrilling young cohort but you wonder whether they will be seen at this level in Monaco’s colours again.Nick Ames is a football journalist who writes for ESPN FC on a range of topics. Twitter: @NickAmes82.

Timely Higuain, tactical tweak have Juventus on brink of Champions League final

QUICKLY It was the Gonzalo Higuain and Dani Alves show in Monaco, where Juventus extended its shutout streak to 621 minutes and took a big step toward the Champions League final.JONATHAN WILSON2 hours ago

The Champions League looks set for a repeat of the 1998 final after Juventus took charge of its semifinal against Monaco with a 2-0 victory in the principality a day after Cristiano Ronaldo-led Real Madrid seized a 3-0 lead after the home leg of its semifinal against Atletico Madrid.Monaco never hit its stride at home, failing to score in a league or Champions League game for only the third time this season (running Juventus’s shutout streak in the competition to 621 minutes), and it was undone by two goals from Gonzalo Higuain, both of them set up by Dani Alves.Here are three thoughts on Juventus’s win, which puts the club on course for a June 3 date in Cardiff.

Allegri’s tactical tweak works wonders

Max Allegri sprang a major surprise by reverting to the back three that Juve used with such success under Antonio Conte rather than the 4-2-3-1 that has been the usual formation this season. That meant Andrea Barzagli returning at the expense of Juan Cuadrado, with Dani Alves and Alex Sandro pushing up as wingbacks. That perhaps was an attempt to engage Monaco’s attacking fullbacks higher up the pitch–although they were less threatening than usual.One of the first-choice pair, Benjamin Mendy, was out with an injury suffered against Toulouse over the weekend and the other, Djibril Sidibe was playing on the opposite side than usual to allow Nabil Dirar to come in on the right. Monaco’s midfield four plays very narrow, meaning the fullbacks are critical to Leonardo Jardim’s side having width. Whether it was because of the change of personnel or Juve’s tactics, that threat never materialized.Having the old BBC central defense–Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini–back in harness also ensured there was an extra man to help deal with the twin attacking threat of Radamel Falcao and Kylian Mbappe, both of whom threatened only sporadically.

Higuain comes through at last

Higuain has developed a reputation as a player who cannot do it when the pressure is really on. He missed clear chances in both the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Copa America finals, and lost in three Champions League semifinals with Real Madrid.In 24 previous Champions League knockout ties, he’d scored only two goals, neither of them away from home. He looked a little out of sorts to start on Wednesday, wasting three promising opportunities, but, after 29 minutes, he rounded off a brilliant move to give Juventus the lead. It was a sequence that began with the ball at the feet of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. He rolled it right to Barzagli, who went forward and inside to Claudio Marchisio, in for the suspended Sami Khedira. Marchisio clipped a pass forward and right for Paulo Dybala and the young Argentine flicked it inside for Dani Alves, who surged forward and gave the ball to Higuain in the center circle. He played a return, leading Dani Alves to scamper on into the right edge of the box. Kamil Glik seemed to have held him up, but the Brazilian back-heeled the ball into the path of Higuain, chugging up in support, and he stroked a first-time finish into the bottom corner, a goal of uplifting smoothness and geometry.Having ended a four-year wait for a Champions League knockout goal, Higuain soon scored a second. Earlier this season, the Argentine quoted advice once given to him by Ruud van Nistelrooy about overcoming goal droughts, likening them to ketchup bottles: “You try but they won’t come out. Then…they all come out at once.” And it proved, as Higuain put Juve up two just before the hour mark. The source was the same, Dybala and Dani Alves combining on the right before the latter shaped in a perfect fading cross for Higuain, arriving at the back post, to score with a low volley.

Monaco’s attack blunted

Surprising as the Juventus shape was, the plan worked. This is a Monaco side that has scored 146 goals this seasons, but this is a Juventus side that has conceded only two so far in the Champions League. There is a toughness about Juve as well as the capacity to read the game, exemplified by the elbow Chiellini planted on Falcao midway through the second half. The referee showed only a yellow card, suggesting he felt the act was careless rather than malicious–certainly Chiellini didn’t look at Falcao–but at the very least he knew where to leave his elbow to protect himself. In an era of high-tempo, high-pressing football, there’s something almost old-fashioned about such cynical arts.There were some concerns early on for Juve as the brilliant 18-year-old Mbappe twice went close. First he planted a free header straight at Buffon and then he made a sharp run between Chiellini and Bonucci to meet a Dirar cross. Again Buffon saved. Falcao had a couple of chances at the beginning of each half and was denied by Buffon on both occasions, and Valere Germain had a late leader tipped over by the keeper.But those threats were patchy, for all that Monaco dominated possession. Dirar bent in a few dangerous crosses, but after that first quarter-hour or so there was little in the way of sustained threat, while Juve always offers menace on the break. Marchisio, in fact, should have scored just after halftime as Monaco lost possession in the face of a rare Juve press.

Power Rankings: Juventus hold firm in top spot, Real Madrid still No. 2

Juventus keep rolling! Their impressive win at Monaco keeps them top of Shaka Hislop’s Power Rankings while Real and Chelsea stay second and third.

Juventus(no change)

Sure, they dropped two league points by conceding late at Atalanta but such is Juve’s Serie A lead that they could win the title this weekend. The more relevant result last week was a superb 2-0 win in Monaco, which means Max Allegri’s men have one foot in the Champions League final.

Real Madrid(no change)

After the trauma of losing El Clasico in such dramatic fashion, Madrid looked set to drop more points when Valencia equalised late on Saturday. But Marcelo popped up with a winner and then, three days later, Cristiano Ronaldo destroyed Atletico. All is well at the Bernabeu again!

Chelsea(no change)

A trip to Everton was viewed as a potential bump in the road on the way to winning the Premier League title, but Antonio Conte’s side responded in the way that champions do. Three second-half goals earned an emphatic win and saw Chelsea maintain their four-point lead at the top.

Barcelona(no change)

A city derby at Espanyol yielded a 3-0 win that sees Barca, who have won four straight league games and scored 16 goals in the process, keep the pressure on leaders Madrid. Luis Suarez scored twice to end a goalless run of five games; he now has 34 in all competitions this season.

Bayern Munich(new)

They’re back! Sealing the German Bundesliga was on their agenda after last week’s German Cup semifinal defeat, and guess what? They did it in fine fashion, thrashing Wolfsburg 6-0 to record a remarkable fifth straight league title.

Monaco(-1)

Three points clear and with a game in hand, the French league title is within touching distance for Monaco after they won and Paris Saint-Germain lost at the weekend. Having gone down to Juventus, though, European glory might be a step too far, this season at least.

Atletico Madrid(no change)

Winning 5-0 at Las Palmas appeared to be ideal perfect preparation for a Champions League derby but, unlike so many times when they have given Madrid all they can handle, Atletico offered so little on Tuesday. In the space of 90 minutes, their season might have ground to a halt.

Tottenham(new)

Winning the derby over rivals Arsenal marked Mauricio Pochettino’s side as the kings of North London for the first time in 22 years. It was a sweet bonus after such an emphatic 2-0 win that really could have been 5-0 were it not for Petr Cech. There’s a lot to love about this Spurs team … assuming Daniel Levy can keep them all after this summer’s transfer window.

Borussia Dortmund(no change)

Dortmund’s 0-0 draw with Cologne was a fine follow-up to beating Bayern last week as Thomas Tuchel & Co. try to finish in the top three.

AS Roma(-4)

Roma did lose the Rome derby 3-1 vs. Lazio, but the Giallorossi are still playing better than their immediate rivals for the final place in the top 10. And let’s face it: Derbies are notoriously impossible to call. The drive of Edin Dzeko and Mo Salah should be enough for Luciano Spalletti’s side to finish second behind Juventus in Serie A this season.Dropping out: Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig.Shaka Hislop played for over 10 years in the Premier League and represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 World Cup. Watch him on ESPN FC TV!

U.S. Hot List: Gonzalez, Miazga win trophies, Green struggling for time

It is hard to believe, but the United States national team is just weeks away from gearing up for a busy summer of international soccer, which includes a pair of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers in early June and then the Gold Cup in July.Here are the highlighted players, for better or worse, from the past week.

Heating up:

Juan Agudelo, FW, New England Revolution (MLS)

Why he’s here: Agudelo was superb in a two-goal performance as the Revolution played to a 3-3 draw against the Seattle Sounders. But the goals only tell half the story. Agudelo also showed off his hold-up play, passing skills and improved defensive work.

What this means: It will be hard to break up U.S. coach Bruce Arena’s preferred forward partnership of Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, and there are other strikers, such as Bobby Wood, who will be in the mix, but Agudelo is certainly making a strong case. And if not the qualifiers, then one has to think the Gold Cup will be on the docket for the Revs forward.

Omar Gonzalez, DF, Pachuca (Liga MX)

Why he’s here: It was quite the week for the former LA Galaxy defender. On Wednesday, Gonzalez started and went the full 90 minutes helping Pachuca clinch the 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League with a 1-0 win over Tigres in the second leg. That was followed three days later by a solid 90-minute performance in a 2-2 draw against Cruz Azul.

What this means: While Gonzalez’s performances in a U.S. jersey have not been up to the standard that he has maintained in Liga MX — the 2-0 loss at Guatemala in March 2016 and last November’s 4-0 defeat at Costa Rica are the most glaring examples — Gonzalez is likely to play a key role for the Yanks in the June qualifiers. His Liga MX experience will be invaluable when the U.S. steps onto the Estadio Azteca turf on June 11 to face Mexico.

Matt Miazga, DF, Vitesse Arnhem (Eredivisie)

Why he’s here: For the first time in its 125-year history, Dutch club Vitesse won a major trophy with a 2-0 win in the Dutch Cup final over AZ Alkmaar in which Miazga started and went the distance. The Chelsea loanee has appeared in 21 of Vitesse’s 32 league matches this season.

What this means: Despite John Brooks’ injury woes, Miazga likely won’t feature in the June qualifiers since Arena has shown that he prefers other center-back options such as Gonzalez, Geoff Cameron and Tim Ream. But the Gold Cup would serve as a great way for Miazga to get some big-game national team experience.

Benny Feilhaber, MF, Sporting Kansas City (MLS)

Why he’s here: Feilhaber is no stranger to the spectacular, and he put on another show last Saturday with a stunning strike from distance in Sporting Kansas City’s 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake, his second goal of the young season.

What this means: Feilhaber has hit the ground running since returning from a hamstring injury on April 15, and any time he is on the field, Sporting Kansas City is a better team. More performances like last Saturday’s will put the veteran midfielder in discussion for a roster spot for next month’s qualifiers.

Cooling off:

Julian Green, MF, Stuttgart (2. Bundesliga)

Why he’s here: The 21-year-old Green was once again an unused substitute in Stuttgart’s 3-2 victory at Nurnberg. It was the fourth match in a row in which Green has failed to see any action, and he has played in just two matches since March 10.

What this means: While the lack of minutes at star-studded Bayern Munich was understandable and the failed loan to Hamburg two seasons ago could be attributed to a young player still trying to find his way, the hope was that Green, who turns 22 in June, would have had greater success thus far at Stuttgart. Now, Green’s chances of a Gold Cup spot appear to be fading, but with the tournament scheduled for July, it may well behoove Green to instead focus on having a strong preseason with Stuttgart, who look set for a Bundesliga return in 2017-18.

Jorge Villafana, DF, Santos Laguna (Liga MX)

Why he’s here: Perhaps it is harsh to include a player in the Cooling Off section that just made his seventh straight start and helped his team clinch a Liguilla spot, but it has to be said that Villafana struggled a lot in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Chiapas. He was unable to clear a ball that led to the first Chiapas goal and then fell while trying to defend on the second Chiapas score.

What this means: Villafana started the two March qualifiers back when he wasn’t even getting any first-team minutes at Santos, so a mini-slump will likely not change Arena’s opinion.

Jermaine Jones, MF, LA Galaxy (MLS)

Why he’s here: Playing in a more advanced role, Jones was unable to help the Galaxy solve their attacking woes in a 0-0 draw versus the Philadelphia Union. Jones had the biggest miss of all when he popped a wide-open header well over the crossbar.

What this means: Arena is a big fan of Jones, evidenced by his most recent start in the qualifier against Panama, so Jones’ early season struggles with the Galaxy won’t likely damage his national team standing.

Alfredo Morales, MF, Ingolstadt (Bundesliga)

Why he’s here: A sending off is never a way to earn favor, but that’s what happened to Morales, who picked up two yellow cards in relegation-threatened Ingolstadt’s 0-0 draw with RB Leipzig.

What this means: While Morales did feature for the U.S. in the 2015 Gold Cup, his chances of getting a call for the 2017 edition are slim at best.

U.S. Hot List: Dempsey, Morris impress but defensive injuries are a concern

One U.S. national team mainstay made consecutive Premier League starts for the first time since August, while another is heading back to England’s top flight after a productive detour in the second tier. In MLS, meanwhile, several attacking players are showing off their sharpness, but there’s also worrying injury news for Bruce Arena, both at home and overseas.

With the start of the next national team camp just over a month away, which Americans are trending north and whose stock is heading the other direction?

Warming up

Clint Dempsey, FW; Seattle Sounders (MLS)

Why he’s here: Dempsey took a ridiculous eight shots — scoring once and adding an assist — in Sunday’s 3-0 rout of the reeling LA Galaxy.

What this means: With seven goals in the nine games he’s played for club and country over the last month, Dempsey is back to his best. That could mean a selection headache for Arena in June if Jozy Altidore and Bobby Wood are also healthy. But it’s a good problem for the U.S. coach to have.

Jordan Morris, MF/FW; Seattle Sounders (MLS)

Why he’s here: The 22-year-old scored his second goal of the season in the win at LA.

What this means: A pair of strikes in seven appearances is respectable enough but more impressive than the numbers is how Morris’ runs have become sharper and his finishing cleaner in his second season as a professional. Both were on display last Sunday.

DeAndre Yedlin, DF; Newcastle United (English League Championship)

Why he’s here: On Monday, the 23-year-old veteran of the 2014 World Cup watched from the bench as his club beat Preston North End 4-1 to secure promotion to the Premier League for next season.

What this means: Yedlin’s gamble paid off. The former Tottenham full-back played well in the Prem last season on loan with Sunderland and wanted to stay there but, instead, moved to rivals Newcastle because Sunderland wouldn’t pay Spurs’ asking price. He’s spent most of the season as first-choice right-back and now Yedlin will get to test himself against all-world competition in the run-up to Russia 2018, while Sunderland look likely to be relegated.

Darlington Nagbe, MF; Portland Timbers (MLS)

Why he’s here: This brilliant individual goal in Saturday’s 2-1 triumph over the Vancouver Whitecaps:

What this means: Nagbe’s confidence is clearly sky high after starting two World Cup qualifiers last month. The knocks against the Akron alum throughout his MLS career have been a lack of production and a tendency to drift out of games. But the technically gifted 26-year-old has been at the heart of everything for the Western Conference-leading Timbers in the seven games he’s played this year, with his two goals already doubling his 27-match total in 2016.

Geoff Cameron, DF/MF; Stoke City (English Premier League)

Why he’s here: Cameron has gone the distance in Stoke’s last four contests after recovering from the strained quad he suffered during the U.S.’ win against Honduras last month.

What this means: Manager Mark Hughes once again deployed Cameron as a central midfielder at Swansea, just as he has in the 31-year-old’s eight league games this calendar year. It makes you wonder if Arena might try the versatile vet alongside Michael Bradley in the June 3 friendly vs. Venezuela and, if that goes well, subsequent qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago (June 8) and Mexico (June 11).

Brad Guzan, GK; Middlesbrough (English Premier League)

Why he’s here: With starter Victor Vales sidelined by a rib injury, Guzan has been between the posts in relegation-fighting Boro’s last two games — his first back-to-back league starts in eight months — and should keep his place for looming tests against Sunderland and stacked Manchester City.

What this means: It sure doesn’t hurt Guzan to get some important games in before U.S. camp opens at the end of next month, especially with Tim Howard still serving a suspension in MLS. Still, one has to think that Howard remains Arena’s first choice.

Joe Corona, MF; Tijuana (Mexican Liga MX)

Why he’s here: Corona’s second goal of the season — and first since Jan. 13 — stood up as the winner Friday against Toluca, a victory that left Xolos alone atop the Mexican standings.

What this means: The 26-year-old No. 8, who hasn’t played for the U.S. since 2015, continues — slowly but surely — to build a case for his national team return.

Cooling down

John Brooks, DF; Hertha Berlin (German Bundesliga)

Why he’s here: Brooks is out indefinitely after sustaining a hip injury during Saturday’s 1-0 win over Wolfsburg.

What this means: If Brooks is still sidelined a month from now it will be a blow but not a disaster for the U.S., which has gotten used to being without the brittle center-back for important qualifiers. Tim Ream figures to be next man up in that scenario.

Nick Rimando, GK; Real Salt Lake (MLS)

Why he’s here: Rimando has made several costly blunders this season, including two that led to goals in Saturday’s 3-1 home loss to expansion side Atlanta United. The 37-year-old was later forced to leave the match with a leg injury.

What this means: Whether Rimando is even available next month remains to be seen. Either way, the door could be opening for another MLS keeper to stake his claim for the third-string job, with Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls), Bill Hamid (D.C. United) and David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes) the leading candidates.

Michael Orozco, DF; Tijuana (Mexican Liga MX)

Why he’s here: The 31-year-old has missed Xolos’ last three games because of a knee injury.

What this means: With just two league games left on Tijuana’s regular-season slate, Orozco is in a race against time to return for the playoffs. If he’s unable to participate between now and the end of the postseason, then it’s hard to see him being part of Arena’s May and June plans.Doug McIntyre is a staff writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @DougMacESPN.

MLS expansion latest: Tampa Bay’s vote; Beckham’s new investor; a pulse for St. Louis?

QUICKLY

Stay up to date on the latest across the MLS expansion landscape, with the league continuing to churn on its decisions for the next franchises to enter the fold.SHAREBRIAN STRAUSFriday April 28th, 2017

Once again, the future of an MLS expansion effort is in voters’ hands. Three weeks ago, the citizens of St. Louis decided against providing funding for a soccer stadium. Next Tuesday, the St. Petersburg half of the Tampa Bay metro area will decide whether the Rowdies’ bid will move forward.There isn’t nearly as much money at stake in the St. Petersburg vote and thus, a much greater likelihood the Rowdies will get the result they need. But Rick Baker is taking no chances. The president of The Edwards Group (led by Rowdies owner Bill Edwards) knows a thing or two about elections. He was elected mayor of St. Petersburg twice. And he told SI.com this week that no matter the odds or outlook, there are only two ways to approach a vote: “One is unopposed. The other is scared,” Baker said.

So he’s literally been going door to door in an effort to share the Rowdies’ plans with area residents. Unlike the very public campaign waged in St. Louis, the MLS hopefuls in Tampa Bay are staying relatively quiet and working the grassroots. Baker said he’s visited some 50 groups in person over the past two months: neighborhood and homeowners associations, condo boards, rotary clubs and business owners. The Rowdies also sought the opinion of area stakeholders and event organizers during the stadium design phase. “It was important to Bill that we reach out to the community directly … and have a chance to see people face-to-face and give us an opportunity to respond to concerns,” Baker said. “We’ve used this opportunity of a referendum to explain why we think [the vote] is a good thing and also to try to help them understand why we think soccer is important to the city’s future.”Edwards and the Rowdies aren’t asking for money. Instead, they want permission to sign a 25-year lease with the city of St. Petersburg that will allow the club to upgrade Al Lang Stadium to meet MLS standards and then play there for the long term. Any lease on city-owned waterfront property that’s greater than five years requires public approval. Edwards is financing the special election himself to the tune of $280,000, and plans to spend $80 million of his own money to transform Al Lang into an iconic venue that looks out onto Tampa Bay and sits alongside the 2,000-seat Mahaffey Theater and the Salvador Dalí Museum, which holds the largest collection of the Spanish artist’s work outside Europe. Edwards also will foot the $150 million MLS expansion fee.So who would vote against it?“At this point, there really is no organized opposition that I’m aware of,” said Baker, who was mayor from 2001 to 2010. “People have questions about whether we have sufficient parking. Have you accommodated the lighting? In order to deal with the condominiums surrounding the stadium, do we have transportation covered—those kinds of questions. So we wanted to get around and talk to people.”The city has 168,000 eligible voters and nearly 22,000 ballots already have been sent in by mail. Saint Petersblog, a local news blog, conducted a poll in early April and reported that 70% of voters are expected to approve the referendum, with 19% opposing and 11% undecided.“If we pass the referendum, there’s a high degree of certainty associated with our stadium plan. That’s a pretty good advantage we have in our corner,” Baker said.But there’s no telling whether it’ll be enough to sway MLS. Competition for the four available expansion slots—at least two are expected to be awarded by the end of the year—is fierce. In Tampa Bay’s corner: it’s the 11th largest media market in the country and now the biggest without an MLS team, the aforementioned stadium certainty and the history behind the Rowdies brand. Potential pitfalls could be Tampa/St. Petersburg’s proximity to Orlando (plus a possible expansion team in Miami) and perceived competition from the Lightning, Rays and the array of annual or one-time sporting events staged in the area.“Everything that we’ve heard either privately or publicly from folks at MLS about Orlando is that not only is it not seen as an impediment, but it’s seen as a positive thing because of the opportunity to have a great rivalry down the I4 corridor,” Baker said.Orlando City plays about 110 miles from Al Lang and Miami is 260 miles to the south—that’s greater than the distance between Washington, D.C., and New York City.“I haven’t heard how [Miami] would impact us either way. Our perspective is that we’re just doing our thing,” Baker said.Whether the Rowdies can keep doing their thing will be determined Tuesday.“Hopefully we get over the hurdle. It’s still a hurdle,” said Baker, who will remain “scared” until the final votes are counted.Meanwhile, the Rowdies have averaged 5,591 fans at their four home games so far this season. That ranks eighth in the 30-team USL, behind rival MLS expansion bidders FC Cincinnati, Sacramento Republic, San Antonio FC and Phoenix Rising.Speaking of rival bids, here’s an update on some other areas of the MLS expansion landscape:

Time ticks on Beckham, Miami | Do St. Louis, Charlotte bids have a pulse? | Quiet confidence in Sacramento | San Diegans sign on | Nashville meets with Garber

Arsene Wenger out to end Jose Mourinho hoodoo in Arsenal vs. United

Arsene Wenger has never beaten Jose Mourinho in the Premier League.Mourinho will need that trend to continue if he is to take Manchester United into the top four this season. A draw, though, is no good for United this Sunday. Victories are needed to overtake Manchester City and Liverpool in the fight to finish in the Champions League places. Arsenal need three points to boost their own hopes of the top four while higher up, the title race remains alive after Tottenham beat the Gunners last week. Spurs can cut the gap to just one point if they beat West Ham on Friday before Chelsea host Middlesbrough on Monday.Predict the outcome of the latest round of fixtures in our match polls …

ARSENAL: Wenger has never recorded a Premier League victory over Mourinho, and with Arsenal in this form it doesn’t feel as if that’s likely to happen anytime soon. With Mourinho’s focus now arguably on the Europa League, he’s likely to be content to shut this game down and take a point.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United — James McNicholas

MAN UNITED: Mourinho has claimed that he way rest players for Manchester United’s trip to the Emirates so he can prioritise the Europa League semifinal. That may well be the case, but you would imagine that the manager will put something in place to deny Wenger a victory. Defensively, United will struggle, given how many players are missing through injury and how many others are exhausted through the lack of rotation. However, tactics similar to those employed at Man City might be on show. If someone like Anthony Martial or Henrikh Mkhitaryan can come up with a top performance, United may surprise a few people.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United — Scott Patterson

INDY ELEVEN FORWARD JUSTIN BRAUN NAMED NASL PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Salt Lake City native leads league in scoring, assists after fast start in 2017

NEW YORK (May 4, 2017) – Indy Eleven forward Justin Braun has been named North American Soccer League (NASL) Player of the Month for April after emerging from the first five games as the league’s leading scorer. The award is voted on by NASL media.With three goals and two assists so far this season, Braun sits atop the league’s scoring chart and is tied for the league lead in assists. The 30-year-old veteran’s best game of the opening month came on April 1 when he tallied two goals and an assist in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Puerto Rico FC. He scored the all-important equalizer to help Indy extend its record-setting home unbeaten streak at the time, and ultimately earned NASL Player of the Week honors for his performance.Braun’s third goal of the month came just last weekend in Jacksonville, where the Boys in Blue earned a 1-1 draw to stay undefeated on the season. He opened the scoring before Armada FC fought back to earn a share of the points.A tireless striker who seemingly never loses energy, Braun has played every minute of every game in 2017 and also leads Indy in shots. He has been a valuable asset in the air as well, leading the club in aerial duels won.Braun, an imposing figure standing 6-foot-3, joined the club in early 2016 from USL side Sacramento Republic, and ended up turning in a solid first season for Indiana’s Team. The Utah native scored eight goals and racked up five assists in 25 league appearances last year.Indy, which has drawn its first five games, returns home this Saturday to host FC Edmonton, the side it beat in The Championship Semifinals last November. Kickoff at Carroll Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the Week 7 clash can be seen live on ESPN3 (U.S.) and NASL.com (Canada).

BEN SPEAS WINS PLAY OF THE MONTH

The midfielder’s masterful chip vs. Puerto Rico FC voted best for April award May 5, 2017

Indy Eleven played to a thrilling 3-3 draw with Puerto Rico FC back in Week 2 of the NASL Spring Season. It was Indy’s 2017 home debut and the first chance for new signing Ben Speas to play in front of the home support. The midfielder certainly didn’t disappoint. For the second goal in the match, Speas timed his run to perfection, recieving the ball from forward Justin Braun, and then finished with aplomb. He chipped Puerto Rico FC goalkeeper Trevor Spangenberg for his first Indy goal, and the tally has won NASL Play of the Month, voted on by the fans. http://www.indyeleven.com/news/2017/05/05/ben-speas-wins-play-of-the-month

THREE THINGS: #JAX V INDY 11

Justin Braun picks up top scoring honor in fifth consecutive draw May 1, 2017

BRAUN TAKES THE LEAD

After sitting in a six-way tie going into Week 6, Indy Eleven’s forward Justin Braun forged ahead on Saturday night to take the lead in the race to become the top goal scorer in the league. Braun linked up with striking partner Eamon Zayed in spectacular fashion in the 25^th minute to zip past Jacksonville Armada FC’s offside trap, and followed up his run by narrowly avoiding a sliding tackle from Armada ‘keeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell to comfortably send the ball into the back of the net. However, Braun’s goal wasn’t enough to stop the table toppers after Armada forward Johnathan Glenn headed his first goal of 2017 from a corner five minutes later.Braun takes the number one spot on the list with three goals, leaving behind a now seven-way tie for second place; Hector Ramos (PRFC), Stefano Pinho (MIA), Kwadwo Poku (MIA), J.C. Banks (JAX), Thomas Heinemann (SFD), Lance Laing (NCFC) and Matthew Fondy (NCFC) all sit in second place with two goals each. After taking a fifth consecutive point in the 2017 season, “Indiana’s Team” remains amongst the top three highest-scoring teams in the league and remains one of two teams undefeated in 2017.

TORRADO CONTINUES TO DOMINATE

During Week 5’s 0-0 home draw against San Francisco Deltas, “Boys in Blue” midfielder Gerardo Torrado took home the honor of Wick’s Pie Chart Player of the Match for his outstanding performance and looked to replicate his performance in Week 6. “El Borrego’s” 90-minute performance saw the Mexico National Team legend win 100-percent of his tackles, complete nearly four-fifths of his passes and win the same amount of duels, and gained two interceptions for his side. Torrado’s versatile playstyle in the midfield makes him a viable attacking and defending option in any situation.While Torrado showed great defensive awareness on Saturday, good work from the rest of the team doesn’t go unnoticed. In similar fashion, Indy defender Lovel Palmer had a stellar performance, completing 85-percent of his passes, winning four-fifths of his duels, claiming four interceptions and clearing the ball six times.

WELCOME TO THE NASL, DAVID GOLDSMITH

In the dying minutes of the match, Indy Eleven forward David Goldsmith made his professional debut against Jacksonville Armada FC. The Bristol, England native came on the pitch in the 88^th minute for midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic as a last minute injection of fresh, attacking legs to help attempt to break the stalemate. Though the contest ended in a draw, hopefully, this is a sign of good things to come for the young striker.Prior to joining Indy Eleven, Goldsmith played for university champion side Butler University. Goldsmith helped secure Butler’s 2016 Big East Championship title, paving the way by scoring 12 goals and helping the team to earn 28 points, which ranked him among the top 20 goal scorers in the nation. In addition to his championship title run, Goldsmith also picked up several other awards, including: Big East Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2016), All-Big East First Team, Big East Co-Offensive Player of the Year (2016) and semifinalist for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, the sport’s most prestigious collegiate award. Goldsmith is among three of the “Boys in Blue” to sign for the club out of college this season; Both Tanner Thompson and Christian Lomeli, Indiana University graduated, penned their names on contracts for the Eleven before the start of the 2017 season.Don’t miss out on the first chance to see “Indiana’s Team” in the new adidas home kits this Saturday as they continue the “Fight for Three” on home turf.

Earn your Degree While You Watch Your Kids Soccer Practice – ½ the time and cost of Traditional Schools

Check out The Ole Ballcoach online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Proud Member of the Brick Yard Battalion – http://www.brickyardbattalion.com , Sam’s Army- http://www.sams-army.com , American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite

5/2/17 Champs League, Indy 11 Tix Discount for Sat Night Game, MLS vs Real Madrid All Star Game Pre-Sale Ticket link, Game TV Schedule

May 2, 2017 gatorbest

So it appears I messed something up on the Indy 11 Discount Ticket Link – lets try this again with the actual link this time: http://2017specialmh.indyeleven.com Again this is for games in May/June/July so take advantage of these discounted prices on this link as I don’t know how long this link will be live. The Indy 11 managed a 1-1 tie on the road at Top Ranked Jacksonville as they join the Armada as one of 2 teams without a loss on the season. The 11 look to extend their NASL Record Non-Losing Streak to 21 games as they face FC Edmonton this weekend at 7:30 pm at the MIKE.

In other news the MLS Allstar game featuring defending Champions League Champs Real Madrid vs the MLS All-Stars will be held in Chicago on Wednesday Night, Aug 2 at Soldier Field. I am planning to go and would love to set up a caravan up there if anyone else wants to come. This is an exclusive link to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public Thursday morning. https://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/0400524DB5832485?CAMEFROM=CFC_MLG_17ASG_PREFIREDATABASE Tickets are about $60 in the upper decks and $90 for level 2 behind the goals (where we are looking) RE: If you would like to order tickets together and head over.

Champions League is to the Final 4 teams – and wow has Renaldo come alive for Real Madrid. I’ll admit I was wearing my Atleti Jersey when Renaldo struck for his 42^nd Hat Trick and scored 3 goals in back to back games for the first time in a long time in Champions League play in the big 3-0 win at home. By the way what were those ugly black and gold jersey’s Atleti were wearing? They looked like Dortmund – all the way to the no DEFENSE NEEDED. We’ll see if the Madradista’s can continue their dominance next Wed at the Cauldron looking to become the first back to back Champions League winner in the modern era. In the other match-up Juventus – the old lady – will look to use home field advantage in their matchup with the upstart Frenchmen from Monaco. That game kicks off Wednesday at 2;45 pm on Fox Sports 1 from Turin, Italy. Finally Man U is still looking to sneak into Champions League position next year by winning the Europa League this year – they travel to Celta Vigo for round 1 at 3 pm on Thurs. on Fox Sport 2.

Carmel FC is proud to be hosting Challenge Cup and State Cup games this weekend May 5-7 at the River Road fields in East Carmel about 2 miles from Badger. CFC parents sign up here if you would be willing to volunteer to help: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090b44aaad22a0fe3-carmel.

GAMES ON TV

Tues –May 2 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

Weds May 3 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Monaco vs Juventus

Thur –May 4 Europa League

3 pm FoxSport2 Celta Vigo vs Man U

Fri, May 5

3 pm NBCSN West Ham vs Tottenham

Sat, May 6

7:30 am NBCSN Man City vs Crystal Palace

9:30 am Dortmund vs Hoffenhiem

12:30 pm beIN Spo Barcelona vs Villarreal

12:30 pm NBC live Swansea vs Everton

2:45 pm beIN sport Granada vs Real Madrid

2:55 pm ESPN Seattle host Toronto FC (replay of Champ game)

7:30 pm Myindy TV Indy 11 vs Edmonton

Sun, May 7

8:30 am NBCSN Liverpool vs Southhampton

11 am NBCSN Arsenal vs Man United

1:30 pm Min United vs Sporting KC

Mon, May 8

3 pm NBCSN Chelsea vs Middlesbrough

Tues –May 9 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Juventus vs Monaco

Weds May 10 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid

Thur –May 11 Europa League

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Man U vs Celta Vigo

Sat, May 13

7:30 am NBCSN Man City vs Leicester City

9:30 am Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Ausburg

12:30 pm NBC live Stoke City vs Arsenal (US Cameron)

7:30 pm Myindy TV Miami vs Indy 11

9 pm ESPN Chicago vs Seattle Sounders

Sun, May 14

9:15 am NBCSN West Ham vs Liverpool

11 am NBCSN Tottenham vs Man United

4 pm ESPN Portland Timbers vs Atlanta United

Jardim confident Monaco can beat Juve

Champions League

Buffon Weary of Monaco

Better to be Monaco than Juve -TV

We’ll See how Good Juve’s Back Line Really is

Renaldo’s Hat Trick puts Real 1 foot into Final

Renaldo reminds us why he is 1 of top 2 players in the World today

Renaldo was Magnifico

INDY 11

Indy 11 stays Unbeaten with 1-1 Draw at Jax

Craft Beer Fest this Satruday – vs FC Edmonton

Indy 11 Discount Ticket Link

Gianluigi Buffon taking nothing for granted in UCL semifinal vs. Monaco

Gianluigi Buffon says playing in the Champions League makes him “feel young” ahead of Wednesday’s semifinal meeting with Monaco — but is wary of the challenge their in-form opponents will bring.Buffon, 39, has won almost everything over the course of a career which has spanned two decades. He has lifted the World Cup, seven Serie A titles, three Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup but, despite playing in two finals, the Champions League is still missing from his collection.He can move closer to completing the collection by beating the Ligue 1 leaders on their own patch, and he says he hopes to play in the competition many more times in the future.”Playing in the Champions League makes me feel young, whether I win it or not,” Buffon told a news conference. “I know that in games like this, I am able to show my real essence; probably what I was born for. It’s a huge emotion and joy. I get so emotional for this, no matter whether I or we win this competition or not.”So I don’t think I am owed anything at all. If we are to win it, nothing would change because I have a contract until 2018 and I still have lots of objectives.”Buffon warned that Monaco’s youth and energy will provide a stern test over the course of the tie.”Tomorrow and over the two legs, experience of knowing that a place in the final is played for over 180 minutes could give us an advantage, but since they are young and show a lot of vitality when they play, I think that they have the enthusiasm that healthy youthful innocence brings,” Buffon added.”I know what it feels like when you play games as if you are unbeatable and indestructible and that is precisely how they are feeling now. Monaco are not in the semifinals by fluke. They have beaten big teams like [Manchester] City and [Borussia] Dortmund. They have great value.They are enthusiastic also because Monaco are flying in the league. Wins give you belief. They have a really good coach who has them playing attacking football, which you can do well when you have players who have extraordinary quality.”Buffon says they have much more depth than just two star names, Radamel Falcao and Kylian Mbappe.”Monaco have scored bucketloads of goals, but Mbappe hasn’t scored all of them,” he said. “Falcao and the other lads are also true threats. I have total respect for Monaco because they are strong and their attitude makes them unpredictable.”But in an interview with SportMediaset, Buffon compared the 18-year-old Mbappe to some of the best players in the world.”In 1998 I went to the World Cup in France, and he was born,” Buffon joked. “It’s beautiful and motivational to play against a future [Lionel] Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar… he’s an incredible talent, he’s a lad with his head screwed on and that will help him a lot. I wish him a stellar career.”Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri warned that Monaco must be taken seriously.”They are in the semifinals of the Champions League and they are top of Ligue 1, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain,” he said. “Let’s not forget that Paris were considered as one of the favourites to win this competition, so I think that says it all.”

Ronaldo reminds Europe of his class after dismantling Atletico in UCL semis with 42^nd Hat Trick

MADRID — At one stage of Real Madrid’s Champions League semifinal destruction of Atletico Madrid, it seemed to be a case of one No. 7 coming to the party and the other staying at home. But in the end, that perspective would not only be doing Cristiano Ronaldo a disservice, but also Antoine Griezmann.That simplistic comparison, legitimately based around Griezmann’s emergence as a genuine heir to Ronaldo’s crown as football’s most magnificent seven, was ultimately rendered meaningless by the Real forward’s stunning hat trick of a first-half header and two second-half strikes.Griezmann is a player of great talent, one who could yet become football’s biggest star when Ronaldo and Lionel Messi vacate the stage, but the 26-year-old Atletico forward remains a mere mortal when placed alongside the two players who have ruled planet football for the past decade.Yes, this was the Frenchman’s night to lift Atletico to new heights, against Real in their own backyard, but when Ronaldo is in this kind of mood, nobody is going to steal the spotlight. And no one did.Get ready for the stats: This was Ronaldo’s second hat trick against Atletico this season, his third in total against Real’s neighbours, and his 42nd for Real since moving to the Bernabeu from Manchester United in June 2009. That’s right, 42nd.He has now scored 103 goals in 138 Champions League games, 13 of them in semifinals, and this hat trick moves him level with Messi on seven in UEFA’s premier competition.Just to make life a little easier for Atletico, Ronaldo has scored more hat tricks against Sevilla (6), Espanyol (5) and Celta Vigo (4), but it is only the smallest crumb of comfort for Atleti to be fourth on his list of hat-trick victims.So Ronaldo has given Real a huge advantage ahead of next Wednesday’s second leg at the Vicente Calderon, despite being written off as a player in decline by many observers.Injuries are beginning to catch up with the 32-year-old and those trademark step-overs are not quite as lightning quick as they once were. And yes, his goal-scoring output is slowing down, with this hat trick only taking him to 35 goals in all competitions this season.Thirty-five? No wonder he is being written off.But it is on nights like these when the reality of Ronaldo’s genius is shown for all to see.Such have been the standards that he and Messi have set in recent years, any slight drop in their incredible statistics hints at a waning of their powers and leads to their footballing obituaries being penned.Yet at 32, with his body sometimes battered and bruised by 15 years at the top level, Ronaldo was still able to tear apart an Atletico team that reached this stage of the competition by being one of the most organised and miserly defences in the Champions League.Ronaldo did not simply score a hat trick, he scored it against one of the best teams in the world, against defenders of the quality of Diego Godin and a goalkeeper as highly rated as Jan Oblak.When Sir Alex Ferguson sanctioned the world-record £80 million sale of Ronaldo to Real eight years ago, the former United manager claimed at the time that the Spanish giants had secured themselves a bargain. Regardless of Real’s mammoth outlay, Ferguson has been proved right because Ronaldo has repaid the club countless times over.He has erased club legends such as Raul out of the Real record books, inspired them to two Champions League titles, with a third now within touching distance following this virtuoso display against Atletico.And much of it is down to his incredible work ethic and desire to improve, a trait stretching back to his time at Old Trafford, when he would take out a bag of balls on his own after training, while wearing ankle weights, to practice his step-overs and free kicks.He has always been engaged in the pursuit of perfection and has arguably gone beyond that because he has stretched the boundaries of perfection by recording such incredible career statistics.This was another chapter in the Ronaldo story. The night when he reminded his own club’s supporters, Atletico Madrid and the world that he is still in business.But let’s drag it back to the initial narrative, of Real’s fading star taking on Atletico’s rising sun, not only for a place in the Champions League final, but ownership of the pedestal of greatness that Ronaldo has owned in Madrid since the day he arrived.Griezmann had been regarded as a threat to his supremacy, but no longer.Perhaps we had allowed ourselves to believe that Ronaldo had fallen far enough to be compared to other footballers than Messi, but that was wrong. Ronaldo is still the main man, and don’t Atletico know it.Mark

Earn your Degree While You Watch Your Kids Soccer Practice – ½ the time and cost of Traditional Schools

Check out The Ole Ballcoach online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Proud Member of the Brick Yard Battalion – http://www.brickyardbattalion.com , Sam’s Army- http://www.sams-army.com , American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite

4/28/17 – Indy 11 Discount Tickets, Title races Tighten up, Messi wins El Classico, Champ League Tues/Wed

April 28, 2017May 2, 2017 gatorbest

Thank’s to the Indy 11 for a Link to Indy 11 Discount Ticket Link – in May/June/July. Order your tickets now as I am not sure how long this link will be live for us. The Indy 11 kept the NASL Record Home Non-losing Streak alive at 20 games with their 0-0 tie with San Fran this past weekend at the MIKE. They travel to Jacksonville to face the Armada on beIN Sport at 7 pm Sat. night.

So Messi did it again in El Classico – somehow I missed it as my beIN Sports Ap did me wrong on the fields this Sunday between reffing and coaching and I taped the wrong channel on my cable somehow. I hear it was one of the best ever and it sets up a close race as the teams are tied atop La Liga with Real Madrid having a game in hand. Should be a classic race down the stretch. Same for France as Monaco and PSG are going down to the wire tied in League One. The EPL is locked with 6 teams battling for the top 4 as just 3 points divides 3^rd place Liverpool, 4^th place Man City, 5^th place Man U, and 6^th place Arsenal (with a game in hand). Huge games this Sunday as 7^th place Everton host Chelsea 9 am on NBCSN and Arsenal travels to White Hart Lane and Tottenham at 11:30 on NBCSN. Of course Champions League returns next week with Final 4 action – with Real Madrid facing Atletico Madrid in a Madrid Derby Tuesday 2:45 on FS1 and Monaco facing Juventus in the other Wed and May 9/10 2:45 pm on Fox Sports 1.

Huge congrats to the US U17s who beat Mexico 4-3 in CONCACAF Champs 1^st game see this wonder goal from US forward Josh Sargent from St. Louis- games continue this weekend.

Good luck to our Carmel FC U15 + U16 Girls competing this weekend in the Crossroads of America Girls College Showcase at Grand Park – and to our teams in playing in Red Lion good luck dodging the rain. Carmel FC is proud to be hosting Challenge Cup and State Cup games the weekend of May 5-7 at the River Road fields in East Carmel about 2 miles from Badger. CFC parents sign up here if you would like to volunteer to help.

GAMES ON TV

Mon, May 1

3 pm NBCSN Watford vs Liverpool

Tues –May 2 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

Weds May 3 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Monaco vs Juventus

Thur –May 4 Europa League

3 pm FoxSport2 Celta Vigo vs Man U

Fri, May 5

3 pm NBCSN West Ham vs Tottenham

Sat, May 6

7:30 am NBCSN Man City vs Crystal Palace

9:30 am Dortmund vs Hoffenhiem

12:30 pm beIN Spo Barcelona vs Villarreal

12:30 pm NBC live Swansea vs Everton

2:45 pm beIN sport Granada vs Real Madrid

2:55 pm ESPN Seattle host Toronto FC (replay of Champ game)

7:30 pm Myindy TV Indy 11 vs Edmonton

Sun, May 7

8:30 am NBCSN Liverpool vs Southhampton

11 am NBCSN Arsenal vs Man United

1:30 pm Min United vs Sporting KC

Mon, May 8

3 pm NBCSN Chelsea vs Middlesbrough

Tues –May 9 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Juventus vs Monaco

Weds May 10 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

Thur –May 11 Europa League

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Man U vs Celta Vigo

Sat, May 13

7:30 am NBCSN Man City vs Leicester City

9:30 am Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Ausburg

12:30 pm NBC live Stoke City vs Arsenal (US Cameron)

7:30 pm Myindy TV Miami vs Indy 11

9 pm ESPN Chicago vs Seattle Sounders

Sun, May 14

9:15 am NBCSN West Ham vs Liverpool

11 am NBCSN Tottenham vs Man United

4 pm ESPN Portland Timbers vs Atlanta United

Indy 11

Indy 11 Discount Ticket Link –

Indy 11 Tie San Fran at Home

Indy 11 Sign with Addidas for Uniforms

Indy 11 Enter US Open Cup in 2^nd round on May 17^th

Champions League

Real vs Atletico, Juve vs Monaco in Champ League Semi’s

Europa League Draw has Man U vs Celta Vigo + Ajax vs Lyon

Juve Favored to Win it

Juve Must Win it All

(check back Monday for Updated Champions League Stories) www.oleballcoach.com

World Soccer

Messi delivers huge classico Win

Juve Take over Top Slot in World – Power Rankings ESPN FC

Macotti’s Musings – World Soccer – Messi Clasico

2 Team race in La Liga

US Soccer

What if Hand Ball Were Called in US game vs Germany in 2002? Grant Wahl SI

What if US Greatest Athletes Played Soccer? Grant Wahl SI

World Cup 2026 Projected US Line-Up – Stars and Stripes Alex Showell

Omar Gonzales becomes 3^rd American to Win CONCACAF Champ League S&S

Measuring USMNT Results – S&S

Your Votes for who Should be Starting for the US

Bobby Wood – Where will he play next year?

Wondergoal for US U-17 Player

MLS

Week 9 What 2 Watch 4 Stars and Stripes

Week 9 Story Lines MLS.com

GAMES ON TV

Sat Apr 29

9:30 am Fox Sports2 Dortmund vs Koln (US Pulisic)

10 am NBCSN Stoke City vs West Ham United (US Cameron)

10:15 am beIN sport Real Madrid vs Valencia

12:30 pm NBC Crystal Palace vs Burnley (seriously)

12:30 pm Fox Sport2 Wolfsburg vs Bayern Munich

7 pm beIN Sport Jacksonville Armada vs Indy 11

Sun Apr 30

7 am NBCSN Man U vs Swansea (relegation time Swansea you US coach firing club you)

9 am Fox Sport 1 Ausburg vs Hamburger (US Bobby Wood)

9:05 am NBCSN Everton vs Chelsea

11:30 am NBCSN Tottenham vs Arsenal

3 pm Fox Sport1 Atlanta United vs DC United

Earn your Degree While You Watch Your Kids Soccer Practice – ½ the time and cost of Traditional Schools

Lionel Messi’s Clasico for the ages, Arsenal surprise us, Inter in trouble

Sometimes they live up to the hype. Sometimes they surpass it.From the neutral’s perspective, Sunday night’s Clasico took it to another level. No matchup in the world has as much talent on the pitch even with Neymar missing and Gareth Bale succumbing to injury after just more than half an hour, and few have had as much drama, individual displays of talent, handbrake turns in the narrative and end-to-end excitement as what we witnessed.And, as far as Lionel Messi is concerned, we’ve had the umpteenth confirmation that we are living in privileged times, able to see one of the greatest of all time doing it over and over again in the most dramatic fashion, including a virtual buzzer-beater.But start with the fallout.Barcelona’s 3-2 win at the Bernabeu doesn’t quite reopen the Liga race, but it does mean Real Madrid are one slip-up away from a potential neck-and-neck finish. Both are level on points, with Barca enjoying the edge in the tie-breaker, but Real Madrid have a game in hand: May 17 away to Celta Vigo. By that point, both Celta and Madrid could be in European finals: Eduardo Berizzo’s crew face Manchester United in the Europa League, and Real, of course, have the Madrid derby.Should Barca hold out hope? Sure. Celta have already beaten Madrid once this season in the Copa del Rey. You presume that the semifinal derby will stretch Real both in terms of mental and physical resources. Only a fool would rule out the possibility of this going down to the wire at this stage.The game itself offered positives and negatives for both sides. Zinedine Zidane made a big call by starting Gareth Bale, who had limped off injured against Bayern 11 days earlier. There’s no point in medical second-guessing, but the gamble clearly didn’t work, as the Welshman hobbled off after 38 minutes with the score at 1-1.Here, Zidane made the first of his three big substitution decisions. The draw would have likely handed the title to Madrid. But rather than looking to preserve the result, he went for the jugular. He could have sent on Isco, which might have shifted Madrid to a virtual 4-4-2, allowing them to control the midfield and, therefore, the game. Instead, he opted for Marco Asensio — a more direct, attacking player — which had the side effect of opening the game up further.Another was taking off Casemiro. The holding midfielder had opened the scoring, but he’d also been engaging in a game of “whack-a-Messi,” which had cost him a booking and could have cost him a sending off. Sending on Mateo Kovacic in his place was a fairly textbook decision.The third, nine minutes from time, involved withdrawing Karim Benzema for James Rodriguez. This was far from textbook. With Real Madrid chasing the game, conventional wisdom would have suggested a like-for-like change (Alvaro Morata) or maybe a guy like Isco. Instead, he opted for Rodriguez, trusting the Colombian’s long-range shooting and ability to improvise. He was quickly vindicated as Rodriguez lost Jordi Alba, cut across the box and was there to turn a cross from the brilliant Marcelo past Marc-Andre ter Stegen to make it 2-2.As for Barcelona, they put together three goals, each of them a peach in its own right. Lionel Messi’s opener featured a delicious swerve to befuddle Dani Carvajal and came after an 18-touch buildup involving eight different players. That was vintage Barca, as if the clock was being rolled back to circa 2009.The second was an Ivan Rakitic thunderbolt with an equally sweet buildup: He squared up to shoot with one foot and then cut across to his other and beat Keylor Navas. The third was the most dramatic: a long gallop from Sergi Roberto, a timely overlap from Alba and a deadeye finish from Messi deep in injury time. It was his 500th goal for Barcelona and his 47th of the season. It also marked the sixth time in his career that he passed the 30-goal mark in La Liga.More than that, it capped a performance that any fan of any team sport can relate to: one superstar taking over a game lock, stock and barrel. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it stands out.Messi had been whacked multiple times earlier by Casemiro, took an elbow to the head (inadvertent, perhaps, but still painful) from Marcelo and was on the receiving edge of an X-rated lunge from Sergio Ramos that saw the Madrid defender sent off for the 22nd time of his career.Messi’s usual supporting cast wasn’t getting it done. Neymar was suspended, and his replacement, Paco Alcacer, was ethereal. Andres Iniesta seemed to disappear as the game went on. Luis Suarez was ineffective, so it was up to Messi. And he delivered.Barca may end up well behind Real in the league; they may lose the Copa del Rey final to Alaves and end the season empty-handed. But Messi’s performance on the day will endure for a very long time.As for Madrid, they’ve been reminded it will be a long slog between now and the end of the season. They remain (in my opinion, anyway) the best team in the world. And the way they came back to equalize with 10 men showed a degree of guts, self-belief and personality that few can match, and that you rarely see on teams with this much talent. That, as much their talent, will determine whether they win their 33rd Liga title, let alone their 12th European Cup.

Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola surprise us all

Just when you thought you’d figured somebody out, they go and do something unexpected.

Take Arsene Wenger. He’s the guy we’ve been criticising for years for being too stubborn, too one-dimensional, too wedded to an idea of football that’s now passe, too soft, too unwilling to win ugly. So what does he do? He plays a 3-4-2-1 in an FA Cup semifinal at Wembley featuring two holding midfielders and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Nacho Monreal out wide. And rather than trying to pass his way around Manchester City, he happily concedes possession, relying instead on a front three of Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.Or take Pep Guardiola. He’s the guy who always wants to attack, who doesn’t know how to defend and who hates being pragmatic. What does he do when, nine minutes into extra-time and with the score deadlocked, he realizes that his center-forward can’t go on? He sends on two defensive midfielders like Fernando and Fabian Delph for Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero.What this should tell us, at the very least, is that it’s risky — and often inaccurate — to stereotype managers. At some point, they react to situations like the rest of us.Sunday’s 2-1 win for Arsenal was a game marked by mistakes, with both teams evidently showing signs of wear and tear after a long season. Each had a fairly decent penalty shout, but the episodes went against Manchester City, who hit the woodwork twice and had a goal disallowed when the linesman erroneously judged a cross to have gone out of play.Yet that doesn’t mean the victory wasn’t important, or deserved, for Arsenal. The reaction and the grit shown by the players rather contradicted the popular narrative whereby they’re all aching for a change and want to drive Arsene Wenger out the door.It also laid out a rather intriguing scenario. If, as some contend, Wenger would only consider leaving on a high, would an FA Cup win and maybe a strong finale in the Premier League — perhaps not a top-four finish, as that ship seems to have sailed, but some big wins against the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United — constitute enough of a high?As for City, Guardiola said what you expected him to say: City created more and better chances than the opposition; they could easily have won; he’s happy with the performance. And as often happens with Pep, you tend to believe him. You also tend to believe he couldn’t care less that this will be his first season in eight top-flight campaigns that he’ll finish without a trophy.

Bayern struggle after UCL exit

Talk about a Champions League hangover. Bayern took the pitch three days after the controversial extra-time defeat to Real Madrid and turned in one of their worst performances of the season against lowly Mainz. Indeed, you wonder if instead of making just four changes, Carlo Ancelotti would have been better off with a whole new XI.It felt as if Bayern’s heads were still at the Bernabeu. Twice they went behind on silly defensive mistakes by Arturo Vidal and Joshua Kimmich, and twice they scrambled to pull even for the 2-2 draw. They were poor at the back (and David Alaba’s injury won’t help) and while going forward, they looked slow and predictable, displaying the worst kind of sterile possession.Bayern need to snap out of it quickly. Borussia Dortmund beckons next in the German Cup semifinal this week, and the Bundesliga is not yet wrapped up.

Was Chelsea’s win genius or good luck ?

Was leaving Eden Hazard and Diego Costa on the bench for 60 minutes a tactical masterstroke by Antonio Conte? Or maybe just the realization that, while the FA Cup is nice and all, playing it safe and giving yourself the best possible chance to win the Premier League at your first attempt is a whole heck of a lot nicer?We may never know, and if you ask Conte himself, he’ll say something along the lines of choosing the best team to win this game and other platitudes. He’s getting a ton of praise for the impact that Hazard and Costa had off the bench in Chelsea’s 4-2 semifinal win over Tottenham. In many ways, it’s justified. Chelsea bounced back after the disheartening defeat to Manchester United with a victory against the team whom Conte himself had described as playing the best football in England.Yet you can also break down the game to its component parts and reach a different conclusion. Chelsea scored one goal on a free kick, another on a penalty gifted to them by a stupid tackle, a third with a clinical strike that snaked through penalty box traffic and a fourth with a long-range howitzer from a guy who hadn’t scored in nearly a year. For much of the game, it was Tottenham who had the upper hand, scoring two lovely goals with help from an inspired Christian Eriksen.But that’s football. These were two very good managers who were unafraid to take risks and make bold decisions, and the outcome ultimately favoured Conte. That doesn’t mean however that Mauricio Pochettino is a dud (as was suggested on the FC TV show last night) or that Tottenham will throw away the rest of the campaign like they did last season.Hindsight being 20/20, deploying Son Heung-Min as a wing-back, or even going with a back three, was not the right choice. But Tottenham did their part and could well have gotten more out of this.

Monaco, PSG pick up big wins in tight French Race

Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria scored as Paris Saint-Germain rolled to a 2-0 win over Montpellier on Saturday. Twenty-four hours later, Monaco did their bit as Radamel Falcao and Kylian Mbappe guided them to a huge 2-1 away win over Lyon. OL were fatigued from their Europa League exertions but still: this was one of the games where if you were a PSG fan, you most hoped for Monaco to drop points. As it stands, the two are level, but Monaco still have that game in hand.A word on Cavani, too. When Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 51 goals in all competitions last season, it felt like the performance of a lifetime. Cavani is on 44 (in 43 appearances) and has another five matches — possibly six, if they reach the French Cup final — matches to go. Just to put things into a little bit of context.

Inter are in real trouble in Italy

When you’re 2-1 up nine minutes into the second half and then find yourself 5-2 down (despite your opponent missing a penalty) with 12 minutes to go, something is seriously wrong with you. That’s exactly what happened to Inter away to Fiorentina on Saturday night, and the fact that they scored two late goals to eventually lose 5-4 does nothing to minimize the hurt.Inter have taken two points from their past five games, and it looks as if Stefano Pioli’s run is over. I’ll admit it: I am a Pioli fan, and given the paucity of credible alternatives, I thought sticking with him next sason might not be such a bad thing. Now, I’m not so sure.The question is how you get out of this mess. Inter can’t spend their way out. They’re already under a Financial Fair Play settlement regime with UEFA, which is far stricter than folks seem to realize (at least the guys who mindlessly talk about Inter spending hundreds of millions next summer). In other words, they’re in a financial straitjacket, which makes it that much harder to lure a big-name manager.Inter’s owner, Suning, thinks it has the answer, having renewed director of football Piero Ausilio’s deal through 2020. This is the same Ausilio who has had the gig since 2014 and has seen Inter finish eight, fourth and wherever they end up this year (sixth or seventh). In that time, Inter have a negative net spend of some €120 million ($135 million).The thinking seems to be “you [and a cast of thousands] got us into this mess, you get us out of it.”Good luck.

Stop speculating about Zlatan!

I pray that we haven’t seen the last of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who suffered ligament damage to his knee in the Europa League against Anderlecht on Thursday. But I also hope we won’t get more idle speculation about whether he will or won’t return. Such injuries are difficult to evaluate to begin with, and in his case, his age and body type make him all the more tough to call.Let’s just chill out a minute and let time do its thing. There are only two decisions that matter here: One will be made by Manchester United by June 30 on whether or not to pick up the option on his deal for another season. The other will be made by Ibrahimovic himself at some point in the next six months, based on what his body tells him.Trying to guess now whether he’ll come back and when is pointless. It’s even a bit disrespectful to one of the better strikers of his generation.

Leipzig fail to close the gap in Germany

Leipzig spurned the chance to turn the Bundesliga into a legitimate race when they were held to a 1-1 draw away at Schalke. Timo Werner gave them an early lead but veteran striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar stunned them with an equaliser at the start of the second half, and from there they simply ran out of steam.In some ways, it rather mirrors their season. In their first 15 games, they gained a whopping 36 points. In their past 15, they managed just 26. Blame a combination of opponents figuring them out since promotion and, perhaps, a certain physical drop. That won’t get any easier next season.The gap remains at at eight points. One more slip-up and Bayern could have this in the bag by the time these teams meet on May 13. Gabriele Marcotti is a Senior Writer for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @Marcotti.

Power Rankings: Juventus retake top spot after Real Madrid’s mixed week

We have a new leader! Meanwhile, re-entering the countdown are a pair of Europe’s biggest clubs, while a German giant drops out.

Juventus(+1)

With a Champions League semifinal against Monaco on the horizon, Juventus continued to tick over in Serie A. A 4-0 win over Genoa means that Max Allegri’s side have an eight-point lead with five games to go; that sixth straight title is just a matter of time away.

Real Madrid(-1)

After battling back with 10 men to equalise vs. Barcelona, Madrid then conceded a last-minute goal that reignited the battle for La Liga. They recovered to win 6-2 at Deportivo in midweek but, with Barca lurking, know that they cannot afford any more slips.

Chelsea(+3)

Their defeat at Manchester United lead to some doubts but, in the past week, Chelsea reasserted their authority in fine style. First came an FA Cup semifinal win over Tottenham and that was followed by a nerve-settling league victory vs. Southampton.

Barcelona(new)

Look who are back! Just days after being dumped out of the Champions League, Barcelona dramatically won arguably the best Clasico in recent years. They then put seven past Osasuna and now lead La Liga, albeit having played one more game.

Monaco(no change)

Radamel Falcao and Kylian Mbappe scored at Lyon as Monaco retained their goal-difference advantage — they also have a game in hand — at the top of Ligue 1. A cup semifinal defeat at the hands of PSG came with a reserve side and showed Monaco’s priorities.

AS Roma(+3)

A comfortable 4-1 win at Pescara was the perfect preparation for Saturday’s Rome derby. Luciano Spalletti’s side are second in Serie, with a four-point advantage over next-best Napoli. Awaiting after Lazio, though, is a trip to Milan and Juventus at home.

Atletico Madrid(-3)

Antoine Griezmann’s 100th goal in La Liga was the highlight of a mixed week for Atletico. The French forward’s strike earned victory over Espanyol, but Wednesday brought a disappointing home defeat to Villarreal for Diego Simeone’s third-placed side.

Paris Saint-Germain(new)

The defending French champions are back in the Top 10 following a week in which they maintained the pressure on Monaco in the league, beating Montpellier 2-0, and thrashed their nearest rivals in the cup, earning a 5-0 semifinal victory.

Borussia Dortmund(+1)

Last week showed yet again that BVB rarely do things easily! First, Raphael Guerreiro scored an 87th-minute winner to beat Monchengladbach in league play, then Dortmund came back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 at Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal semifinal.

RB Leipzig(-2)

A draw at Schalke, secured by Timo Werner’s 17th goal of the season, moved Leipzig one point closer to finishing as runners-up in their first Bundesliga campaign. With four games remaining, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side lead third-placed Dortmund by six points.

Dropping out: Bayern Munich, Tottenham.

Lionel Messi steps up and delivers a priceless Clasico win for Barcelona

Battered and bruised but still brilliant, Lionel Messi dragged Barcelona from the depths of their resounding Champions League elimination to Juventus to give his team’s ailing title bid the kiss of life. The Argentina international had not scored against Real Madrid since his hat-trick in the 4-3 win at the Bernabeu three years ago but the all-time top scorer in this magnificent fixture rarely stays quiet.

Despite the brutal tactics of Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Casemiro and even Mateo Kovacic, Real Madrid could not keep Messi down and no-one could have chosen a better scenario or moment for him to strike his 500th goal for Barca. It might just be the goal that reignites the Catalans’ title bid — and their season.

Positives

Barca showed real mettle at the Bernabeu, withstanding numerous setbacks during the game and some interesting decisions from referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez, who lacked the courage to send off Casemiro before the break. Barca have often been accused of lacking steel but on Sunday night, they stood up and were counted.

Negatives

By the end of the game, Barca looked to have run out of steam and at some stages one might have suspected it was Luis Enrique’s side and not Zinedine Zidane’s that had 10 men on the pitch. Perhaps they were just saving their energy for the final moments, however, as so many poured forward to help set up Messi’s last-gasp winner.

Manager rating out of 10

5 — Made the right call with his team selection, deciding against playing Arda Turan despite recovering from injury on the day, something Zidane got hopelessly wrong in starting Bale. Didn’t change much during the game although his weak bench left him with little options. Perhaps should have gone for Real’s jugular more after Ramos was dismissed, even though Messi’s brilliance ensured everything turned out just fine.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 8 — After misjudging the flight of the ball for Casemiro’s opening goal, the German produced one of his best displays for Barca, executing several stunning saves to thwart Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos and Marco Asensio. Was always alert to what was going on in front of his area too, making numerous well-timed challenges to clear the danger.

DF Sergi Roberto, 6 — Looked uncomfortable dealing with Kroos’ passes down Barca’s right hand side and his passing was imprecise until his courageous, gut-busting run through the middle that sparked Messi’s winner.

DF Samuel Umtiti, 6 — Rode his luck with an early tackle in the area on Ronaldo but regained his composure.

DF Gerard Pique, 6 — Suffered a lot in the first half, particularly against Ronaldo, although grew in stature after the break.

DF Jordi Alba, 5 — Was quiet going forward for most of the game but proved he is always worth having on the pitch for his cut-back pass to Messi before the game-winning goal.

MF Ivan Rakitic, 6 — Had done little in the game before his thumping strike, which looked to have made amends for his performance. That said, he will be blamed for his lethargic attempt to get tight on Marcelo for the equaliser.

MF Sergio Busquets, 6 — A steady performer in defence and starting attacks but fell asleep in the area to allow James to grab the equaliser right in front of him, which almost cost Barca the win.

MF Andres Iniesta, 8 — Was given far more freedom by Real’s midfield than Juventus had allowed him and he was able to direct Barca’s play with his faultless passing as a result. A great display, especially considering how the Juventus games could have jolted his confidence.

FW Lionel Messi, 9 — Answered any doubts from the Juve games in emphatic fashion despite being mercilessly targeted by Madrid for the entirety of the game. He was unmoved by Marcelo’s brutal elbow, which had him chewing on a tissue for much of the first half, and responded with the most stunning equaliser, ending a three-year drought in the Clasico. And just when Barca’s title bid looked doomed once and for all, he reignited the flame with his 500th goal for the club. Trust him to choose the biggest moment on the biggest stage to do so.

FW Luis Suarez, 4 — Had another desperately disappointing display, failing to impose himself on the game or link up with his strike partners, and wasted two great chances to score.

FW Paco Alcacer, 5 — Combined reasonably well with Messi but often got shrugged off the ball and spurned a huge chance when he only had Keylor Navas to beat.

Substitutes

MF Andre Gomes, NR — Never looked too confident when on the ball and neither did his teammates when he had it, although he did play his part in the winner.

WHAT IF … THE REF HAD CALLED A HANDBALL AGAINST GERMANY AT THE 2002 WORLD CUP?

by Grant Wahl

The stage has never been bigger for U.S. men’s soccer than it was on June 21, 2002, in Ulsan, South Korea. The Americans had made an inspiring World Cup run, beating Portugal and Mexico and advancing to the quarterfinals for the first (and still only) time in the modern era, and early in the second half they were largely outplaying mighty Germany, though they trailed 1–0. In the 50th minute, U.S. midfielder Claudio Reyna unspooled a near-post corner kick that was flicked into the path of defender Gregg Berhalter.

“As the corner was coming in I said, I’m going to gamble and move away from my opponent toward the center back-post area,” says Berhalter, now coach of the Columbus Crew. “The ball fell right to where I was gambling on, and I had a chance to lunge at it with my left foot. [I made] good contact and it was going into the goal; it beat the goalkeeper [Oliver Kahn], but [German midfielder] Torsten Frings put his hand out and blocked it right on the line.”

Nobody disputes that the ball hit Frings’s left arm, preventing it from entering the goal—but should there have been a penalty called and a red card given? The game’s Scottish referee, Hugh Dallas, ruled there was no infraction. “A foul can only be given if it is deliberate hand-to-ball and not ball-to-hand,” he told the Sunday Mail, adding that he’d had “a totally clear view” of the play, even though video replays show there were five players between him and the incident. (UEFA, which employs Dallas, declined to make him available for this story.)

Howard Webb, the Englishman who refereed the 2010 World Cup and Champions League finals, sees the play differently. When Webb became an international referee in ’05, Dallas (who had retired by then) was his mentor for a year. “This is a famous incident, but I don’t think I ever discussed it with him,” says Webb, who reviewed video replays for this story. “The correct outcome should have been a penalty kick awarded for the use of the hand, and a red card for the denial of a goal—not the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, but the denial of a goal, because clearly the ball would have gone in had Frings not blocked it.”

The laws and interpretations governing such incidents have not changed since 2002, Webb notes. “There’s not a great deal of movement by Frings,” he says. “It’s not like Luis Suárez in ’10 against Ghana, when he threw his arms in the air goalkeeper-style” to block a clear goal, earning a penalty and a red card. “A handball has to be deliberate, but when a team gains such a huge advantage through a handball and there is that element of a slight movement toward the ball—or even not a retraction of the arm away from the flight of the ball—then the referee, generally speaking, will penalize the offender.”

So, what if the penalty and red card had been given? Going back to 1966, players have converted 81% of all World Cup penalty kicks. Kahn was in standout form in 2002, but it’s still likely the U.S. would have tied the score from the spot—Bruce Arena, the team’s coach then and now, says Reyna would have taken the penalty—and continued outplaying Germany with a man advantage for up to 70 minutes, including potential extra time. (Playing 11-on-11, the U.S. ended up outshooting Germany 11–6.)

The Americans’ chances of winning, had those calls been made, were “better than 50-50,” says Arena. “And I think if we were one of the big countries, we would have gotten that call.” Landon Donovan, who was a 20-year-old striker in that tournament, says, “Playing against most teams, you would say 75%, maybe 80% [for the U.S. to win]. But playing against top teams like Germany or Brazil, I would probably have put it at 50-50. They would have been smart enough to defend well, and they would have tried to steal a goal the other way on a set piece—and if not, then it goes to penalties, where they’re really good.”

“I think if we were one of the big countries, we would have gotten that call,” Arena says.

And what if the U.S. had advanced past Germany? Awaiting in the semifinal would have been co-host South Korea, whom the U.S. had already tied 1–1 earlier in the tournament and who they’d beaten 2–1 in the 2002 Gold Cup. That said, Arena would have had only 14 eligible field players due to yellow-card suspensions (Berhalter, Pablo Mastroeni, Eddie Pope) and injuries (Jeff Agoos, Steve Cherundolo, Joe-Max Moore). “Would we have beaten South Korea?” asks Donovan. “I don’t know—but it wouldn’t have surprised anyone.” And in a final against Brazil? “Highly unlikely that we win. But we’ve beaten Brazil before, and there’s no reason that, on that day, we couldn’t get a little lucky.”It’s often wondered in American soccer circles whether this country will ever win a men’s World Cup. But the fact is, the U.S. wasn’t that far away in 2002.Webb recently moved to New York City to oversee the new Video Assistant Referee program for the Professional Referees Organization, which handles MLS officiating. Refs are set to have video review for the first time in MLS this summer and at next year’s World Cup in Russia. The Frings incident “would have been a situation where, absolutely, 100% a recommendation would have been made by the video assistant referee for an on-field review,” says Webb. “And I’m pretty sure that would have led to the awarding of a penalty kick and a red card.”He smiles. “And then who knows what would have happened?”

WHAT IF … THE U.S.’S BEST ATHLETES ALL PLAYED SOCCER?

by Grant Wahl

The U.S. would win the World Cup! Like, every year!! I’ve heard that sentiment again and again when I’ve told people I write about fútbol. So let me answer the most tired hypothetical in sports, once and for all: No, LeBron would not help the U.S. win the World Cup. It just doesn’t work like that. The guy is 6′ 8″ and weighs 250 pounds, dimensions that work magnificently on a basketball court but get you nowhere on a soccer field. What if our so-called “best” athletes played soccer? Well, they’d do what Chad Johnson did when he tried out for MLS’s Sporting Kansas City a few years ago: All talk, zero game.

Please, just stop with the daydreaming. The less you know about a sport, the easier it is to assume some simple-minded change would transform the whole thing. (One of my favorites: The hockey outsider who believes an 800-pound goalie would rule the pipes.) Yes, athleticism is important in soccer. But, beyond that, it’s a game in which skill and coaching matter in a huge way. Usain Bolt can make a PR spectacle by practicing with Dortmund, but Dortmund isn’t about to sign Bolt to a real contract—not in a million years.

Is it possible that smaller, shorter athletes like Stephen Curry or Allen Iverson possess the attributes to become pro soccer players, had they only played from the age of five? Perhaps. But it’s just as likely that they wouldn’t have made it. And the paucity of high-level youth soccer coaches in the U.S. means that Curry and Iverson might not have learned much about soccer even if it had been their passion. Why is nobody asking, What if our best coaches had coached soccer?

It’s a moot point in the end. In the U.S., soccer will always have to compete against the other big sports for players. As soccer continues gaining popularity in this country, it’s reasonable to think the talent pool will grow in lockstep, so that it’s less of a middle/upper-class sport. But don’t assume those changes will deliver the World Cup trophy stateside. It’s the most coveted hardware on the planet for a reason.

U.S.’s Bruce Arena to visit Hamburg over Bobby Wood’s future – report

coach Bruce Arena is set to visit Hamburg next week to discuss Bobby Wood’s future at the club, according to kicker, amid reports linking the U.S. forward with a switch away from the Volksparkstadion.Having only joined Hamburg last summer, the 24-year-old Wood has been the subject of increasing rumours in recent weeks after he switched agents and a €12 million release clause was made public.Hamburg have previously said they are in contract negotiations with Wood, and speaking to kicker, the club’s sporting director Jens Todt confirmed the talks and said: “Bobby is a key player for us when he’s in top form, we need him.”The German football magazine added that Todt next week will welcome U.S. coach Arena at the club to also talk about the forward’s future.Speaking at a news conference ahead of Hamburg’s crucial match at Augsburg on Saturday, coach Markus Gisdol explained to a group of school kids in attendence: “He does not want to leave, the others want to buy him.”Gisdol added: “It’s about a lot of money. We have a good chance that he will continue to play for us. But I also understand that the lads think about their future when they are courted by other clubs.”German newspaper Bild previously linked Wood to Premier League clubs Leicester and West Ham, then last week reported that Borussia Dortmund were interested in the Hawaii native.Wood has scored five Bundesliga goals in 24 appearances this season, adding four more in as many games in the DFB Pokal, though he came into criticism after his performance last week in a loss to Darmstadt.

RECAP | INDY ELEVEN SETS NASL MODERN ERA RECORD IN STALEMATE WITH SAN FRANCISCO

“Boys in Blue” Earn Fourth Straight Point in 0-0 Draw at Carroll Stadium

Apr 22, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, April 22, 2017) – Indy Eleven extended its home unbeaten streak to an NASL Modern Era record 20 games in a 0-0 draw with the San Francisco Deltas on Saturday afternoon at Carroll Stadium.A tight contest that tested both sides from the get-go, Indy was the first to fire a shot away in the sixth minute as Gerardo Torrado ripped an effort from just outside the box only to see it blocked from near point blank range. Though the opening 15 minutes saw both teams settle into their game, San Francisco was the first to test the opposing ‘keeper in the 24^th minute. Defender Karl Ouimette collected a pass from out wide and lifted it in towards forward Tommy Heinemann, and though the attacker was able to connect on the dipping cross, he did not have enough on the chance to beat Indy ‘keeper Jon Busch. The closest Indy would get in the opening 45 minutes came 10 minutes before the halftime break when forwards Justin Braun and Eamon Zayed linked up and played a tight one-two only for Deltas defender Nana Attakora to break up the play and end the threat.As the second half wore on, Indy nearly found their way through just before the hour mark through Week 3 goalscorer Eamon Zayed. Taking a cross from Torrado, Zayed did well to get in position and power a header at SFD ‘keeper Romuald Peiser, but the ‘netminder was able to make the save at his near post and prevent the opener. The best chance of the match for the visitors came in the 75^th minute via midfielder Kyle Bekker. Settling the ball from the right flank, Bekker turned a speculative effort into a fantastic chance as he unleashed a curling shot towards the back post. However, “Buschy” was equal to the effort and put himself in perfect position to tip it over the bar at the last second.Two minutes later, Zayed was again in the thick of the action and used his head to test Peiser off a Vukovic cross. With similar power as his first chance, Peiser again beat the effort over the bar and out for a corner. Both teams had a chance in the final few minutes, but Indy came closest in the final minute of stoppage time. Forward Justin Braun collected a pass from Vukovic and hit a near-perfect knock towards goal, but the ball hit the outside of the post and turned the wrong direction. In the end, it proved a valuable point as Indy earned their fourth point on the year to remain unbeaten on the year and extend their 20-game home unbeaten run, an NASL Modern Era record.Indiana’s Team returns home to IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium to host FC Edmonton on Saturday, May 6 at 7:30 P.M. ET. Tickets for the game – and all remaining 14 NASL matches at “The Mike” in 2017 – can be purchased for as little as $11 online at www.IndyEleven.com or by phone at 317-685-1100.

NASL Spring Season
Indy Eleven 0 : 0 San Francisco Deltas
Saturday, April 22, 2017 Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN

Discipline Summary:
IND – Lovel Palmer 42’, IND – Craig Henderson 67’, IND – Justin Braun 71’

Indy Eleven line-up (4-4-2, L–>R): Jon Busch (GK); Nemanja Vuković, Lovel Palmer (Daniel Keller 62’), Colin Falvey ©, Marco Franco; Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Tanner Thompson 60’), Gerardo Torrado, Brad Ring, Craig Henderson; Eamon Zayed, Justin Braun
IND bench: Keith Cardona (GK); Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Adrian Ables, David Goldsmith

THREE THINGS: #INDVSFD

Indy Eleven sets an NASL Modern Era record and more in this week’s Three Things Apr 24, 2017

“BUSCHY” SAVES THE DAY

Indy Eleven goaltender Jon Busch put in the paces between the posts on Saturday keeping the “Boys in Blue” in contention for points with his massive performance. The MLS veteran saved the day by shutting down the San Francisco Deltas offensive efforts on five separate occasions throughout the 90 minutes. The opposition’s first attempt came in the 24^th minute after Deltas forward Thomas Heinemann attempted to head in a cross from teammate Karl Ouimette, but “Buschy” was on the receiving end of the attempt. The next attempt came a minute later after Deltas fed a ball forward to Heinemann’s right foot, but Busch was ready and caught the ball off the bounce. Fast forward to the 37^th minute, Deltas midfielder Pablo Dyego sent a ball toward the center of the box, right into the arms of the Eleven keeper’s arms. The fourth and possibly biggest save came in the 75^th minute when the visiting Kyle Bekker sent a ball flying from outside the box to the upper left corner, but a massive leap from Busch forced the ball over the bar to keep the score level. The final of Busch’s saves came in the 86^th minute after Deltas Michael Stephens sent an aerial ball straight into the arms of our keeper.Since joining Indy Eleven in 2016, Busch has kept his overall goals against average (GAA) to below one. Fans have the opportunity to pledge a donation for every save “Buschy” makes in the 2017 season for his SAVES for SEALS initiative.

TORRADO ON THE BALL

“Boys in Blue” Gerardo Torrado took home the high honors of being the “Wick’s Pie Chart” Player of the Game for his performance on Saturday. The Mexican Men’s National Team legend completed over three-fourths of his pass, more than any other player suited up in blue, and created two chances in the second half of the game.“El Borrego” joined “Indiana’s Team” in 2016 after transferring from an 11-years stint with Liga MX side Cruz Azul. Since his addition to the club, Torrado has played a total of 1369 minutes in 20 appearances and has accumulated one assist.

RECORD SETTING AT HOME

While a 0-0 draw at home is not always ideal, fans and players can rejoice knowing that Saturday’s result set the NASL Modern Era record for the longest unbeaten streak at a club’s home stadium with 20 regular season games and counting. The “Boys in Blue” haven’t lost at “The Mike” since October 10, 2015 after a 1-2 loss to the now defunct San Antonio Scorpions. Indy was neck-in-neck in competition with the New York Cosmos, who led the unbeaten streak by one game before bowing out at a 19 in a 0-3 loss to Miami FC at MCU Park during Week 2 of the 2017 season. Indy’s 20 game streak includes 15 wins, five draws and eight clean sheets at home. Since the start of the 2016 season, “Indiana’s Team” also scored the most goals at home, leading the way with 40 goals. Don’t miss your chance to join Indy Eleven in their “Fight for Three” during the next home game on May 6th.

ADIDAS NAMED INDY ELEVEN’S OFFICIAL UNIFORM PARTNER

“Indiana’s Team” Joins Iconic Teams from Across the World in Wearing adidas’ Iconic Three Stripes; Pre-Orders for New Version of Blue Home Jersey Now Available Apr 25, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, April 25, 2017) – Four years to the day Indy Eleven unveiled its club identity, “Indiana’s Team” is celebrating its anniversary today with a new look courtesy of adidas, the team’s new Official Uniform Partner.“Indy Eleven is excited and honored to join some of the world’s greatest clubs in representing adidas on the field,” said Indy Eleven president Jeff Belskus. “Soccer fans and players alike know and appreciate the quality that adidas delivers, and we look forward to wearing their three stripes with pride.”adidas is the world’s top selling-brand of soccer apparel and ranks second globally in sales across the overall sportswear industry. The German-based company’s stable of “superclub” partners include Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Juventus, while also boasting the national teams of current World Cup champion Germany, Spain, Argentina and Mexico.adidas is no stranger to the U.S. market either, serving as a partner of Major League Soccer since its 1996 launch, including as the official athletic sponsor and licensed poduct supplier apparel partner of the league and its member clubs since 2005.In conjunction with today’s announcement, Indy Eleven has opened up a pre-sale for authentic versions of its new blue primary (home) adidas jerseys, available both online at Shop.IndyEleven.com and in-person at the Indy Eleven Team Store in Broad Ripple (6280 N. College Ave.).Men’s and Women’s ($90) and youth ($75) sizes are available, with all jerseys to be available exclusively in authentic versions. These pre-sale orders will receive first priority for delivery once received by Indy Eleven in May.The “Boys in Blue” are expected to debut their new blue adidas home kits at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium next Saturday, May 6 (7:30 p.m. kickoff), when Indy Eleven will host a NASL Seminial Championship rematch against FC Edmonton. In that match, Indy Eleven will look to extend its modern-day NASL record 20-game home undefeated streak at “The Mike.”Indy Eleven also expects to unveil the design for and debut its secondary adidas jersey in May.The new home and away jerseys were designed in partnership by Indy Eleven and Patrick Cummings, an Indianapolis-based graphic designer. A longtime member of the Brickyard Battalion, Cummings also helped design the Indy Eleven crest, logos and color scheme that were unveiled at Monument Circle four years ago on April 25, 2013.

ATP_Gen_350x250

Check out The Ole Ballcoach online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Proud Member of the Brick Yard Battalion – http://www.brickyardbattalion.com , Sam’s Army- http://www.sams-army.com , American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite

4/21/17 Indy 11 home Sat 3 pm vs San Fran, El Classico Sun 2:45 pm, FA Cup Semis Sat/Sun, Champions League Final 4 set, TV Games

April 21, 2017 gatorbest

Champions League Semi-Finals are set with Real Madrid facing Atletico Madrid in a Madrid Derby, and Monaco facing Juventus in the other May 2/3 and May 9/10. Champions League was pretty dramatic down the stretch especially the Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich game – what a performance by Bayern – as down a man (man the reffing was bad) they still found a way to take it to extra time. Renaldo was fantastic and carried his team to the final 4 with another hattrick in a Champions League match. What tension and drama as these 2 teams (both of whom could have made the finals) battled off in the Elite 8. The young squad at Monaco continued to impress with a solid 3-1 win at home – man they play attacking football and these young guys just don’t seem fazed at all by the bright lights of the TOP competition in the world. Teenage striker Mbappe scores another goal – that’s 5 in his 7 Champions League matches, only the legendary Thierry Henry scored more with 6 in his first 7 with Arsenal. Monaco becomes the 1^st French side to reach the Finals since Lyon in 2010. Atletico continues to impress their 1-0 wins at home and on the road vs Leicester City now sets up the Madrid derby with Real Madrid. Barcelona couldn’t pull the miracle at home this time as Juve showed what Italian Defense can be like as they held Barca to just 4 shots on target and did not allow a goal in either game home or away. The impressive win now labels Juventus as favorites moving into the final 4.

Over 500 million are expected to tune in as El Classico returns this Sunday with Real Madrid hosting Barcelona at 2:45 on beIN Sport– kind of anti climatic after the Champions League action this week but El Classico is always worth watchig. Real is 3 pts up in the table – so a Barca win could set up a tight race down the stretch for La Liga. FA Cup Semi-Final action this weekend features the Top 2 teams in the EPL as Chelsea vs Tottenham Sat at 12:15 on Fox, Sunday Arsenal faces Man City at 10 am on Fox Sports 1. EPL matches feature West Ham vs Everton on Sat at 10 on NBCSN, and Liverpool vs Crystal Palace 11:30 on Sunday NCBSN. Weekday games Tues/Wed/Thurs feature Chelsea vs Southampton Tues, Arsenal vs Leicester City Wed and Man City vs Man United on Thurs at 3 pm on NBCSN. See TV Games below. This Sunday serves up a stacked tripleheader of MLS action, and you can get the day started with MLS Matchday Live. With New York City FC facing Orlando City on FS1 and FOX Deportes (1:30 pm ET | , the Seattle Sounders visiting the LA Galaxy on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (4 pm ET ) and Minnesota United hosting the Colorado Rapids in the nightcap (6 pm ET | MLS LIVE), it’s an epic lineup, and Matchday Live will get you started at 12:30 pm ET on the MLS Facebook page.

Carmel FC will have a few teams competing next weekend in the Crossroads of America Girls College Showcase at Grand Park – also there will be some good Men’s College Games at the big field this weekend along with the Boys Showcase– tickets are just $5 at the door checkout www.gp2017crossroads.eventbrite.com for more info.

Fri 4/21 7 pm IU vs Cinncinati

Sat 4/22 5 pm IUPUI vs Uni. Indianapolis

St 4/22 7 pm UK vs Notre Dame

GAMES ON TV

Sat Apr 22

9:15 am NBCSN Burnley vs Man U

12:15 pm Fox Sport1? Chelsea vs Tottenham FA CUP Semi’s

12:30 pm Fox Sport2 B Mgladbach vs Dortmund (US Pulisic)

3 pm myindy 23 Indy 11 vs San Fran Deltas

Sun Apr 23

9:15 am NBCSN Burnley vs Man U

10 am Fox Sport1 Arsenal vs Man City FA CUP Semi’s

11:30 am NBCSN Liverpool vs Crystal Palace

11:30 am Fox Sport2 Schlake vs RB Leipzig

1:30 pm Fox Sport 1 NYCFC vs Orlando City

2:45 pm beIN Sport Real Madrid vs Barcelona -El Classico –

4 pm ESPN LA vs Seattle

Tues Apr 25

2:45 pm NBCSN Chelsea vs Southampton

Wed, Apr 26

1:30 pm beIn Sport Barcelona vs Osasuna

2:45 pm ESPN2 Bayern Munich vs Dortmund – German Cup

2:45 pm NBCSN Extra Arsenal vs Leicester City

3 pm NBCSN Crystal Palace vs Tottenham

6:30 pm Univision? Mexico U17s vs USA U17s Concacaf Championships

Thurs Apr 27

3 pm NBCSN Man City vs Man United

Sat Apr 29

9:30 am Fox Sports2 Dortmund vs Koln (US Pulisic)

10 am NBCSN Stoke City vs West Ham United

10:15 am beIN sport Real Madrid vs Valencia

12:30 pm NBSSN Crystal Palace vs Burnley

12:30 pm Fox Sport2 Wolfsburg vs Bayern Munich

7 pm beIN Sport Jacksonville Armada vs Indy 11

Sun Apr 30

7 am NBCSN Man U vs Swansea

9 am Fox Sport 1 Ausburg vs Hamburger (US Bobby Wood)

9:05 am NBCSN Everton vs Chelsea

11:30 am NBCSN Tottenham vs Arsenal

3 pm Fox Sport1 Atlanta United vs DC United

Mon, May 1

3 pm NBCSN Watford vs Liverpool

Fri, May 5

3 pm NBCSN West Ham vs Tottenham

Sun, May 7

11 am NBCSN Arsenal vs Man United

Indy 11 Preview vs San Fran

INDY 11

By the #s Week 5

Greg Ballard – Build a Stadium for Indy 11 Now

Indy 11 draw with PR on Road

Captain Falvey works way back from offseason injury

8 Game Flexpack

Champions League

Real vs Atletico, Juve vs Monaco in Champ League Semi’s

Europa League Draw has Man U vs Celta Vigo + Ajax vs Lyon

Juve Favored to Win it

Monaco too Much for Dortmund

Juve were never afraid of Barca

Juve Must Win it All

Chiellini and Bonucci lead Juve to Next Round

Video Replay is Needed – Just ask Bayern – Gab Marcotti ESPNFC

Real get help in Win over Bayern – SI

The Case for Simeone as Best Manager in the World

Notes on all the Games

Man U survives in ET at home in Europa League Play

Top Teams in the World – Power Rankings

Officials Catch Dortmund Bus Bomber

US, Canada, Mexico Prepair Joint Bid for 2026 World Cup

Predicting 2026 World Cup US Hero’s – Arm Chair Analyst Doyle

American players finding it tougher in MLS

US Will Train in Mountains before Mexico Clash in June.

How US Players Fared Overseas

Tottenham hot for Pulisic

Pulisic grows up fast after Bus Attacks SI Grant Wahl

MLS

MLS Allstar Game vs Real Madrid in Chicago

10 Things to Know About Real Madrid

Things to Ponder after Week 7 –Arm Chair Analyst Doyle

MLS Week 7 Preview – Jason Davis

Schwienstieger Might Just be Fine After all for Chicago Fire

MLS Power Rankings

MLS Snowball Fight?

Orlando’s Purple Wall

Tim Howard Suspended 3 games

Orlando’s record 4^th Win in New Stadium

No MLS Teams sho interest in Chelsea’s John Terry

World

El Classico on Sunday

Madrid Will Outlast Barca

FA Cup Keys this Weekend

Man U Stops Chelsea at home 2-0

Mourino’s Tactics down Chelsea –

Could Chelsea really lose the title?

FA Cup Clash Sat – Chelsea vs Spurs could decide EPL Title Race?

Indy Eleven Gameday & Match Preview
Indy Eleven vs San Francisco Deltas – #INDvSFD
Saturday, April 22, 2017 – 3:00 P.M. EST Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Indiana

Watch/Listen Live: Local TV: MyINDY TV-23 Streaming Video: ESPN3

WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE

The “Boys in Blue” are back home again for the second time in 2017, facing off against the San Francisco Deltas for the first time on home turf. “Indiana’s Team” continues to “Fight for Three,” searching for their first win in the 2017 season as well as looking to extend the club’s unbeaten streak at home to 20 matches. During Indy’s first meeting with the Deltas at Kezar Stadium, MLS veteran Kyle Bekker netted the home side’s first NASL goal with hopes to secure three points in their inaugural match, but a second half goal from one of Indy’s new signings Tanner Thompson, brought the Eleven back from the brink to save a point.Since Week One, the Deltas have forged ahead and landed themselves in second place with five points going into Week Five. Two weeks after our initial draw with the new franchise, Deltas secured their club’s first win in a 3-1 stunner against North Carolina FC, with forward Tommy Heinemann (two goals) and midfielder Pablo Dyego (one goal) leading the club to victory. In Week Four, San Francisco was faced with another draw in the record books after traveling east for the first time to square up with the current table toppers, Jacksonville Armada FC. After a bye week, Indy Eleven enters Week Five with three out of nine possible points, finding themselves tied for sixth on the NASL table. In addition, Indy has managed to tally five goals in three games, making them the highest scoring club in the league with a 20-percent goals conversion. The group showcased their attacking prowess during the team’s first match at home after putting on a 3-3 thriller against the visiting Puerto Rico FC, with forward Justin Braun tallying two goals and an assist, and former Minnesota United FC midfielder Ben Speas getting his first goal for Indy.

WHO TO WATCH INDY ELEVEN EDITION: MF CRAIG HENDERSON

Continuing his chase for a title, former Ivy-League standout Craig Henderson looks to make his mark once more for the “Boys in Blue”. The New Zealand international made his first appearance for Indy as a sub in the final minutes against the Deltas on March 25. Since his debut, Henderson has played 120 minutes and has managed to complete nearly 75-percent of his passes. Joining the likes of Brad Ring and Gerardo Torrado in the midfield, Henderson’s versatility adds an additional offensive and defensive push in any given situation.

WHO TO WATCH SAN FRANCISCO EDITION: FW TOMMY HEINEMANN

Forward Tommy Heinemann continues to bring himself in the spotlight after his two-goal performance in Week Three places him in a four-way tie for the top individual goal scorer in the league, joining the ranks of Eleven star Justin Braun. Heinemann joins the Deltas after spending the 2016 season with former NASL side Tampa Bay Rowdies. During his stint with the Rowdies, Heinemann played a total of 1358 minutes, scoring four goals in 26 games. Heinemann was also a part of the 2015 Ottawa Fury squad that challenged the New York Cosmos for the season Championship, which ultimately ended with the Fury ending their season as runner-ups.

MATCH-UP TO MARK: MF PABLO DYEGO VS. DF MARCO FRANCO

Fluminense Youth Academy product Pablo Dyego will battle with Indy defender Marco Franco along the wing this Saturday. Dyego, a former Ottawa Fury player, has already made his mark after scoring one goal during his first start in San Francisco Deltas’ 3-1 home win against North Carolina FC. In comparison, Marco Franco has been a dominating defensive presence in Indy’s first three matches of 2017. By completing close to 74-percent of his passes, winning majority of his tackles and majority of his duels, Franco has positioned himself to be a defensive force to be reckoned with, as well as his ability to move the ball forward with speed and accuracy.Don’t miss your chance to see Indy “Fight for Three” as they look to continue to find their first win in 2017 and extend their record-breaking home undefeated streak.

Real Madrid vs. Atletico, Juventus vs. Monaco in Champions League semis

Reigning European champions Real Madrid will play neighbours Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semifinals.Eleven-time European champions Real, who eliminated Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals, could become the first club in the Champions League era to win the competition in successive seasons.The Madrid clubs have met in the Champions League final in two of the last three years, with Real coming out on top on both occasions.Atletico had also reached the final in 1974, when they lost to Bayern, but have yet to win the competition.Atletico director Clemente Villaverde said the club were not daunted by facing their rivals again, while Real director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueno said past meetings will have no bearing on the clash.The other tie sees Ligue 1 leaders Monaco take on Italian champions Juventus.Juventus, European champions in 1985 and 1996, lost the final to Barcelona in 2015 but defeated Luis Enrique’s side 3-0 on aggregate in this year’s quarterfinals.Monaco have only once reached the final, losing to Jose Mourinho’s Porto in 2004. They eliminated Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund on their way to the last four.Juventus director Pavel Nedved said the club could go all the way but warned that semifinal opponents Monaco would pose a tough challenge.Meanwhile, Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev said his side had the chance to gain revenge for their defeat to the same club in the 2015 quarterfinals.According to the Soccer Power Index (SPI), Real are 67 percent likely to beat Atletico, with Juve rated 70 percent likely to defeat Monaco. The Spanish club are marginal favourites to lift the trophy, rated at 38 percent in the SPI compared to Juve’s 36 percent chance. Real Madrid will host Atletico at the Bernabeu on May 2 before travelling to the Calderon eight days later on May 10.Juventus will go to the Stade Louis II on May 3 before Monaco travel to Turin the following week on May 9.The final will be played at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday June 3.

SEMIFINAL DRAW:

The first legs will take place on May 2 and 3, with the second legs the following week.

Real Madrid	v	Atletico Madrid
Monaco	v	Juventus

Trending: Juventus do a job on Barca, Monaco too much for Dortmund

Following their performances against Barcelona in the UCL, the FC crew explain why Juventus are now the favourites to win it all.

Thursday’s latest stories from the world of football in ESPN FC’s What’s Trending…

JUVENTUS: Massimiliano Allegri has called his side “a great Juventus” after qualifying for the Champions League semifinals 3-0 on aggregate over Barcelona, after drawing 0-0 at the Camp Nou on Wednesday when his side looked like never conceding even if the match lasted all day. – Defender Leonardo Bonucci insists that every club must fear Juventus now after they knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League.

BARCELONA: Luis Enrique was left frustrated with Barcelona’s wastefulness in front of goal as they came up short against Juventus.

– Gerard Pique remained confident that Barcelona could recover in time for Sunday’s La Liga Clasico against Real Madrid.

– Barcelona and Brazil forward Neymar has professed his “love” of countryman Gabriel Jesus’ play, and counts him along with Antoine Griezmann as the next generation of superstars.

REAL MADRID: The club have not made an approach for Monaco star Kylian Mbappe, the Ligue 1 club’s sporting director Antonio Cordon has told Cadena Ser radio.

– Gareth Bale has stepped up his bid to return from injury in time for Real Madrid’s home Clasico against Barcelona on Sunday.

BAYERN MUNICH: The club have confirmed goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will be out for the rest of the season with a broken foot.

MONACO: Leonardo Jardim insists his free-scoring team are not among the favourites for Champions League success despite seeing off Borussia Dortmund 3-1 at Stade Louis II to secure their place in Friday’s semifinals draw.

– Radamel Falcao said he had kept faith during a difficult spell in the Premier League after his 45th goal in 50 European appearances made him the most prolific goal scorer in UEFA club competition history.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Thomas Tuchel said Dortmund’s morale was affected when police stopped their team bus from leaving the hotel before Wednesday’s Champions League game against Monaco — calling it “the worst thing that can happen.”

Power Rankings: Real Madrid still No. 1, Juventus No. 2 after advancing in UCL

The final four of the Champions League are set, albeit amid contentious circumstances, but there can be no doubting the validity of Shaka Hislop’s top 10.

Real Madrid(no change)

They needed a last-minute goal to beat Sporting and overcame Bayern thanks to the benefit of some controversial refereeing, but at the end of it all, Madrid remain top of La Liga and are in the Champions League semifinals. Next up? The small matter of El Clasico!

Juventus(no change)

An easy win over Pescara was ideal preparation for a trip to the Camp Nou, where Max Allegri’s men were resolute and disciplined to complete a 3-0 aggregate win. Juventus allowed just one shot on target as they claimed their place in the Champions league’s last four.

Bayern Munich(no change)

It was a week to forget for the German champions. First, they failed to find a way through Leverkusen, despite taking 21 shots, before things got worse in midweek. Having fought back to draw level vs. Madrid, Bayern were on the wrong end of key decisions.

Atletico Madrid(+1)

After claiming a fourth straight home league win to consolidate third place in La Liga, Atletico scored an away goal at Leicester and then withstood everything the English champions threw at them to claim a third Champions league semifinal place in four seasons.

Monaco(+2)

The treble chasers marched closer to marking an unforgettable season with silverware. Radamel Falcao’s superb free kick secured a league win over Dijon, and the striker was on the score sheet again as Monaco completed a Champions League win vs. Dortmund.

Chelsea(-2)

They’re still favourites to win the Premier league, but make no mistake, Chelsea have wobbled in recent weeks. Antonio Conte’s side did not manage a shot on target in their loss at Manchester United and must rediscover their form soon if they are not to collapse entirely.

Tottenham(-1)

Can Spurs, who have won seven straight league games, keep winning to maintain the pressure they have put on Chelsea? They get an opportunity to strike a psychological blow this weekend when they face their London rivals in the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley.

RB Leipzig(new)

The plucky upstarts in Germany endured a major bump in form that ended their remote title hopes, but they have rebounded sharply in the weeks since. Last weekend’s 4-0 win over Freiburg keeps Leipzig firmly in control of second place behind Bayern, seven points ahead of third-place Hoffenheim after 29 games. Will Leipzig contend again next season?

AS Roma(-1)

The Giallorossi are no longer competing in Europe but did pick up another draw, 1-1 at Pescara, last week to remain in control of second place in Serie A with six league games remaining.

Borussia Dortmund(no change)

Thomas Tuchel’s side had a pair of 3-1 results since last week: The first was a win against Eintracht Frankfurt, and the second a defeat at red-hot AS Monaco to end the Bundesliga side’s Champions League aspirations. Still, Dortmund are playing well domestically and are just a point off the top three (and automatic UCL qualification) with five games left. You’d bet on them to finish the job. Dropping out: Barcelona

La Liga on the line as Real Madrid face Barcelona in El Clasico

The world will stop for El Clasico this Sunday, with La Liga on the line.

Real Madrid will start the match three points ahead in the title race, with anything other than a win for Barcelona surely ending any hope of winning the league.

It’s a monumental match. Ed Alvarez (Real Madrid) and Sam Marsden (Barcelona) look ahead to the battle at the Santiago Bernabeu.

If Barcelona don’t win, is that it as far as La Liga is concerned?

Ed Alvarez: Their chances will be dismal, but they will exist. Madrid still have a few difficult La Liga fixtures left: Valencia and Sevilla will visit the Santiago Bernabeu, while Zinedine Zidane’s team must travel to Malaga — who defeated Barcelona two weeks ago — and Vigo, where the in-shape Celta await. Even though all seem like tough but winnable matches, the semifinals of the Champions League in between could have an impact on the team’s performance and make them lose a few points.

Barcelona have an easier calendar — only Villarreal at the Camp Nou seems mildly threatening — and to their own chagrin will not be distracted by Champions League action. That said, with a match in hand and a three-point advantage, Madrid would have to completely collapse for their visitors to win this one, but we’ve seen stranger things happen before.

Sam Marsden: After what happened against Paris Saint-Germain you can’t imagine Barcelona throwing in the towel, but if they don’t win at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday you have to say that’s that in the title race. Lose and they are definitely out of it, six points back having played a game more. A draw will keep them hoping, but Madrid — especially their players from the back of the wardrobe, as they say in Spain — have been consistent and possess a steely resilience.

BBC vs. MSN: Who has had the better season?

EA: Both have had their moments here and there, but neither has been particularly consistent as a trio. In previous seasons, we’ve seen whole months of outstanding football by Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, but in the current one it’s been a case of one footballer carrying the other two. Suarez started off well, Messi then took over and in some matches, such as the PSG comeback, Neymar became the reference.

The Real Madrid trio has not been any different: Gareth Bale began the season in terrific shape, but injuries have derailed his campaign. Cristiano Ronaldo commenced slowly and is finishing in top form, while Karim Benzema is as consistently inconsistent as ever. If anything, both trios have shown how important it is to have a physically strong, skilled midfield to get the best out of them.

SM: There can be few doubts that Messi, Suarez and Neymar have had the better season. Messi is the top scorer in the league and the Champions League and Neymar — until that Malaga game at least — has had a dazzling campaign, looking increasingly mature and ready to take over the mantle of world’s best player. Suarez hasn’t been as good, but still has over 20 league goals.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, has been hot and cold but has produced some incredibly important performances, like the ones against Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich. But he’s been let down by injury-hit Bale and inconsistent Benzema. Strangely, though, Madrid’s ability to cope without a red hot BBC is what has helped them build their lead at the top of the table, with their back-up players doing fine jobs. Barca, meanwhile, remain dependent on the same two or three.

Pick a combined XI

EA: Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Daniel Carvajal, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Marco Asensio; Ronaldo, Messi.

This combined XI features only players available for the match, considering their current shape. That is why no Barcelona midfielders made it, as Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta — who would start in normal conditions — are far from their best form. Finally, with Ronaldo and Messi in the XI, another forward like Neymar or Suarez would make the team unbalanced defensively.

SM: Ter Stegen; Ramos, Pique, Samuel Umtiti; Carvajal, Kroos, Modric, Marcelo; Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar.

Based on this season’s form, there was no room for Iniesta or Busquets. The hardest decision, though, was leaving Suarez out. He’s scored plenty of goals, but the sensations have been that he hasn’t always been at his best — plus look at who he’s got for competition.

Danger Man

EA: Leaving the obvious choice aside — Ronaldo seems to be peaking at the right moment — Kroos will have the opportunity to shine against a tired Barcelona midfield that lacks confidence. If the Germany maestro can set the flow of the match with his passing and find ways to feed the forward line, Real Madrid’s challenge of defeating the Blaugrana to get closer to a much-anticipated La Liga title will become easier.

SM: Recent Clasico encounters have been dominated by the ongoing duel between Messi and Ronaldo, but it’s not all about them — and we’re approaching an era where it won’t be about them at all. Obviously Messi will have to be close to his best and Suarez will need to bring his shooting boots but, most importantly, Barca must find a way to make up for Neymar’s absence on the left. There’s no natural replacement for the Brazil international — and no one with anywhere near as much pace — so that will add extra significance to Jordi Alba’s role. The left-back has been in and out of the squad in recent weeks and should be fresh and ready to impress.

Prediction:

EA: 3-1. Madrid’s midfield line will control the match, taking advantage of Barcelona’s struggling form.

SM: 2-2. Barcelona have to go for the win and while Madrid will too, they will probably be happy to settle for a draw, which will keep their rivals at arm’s length.

Chiellini, Bonucci superb as Juve knock Barca out of the Champions League

Keeping a clean sheet, Juventus played with character and composure to earn a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou and progress to the semifinal of the Champions League, 3-0 on aggregate.Demonstrating offensive strength in the first leg and offensive might in the second, Juve played as a unit with intensity and organisation. Aggressive from the get-go, they showed no fear and were quick to press, eager for a battle. Spotting the weaknesses, Barcelona attacked on the left through Neymar but often found themselves halted by a unit that worked impeccably well together. Throwing on more and more attackers as time wore on, Barca searched for ways to pierce through an impenetrable defence but proved incapable.

Composed and organised, Juventus held firm and looked comfortable defending, playing with maturity to hinder Barcelona’s ability to attack with force. It was a perfect performance that earned a great result.

Positives

You can search the world over, but you won’t find a defensive partnership as effective as Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini. Boasting experience, physicality and intelligence, they played with fluency and character and effectively muted the opponent. Leaders at the back, they secured Juve’s progression.

Negatives

Another huge Champions League night goes by, and Gonzalo Higuain isn’t any closer to scoring a goal. When offered the chance for goal, the Argentine was simply too eager to strike, playing in panicked fashion as opposed to demonstrating composure and confidence to finish well. Should the opportunities for goal arise again, Higuain must forget about the occasion and the pressure, focusing instead on a calm strike.Manager rating 9 (out of 10) — The coach, the intellectual, the legend. Eradicating the fear that once hindered Juve’s capability to produce in Europe, Allegri is a genius for finally allowing the Old Lady to play to her potential and to her strengths, as opposed to relying on intensity and relentless running to mask her weaknesses.Player ratings (1-10, with 10 the best; players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):

GK Gianluigi Buffon, 7 — A leader at the back who transmits great serenity, Buffon made one misjudgement but was overall superb at the back, reading every situation well.

DF Dani Alves, 7 — Alves pressed aggressively and played like a champion. He was not always defensively perfect, but he ran everywhere and threw himself into every situation to ensure safety.

DF Leonardo Bonucci, 9 — He makes clearances to perfection, executed perfect tackles and closed every gap to produce a heroic performance at the back. He’s the perfect version of himself when alongside Chiellini.

DF Giorgio Chiellini, 9 — Master of the interception, Chiellini took Luis Suarez out of the game, read every move perfectly and defended like the warrior he is to ensure a perfect defensive performance.

DF Alex Sandro, 6 — Sandro was not the pillar of strength on this occasion in the same way he was in the reverse fixture, but he provided security at the back.

MF Sami Khedira, 7 — Impeccable. He did exceptionally well at stopping Busquets playing out from the back and provided excellent defensive cover while his tactical intelligence was in full view of the world.

MF Miralem Pjanic, 7 — Composed, intelligent and excellent at recovering possession, the Bosnian looked to create chances when on the ball and defended with might off it, tackling with excellence.

MF Juan Cuadrado, 6 — He always provided his teammates with an option in attack, using his pace to push forward and create problems, but he didn’t always make the right choice. He produced a great challenge to halt a swift Barcelona attack in the second half.

MF Paulo Dybala, 6 — Dybala always looked dangerous with the ball at his feet in the first half, wriggling his way past defenders. But he was keen to get back and help the unit to defend. He looked exhausted at the end.

MF Mario Mandzukic, 7 — He is practically an entire team by himself. He pressed the opponent, attacked with strength, defended like his life depended on it and showed great composure and desire. Perfect.

FW Gonzalo Higuain, 6 — Higuain wasted a few good chances but sacrificed for the team and was always on hand to help defensively.

Real Madrid announced as 2017 MLS All-Star Game opponent

April 15, 20172:41PM EDTMLSsoccer staffMLSsoccer.comThe most decorated club in European history will face off against the best of MLS this summer.The league announced Saturday that reigning UEFA Champions League winner Real Madrid will face the MLS All-Stars in the 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target on August 2 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The game will be broadcast live at 9 pm ET on FS1, UniMás, TSN and TVA Sports in the US and Canada, as well as in 170 other countries around the world.Real Madrid is one of the most successful clubs in the history of the sport, having won a record 32 La Liga championships and 11 UEFA Champions League titles, as well as capturing the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup on multiple occasions. Managed by legendary French midfielder Zinedine Zidane and headlined by stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid currently sit atop the La Liga table and hold a lead over Bayern Munich heading into the home leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal series.This will mark the first time that the MLS All-Stars will play a team from Spain’s La Liga. The MLS All-Stars have previously faced clubs from the English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Mexico’s Liga MX and Scottish Premier League, posting a 9-4-1 record against some of the world’s most renowned clubs.MLS lost the 2016 All-Star Game, falling 2-1 to English side Arsenal at Avaya Stadium in San Jose. MLS had won the two previous All-Star Games, beating Bayern Munich in 2014 before downing EPL club Tottenham in 2015.The MLS All-Stars will be managed by Chicago Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic, who spent over a decade playing in Spain and made 87 appearances for Real Madrid’s crosstown rivals, Atletico Madrid.“It is an honor to represent Major League Soccer and to work with our league’s great players in a match against one of the top clubs in the word,” Paunovic said in a statement released by the league. “I know how special it is to compete against Real Madrid and I think our players and fans will also enjoy the experience.”Soldier Field, with a capacity of 61,500, has played host to some of the most exciting sporting and entertainment events in the world including CONCACAF Gold Cup matches, World Cup Qualifiers, 1994 FIFA World Cup matches, and last summer’s Copa America Centenario. The home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears, Soldier Field also has a rich MLS legacy, as it was home to the Chicago Fire for seven total seasons. The Fire owned a 62-23-10 record (.705 winning percentage) in their home games at Soldier Field, a span which also includes the club’s three appearances in MLS Cup.

MLS All-Star Game Tickets

Register for an All-Star Game presale code for an opportunity to purchase tickets ahead of the public sale. Tickets start at just $35!

US, Canada and Mexico launch joint World Cup bid for 2026

April 10, 20172:34PM EDT

Steve BrisendineContributorIn an unprecedented show of continental unity, the United States, Canada and Mexico on Monday launched a joint bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.If approved, it would be the first World Cup hosted by three nations and the first jointly hosted World Cup since Korea/Japan 2002. It would also be the first finals held in North America since the US hosted the 1994 tournament. Mexico would host matches for the first time since 1986, and Canada would host men’s World Cup matches for the first time in history after hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2015.The tournament would primarily be played in the United States, US Soccer president Sunil Gulati said during the announcement event in New York, with the US hosting 60 matches – including all matches after the quarterfinal round – and 10 matches each to be played in Canada and Mexico.”This is a milestone day for U.S. Soccer and for CONCACAF,” Gulati said. “We gave careful consideration to the prospect of bidding for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and ultimately feel strongly this is the right thing for our region and for our sport. Along with our partners from the Canadian Soccer Association and the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol, we are confident that we will submit an exemplary bid worthy of bringing the FIFA World Cup back to North America. The United States, Mexico and Canada have individually demonstrated their exceptional abilities to host world-class events.”When our nations come together as one, as we will for 2026, there is no question the United States, Mexico and Canada will deliver an experience that will celebrate the game and serve players, supporters and partners alike.”And despite any international tensions arising from last November’s US presidential elections, US soccer president Sunil Gulati tweeted that the bid has the full backing of President Trump.Gulati was joined in the announcement by CONCACAF and Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani and Federación Mexicana de Fútbol president Decio de Maria.”For the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol, and the entire Mexican soccer family, it is a source of pride to be candidates, along with the United States and Canada, to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026,” said de Maria, whose country also hosted the 1970 World Cup. “We have a unique opportunity to be the first country to host three World Cups.”As such we are filled with pride and committed to make it the best ever. Mexico has been recognized for being a magnificent host of past FIFA events, such as the 1970 and 1986 World Cups, the 1999 Confederations Cup, the 2011 Under-17 World Cup, and most recently the 2016 FIFA Congress. If we are selected to host, it will be an honor to welcome everyone with open arms.”In addition to the 2015 women’s Final, Canada has a successful history of hosting FIFA youth tournaments, including the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.”Canada Soccer is honored to partner with fellow CONCACAF member associations USA and Mexico to bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” said Montagliani. “Canada is the only remaining G-8 nation to have not hosted a FIFA World Cup despite our history of success in raising the bar for youth and women’s FIFA tournaments.”We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with fellow CONCACAF member associations U.S. Soccer and Federación Mexicana de Fútbol under the FIFA Council principles for joint bids and to continue our tradition of hosting record-breaking international events.”Gulati told reporters that the memorandum of understanding between the three countries called for all of them to receive automatic qualification to the final – the first to be played under an expanded 48-team format – but that the FIFA Council will have final say on that matter.

Villa, NYCFC shoot up MLS Power Rankings, L.A. plummets, Dallas No. 1

David Villa’s wonder goal capped a win for New York City FC that pushed them up the latest MLS Power Rankings, while the LA Galaxy plummet and FC Dallas stays No. 1.

FC Dallas(no change)
FC Dallas was on its way to a win that would have lifted it to the top of the Western Conference, but a late goal changed things and the team settled for a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes. Nevertheless, the Texas club holds on to the top spot thanks in large part to the slew of losses for other contenders to the throne.
Columbus Crew SC(+5)
Crew SC followed up a loss at the Chicago Fire with an impressive 2-1 home win over defending Eastern Conference champ Toronto FC. Niko Hansen was impressive in his first start. The win is good for a big boost up the rankings to go with Columbus’ spot at the top of the standings.
Orlando City SC(+5)
The Lions leap up the rankings on the back of a yet another home win. It’s now four out of four at the new stadium after a 2-1 victory against the LA Galaxy, a record start for an MLS club in a brand-new building. It’s also worth pointing out that Orlando is winning despite the absence of Kaka, who should be back on the field in a few weeks’ time.
Portland Timbers(-2)
The Timbers’ attack ran up against the best defense in the league on Saturday and dropped two places after a 1-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City as a result. The goalless performance against Sporting was Portland’s first of the year and shouldn’t be taken as a troubling sign of things to come. Slightly more worrying is the lack of a win in the past two home games.
Sporting Kansas City(+4)
Peter Vermes’ team benefited from the aforementioned win against Portland, moving into the top five on the back of that stifling performance at Providence Park and a lovely goal scored by Dom Dwyer. Sporting is making a habit of shutting down opposing attacks and then putting together expert moves that result in goals on the other end. It’s a good look.
New York City FC(+5)
New York City FC dominated possession, chances and the run of play at the Philadelphia Union in a 2-0 win and are rewarded with a move into the top 10. How good is David Villa? Jack Harrison’s goal was the game-winner, but it was the former Spain striker’s chip from midfield that stole the show and put an exclamation point on the win.
New York Red Bulls(+3)
The NYRB broke a four-game winless run with a 2-0 victory over rival D.C. United and get a push up the rankings for the effort. There are still questions about the attack, but Bradley Wright-Phillips’s nutmeg finish on Bill Hamid — from a perfect Felipe pass — is just the kind of thing Red Bulls fans want to see.
Toronto FC(-5)
TFC has a single win on the year and tumbles down the rankings after the 2-1 loss at Columbus. Jozy Altidore is scoring goals, but the Reds are dealing with a strange ineffective period from star Sebastian Giovinco. He is taking as many shots as you’d expect, but they just aren’t going in.
Seattle Sounders(-5)
A bit of bad luck and the head of Fredy Montero did the Sounders in up at the Vancouver Whitecaps. Seattle controlled the game from the outset and pushed hard to get back into it late, but neither was enough in the 2-1 loss.
Atlanta United(-5)
The rough three-game road trip that took Atlanta to Seattle, Toronto and Montreal netted the club two points and a slip down to 10th in the rankings. Facing the Impact didn’t look like the toughest task on paper, but a questionable penalty and red card on Leandro Gonzalez Pirez put the visitors in a difficult spot in a 2-1 loss.
Chicago Fire(+2)
Bastian Schweinsteiger scored again in a comprehensive 3-0 win over the New England Revolution, the latest bit of evidence that Chicago is improving on last year’s dismal campaign. But it’s still unclear just how good the team is, and the Revs did abet the win by going down a man early in the match. Chicago hangs just outside the top 10 with a chance of moving up.

Kurt Larson: Bastian Schweinsteiger is flipping the narrative in Chicago

April 20, 201712:06PM EDT

Kurt LarsonAdd my name to the exhaustive list of columnists who dismissed Bastian Schweinsteiger long before he stepped off the plane.A quick Google search reveals the glut of reasons – most of them unfounded hunches – pundits gave. Not only was the Manchester United import “declining,” but he was also apparently tiring and close to retiring. The Chicago Fire, some said, were suckers for believing he’d contribute in the ways we’ve seen.But now he has. And all of us – including myself – once again have proven our reactionary takes and inferiority complexes are sometimes blinding.We’re too eager to latch onto whatever narrative people around the world are perpetuating, often times nonsensically.It’s how North American media somehow turned a 32-year-old, World Cup-winner into a broken down, one-way midfielder with nothing left to give.I’m told the overwhelming negative response “surprised” the Chicago Fire, which didn’t expect the MLS community to “lump in” Schweinsteiger with previous over-the-hill signings, which the league was moving away from (the headlines this week pointed out how “MLS clubs have no interest in signing John Terry“).But many did. And for few other reasons than the long-running narrative that began last year when Fire bench boss Veljko Paunovic was spotted meeting with the German.Five months and a trio of positive performances later, Schweinsteiger – after two goals and an assist in 270 minutes – is making doubters look silly.The tacticians also are having a difficult time explaining how their X’s and O’s have so far failed them after many thought Schweinsteiger was too similar to Chicago’s veterans. However, the eye test and the analytics appear to completely discredit the notion that Schweinsteiger is incapable of being a consistent playmaker.MLSsoccer.com’s Ben Baer crunched some numbers and found that since his arrival Schweinsteiger is among the league leaders in completed passes (60) in the final third of the field, trailing only Seattle’s Nicolas Lodeiro and New York Red Bull’s Sacha Kljestan. He’s also completed the fourth most passes league-wide since joining MLS.The somewhat small sample size has shown Schweinsteiger to be a productive compliment to Fire midfield bulldog Dax McCarty, whose discipline and eagerness do the dirty work has allowed Chicago’s Designated Player to roam and cheat defensively and find the space that opens up when the Fire are and aren’t in possession.The next question is whether it will work this Friday in Toronto (7:30 pm ET on TSN4 in Canada; MLS LIVE in USA), where the Fire won’t enjoy the same amount of possession they have through the previous three weeks.In those three weeks, though, Schweinsteiger already has outpaced the extremely low expectations most set for him. It’s what led me to playfully mock the masses last month in the hours after Chicago announced his signing. Barring a string of never-ending injuries, it very likely won’t be.By all accounts, Schweinsteiger has completely bought in – the less-talked-about aspect of these multi-million dollar signings:

I’m told it also has culminated in “demand” (inbound calls, web traffic and other growth analytics) expanding by three-times year-over-year. There’s also been a significant bump in coverage from local outlets in the Windy City.Yet the number of “Hey, this guy might just pan out” columns hasn’t been proportional to the number of rash stories that were frantically written four weeks ago.Perhaps we’re all just waiting for something to go horribly wrong with a signing that seemed doomed from the start.Or, perhaps, some of us are just afraid we might have been wrong.Kurt Larson covers Toronto FC for the Toronto Sun and the Canadian national teams for Postmedia in Canada.

Greg Ballard: Build a soccer stadium for Indy Eleven

Greg BallardPublished 4:06 p.m. ET April 12, 2017 | Updated 4:55 p.m. ET April 12, 2017

Those of us fortunate enough to have been born and raised in Indianapolis can remember a time when the term “destination city” certainly didn’t make people think about our state capital.Dreary? Boring? Desolate? None of these words are too harsh; in fact, other than the 31 days in May, they are so accurate as to be painful. Growing up here in the 1960s and ‘70s, there is no way I could have predicted the brilliant success and terrific reputation Indianapolis has around the globe for hosting sporting events, a vibrant Downtown, and, yes, our Hoosier hospitality.In hundreds of countries around the globe, moreover, the national game, the national passion is soccer. Played by billions of people and watched by billions of people, fútbol is clearly the most popular sport in the world. In the United States and in Indiana, the popularity of soccer has grown exponentially during the past few decades. In 2013, our professional soccer team, Indy Eleven, joined the North American Soccer League. Quickly, and despite playing their games in a converted track venue, the team attracted a devoted and dedicated following, led the league in attendance, and proved they are a considerable driver to our city’s economy.

What we know:Briggs: It’s crunch time for Indy Eleven’s MLS expansion bid

The potential is there, however, for so much more. We have a chance this year to build on the vision articulated over the past several decades by the founders of modern Indianapolis: let’s come together and build a stadium that can host soccer games and other events involving thousands of fans and for soccer players at all ages.While we watch sports at all levels, we tend to gravitate to watching our favorite sports and teams that showcase skills at the highest level. For soccer in the United States, this is Major League Soccer. It has teams in the largest cities in the United States and Canada. To say MLS is thriving would be a significant understatement; last year’s average attendance for its 22 teams was nearly 22,000 (21,690), surpassing crowds attending NBA and NHL games.MLS has announced plans to expand its league by four teams; Indy Eleven is one of the teams applying to the league for an expansion franchise. While the impact of an MLS team on Indianapolis would be tremendous for the local economy, its statement to the rest of world would be just as powerful.A bigger stage for our soccer team means more visibility around the world for economic development. People in other countries and on other continents (read: leaders who make decisions about where to invest and create jobs) pay attention to Major League Soccer and understand the vibrancy it brings to a city. As mayor, a foreign dignitary or corporate executive frequently asked me about our local sports teams.Indy Eleven’s connection to its fan base is truly remarkable. If I were to have any doubt that Major League Soccer could succeed here, I would only have to go to a game. The team is a success on the field. Its activities mean more tax dollars for our city. It has recruited a substantial number of local investors. Indy Eleven’s presence in the community is constructive and constant.Indianapolis transformed itself because it wasn’t afraid to take the necessary steps to break into the major league of cities throughout the world. Sports and tourism were, and remain, a critical foundation of our growth for the past fifty years. Through Indy Eleven, we have been given a unique chance to expand our economic and entertainment portfolio in a way that will be noticed around the globe.Please join me in supporting Indy Eleven’s move to Major League Soccer.Ballard is a former mayor of Indianapolis.

Earn your Degree While You Watch Your Kids Soccer Practice – ½ the time and cost of Traditional Schools

Check out The Ole Ballcoach online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Proud Member of the Brick Yard Battalion – http://www.brickyardbattalion.com , Sam’s Army- http://www.sams-army.com , American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite

4/17/17 Champions League Elite 8 Tues/Wed, Indy 11 home Sat 3 pm vs San Fran, Full TV Schedule

April 17, 2017 gatorbest

Champions League heats back up with Elite 8 Final leg action on Tues/Wed on Fox Sports. Can Leicester City scrap back a goal at home with Atletico on FS 2 Tues at 2:45 pm? Will the holders Real Madrid hold on at home with a 3-2 aggregate lead heading home on Tuesday vs a fully recovered Bayern returning their star striker? Can Barca work another miracle at home down 3-0 to Juve on Wednesday? Can Dortmund regain their composure from last week’s bombing and take a point down 3-2 traveling to the hot young French side Monaco? Tune in to find out Tues/Wed.

GAMES ON TV

Tues –Apr 18 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Leicester City vs Atletico (0-1)

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich (3-2)

Weds Apr 19 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Barcelona vs Juventus (0-3)

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Monaco vs Dortmund (3-2)

Thur, Apr 20 – Europa League

3 pm Fox Sport1 Man United vs Anderlect (1-1)

3 pm FS2 Schalke 04 vs Ajax

Sat Apr 22

9:15 am NBCSN Burnley vs Man U

12:15 pm Fox Sport1? Chelsea vs Tottenham FA CUP Semi’s

12:30 pm Fox Sport2 B Mgladbach vs Dortmund (US Johnson vs US Pulisic)

3 pm myindy TV Indy 11 vs San Fran Deltas

Sun Apr 23

9:15 am NBCSN Burnley vs Man U

10 am Fox Sport1 Arsenal vs Man City FA CUP Semi’s

11:30 am NBCSN Liverpool vs Crystal Palace

11:30 am Fox Sport2 Schlake vs RB Leipzig

1:30 pm Fox Sport 1 NYCFC vs Orlando City

2:45 pm beIN Sport Real Madrid vs Barcelona -El Classico –

4 pm ESPN LA vs Seattle

Real’s Bale to miss Bayern Match

Champions League

Barca Loss not due to Tactics

Barca’s Neymar we can Come back Again!

Leicester sets for unthinkable vs Athleti at home

Down just 1-0 Leicester must be Streetwise vs Athleti

INDY 11

Indy 11 draw with PR on Road

Captain Falvey works way back from offseason injury

8 Game Flexpack

US, Canada, Mexico Prepair Joint Bid for 2026 World Cup

Predicting 2026 World Cup US Hero’s – Arm Chair Analyst Doyle

American players finding it tougher in MLS

US Will Train in Mountains before Mexico Clash in June.

How US Players Fared Overseas

MLS

MLS Allstar Game vs Real Madrid in Chicago

10 Things to Know About Real Madrid

Things to Ponder after Week 7 –Arm Chair Analyst Doyle

MLS Power Rankings

MLS Snowball Fight?

Orlando’s Purple Wall

Tim Howard Suspended 3 games

Orlando’s record 4^th Win in New Stadium

No MLS Teams sho interest in Chelsea’s John Terry

World

Man U Stops Chelsea at home 2-0

Mourino’s Tactics down Chelsea –

Could Chelsea really lose the title?

Madrid Will Outlast Barca

FA Cup Clash Sat – Chelsea vs Spurs could decide EPL Title Race?

Leicester relish underdog billing, eye unthinkable UCL upset as goals flow

Leicester City are on the verge of the unthinkable: a place in the semifinals of the Champions League. They host Atletico Madrid trailing 1-0 from the first leg with the knowledge that they are very much in the tie, especially given that they have won every game at home since Craig Shakespeare replaced Claudio Ranieri.City will be delighted with a slender loss from the Vincente Calderon, even if they couldn’t steal an away goal like they did against Sevilla in the previous round. They proved they weren’t over-awed and that bodes well ahead of a crucial return leg.Atleti are still very much the favourites, especially when you consider they haven’t lost away since a 3-0 defeat at Villarreal in early December. Leicester, though, are suddenly scoring goals for fun and will thus expect — at the very worst — to get on the scoresheet.Leicester’s biggest concern could be fatigue. Shakespeare boldly chose to field his stars in the 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday. The point might prove a vital one, since a tally of 37 could be enough to stay up, but if Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez look tired and the Foxes go out the manager could well come under a bit of criticism.City also have issues at the back. Robert Huth picked up a yellow card in Madrid and is suspended, while captain Wes Morgan could still be sidelined or forced to play at less than 100 percent.Yohan Benalouane also limped off at Palace, leaving Leicester very short of centre-backs and putting significant pressure on Wilfred Ndidi to protect them in what may be closer to a 4-1-4-1 formation than a 4-4-2.Marcin Wasilewski or Daniel Amartey may have to come into the side and both would be targeted by Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres. Leicester have looked extremely susceptible at the back when their regular defence is disrupted. This was arguably most apparent in a 5-0 drubbing at Porto in the group stage of the Champions League, though that was a game where City had nothing to play for.Atleti won’t care about scoring five. It won’t even be on their minds. As one of Spain’s top defensive outfits they will simply look for an early away goal, forcing the Foxes to score three to progress.The other thing perhaps working somewhat against Leicester is the second leg against Sevilla. Diego Simeone would be wise to play parts of it to his squad ahead of kickoff to ensure they avoid complacency and get an idea of the cauldron-like atmosphere at the King Power Stadium. A visit to the east Midlands shouldn’t be a surprise or culture shock to any of Atleti’s stars, even those who remember watching on television the more modest surroundings of Filbert Street around 20 years ago.Irrespective of their current purple patch, Leicester are huge underdogs with very little to lose and they will relish that billing. Mahrez and Marc Albrighton are in excellent form and Vardy suddenly looks sharp, hungry and most importantly clinical. If he can fire in the opening goal the Foxes will smell an upset.It might not be the biggest game in Leicester’s history, although some will certainly call it that — and that argument can be made. But the run-in to win the Premier League title surely had more significance and, unless Leicester win the Champions League, will live longer in the memory. However, this is easily the most prestigious individual fixture Leicester have ever played and there is a real sense around the city that the fairytale won’t end on Tuesday.Ben Jacobs is ESPN FC’s Leicester City blogger. Follow him on Twitter @JacobsBen.

Real Madrid announced as 2017 MLS All-Star Game opponent

MLS All-Star Game Tickets

Register for an All-Star Game presale code for an opportunity to purchase tickets ahead of the public sale. Tickets start at just $35!

US, Canada and Mexico launch joint World Cup bid for 2026

April 10, 20172:34PM EDT

Villa, NYCFC shoot up MLS Power Rankings, L.A. plummets, Dallas No. 1

David Villa’s wonder goal capped a win for New York City FC that pushed them up the latest MLS Power Rankings, while the LA Galaxy plummet and FC Dallas stays No. 1.

FC Dallas(no change)
FC Dallas was on its way to a win that would have lifted it to the top of the Western Conference, but a late goal changed things and the team settled for a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes. Nevertheless, the Texas club holds on to the top spot thanks in large part to the slew of losses for other contenders to the throne.
Columbus Crew SC(+5)
Crew SC followed up a loss at the Chicago Fire with an impressive 2-1 home win over defending Eastern Conference champ Toronto FC. Niko Hansen was impressive in his first start. The win is good for a big boost up the rankings to go with Columbus’ spot at the top of the standings.
Orlando City SC(+5)
The Lions leap up the rankings on the back of a yet another home win. It’s now four out of four at the new stadium after a 2-1 victory against the LA Galaxy, a record start for an MLS club in a brand-new building. It’s also worth pointing out that Orlando is winning despite the absence of Kaka, who should be back on the field in a few weeks’ time.
Portland Timbers(-2)
The Timbers’ attack ran up against the best defense in the league on Saturday and dropped two places after a 1-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City as a result. The goalless performance against Sporting was Portland’s first of the year and shouldn’t be taken as a troubling sign of things to come. Slightly more worrying is the lack of a win in the past two home games.
Sporting Kansas City(+4)
Peter Vermes’ team benefited from the aforementioned win against Portland, moving into the top five on the back of that stifling performance at Providence Park and a lovely goal scored by Dom Dwyer. Sporting is making a habit of shutting down opposing attacks and then putting together expert moves that result in goals on the other end. It’s a good look.
New York City FC(+5)
New York City FC dominated possession, chances and the run of play at the Philadelphia Union in a 2-0 win and are rewarded with a move into the top 10. How good is David Villa? Jack Harrison’s goal was the game-winner, but it was the former Spain striker’s chip from midfield that stole the show and put an exclamation point on the win.
New York Red Bulls(+3)
The NYRB broke a four-game winless run with a 2-0 victory over rival D.C. United and get a push up the rankings for the effort. There are still questions about the attack, but Bradley Wright-Phillips’s nutmeg finish on Bill Hamid — from a perfect Felipe pass — is just the kind of thing Red Bulls fans want to see.
Toronto FC(-5)
TFC has a single win on the year and tumbles down the rankings after the 2-1 loss at Columbus. Jozy Altidore is scoring goals, but the Reds are dealing with a strange ineffective period from star Sebastian Giovinco. He is taking as many shots as you’d expect, but they just aren’t going in.
Seattle Sounders(-5)
A bit of bad luck and the head of Fredy Montero did the Sounders in up at the Vancouver Whitecaps. Seattle controlled the game from the outset and pushed hard to get back into it late, but neither was enough in the 2-1 loss.
Atlanta United(-5)
The rough three-game road trip that took Atlanta to Seattle, Toronto and Montreal netted the club two points and a slip down to 10th in the rankings. Facing the Impact didn’t look like the toughest task on paper, but a questionable penalty and red card on Leandro Gonzalez Pirez put the visitors in a difficult spot in a 2-1 loss.
Chicago Fire(+2)
Bastian Schweinsteiger scored again in a comprehensive 3-0 win over the New England Revolution, the latest bit of evidence that Chicago is improving on last year’s dismal campaign. But it’s still unclear just how good the team is, and the Revs did abet the win by going down a man early in the match. Chicago hangs just outside the top 10 with a chance of moving up.

Earn your Degree While You Watch Your Kids Soccer Practice – ½ the time and cost of Traditional Schools

Check out The Ole Ballcoach online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Proud Member of the Brick Yard Battalion – http://www.brickyardbattalion.com , Sam’s Army- http://www.sams-army.com , American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite

4/10/17 Champions League Elite 8 Tues/Wed

April 11, 2017April 11, 2017 gatorbest

Champions League Elite 8 action finds American Teenage sensation Christian Pulisic in unusual waters as a possible starter for a team in Quarter Final action of the world’s biggest club competition. Huge games on the docket as all the games listed below are world class now.

GAMES ON TV

Tues Apr 11 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Juventus vs Barcelona

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Dortmund vs Monaco

Weds –Apr 12 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Atletico vs Leicester City

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid

Thur, Apr 13 – Europa League

3 pm Fox Sport1 Anderlect vs Man United

3 pm FS2 Ajax vs Schalke 04

Tues –Apr 18 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Leicester City vs Atletico

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich

Weds Apr 19 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Barcelona vs Barcelona

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Monaco vs Dortmund

Thur, Apr 20 – Europa League

3 pm Fox Sport1 Man United vs Anderlect

3 pm FS2 Schalke 04 vs Ajax

US Pulisic Represents Future of Attacking play in Champions League ESPNFC

Champions League Quarterfinal Predicitions – ESPNFC

Key Stats Dortmund vs Monaco

Dortmunds Aubameyang anxious to settle score with Monaco

Why Monaco can Win

Juve’s Higuain on things

Pregame notes Real Madrid vs Barcelona

Why Barca and Real Madrid are in Trouble when Messi and Renaldo start fading – ESPNFC

Foxes plot Atleti shock, Barca vs. Juve, Monaco vs. BVB, Bayern vs. Madrid

We have reached the business end of the Champions League and there’s a tasty-looking quarterfinals in store.Barcelona, fresh from their incredible, miracle comeback against Paris Saint-Germain, face Juventus in their first leg, while attack is likely to be the order of the day in Monaco vs. Borussia Dortmund.And then there’s Leicester — yes, Leicester! — in the last eight and facing a trip to last year’s finalists Atletico Madrid. The Foxes saw off Sevilla in the round of 16 — can they upset the odds again here?Completing the ties, European royalty face off as 11-time winners Real Madrid are up against five-time winners Bayern Munich.How will the first legs go? ESPN FC’s club bloggers and correspondents have their say and you can too by voting in the match polls.

Juventus vs. Barcelona

JUVENTUS: They had hoped for an easier draw or at least for the second leg to be at home, but if Juventus want to overcome Barcelona and prove they are back to being world beaters they must play the game of their lives at home in the first leg. Gonzalo Higuain seems to be back to his lethal best, scoring with ease once again while the balance within Juve’s game has ensured consistent victories. The only problem is that the side are still psychologically weak in Europe and tend to overly respect great opponents. With a little arrogance and organised tactics, Juve are likely to win the first leg.
Prediction: Juventus 2-1 Barcelona — Mina Rzouki

BARCELONA: Barcelona have looked back to somewhere near their best since switching to a back three. However, as Malaga proved, it does come with risks in defence and Juventus should have the quality to take advantage of that. It will be important for Barca to score an away goal — or goals — and they have to ensure they’re still in the tie going back to Camp Nou. They cannot afford another night like they had in Paris because Juve will not capitulate like Paris Saint-Germain did if they’re given a decent head start going into the second leg.
Prediction: Juventus 2-1 Barcelona —

Borussia Dortmund vs. Monaco

BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Dortmund were very content with the draw. Although they aren’t great favourites, they are at least not the underdog as they would have been against most other teams left in the mix. Dortmund have to rely on their strong form at the Westfalenstadion, where they are unbeaten for two years in the Bundesliga and Champions League. However, it is hard to predict what Dortmund’s injury list will look like going into the match. They could be running on fumes going into this first leg. With both teams strong up front and suspect at the back, this could be a goal-laden game.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Monaco — Stefan Buczko

MONACO: When Monaco looked at their list of potential quarterfinal opponents, Dortmund were no doubt in the “we can beat them” category, particularly with the Ligue 1 side’s confidence bolstered by their disposal of Manchester City. Though far from impressive in recent domestic outings, the French league leaders have been sizzling in European competition, and the painful experience of a narrow quarterfinal exit to Juventus two years ago will serve them well this time. With their attack at least equal to Dortmund’s and their defence superior, Leonardo Jardim’s men should get a result that leaves them in a good stead for the second leg.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Monaco — Ian Holyman

Atletico Madrid vs. Leicester

ATLETICO MADRID: For once Lady Luck has been kind to Los Rojiblancos in the Champions League draw — and this should be a tie they negotiate with relative ease compared to previous years. It will be a battle of the counterattacks with neither side particularly keen to dominate possession, however Diego Simeone’s side possess superior weapons to the English champions in that sense. Their experience at this level, desire to lift the one trophy that has alluded them under the Argentine coach and streetwise cunning means there is only one winner.
Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2-0 Leicester — Joe Walker

LEICESTER: This is Leicester’s biggest game in their history. The Foxes will be desperate to get an away goal and keep the scoreline tight and if they do so, a giant killing at the King Power in the second leg is more than possible. Captain Wes Morgan could be sidelined through injury and Riyad Mahrez has looked tired of late, so there are selection concerns at both ends of the field. The key to staying in the tie will probably lie in the hands of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. If Leicester can prevent Antoine Griezmann from running riot, then steal a goal on the counterattack, there is no reason why the Champions League fairytale can’t continue.
Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Leicester — Ben Jacobs

Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid

BAYERN MUNICH: Bayern, whisper it quietly, will be confident even against the holders. Clinical top scorer Robert Lewandowski has a superb scoring record against Real from his time at Borussia Dortmund, and aided by the cunning and guile of ex-Barca midfielder Thiago Alcantara, the in-form duo are perfectly capable of firing the five-time winners into the last four. Add the world’s best keeper, Manuel Neuer “100 percent certain” to return from a toe injury, Bayern look good for a 17th successive home Champions League win (a competition record) to put them into pole position for a semifinal spot.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-1 Real Madrid — Mark Lovell

REAL MADRID: There will be mixed feelings for Real Madrid’s players and coach Zinedine Zidane as they take on Bayern on Wednesday for a reunion with former coach Carlo Ancelotti — a man who knows the strengths and weaknesses of their “BBC” strikeforce more than anyone. Although man-for-man Madrid just about have a quality advantage over Ancelotti’s side, Zidane’s team are likely to try and play cautiously and hope to decide the tie back at the Bernabeu in the second leg. They would be more than happy to get out of Munich with a draw and an away goal — and they can do just that.
Prediction: Real Madrid 1-1 Bayern Munich — Dermot Corrigan

ESPN FC has all the best coverage ahead of the showdowns in Europe — starting with Simon Kuper’s belief that once Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo leave Barcelona and Real Madrid, their dominance at home and abroad will be over. Rob Train reckons it’s make or break for Zinedine Zidane this month, while Nick Ames has a crack at who will go through to the semifinals.Who do you believe is going through? Vote in our polls and have your say in the comments. Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.

Kylian Mbappe and Christian Pulisic represent the future of attacking play in Monico vs Dortmund Clash

Tuesday’s meeting between Borussia Dortmund and Monaco isn’t the most hyped Champions League tie of the day; Juventus’ home match with Barcelona will inevitably attract more viewers.But this could be a sensational match; a clash between Thomas Tuchel’s exciting, high-tempo Dortmund side against Leonardo Jardim’s thrillingly fast, ultra-attacking Monaco. It also features the world’s most exciting 18-year-old footballers: Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic and Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe. Between them, they might come to define the next decade of football.In basic terms, they have little in common. One is an American playmaker establishing himself in the Bundesliga, the other a French forward shining in his home country. But there is a similarity. Usually, 18-year-olds are notable for one or two things — their pace and dribbling ability, for example — but these two are curiously complete players, perfect for the this era of universality in which footballers are no longer expected to be specialists in one role, but instead capable of providing numerous different qualities.Right now, Mbappe is the greater star. Describing a youngster as being “the new X” always feels a cheap, simplistic way of explaining his qualities to the world, but it’s difficult to watch Mbappe without thinking of another Frenchman. Indeed, when even Arsene Wenger suggests he “could be another Thierry Henry,” it’s probably time to stop resisting the comparisons. Mbappe, like Henry, has risen through the ranks at Monaco, and he stole two records from the Arsenal legend: He became Monaco’s youngest-ever player, and then, sure enough, Monaco’s youngest-ever scorer, too.He also, incidentally, became the youngest full France international for more than 60 years, and Mbappe’s development in the past few months has been extraordinary. He made just two league starts last season, played only 25 minutes in the Champions League group stage this season, and made consecutive league starts for the first time in February. Jardim has intelligently been trying to manage his playing time at this young stage of his career, but Mbappe has become impossible to ignore and has developed into the most promising young attacker in the world.He’s so highly rated precisely because he seems an incredibly mature, all-round attacker. Whereas many promising youngsters of his age are talented but flashy and liable to overplaying in the final third, Mbappe is brilliantly efficient and tucks away chances with nonchalance. In the first half of the season, he was primarily a provider, racking up three goals and five assists until Christmas. Since then, however, he’s increasingly become the main man. He hasn’t recorded another assist since then but has smashed in 11 goals in his past 11 games.Like Henry, Mbappe is right-footed but prefers playing from the left, cutting inside and finishing coolly. When running at full speed, he sometimes appears leggy and lacks the natural grace and balance of Henry, but he’s trickier in tight situations, capable of throwing feints and stepovers before playing neat, clever passes into onrushing teammates.Mbappe’s major shortcoming is his lack of defensive work; as he’s acknowledged, this is an area he must improve. But then, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Eden Hazard have become top-class players despite their lack of defensive work and have simply convinced managers that their attacking efficiency justifies freeing them from defensive duties. Mbappe might well do the same.

The Frenchman will attract plenty of transfer interest this summer, but that speculation can wait. For now, he’s the most exciting player in arguably Europe’s most exciting side, and with Monaco into the Champions League quarterfinals, there’s no reason they can’t surprise the usual contenders and triumph. First, of course, they’ll have to get past Dortmund — and Pulisic.A talented young American at one of Europe’s most exciting clubs was always likely to be hyped like crazy, but the more you watch Pulisic, the more he appears to have all the attributes required to succeed at the highest level. He seems the real deal, and while he isn’t quite winning games as regularly as Mbappe, it feels like Pulisic’s potential is greater, his ceiling higher. Playmakers tend to peak considerably later than speedy attackers, and Pulisic will get better and better for a number of years.The American offers the perfect blend of counter-attacking directness and more wily creative play in tight positions. Naturally, he feels like a No. 10, but having generally been deployed out wide for Dortmund this season, he’s learning his trade in a different role, developing his all-round game. Besides, for now that might be the best use of his skill set, without putting too much pressure on him to be his side’s primary creative outlet.In a Dortmund side all about quick passing combinations and clever movement, it’s notable how quickly Pulisic uses the ball in tight situations, but more than anything, Pulisic is thrillingly direct. You wouldn’t describe him as a showboater in possession, and he tends to use skills to slalom past opponents quickly and put himself into good positions to play immediate passes. His decision-making is extremely good for an 18-year-old, even if there’s inevitably room for improvement.What’s most distinctive about Pulisic’s game is his short stride length, and when combined with his ability to play the ball with either foot, this leaves his opponents guessing about precisely when he’s going to play the ball, whether a pass or a shot. He can release it at any moment, and compared to players who have longer, less rapid strides and strongly prefer one foot, it means Pulisic is a gloriously unpredictable player.Like Mbappe, Pulisic needs to become better in a tactical sense when the opposition have the ball. Although his work rate can’t be faulted, at times it’s arguable Pulisic does too much running back with his opponent rather than remaining in positions to launch quick counters. It was notable how Philipp Lahm pushed him back easily at the weekend with constant forward running, whereas in the past, Dortmund’s wide players have often caused Bayern problems by being slightly braver with their positioning.It remains to be seen whether either Mbappe or Pulisic will prove crucial in this week’s Champions League quarterfinal, but you sense this won’t be the final opportunity to triumph for either 18-year-old. Both quick, dynamic, versatile and technically gifted, it feels like these two represent the future of attacking play.Michael Cox is the editor of zonalmarking.net and a contributor to ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @Zonal_Marking.

Dortmund and Monaco aim to get on front foot

Monday 27 March 2017

Having scored freely in the round of 16, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco will be keen to establish a first-leg advantage when they meet for the first time in the quarter-finals.

Having both produced blistering attacking displays in the round of 16, Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco FC will be looking to reproduce that form when they meet for the first time.

Both teams have recent UEFA Champions League quarter-final experience, Dortmund appearing in the last eight in 2013/14 and Monaco last featuring the following season.
Dortmund and Monaco are each aiming to reach a fourth UEFA Champions League semi-final. Dortmund’s last semi-final outing came in 2012/13, when they went on to finish as runners-up to FC Bayern München; Monaco have not been in the last four since losing to FC Porto in the 2004 final.

Match background

Dortmund
• This is Dortmund’s eighth European Cup quarter-final, and their third in five years. The German club’s last-eight record is W5 L2.

On their most recent last-eight appearance three seasons ago, Dortmundwent down 3-0 in the first leg at Real Madrid CF, subsequently bowing out despitea 2-0 home victory in the return.
Dortmund have won the last four home legs of their UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
This is the fourth time in five seasons Dortmund have contested the quarter-finals of a European competition, havinglost to Liverpool FC 5-4 on aggregate in last season’s UEFA Europa League. Their sole last-eight success in those ties came against Málaga CF in 2012/13 (0-0 a,3-2 h).
Since the beginning of last term Dortmund have lost just one of 12 home games (W9 D2) in UEFA competition. Thatsolitary defeat was against PAOK FC on matchday six of last season’s UEFA Europa League (0-1). This season they have a draw and three victories, winning their last three home matches.
Dortmund’s record in two-legged ties against French clubs is W3 L1; that lone defeat came in the most recent fixture, against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup second round (2-6 aggregate).
Dortmund’s record at home to French clubs reads W4 D3 L1. Their last encounter was a3-0 win against Olympique de Marseillein the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stage, Marco Reus scoring the second goal, with the single loss inflicted in the previous fixture, at home to the same opponents in December 2011 (2-3).
The German club have won only two of their last six games at home to French visitors; that 2013 Marseille success is their only victory in the last four.

Monaco
• Monaco are in the European Cup quarter-finals for the fifth time overall. Their record to date: W2 L2.

Monaco are making a second UEFA Champions League quarter-final appearance in three seasons. On their last outing in 2015 they beat English opposition on away goals in the round of 16, knocking out Arsenal FC (3-1 a,0-2 h); this year they repeated the trick at Manchester City FC’s expense (3-5 a,3-1 h).
Monaco became the ninth team to successfully overcome a two-goal deficit after the first leg of a UEFA Champions League knockout tie and just the third club to achieve the feat twice, after FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC, having also done so against Real Madrid in the 2003/04 quarter-finals (2-4 a,3-1 h).
The six goals Monaco conceded against City is the most ever shipped by a victorious side in a UEFA Champions League knockout phase tie. Three clubs had previously exited after scoring five.
Two seasons ago the Ligue 1 club lost to Juventus at this stage,going down 1-0 in Turinbefore a 0-0 home draw.
Monaco were beaten in Germany in this season’s group stage,going down 3-0 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen on matchday six havingdrawn 1-1 at home. Overall, Monaco’s record away to Bundesliga opponents is W3 D2 L2; the Leverkusen reverse ended a five-game unbeaten run on such trips.
Monaco’s record in two-legged ties with German clubs is W3 L1, having won the last three. This is their first knockout tie against Bundesliga opposition since a 5-0 aggregate triumph against Hamburger SV in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup third round.
The Ligue 1 team have won two of their six away games in this season’s competition, atVillarreal CF in the play-off first legand at Tottenham Hotspur FC in the group stage

, although they have lost the last two.

Coach and player links
• Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang played for Monaco in 2010/11 on loan from AC Milan, scoring two goals in 19 Ligue 1 matches.

Aubameyang also had loan spells at Dijon FCO (2008/09), LOSC Lille (2009/10) and AS Saint-Étienne (2011/11) before signing permanently for St-Étienne in 2011. He scored 37 goals in 87 league appearances for Les Verts, joining Dortmund in 2013.
Aubameyang was on target in LOSC’s 4-0 Ligue 1 win at Monaco on 13 December 2009, and was in the St-Étienne side that drew 1-1 at home to the principality club on 1 May 2011.
Ousmane Dembélé struck 12 goals in 26 Ligue 1 outings for Stade Rennais FC, leaving for Dortmund last summer. He played in a 1-1 home draw with Monaco on 24 April 2016.
Raphaël Guerreiro started his career at SM Caen, making 38 Ligue 2 appearances in 2012/13 – including home (3-0) and away (1-0) wins against Monaco – before joining FC Lorient, playing 110 league games between 2013 and 2016. His record against Monaco with Lorient was W2 D1 L2.
Benjamin Mendy was in the Marseille team beaten 3-0 away and2-1 at homeby Dortmund in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stage.
While at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Gonzalo Castro played in 1-0 defeats bothaway – João Moutinho scoring– and home against Monaco in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Radamel Falcao got Club Atlético de Madrid’s goal in a 2-1 Liga home defeat by Marc Bartra’s FC Barcelona in May 2013.

• International team-mates
Ousmane Dembélé & Kylian Mbappé, Thomas Lemar, Benjamin Mendy, Djibril Sidibé (France)
João Moutinho, Bernardo Silva & Raphaël Guerreiro (Portugal)
Łukasz Piszczek & Kamil Glik (Poland)

• Guerreiro and Moutinho helped Portugal win UEFA EURO 2016 in France.

Match facts

Dortmund
• Guerreiro and Marcel Schmelzer are a booking away from a ban.

Until Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Bayern München, Aubameyang had scored in seven successive appearances for Dortmund, 11 goals in total.
Dortmund will play Bayern in the German Cup semi-finals on 26 April, having beaten third-tier VfL Sportfreunde Lotte 3-0 in their rearranged last-eight tie on 14 March.
BVB announced on 30 March that Mahmoud Dahoud will join the club from VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer.
Erik Durm (muscular) and André Schürrle (ankle) have missed Dortmund’s last three Bundesliga games. Schürrle sustained his injury during Germany’s 4-1 victory over Azerbaijan on 26 March, a European Qualifier in which he scored twice.
Schmelzer (back) sat out the 3-0 win against Hamburger SV on 4 April but returned against Bayern, while Marco Reus (hamstring) has not played since 4 March.
Sven Bender (ankle), an unused substitute in the last three Bundesliga fixtures is yet to play in 2017 but Sebastian Rode (groin) made his first appearance of the year at Bayern.
Mario Götze, who has not featured since 29 January, will not play again this season. The midfielder is suffering from metabolic disturbances, a disorder that is contributing to his ongoing muscular problems.
BVB announced on 6 April that Piszczek has extended his contract by one year until summer 2019. Gonzalo Casto (2020) signed a new contract in March.

Monaco
• Falcao, Valère Germain, Sidibé and Fabinho are all a booking away from a ban. Tiémoué Bakayoko serves a one-match suspension.

Monaco’s run of six successive wins in all competitions ended when they lost 4-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in the French League Cup final on 1 April.
Leonardo Jardim’s men bounced back three days later by progressing to the last four of the French Cup, Germain scoring twice in a 2-1 home victory over LOSC Lille.
Falcao (out since 11 March, hip) made his return against LOSC as a late substitute and scored the only goal on Saturday against Angers.
Mbappé and Mendy made their senior France debuts on 25 March. Mendy and Sidibé started against Luxembourg in the European Qualfiers for the FIFA World Cup, setting up a goal apiece for Olivier Giroud in the 3-1 success, while Mbappé was introduced in the second half.

Aubameyang anxious to settle Monaco score

Monday 10 April 2017

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be hoping to remind Monaco what they missed out on, the Ligue 1 side having allowed the Dortmund forward to slip through their grasp during a loan spell in 2010/11.

When Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang lines up against Monaco on Tuesday, the Dortmund striker will be raring to show how far he has come since a frustrating loan spell with the Ligue 1 club in 2010/11.

Link to background/preview
All the live build-up to Dortmund v Monaco

This week’s UEFA Champions League showdown will stir up some unpleasant memories for the Gabonese international, who joined the Principality outfit while still an AC Milan player in summer 2010. Having already spent time on loan at Dijon and LOSC, Aubameyang travelled to the Stade Louis II eager to leave his mark.”I want to make an impression at an important club that’s developed plenty of young players,” he said, agreeing a year-long deal that gave Monaco the option to make the switch permanent. “I’d really like Monaco to take up that option, which didn’t happen when I was at Lille. I hope it happens this year.”Destiny decided otherwise, despite two goals in Aubameyang’s first four games. With Guy Lacombe at the helm, the then 21-year-old enjoyed the playing time he craved, but those early efforts would turn out to be his only strikes in a total of 23 matches, as he and the rest of his team-mates struggled.Indeed, Lacombe departed after a shock French Cup loss to minnows Chambéry in January 2011, and Aubameyang was gone soon after. Left out of Monaco’s next two matches by new coach Laurent Banide, the forward departed just six months into his stay – penning a loan deal with St-Étienne, where he would eventually forge his reputation. Monaco were relegated that season, while Aubameyang went on to register 37 goals in 87 Ligue 1 games over the next two and a half years with Les Verts, before rumours surfaced of a return to the Principality. “Monaco are the kind of club who’ll be doing something important in two or three years,” said Aubameyang’s father in June 2013. “That’s what I want for my son.”Ultimately he joined Dortmund, and although he has not looked back, breaking the 20-goal barrier once again this term, Monaco have certainly emerged as a surprise European force. Coach Leonardo Jardim and his youthful line-up are now targeting a spot in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, but first they must get past that rarest of things – an exciting young talent they let slip through their grasp.

Real Madrid and Barca will no longer dominate after Ronaldo, Messi fade

Imagine you had a billion dollars and you had to buy a player to replace Lionel Messi, or Cristiano Ronaldo. You couldn’t. There is simply nobody else as good, no matter how much you pay. That is the problem now worrying the people who run Barcelona and Real Madrid. This spring the two clubs sit on top of the world and look favorites to win the Champions League. But their long dominance could end in the next couple of years.There’s an endless silly argument about who is better, Messi or Ronaldo, when the key point is that they are probably the two best club players in history. True, we can never prove that they have more quality than Diego Maradona, Pele or Johan Cruyff. But we do know that their club stats are much better. Ronaldo and Messi reached their current level in about 2008. Since then, both have averaged more than a goal per league game, and between them have won six out of nine Champions Leagues (including Ronaldo’s victory with Manchester United in 2008).There’s a lot more to Messi and Ronaldo than their scoring records, but it’s the stat that most immediately demonstrates how special they are. “When it comes to scoring, these two aren’t just on top of the pile, they’re hang-gliding somewhere way above it,” FiveThirtyEight remarked in a 2014 article called “Lionel Messi is Impossible.” Compare them with the next-best forwards of our time: Luis Suarez averaged over a goal a game in just one of his seven seasons in top-class leagues. Zlatan Ibrahimovic managed it once in 13.But Messi, 29, and Ronaldo, 32, won’t last forever. With Ronaldo you can already see some decline. He no longer makes the rushes he used to, and this season, with 19 goals in 23 league games, is on track for his lowest goals total since 2009-2010. True, that’s partly because he’s had various injuries, but then frequent injuries tend to be signs of age.Madrid and Barcelona won’t merely lose two irreplaceable players. They will also soon lose an irreplaceable generation. From 2008 through 2012, Spain, for the first time in its history, had the best crop of players in the world. Most of them grew up at Barcelona or Madrid, or moved there young for relatively low transfer fees, and then won multiple Champions Leagues.But Carles Puyol and Xavi are gone, Xabi Alonso is retiring this summer, while Iker Casillas is spending his golden years at Porto. Sergio Ramos (31), Andres Iniesta (32), Gerard Pique (30) and Sergio Busquets (28) won’t be around much longer. The Spanish generation beneath them is less brilliant. Forget the impossibility of replacing Messi. Barca and Madrid will find it almost impossible and extremely expensive to replace Iniesta and Ramos.In 2020, these clubs will still have excellent players. But it’s hard to see Spain, a midsized and not very rich country, continuing to dominate the Champions League. Barca and Madrid are the best teams of our era, but that’s an historical anomaly, far from Spain’s normal performance since Real’s great run in the 1950s. From 1967 through 2008, Barca and Madrid won only five Champions Leagues between them. Those meagre times could soon return.Contrary to what many fans imagine, it’s not a club’s history or spirit or inspirational manager that wins trophies. (Ronaldo and Messi have won their six Champions Leagues with five different managers.) The secret to winning in soccer is, simply, money. Money buys or helps you keep the best players. Money has enabled Spain’s dominance. Real Madrid topped the consulting firm Deloitte’s “Money League” of the clubs with the highest revenues for 11 straight years through 2015. Barcelona was usually close behind. But now the Spaniards risk losing their financial lead.The world’s richest club in the 2015-16 season, according to Deloitte, was Manchester United. Scarily for the Spaniards, United generated revenues of €689 million despite exiting the lucrative Champions League after the group stage. Madrid won the competition that season, yet generated “only” €620.1 million, a fraction behind Barcelona.On the field, English teams are currently unremarkable. They are third-best in Europe, behind Spain and Germany, according to UEFA’s coefficient rankings. But they can expect to rise. The Premier League’s broadcasting revenues have kept soaring and are worth more than £8 billion over the next three years.True, Spanish TV revenues have soared, too. La Liga is negotiating its biggest ever deal for foreign rights. But in 2015 the Spaniards decided to share out the TV cash more equally among all clubs. No longer do Madrid and Barcelona bag the lion’s share. The Big Two’s TV income is therefore stagnating at about €140 million a year each, while English clubs are catching up.Crucially, the English domestic TV market dwarves Spain’s: there are about 16 to 17 million soccer TV subscribers in England, against 3 to 4 million in Spain, noted Barcelona’s vice-president Manel Arroyo last year. No wonder the Premier League’s total wage bill of about $3.6 billion is nearly as high as the Bundesliga’s, Spain’s top division and Italy’s Serie A combined.For now, Barca and Madrid lead global soccer in commercial deals. For instance, from 2018 Barcelona will get at least €155 million a season from its kit sponsor, Nike. But once Messi, Ronaldo and Spain’s golden generation fade, these clubs will be less appealing to sponsors.We’ll see the consequences on the field. Last summer Manchester United paid a world-record fee of $116 million for Paul Pogba. He will never be in the class of Messi or Ronaldo, but he might become the best in the world of his generation. This summer United look the favorite to sign his compatriot Antoine Griezmann, another contender to be the world’s best player in the future.Then there’s Bayern Munich, which has been closing the financial gap with the world’s three richest clubs. (It has also closed the intelligence gap and may now be the smartest big club both on the field and in terms of marketing its brand and expanding its reach globally, though unfortunately Deloitte doesn’t rank brains.) Bayern’s home country is larger and richer than Spain and has a more consistent record of producing top-class players.We’ve come to take Spanish dominance for granted. We shouldn’t. Remember that once upon a time Italian clubs, even Dutch clubs, dominated Europe. In the end, all empires decline. I’d bet on Bayern and Manchester United to win more Champions Leagues from 2020 to 2030 than Real and Barcelona.Simon Kuper is a contributor to ESPN FC and co-author, with Stefan Szymanski, of Soccernomics.

3/30 – Indy 11 Home Opener Sat 3 pm, USA Ties at Panama, World Leagues Return to Play, Full TV-game schedule

March 30, 2017March 30, 2017 gatorbest

Well the US got the 4 points they needed in World Cup Qualifying this weekend with a 1-1 tie at Panama last night, following their 6-0 win on Thurs. They now stand in 4^th overall – and are in good shape heading into the June qualifiers in Denver and at Azteca. Panama was too good a team to give up multiple goals at home – and the 1-1 tie was honestly a good result as Timmy Howard was called upon at least 3 times to make fantastic saves to preserve the tie. The game showed the US depth along the back line as 2^nd stringers Gonzales, and Tim Ream held down the middle for the slightly injured Brooks and Cameron. While Zuzi survived the night at right back. I thought Villafana was fine again at left back and might have a least for now nailed down his position moving forward at left back. Zusi was fried a # of times especially in the 1^st half with Pulisic not tracking back to help him. Overall the defense was ok – but looked really week on set pieces as no one took charge and won the header a # of times in the box. I think we can look forward to a Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, Villafana back line as the June Qualifiers roll around assuming they are all healthy. I thought the forward line looked ok – obviously Pulisic was special again – and his connection with Dempsey is obvious. I am going to say I like Pulisic underneath as a #10 beneath the forwards however not as a winger. The force feed of Jones into the line-up last night – to me shows that Jones and Bradley simply can’t be the tandum in the midfield. Bradley was fantastic Thurs night at home with Pulisic in the 10, Nagbe controlling play on the left and Leggett/Bedoya on the right. Jones simply doesn’t play the right side – and I think at his age – he should now be considered for a 70^th minute sub role rather than a starter if Bradley is going to be the #6 – which is where he belongs. Assuming FW Woods, MF Johnson and Right Back Yedlin return to the fold in June – the Bruce will have some decisions to make regarding personel as he moves forward. A good problem to have however the US depth will continue to help us in qualifying and the Gold Cup this summer should hopefully allow Bruce to give the younger guys a good look.

We are down to the Final 8 – Quarterfinals in Champions League – with 2 games each on Apr 11/12 & 18/19 with Barcelona vs Juve and Bayern vs Real Madrid looking like the best match-ups on Fox Sports 1 & 2. Also at the Quarters is Europa League on 4/13 as Man United face Anderlect. Big weekend on TV – as Liverpool faces Everton Sat 7:30 NBCSB, Sun has Man City hosting Arsenal 11 am NBCSN and I hope to be at the Real Madrid vs Alves game in Spain 10:15 am on beIN Sports.

Good luck to our Indy 11 as they kick-off their regular season on the road vs the expansion side San Francisco Deltas on Saturday at 3 pm live at the MIKE vs Puerto Rico FC.

Champions League

Tues Apr 11 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Juventus vs Barcelona

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Dortmund vs Monaco

Weds –Apr 12 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Atletico vs Leicester City

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid

Quarter Final – Elite 8 Match-ups – Who’s going Thru? ESPNFC

Elite 8 #s

Indy 11

Indy 11 Signs Major Corporate Sponsor Turkish Airlines

Indy 11 put 3 on Team of the Week in NASL

3 Things Indy 11 vs San Fran

Recap – Indy 11 1-1 Draw at San Fran

Indy 11 – Curious Lineup for Season Opener – Aaron Gunyon – www.soctakes.com

The Boys from Soc Takes – Break Down the Opener –

Indy 11 Season Tickets

Indy 11 Flex Pack – 8 game Flex Package

Indy 11 on TV locally

Local Broadcast of Indy 11 Games

Indy 11 Soccer Camp at Carmel Dad’s Club – June 19-22 9-12 pm

USA

Pulisic Wows again, Dempsey scores as US Claim the tie at Panama – Grant Wahl SI

US Jones and Bradley Can’t play Together – SB Nation

Time for Jones to Step Down – Armchair Analyst – Mathew Doyle MLS.com

Player Ratings – MLS.com

US Player Ratings ESPNFC Jason Davis

Who is GOAT – for US National Team – Donovan or Dempsey Boehm MLS.com

Matt Miazga off US Team Radar while on Loan from Chelsea in Europe

WORLD

Legendary Goalie Gigi Buffon passes 1000 games between the posts

A Better Way to Do International Breaks and WC Qualifiers – Gab Marcotti – ESPNFC

ICC Cup League Tickets Are On Sale for the big Games in the US this summer

MLS

MLS Needs to Stop Play during International Breaks like the Rest of the World

MLS winners and Losers from International Weekend

GAMES ON TV

Fri, Mar 31

730 pm Fox Sport 1 Toronto vs Sporting KC

10 pm fox sport 1 Seattle vs Atlanta United

Sat Apr 1

7:30 am NBCSN Liverpool vs Everton – Derby

10 am NBCSN?? Leiscester City vs Stoke City

3 pm MyIndy TV23 Indy 11 vs Puerto Rico (ESPN3)

7:30 pm beIN Sport NY Cosmos vs Miami

Sun Apr 2

10:15 am beIN sport Real Madrid vs Alves – (hopefully I will be there!)

11 am NBCSN Arsenal vs Man City

9 pm ESPN2 Portland vs NE

Sat, Apr 8

10 am NBCSN Stoke City vs Liverpool

10:15 am beIN sport Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid – Madrid Derby

12:30 pm Fox Sport1 Bayern Munich vs Dortmund

7:30 pm beIN Sport Puerto Rico vs Indy 11

Sun Apr 9

11 am NBCSN Everton vs Leicester City

4 pm ESPN Orlando City vs NY Redbulls

7 pm Fox Sport 1 Sporting KC vs Colorado Rapids (Tim Howard)

Tues Apr 11 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Juventus vs Barcelona

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Dortmund vs Monaco

Weds –Apr 12 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Atletico vs Leicester City

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid

Thur, Apr 13 – Europa League

3 pm Fox Sport1 Anderlect vs Man United

3 pm FS2 Ajax vs Schalke 04

Tues –Apr 18 Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Leicester City vs Atletico

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich

Weds Apr 19 –Champions League

2:45 pm FoxSport1 Barcelona vs Barcelona

2:45 pm FoxSport2 Monaco vs Dortmund

Thur, Apr 20 – Europa League

3 pm Fox Sport1 Man United vs Anderlect

3 pm FS2 Schalke 04 vs Ajax

Earn your Degree While You Watch Your Kids Soccer Practice – ½ the time and cost of Traditional Schools

THREE THINGS: Ind 11 vs #SFDVIND

The first edition of Three Things for the 2017 season Mar 27, 2017

A POINT ON THE ROAD…

Mixed results away from home were a thorn in Indy Eleven’s collective side last year, so earning an all-important point in the first match of the 2017 season may prove an important initial step towards repeating as Spring Season champions. Perhaps more important, though, is the fight that Indiana’s Team showed to claw their way back into the match and nearly secure all three points after going down first.

It was an occasion catered to San Francisco. In the club’s first-ever match in front of an eager crowd at Kezar Stadium, the hosts went in front just after 30 minutes of play thanks to midfielder Kyle Bekker’s one-time knock following a through ball from forward Danny Cruz. But, instead of letting the compounded pressure negatively affect their drive, Indy pushed past the pressure and nearly ended up equalizing before the break.Starting the second half with a high press that forced the Deltas into making multiple mistakes, Indy found their goal in the form of a Tanner Thompson header just before the hour mark. Continuing to pester San Fran, Indy nearly found a winner on a couple of separate occasions, but Deltas ‘keeper Romuald Peiser was able to keep the ball out of the back of the net to earn a draw.There are plenty of positives to take from the match, including an impressive set of debuts by the likes of Tanner Thompson and Ben Speas amongst others. While the “Boys in Blue” would have liked to depart the Golden State with all three points, they come “Back Home Again” to Indiana with all momentum driving them ahead against Puerto Rico FC in the home opener.

YOU GET A DEBUT, AND YOU GET A DEBUT, AND YOU GET A DEBUT!

Despite returning 13 players from the 2016 team that reached The Championship Final, Indy Eleven deployed four new players – three starters – during the season opener at Kezar Stadium.Starting and playing the full 90 minutes, defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe helped command the backline alongside returnee Daniel Keller and looked competent and comfortable against the Deltas attacking trio of Jackson, Heinemann, and Cruz. In the midfield, Ben Speas also played an impressive full 90 minutes and tallied his first assist as a “Boy in Blue” on Tanner Thompson’s 58th-minute finish (see below). And, speaking of Thompson, after putting pen to paper just a few days before embarking to face the expansion side, the goalscorer featured for 77 minutes before being replaced by fellow midfielder and debutant Craig Henderson with just under 15 minutes to play. In addition, new signing and defender Anthony Manning made the bench as an unused substitute, and new forward David Goldsmith would have been available pending earlier receipt of his P1-A visa. All six of the aforementioned will likely be available for selection on Saturday, meaning Indy will have almost a full squad to choose from for the home opener.

USING YOUR HEAD

Indy Eleven midfielder Tanner Thompson made his professional debut in Saturday night’s 1-1 draw, leveling the match in the 58th with a deft header that only a few in his position could produce. There’s no better feeling than scoring on your debut, said Thompson, before revealing the little-known fact that it was the Indiana University product’s first-ever headed goal in his entire playing career.Working the ball out wide, fellow debutant Ben Speas – who made the switch from Minnesota United FC in the offseason – swung in a drifting ball towards the center of the area. Sprinting into the box, the 5’7″ midfielder Thompson found just enough space in behind the Deltas defense to leap and connect on a looping header over Peiser and in.Showing that size isn’t everything, Thompson impressed through 77 minutes before being replaced by midfielder Craig Henderson. If the Loomis, CA native continues to show his ability to produce, it’s difficult to see his name falling off the teamsheet.

RECAP: INDY ELEVEN EARNS HARD-FOUGHT POINT IN 2017 SEASON OPENER AT SAN FRANCISCO

Duo of Debutants Ben Speas and Tanner Thompson Combine for Equalizer in 1-1 Draw at Kezar StadiumMar 26, 201782

SAN FRANCISCO (Saturday, March 25, 2017) – Indy Eleven earned an important point in the 2017 season opener as they come away from San Francisco following a 1-1 draw.
Lining up without 2016 leading goalscorer Eamon Zayed in the starting XI, the “Boys in Blue” deployed the pair of Ben Speas and Justin Braun up top, with a midfield four of Brad Ring, Gerardo Torrado, Don Smart, and Tanner Thompson packing in the center. At the back, it fell on defenders Nemanja Vukovic, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Daniel Keller, and Marco Franco to protect ‘keeper Jon Busch against a fresh Deltas side.San Francisco was the more eager of the two sides to begin the match, and their first chance of the evening fell just six minutes into the contest. The delivery from midfielder Cristian Portilla, a curling corner fell into a jumble of defenders and attackers alike but ultimately fell out of play at the back post for a goal kick to end the initial threat. As the Deltas settled into the match, chances piled up in the opening 15 minutes. San Francisco would come close once again in the 16th minute when forward Tom Heinemann sought the run of midfielder Jackson into the 18-yard box, but Indy ‘keeper Jon Busch was off his line in time to punch out for a throw.he best chance of the half for Indy would come ten minutes later, this time for forward Justin Braun. Using his incredible pace to sneak behind San Francisco’s back four, Braun found himself on a 1v1 with Deltas ‘keeper Romuald Peiser. Finessing a right-footed roller, Braun would beat the ‘netminder but fail to find the back of the net.As momentum swung from side-to-side, the hosts would open the scoring just after 30 minutes of play thanks to midfielder Kyle Bekker. Taking a pass from forward Danny Cruz, Bekker swept in a one-time effort past Jon Busch with his right foot as San Francisco scored their first ever goal in league play.The seconds ticked down in the opening 45 minutes, but Indy would come close once more as Justin Braun linked up momentarily with midfielder Ben Speas only for the Deltas defense to collapse the move and absorb the pressure.With no changes for either side to start the second half, Indy jumped out ahead and nearly connected within two minutes of the restart. Again the combo of Speas and Braun was fruitful, but as Braun stretched to meet the low, driven ball from Speas he would come just inches away from making a solid connection.However, Indy’s high press to start the second half would eventually pay off in the 58th minute. Ben Speas knocked in a beautiful, left-footed cross for debutant Tanner Thompson, and Indy’s newest signing produced a skillful, looping header that arced over the head of Peiser and into the back of the net to tie things at one-all. For Thompson, it was the first shot and goal of his NASL career. For Speas, it was also his first assist as a member of Indiana’s Team.”It feels really good on the debut. You can only wish to be able to contribute on the stat sheet, and Ben put in a great ball at the right time and I was able to head it home,” said Thompson.

“I would have never put any money on scoring like that. It was actually my first headed goal ever – even from youth soccer and into college. I was just able to get my body position right and throw off their jump. It fell nicely and I was thrilled to be on the end of it.Not done yet, Indy continued to up the pressure and Justin Braun again proved a catalyst. Working in behind Deltas defender Nana Attakora, Braun wiggled into a second 1v1 against Peiser, but the ‘netminder stood tall and denied the forward from point-blank range to keep things level.After a back-and-forth next twenty minutes, another quality chance fell to Indy near the death. Substitute Eamon Zayed replaced midfielder Ben Speas with 15 minutes to play and found himself on the end of an excellent delivery from Don Smart. However, after Smart did well to lift the ball to the Irishman, the forward could not direct his effort on frame and the chance went missing.Into six minutes of stoppage, two final opportunities would come Indy’s way – the first in the form of a Nemanja Vukovic free kick. Standing over the ball in the 93rd minute, “Vuko” cracked a cross-cum-shot towards the Deltas goal that saw the San Fran ‘keeper react in the nick of time to prevent a sure winner from crossing the line. Seconds later, Kwame Watson-Siriboe was able to get a head on a corner kick from the left-back Vukovic, but the ball skimmed off the top of his head and out for a goal kick.As the final whistle blew at Kezar Stadium, both teams earned a hard-fought point in a match that could have yielded much more in attacking output.
Indy Eleven will return home to IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium for the first time next Saturday, April 1, when the “Boys in Blue” will host Puerto Rico FC for a 3:00 p.m. ET kickoff. Tickets for the April 1 home opener – and all 16 NASL matches at “The Mike” in 2017 – can be purchased for as little as $11 online at www.IndyEleven.com or by phone at 317-685-1100.
2017 NASL Season
San Francisco Deltas 1 : 1 Indy Eleven
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Kezar Stadium – San Francisco, CA

Scoring Summary:
SFD – Kyle Bekker 31′
IND – Tanner Thompson 58′

Discipline Summary:
IND – Nemanja Vukovic 55′
IND – Kwame Watson-Siriboe 60′
SFD – Nana Attakora 60′
SFD – Pablo Dyego 67′

Indy Eleven line-up (4-4-2, L–>R): Jon Busch (GK); Nemanja Vukovic, Daniel Keller, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Marco Franco; Brad Ring (C), Gerardo Torrado, Tanner Thompson (Craig Henderson 77′), Don Smart; Ben Speas (Eamon Zayed 77′), Justin Braun

Indy Eleven bench: Keith Cardona (GK), Anthony Manning, Sinisa Ubiparipovic

San Francisco Deltas line-up (4-3-3, L–>R): Romuald Peiser (GK); Karl Ouimette, Nana Attakora (C), Reiner Ferreira, Kenny Teijsse; Michael Stephens, Cristian Portilla, Kyle Bekker; Jackson (Pablo Dyego 67′), Tommy Heinemann (Devon Sandoval 90+5′), Danny Cruz (Tyler Gibson 81′)

Pulisic wows again as USA continues World Cup qualifying rebuild with point in Panama

Grant Wahl,Sports Illustrated 9 hours ago

PANAMA CITY, Panama – The U.S. tied Panama 1-1 in a World Cup qualifier here on Tuesday, fulfilling coach Bruce Arena’s objective of getting at least four points from the two March qualifiers, though the U.S. will be disappointed that it wasn’t more after a defensive breakdown allowed Panama to score the equalizing goal at the end of the first half.The tie left the U.S. in fourth place (1-1-2, five points) in the Hexagonal, two places higher than it was to start the week. The top three teams in the six-team, 10-game tournament will automatically qualify for the World Cup, with the fourth-place team going to an intercontinental playoff against Asia’s fifth-placed team.Two goals came in a flurry at the end of the first half. Clint Dempsey put the U.S. ahead in the 39th minute after Christian Pulisic hoodwinked two Panamanian defenders in the box and delivered a pinpoint assist. It was Dempsey’s 56th career international goal, putting him just one behind the all-time U.S. men’s record held by Landon Donovan.But while Arena wanted his team to run out the first-half clock, Panama struck back quickly. Off a throw-in in the U.S. end, defender Tim Ream misplayed the ball by turning his back to it, and Gabriel Gómez pounced on the loose ball in the box to equalize.Here my three thoughts on the game:

Pulisic has got the gift

Kicked relentlessly by the Panamanians, who picked him out from the start, Pulisic nevertheless showed once again that he has the rarest of talents in soccer: The ability to create a goal out of nothing even in hostile environments. Receiving a mostly innocuous pass on the right side, the 18-year-old figuratively pulled down the pants of veteran Felipe Baloy in the box, then stopped on a dime on the edge of the six with scary poise before beating Román Torres and feeding the ball to Dempsey for the first U.S. goal.Pulisic can do remarkable things on perfect fields in the Champions League, but it’s another step in his development to connive rivals on the road in CONCACAF without getting CONCACAF’d.

The U.S isn’t that deep everywhere

The preferred starting center backs, Geoff Cameron and John Brooks, weren’t able to play due to various physical maladies. In their place, Arena started Omar Gonzalez and Ream, who are O.K. but a bit of a drop-off. Panama’s goal wasn’t entirely Ream’s fault, but it was largely on the Fulham player, who had a bad miscue against Panama before in the 2011 Gold Cup that led to a U.S. defeat. Ream did come back in the second half to save a goal on a Panama break, but he’s still going to look back on this game with some regrets.You also can’t deny that it hurts to miss Cameron, who was also absent during the brutal two-loss stretch in November.

Four points a solid haul as qualifying campaign steadies

The 6-0 win against Honduras gave people reason to think the U.S. had a chance to win here and take six points from the week, but all things considered, four points has to be viewed as a promising restoration of the U.S.’s World Cup hopes after that miserable November.The U.S. will have every expectation to win its next qualifier in June, at home against Trinidad and Tobago, before visiting archrival Mexico and hoping to avenge November’s home loss.Four games of a 10-game tournament are done, and Arena has brought some stability back to a World Cup qualifying process that will continue to be a challenge.

It’s time for the USMNT to stop playing Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones together

It didn’t work against Panama, and it hasn’t worked in a long time.

by Conor Dowley@c_dowley Mar 29, 2017, 8:15am EDT

The United States has a problem in midfield. That problem has two names: Michael Bradleyand Jermaine Jones. Simply put, after their struggles against Panama on Tuesday night, the USMNT can no longer afford to play them as a partnership in midfield, and it may be time to drop Jones from the national team entirely.This isn’t being said to be cruel or vindictive. It’s said out of a need for honest conversation about a long-problematic part of the United States national team squad. For several years now, Bradley and Jones have been a regular source of stress and worry for the U.S. that occasionally gets papered over by a fantastic goal from one or the other of the pair.But when they’re not scoring goals, they struggle to be a useful part of the team, and that’s left the USMNT struggling for any kind of midfield coherence every time Bradley and Jones are together in the starting lineup.Essentially what happens is this: Jones doesn’t have the legs he once did and never had spectacular positioning. He pushes too far up the pitch to support the attack, and he can no longer get back to help defend the resulting counterattack when the Americans turn the ball over. In the right midfield with the right partner, that can be covered up and dealt with. But unfortunately, Michael Bradley isn’t that partner.That’s because Bradley has his own positioning woes these days. He tends to do too much floating around watching play develop instead of reacting to it in a useful way. He gets too busy trying to fill the space Jones leaves behind him and forgets to worry about his own responsibilities, leading to an opposing player sauntering right through the hole he left. That puts the USMNT defense under pressure, and he does the same thing to the men behind him multiple times per match.It’s a problem.The problem gets lessened significantly when Bradley is in a midfield without Jones — he was much better after Kellyn Acosta entered the match in Jones’ place against Panama. It’s getting harder and harder to see what Jones brings to the national team besides experience. Experience does not outweigh the kind of performance he put in on Tuesday, and it might just be time to consider his role on the team moving forward.When it comes to Bradley, Bruce Arena needs to make it clear that there’s only so much mediocrity he can take before his spot in the lineup needs to be considered. There’s a lot of good that Bradley brings to the team — he’s a good captain, a solid leader with a lot of experience, and when he plays well, he’s one of the most talented players on the team. His best passes from deep are better than any other American can produce. But it’s been years since he’s matched his club for his country on a consistent basis.At their best, Jones and Bradley were two of the top players on the USMNT. Both have given the team a lot during their careers. But those days are long gone, and either player on his own is only marginally useful of late. Together they’re an outright liability, and the USMNT can no longer afford to carry them.

Armchair Analyst: The case for a USMNT midfield without Jermaine Jones

March 29, 20176:00PM EDTMatthew DoyleSenior WriterI don’t think there’s much doubt that Jermaine Jones is still one of the most individually talented players in the USMNT player pool. His athleticism has always been his calling card, and it’s still mostly there. He is a blur, a snarling and nasty and committed two-way expression of pure id, a shin-seeking destroyer who plays the game with his engine running in the red. Jones, at a full gallop, can shrink the entire field – his ability to just chew up ground feels like it gives his opponents about 25 percent less room to play with. When he’s locked in he forces every opponent to meet his intensity level, and if they can’t, they’re going to be holding on for dear life.Go rewatch the first 25 minutes of Colorado’s second-leg playoff loss to Seattle last year, a period of time in which Jones ran through and past and around and over the Sounders pretty much all by himself. I’ve watched Ozzie Alonso play soccer for a decade and that’s the only time I’ve ever seen him look overwhelmed.Jones could occasionally bring this to bear on the international level as well. Watch minutes 45-through-75 of the 2-1 World Cup qualifying loss to Mexico. He was breathtaking. That athleticism has often overshadowed his individual skill, which is not insignificant. You remember the goal vs. Portugal, of course. You can also probably conjure up images of big, diagonal switches or the occasional, well-weighted ball up the line and into a winger’s run, a la Tuesday night at Panama. Jones has some stuff in his bag.And those two things – his athleticism and his skill – have continually overshadowed the fact that the US tend to play better when Jones, who is now 35, is a spectator. Or, at the very least, is forced into a support/tertiary role.I spoke about Jones the individualist above because he plays soccer with a Galt-ian sense of self. His bursts of energy against Seattle and Mexico were as unsustainable as they were breathtaking, and once he’d maxed out his reserves, his teammates were forced to compensate for his no-less-unpredictable forays away from positional responsibility and his no less risky attempts at spreading the field with the ball. Instead of focusing on their own shape or gameplan, or adjusting to the attacks of the opposition, the constant calculation of his own teammates has been “How do we adjust to Jermaine?” Instead of working together, they were working for him.The Jones of earlier days could run himself out of position then usually run himself back into the play, but even so it’s been a bad, game-tilting trade for the US for most of this decade. Exchanging tactical framework for hero-ball isn’t a good blueprint.And at Panama on Tuesday, it started to become apparent that Jones isn’t about to quit playing hero ball even as his athleticism ticks downward and his skill slowly deserts him.If it was just one bad game, one “off” performance from the veteran, fair enough. But it’s not, and nobody should ignore the knock-on effect that his presence has on the rest of the US team.That’s what I’ve been seeing for the last seven years. Because Jones is such an individualist in his movement the US is forced into the binary of playing to him or away from him whenever he’s out on the field, which bogs down the attack and limits useful possession. Doing otherwise, trying to build slowly and patiently through central midfield, is a non-starter because 1) Jones is rarely in the spots you’d expect a central midfielder to operate in, 2) he doesn’t hit many passes designed to keep possession, and 3) trying to play that way when one central midfielder is out of position defensively is suicide by counterattack.There’s a strong case to be made for a reduced role for Jones under Bruce Arena. I think, in the process, we’ll see the US move away from the flat 4-4-2 they tried against Panama and toward a 4-3-1-2 with Christian Pulisic as the “1” and Michael Bradley – for now – in the middle of the “3” line as the defensive midfielder.Who are the shuttlers, the wide midfielders on the “3” line? Darlington Nagbe for one, and Alejandro Bedoya for another. Kellyn Acosta can certainly play that role, and I thought it was symbolic when he replaced Jones with 15 minutes left against Los Canaleros. A healthy Sebastian Lletget has a spot there as well, as should Danny Williams even though he’s really more of a No. 6. Fabian Johnson is more of a true wide player who’d bring a different look to the spot. Alfredo Morales plays a similar role in the Bundesliga, and Cristian Roldan is a guy that Arena’s mentioned as a possible Gold Cup call-up. Lynden Gooch might end up playing as more of a No. 8.It’s too early for the Tyler Adams hype train, even though he was born for this role. But if he plays well at the U-20 World Cup in May you’ll definitely hear his name mentioned, and it won’t be inappropriate.Regardless, in years past the argument could’ve been made that the US were at a point, talent-wise, where Jones was essential. I’ll make the argument that he’s become detrimental, and the time has come for a change.

US Player Ratings: Howard, Ream, Pulisic lead on nervy night in Panama

March 29, 20172:08AM EDTGreg SeltzerContributorIn a game where the result slightly outshined the performance, the US national team battled CONCACAF hexagonal hosts Panama to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night.In a stark departure from Friday’s schooling of Honduras, the visitors spent most of the match in awkward shapes, especially when in possession. However, Christian Pulisic and Clint Dempsey combined for another highlight-reel goal to earn the US an important away point.

Tim Howard (7) – The Colorado Rapids netminder did well to snuff a good Luis Tejada chance near the hour in making the best of his three saves on the night. Some observers may bark that Howard was glued to his line too long on the Panama goal, but it says here that there’s really not much he can do when the defense flakes in that manner.

Graham Zusi (5) – The newly-converted right back definitely had some troubles with Alberto Quintero, but did handle matters more solidly as the game progressed. Surprisingly, Zusi only completed a single positive pass in the attack end over 90 minutes.

Omar Gonzalez (6) – It was a decent but unspectacular outing for the Pachuca man, who had less to do than his back line mates. Gonzalez was found hoofing the ball away a bit too often, but did manage to connect a handful of long passes into the Panama half.

Tim Ream (7) – Were it not for his costly flub dealing with Adolfo Machado’s long throw on the home side’s goal, Ream would be the clear man of the match for the US. With that one glaring exception, he was excellent. Pressed in to duty on short notice, the Fulham defender registered 15 clearances and a big shot block.

Jorge Villafaña (5) – As with Ream, Villafaña’s worst episode happened on the Panama tally. He fell asleep just long enough for Gabriel Gomez to squirt free and pounce on the loose ball. Other than that error, he was fine.

Michael Bradley (5.5) – The captain didn’t make many mistakes on the night, but he also didn’t exert much influence over the proceedings. His passing game and defensive work improved after a bland first half, but it was still too easy for Panama to travel through the middle.

Jermaine Jones (5.5) – Of course, part of the reason Panama had lanes to drive down central was that Jones also likes to travel. He was also typically strong defensively in one-v-one battles, sticking his foot in to halt some rushes. The LA Galaxy veteran was only sparingly useful on the ball, but it was his clever pass that released Pulisic on the US goal play.

Christian Pulisic (6.5) – The Borussia Dortmund wunderkind was repeatedly frustrated by Panama’s physical play. Still, attackers only need that one big play to make the grade, and Pulisic’s was a doozy. He got loose to hypnotize two defenders on his way to teeing up Dempsey for an easy equalizer.

Darlington Nagbe (6) – The Portland ace was an effective pressure valve, albeit one that tended to hold the ball too long after wiggling into the Panama end. Unlike in their previous games together, Nagbe didn’t connect so well with Villafaña up the flank.

Clint Dempsey (6.5) – The man they call Deuce had one terrific lead pass to spring Pulisic, but other than that failed to get much going until he bagged the US goal. In a tight CONCACAF away tussle, though, one play is enough to make a difference.

Jozy Altidore (5.5) – Due to the team’s disorganized play on the ball, Altidore was effectively turned into an innocent bystander. He didn’t get a touch in the final third until shortly before he departed on 83 minutes, and had just five in the Panama end all game long.

Coach Bruce Arena (6) – Considering the boss kept losing starters right up to game time, it’s hard to be too judgmental. That said, the team’s shape was a mess for much of the game and the great alteration never came. Were it not for Pulisic’s moment of magic, this could easily have been an annoying defeat. On the other hand, the team could have grabbed a huge win if the set piece defense didn’t bungle Machado’s long throw. We’ll call this one even.

Subs:

Alejandro Bedoya (6) – The Philly Union attacker worked both wings in his 21 minutes, and as often is the case, the team ran smoother when he was on the field.

Kellyn Acosta (6) – The FC Dallas midfielder looked lively off the bench.

Paul Arriola (6) – The late sub entered ready to ask questions of the Panama defense.

Tim Howard, Omar Gonzalez hold firm as U.S. battle to 1-1 draw in Panama

CONCACAF qualifiers in Central America might never be easier for the U.S. than this. Just four days after having their way with Honduras on home soil, the Americans walked into a street fight in Panama City and were lucky to get out with a point via a 1-1 draw.

Positives

A few of the newer faces in the USMNT setup shined again in the very different conditions of Estadio Rommel Fernandez. The left side of the field was good for the bulk of the game, with Darlington Nagbe and Jorge Villafana playing a relatively clean match. Christian Pulisic again stepped up when the team needed him, and perhaps just as important, he received a lesson in the difficulties of playing on the road in CONCACAF. The U.S. can take the education and the point back home with some satisfaction.

Negatives

For much of the match, the Americans looked sluggish and unable to match the hosts’ intensity. The bumpy field had something to do with the lack of passing quality, but there was also a frantic nature to the U.S. when on the ball. A failure to connect play in midfield left space for the Panamanians to come at the U.S. back line with numbers on more than one occasion. Dempsey scored, but Altidore was a nonfactor, and in general, the attack lacked sharpness. Panama’s goal came from a simple inability of three American players to clear a long throw.

Manager rating:

5.5 — Arena had his hands tied because of the rash of injuries that hit the team, but there were a few decisions that deserve scrutiny. The choice to start Tim Ream over Matt Besler had some scratching their heads, especially because of the lack of a relationship between Ream and his defensive partner, Omar Gonzalez. Jermaine Jones was not effective, either because of his positional indiscipline or because of his fitness. Tactically, the midfield was a mess.That said, the goal was to get a point on the road, and Arena accomplished that task.

Player ratings (1-10, with 10 the best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Tim Howard, 8 — Howard made a pair of massive saves to give his team a chance to take something from the game.

DF Graham Zusi, 5.5 — Zusi was a positive for most of the night, though he was thoroughly turned around by Panama’s wingers on a few occasions. The word for his work is “passable.”

DF Omar Gonzalez, 8 — He did an excellent job reading the game and stepping up when required. Gonzalez provided good emergency defending when Panama broke through the U.S. defensive line.

DF Tim Ream, 6 — A little good, a lot of questionable. The game seemed too physical for him, though he did manage to arrive at the right moment to quell a few dangerous chances.

DF Jorge Villafana, 6 — Villafana played his position effectively. He was limited in the attack except for a few moments, however, and was implicit on the Panama goal in some measure.

MF Michael Bradley, 5.5 — He was left alone to link the back line and the forwards but was still too sloppy with his passing. His set piece service was also lacking. (Indeed)

MF Jermaine Jones, 4.5 — Jones was a mess positionally and provided almost no cover defensively. He failed to find any connection with Bradley, which created big gaps for Panama to exploit. (WAS HORRIBLE)

MF Christian Pulisic, 7 — He created the U.S.’s only goal with a little bit of skill and a lot of will. Pulisic received a battering all night from his markers but managed to keep his head in the match through 90 minutes.

MF Darlington Nagbe, 7 — Maybe the best player on the field across the entirety of the first half, Nagbe was good on the ball and pushed the pace when space appeared.

FW Clint Dempsey, 6 — He scored the lone U.S. goal, which makes the night a success on the whole. Dempsey starved a bit for service and wasn’t able to get on the ball consistently.

FW Jozy Altidore, 4 — He was effectively marked out of the game by Roman Torres. Frustrated by the physical tone of the game, Altidore simply did not impact the game in any meaningful way.

Substitutes

MF Alejandro Bedoya, 6.5 — Bedoya helped lock things down when the game seemed to be slipping from the Americans’ grasp. He was smart on the ball and popped up in the attacking third more than once.

MF Kellyn Acosta, NR — He committed a few rough touches but was otherwise calm and composed in his limited time.

FW Paul Arriola, NR — He pushed forward and threatened in the attacking end with the clock winding down but was unable to play an accurate ball into the box.Jason Davis covers Major League Soccer and the United States national team for ESPN FC. Twitter: @davisjsn.

Clint Dempsey is Mr. Clutch and USMNT’s greatest-ever player

AN JOSE, Calif. — A strong argument for Clint Dempsey as the best American player ever could have been made long before Friday night, when his 54-minute hat trick in a 6-0 drubbing of Honduras put the U.S. back on course to qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Russia.It was a signature performance and all the more remarkable considering that it came in the 34-year-old’s first international following an eight-month layoff because of a heart scare that threatened to end his career. It also cemented Dempsey’s legacy as “Mr. Clutch” once and for all.Dempsey’s scoring rate of 0.42 goals per game now towers over Landon Donovan’s 0.36. His three strikes against Honduras made him the all-time leader in World Cup qualifying games for the Americans, surpassing Jozy Altidore. They also left him just two goals shy of Donovan’s career mark of 57 despite having played 26 fewer games. It’s also worth noting that 15 of Donovan’s strikes came from the penalty spot, compared to just six for Dempsey.”Clint’s record speaks for itself,” captain Michael Bradley said.That is no slight on Donovan, a brilliant player in his own right who will always be underappreciated by some both at home and overseas because he had the audacity to spend the bulk of his career in MLS and not in one of Europe’s elite leagues.Anyway, there’s little 18-year-old Christian Pulisic — who scored a goal and set up two of Dempsey’s against Los Catrachos — on pace to eclipse both players in the future. As a key attacker for Champions League quarterfinalists Borussia Dortmund, Pulisic has already accomplished things at club level that Dempsey or Donovan never did.But for now, though, Dempsey deserves the “best-ever” distinction. It’s a testament to his longevity, competitiveness and his flat-out refusal to stop producing at the sport’s highest level.”You know me, I’m a fighter,” he said after Friday’s match. “I looked for the opportunity to try to get out there and show that I should be around still.”He did that and more.Dempsey wasn’t even supposed to be included on the roster for Friday’s game and the qualifier at Panama on Tuesday night. But his strong play in Seattle’s first three games of the MLS season convinced Bruce Arena to call him up. Even then, Dempsey only became a lock in the lineup after Bobby Wood was forced to withdraw from the squad with a back injury.”We didn’t have anyone else — it made it easy for me,” Arena said, only half-kidding. “We had a full team when we planned the roster weeks ago, and one would think that Altidore and Wood would start the game. But watching Clint from Game 1 to Game 2 to Game 3 with Seattle, it was impressive the way he kept improving,” Arena continued. “Checking with his fitness coaches there, we knew he could play.”He’s like: ‘How many minutes do you think you can give me?'” Dempsey said of his conversation with the Arena. “I said ‘I’ll give you all the minutes I can.'”That’s Dempsey in a nutshell.”In the back of his head he’s going for that scoring record, but he won’t admit it,” midfielder Alejandro Bedoya joked.”If it comes it comes, if it don’t it don’t,” said Dempsey, in his Texas drawl, of surpassing Donovan’s mark, one that not long ago seemed untouchable. “I’ll keep pushing.”It would be fitting if the record-breaker — and it does seem like a matter of when, not if — comes in June in Mexico City. Dempsey has never scored against El Tri, the one blemish on his otherwise-sterling résumé.A trip to a fourth World Cup — he has scored in each of three he’s already played in, the only American to do so — now seems likely too, provided the Americans qualify. And after Friday’s performance, it’s not a reach to think that he could even be in contention to start in Russia at the age of 35. Not that Dempsey is about to take anything for granted, especially after being confronted with the possibility of retirement late last year.”That would be great if I could be around for that,” he said.In the meantime, it will be fascinating to watch Pulisic and Dempsey work together as the torch passes inevitably from the latter to the former. Friday marked the pair’s first time in a U.S. lineup. It won’t be their last.Pulisic gushed afterward that Dempsey is “easy” to play with.”He’s strong, he’s technical, he makes good runs and he always gives good support. That’s exactly what you need from a forward, and he’s clinical,” Pulisic said.For now at least, Dempsey is the American player against whom all others ought to be judged.Doug McIntyre is a staff writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @DougMacESPN.

Gianluigi Buffon is far from finished after 1,000 games between the posts

As Juventus flew to Portugal last month for the first leg of their round-of-16 tie with Porto, a club official approached Gigi Buffon and congratulated him. The Juventus captain was about to make his 100th appearance in the Champions League. “I’ll be honest with you. I was a little upset about it,” he joked. “I thought I had played a lot more of them. Let’s just say it was a terrible blow to my ego.”It could have been more too. As his agent, (and former Genoa, Torino and Lazio keeper) Silvano Martina, revealed this week, Buffon had an agreement to join Barcelona in 2002. But that summer, he left Parma for Juventus instead, for what remains a world-record transfer fee for a goalkeeper. “Gigi” has been there ever since.Had Buffon abandoned ship, like his former teammates Fabio Cannavaro, Lilian Thuram, Gianluca Zambrotta, Emerson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, when Juventus were relegated in the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, he would have passed this landmark a long time ago. He might have even been part of the Milan side that won the competition in Athens the following season. But that just isn’t Buffon.One of the reasons he’s considered one of football’s truly great leaders is that everybody knows they can count on him to be there no matter what. The easy way out isn’t for him. He stayed true to Juventus in their hour of need, going down to the second division at a time when he was the game’s undisputed No. 1, just a few short weeks after lifting the World Cup and narrowly missing out on becoming the first goalkeeper since Lev Yashin to be awarded the Ballon d’Or. People should never forget that.Because of his decision to stick by Juventus, on Sunday in Genova, he broke yet another record. During a gritty 1-0 win over a resurgent Sampdoria, the minutes Buffon has played for Juventus in Serie A finally ticked past those of Giampiero Boniperti, the Old Lady’s legendary former striker and president who coined the club motto: “Winning isn’t important. It’s the only thing that counts.””It’s a great accomplishment,” Buffon said. “It’s down to a lot of things — not just talent. I don’t think talent is enough to have the kind of continuity I’ve had in my career. It’s not an end point. I think — or rather hope — to be able to extend this record further and that I still have many important minutes left in my legs, my head, my heart and my hands.”From Genova, Buffon travelled back to Carrara, his hometown, for a Father’s Day dinner with family. A toast was made to his achievement. Buffon’s brother-in-law then ordered another bottle of bubbly. “What else are we celebrating?” Buffon asked. It wasn’t anybody’s birthday.”We told him that his next appearance would be the 1,000th of his career,” Guendalina, his eldest sister and a former European champion volleyball player, told La Gazzetta dello Sport. Fright night’s World Cup qualifier against Gianni de Biasi’s Albania in Palermo will be Buffon’s millennial.Already the most capped Italy international, Buffon joins an exclusive club of just 17 players to play 1,000 games. The list includes Paolo Maldini (whom he will surely surpass as Serie A’s all-time appearance leader), Javier Zanetti, Ryan Giggs and Raúl. But it mostly features players in his position. The top three are goalkeepers: Peter Shilton, Rogerio Ceni and Ray Clemence.”To be on the brink of this achievement gives me the feeling that I have been both fortunate and a professional,” Buffon said.He has been lucky in that he has generally avoided serious illness and injury. However, Buffon will be the first to tell you that it hasn’t always been easy. He suffered a depressive episode from December 2003 to June 2004. Reflecting on that time in an interview with Kicker this week, he explained how important it was for him to resist the temptation to go on a course of medication to treat it.”I remained master of my own destiny,” he said, dependent on only himself to get through it.Then in 2010, there were the back problems that forced him to miss the defence of Italy’s World Cup and go under the knife.Some wondered if he’d ever be the same, and for a time, his form did wobble. But it wasn’t for long, and frankly, the past two seasons have been some of the best of Buffon’s career; witness the run to the Champions League final in 2015 and the Serie A record he set for minutes without conceding (973) in 2016.Of course, experience helps. Buffon acknowledges that he is a different goalkeeper than the one who burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old, with that jaw-dropping debut against the Milan of George Weah and Roberto Baggio. He has had to.The game has changed. Goalkeepers are expected to play with their feet and start building the play from the back. As other members of his generation have declined, struggling to adapt with the evolution of the goalkeeper as an extra outfield player, Buffon has taken it all in stride.Buffon intends to become the first player to represent his country at six World Cups. Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alex Meret are going to have to wait their turns, though the competition they provide keeps him young and spurs him on.But the World Cup in Russia isn’t the only dot on the horizon obscuring Buffon’s plans for retirement. The other is the Champions League and ending his pursuit for a winners’ medal.Twice a runner-up, Buffon has been candid enough to admit that he might have already hung up his gloves if he’d been on the winning side in 2003 or 2015.”I’ve been asking myself for years what drives me to keep playing,” he said. “This inner conflict brings out strong motivations in me. If I had already won the Champions League, I would be drained. The fact that I am still yet to win it pushes me on.”Could this finally be the year? Juventus are the only unbeaten team in the Champions League. They haven’t lost at home in the competition in almost four years and have won all of their games on the road this season. Barca, Real and Bayern remain the favourites, but they aren’t what they once were.But even if Juventus were to win for the first time since 1996 this year or next, it doesn’t necessarily follow that Buffon would call it a day and take up a role upstairs, either with Juventus or as team manager of the national team, like his beloved Gigi Riva did for many years.Buffon says he will carry on as long as his body will allow him to.”I still do not feel like an old guy at the age of 38,” Buffon said last year.”Who knows? I might retire at the age of 65.”James covers the Italian Serie A and European football for ESPN FC Follow him on Twitter @JamesHorncastle.

Boehm: Who is the US national team’s greatest of all time?

March 29, 20171:24AM EDTCharles BoehmContributorClint Dempsey is being showered with plaudits in the wake of his World Cup qualifying hat-trick heroics against Honduras – which he followed up with a clutch strike vs. Panama – and rightly so.After “Deuce” bagged his 53rd, 54th and 55th career US national team goals (and he’s now up to 56) in emphatic fashion on Friday, ESPNFC’s Doug McIntyre laid out the case for the Seattle Sounders star being the greatest player in USMNT history, pushing him ahead of Landon Donovan and anyone else remotely worthy of the honorific.“For now at least,” writes McIntyre, “Dempsey is the American player against whom all others ought to be judged.”

But is it really so?

Both Dempsey and Donovan have racked up exceedingly gaudy statistics for both club and country. Both have played in multiple World Cups, and scored multiple goals while there. Both lifted their teams – especially the ones they shared – to heights that would’ve been unimaginable without them, by virtue of both what they did and who they are. We haven’t even mentioned other leading candidates for the GOAT label, of which there are several, like Claudio Reyna or Brad Friedel. Or the dark horses, like Brian McBride or Kasey Keller or Tab Ramos. Many of those suffer from the effects of recency bias, too, with the game’s explosive growth in this country taking us across so many new boundaries and drawing so many new fans.This is quite easily the deepest, longest and most contentious wormhole of a discussion any group of hardcore US soccer fans could ever hope to stumble down. I myself spent most of an afternoon comparing stats, weighing milestones and harking back to as many big USMNT moments of this century as I can remember, desperately hunting for a definitive nugget to prove or disprove Doug’s contention.As someone old enough to remember Reyna’s unflappable ability to set the rhythm for the Yanks’ midfield year after year – to “bring peace to the game,” as his longtime teammate Earnie Stewart said – I’m sorely tempted to handicap the North Jersey metronome up to the top of the heap.Bear in mind here what a strong club career he built in major European leagues, and how limited many of his US teams were compared to more talented contemporary editions. Reyna remains one of only two US players, and the only one in the modern era, to earn a spot on a FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (now known as the Dream Team) thanks to his exploits at Korea/Japan 2002. Yet Dempsey and Donovan’s gifts and resumes are just the slightest bit gaudier, their career highlights unfolding on slightly bigger stages. Reyna had the desperately poor luck to miss out on one World Cup (1994) due to an ill-timed injury, while his legacy was inevitably dinged by a subpar swan song in the 2006 Mundial.

So which one is tops, then: LD or Deuce?

I’m sorry. This is impossible.It’s just not how this sport works – at least, not during this particular window in the history of American soccer. If you’ve ever taken part in a “Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo” debate, or the seemingly eternal “Pele vs. Maradona” argument, you should sooner or later recognize the similar metaphysical limitations at work here.Without Donovan, there is no Dempsey. A rising star in US Soccer’s firmament practically since puberty, LD burst onto the scene with performances at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Cup (and not long after, the 2002 World Cup) that hammered widely-held global stereotypes about the haplessness of Yanks in the beautiful game.When he decided to call time on his European adventure at Bayer Leverkusen and play in MLS, Donovan willingly acceded to becoming the face of the league, its golden child, accepting all the burdens that came with it. In doing so he helped safeguard MLS’s future, carving out a space for those who followed after.There was a cost, of course. Given that he possessed the skillset to make his name in one of the world’s most renowned leagues, some – including many wowed by the latest such prodigy, Christian Pulisic – will never understand or accept why LD didn’t make that his mission in life.Conversely, Dempsey’s rise eased Donovan’s task. Deuce had to fight his way into the spotlight from the obscurity of East Texas, climbing a lengthy ladder from the Dallas youth scene to Furman University and on to the New England Revolution and Fulham FC.Hustling with the frantic intensity of someone who hears a clock constantly ticking over his head, Dempsey never took a sabbatical and never second-guessed his own desire or focus. While LD wore his self-awareness on his sleeve, Deuce drew across a curtain, mostly keeping his innermost self out of the spotlight.It’s more than a happenstance of position or tactics that Donovan finished his international career with more assists than goals, or that Dempsey is on pace to shatter the latter mark but remains miles short of the former. They’re just different animals, who tap into different segments of our collective American soccer psyche. So by all means – pour yourself and a few friends some refreshments and bat this one around for a while. Vote in our poll below. But don’t forget that your answer to this debate probably says more about who you are than where Donovan and Dempsey really stack up.

Clint Dempsey		Landon Donovan
132	USMNT CAPS	156
56	GOALS	57
17	ASSISTS	58
38	WCQ GAMES	40
18	WCQ GOALS	12
0	WCQ ASSISTS	21
10	WORLD CUP GAMES	12
4	WORLD CUP GOALS	5

OBC – Wow Landon has him killed on Assists 58 to 17. Wow – Dempsey will break the record for goals and is our top big time scorer – but perhaps its still Landon overall.

Atletico, Monaco, Bayern Munich, Juventus expected to advance in UCL

With the draw for the Champions League quarterfinals made, here’s a look at how the matches could go. Apologies, Leicester fans, but the dream may end here.

Atletico Madrid vs. Leicester City

Of all the clubs Leicester could have met in the quarterfinals, they were drawn against the only one they had faced before. Admittedly, much has changed since Martin O’Neill’s Foxes lost 4-1 on aggregate to Atletico in a UEFA Cup first-round tie in 1997, with Ian Marshall earning a place in the history books by scoring at Vicente Calderon. Atletico also beat Leicester 3-1 over two legs in the 1961-62 Cup Winners’ Cup and, up until this season, had been their opponents in half of the European fixtures they had ever played.In the here and now, Leicester can have mixed feelings about this draw — that is, if they were minded to feel at all choosy. On the one hand, Atletico do not quite have the individual stardust many of the other contenders possess, and they have not been consistently at their uncompromising best this season. On the other, Diego Simeone’s team know better than anybody how to win a game at this level through sheer guts and, like Leicester, are happy to cede possession in order to do so.It may be that Craig Shakespeare’s side have met their match — an opponent that can do the dirty, unfussy work that brought them success against Sevilla but have that extra bit of quality where it matters. Atletico have done this all before; they can win a tie in many different ways and Leicester will have their work cut out. Only a fool would rule the Foxes out now, though.

Prediction: Atletico will go toe-to-toe with Leicester in the physical battle and have too much in the opposition box. Simeone’s side reach the semis.

Borussia Dortmund vs. Monaco

In some ways, this clash of the great entertainers looks like the tie of the round. Both of them swashbuckled their way into the last eight, and there is little chance of their letting up now. Dortmund’s style is a little sleeker than Monaco’s high-octane, lightning-fast approach, but the emphasis on attack is similar; neither Thomas Tuchel nor Leonardo Jardim will be naïve enough to neglect their defences with so much at stake, but this should still be a shoot-out between Europe’s two brightest young teams.You would certainly pay to watch a race between Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe, both of whom have been elevated to “potential matchwinner” status on a higher level than they might have expected at this stage of their careers. Monaco will be hit by the absence of suspended midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko — who scored the winner against Manchester City shortly after picking up the booking that ruled him out — for the first leg, but their biggest threat comes down the flanks. And if attacking full-backs Djibril Sidibe and Benjamin Mendy are given space in the first leg, they may score a healthy number of away goals. Dortmund will need to force them back and hope that Marco Reus, due back in early April after a hamstring injury, is fit to return by then. If not, there is always the thrilling promise of U.S. starlet Christian Pulisic, who deputised for him in the round-of-16 second leg against Benfica and duly scored. In a tie set up for the next generation to make their marks on the present, you wouldn’t bet against him repeating the feat.

Prediction: Monaco are on a roll and will sneak a predictably see-sawing battle.

Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid

It was a tie that seemed written in the stars. Three years ago, with a realistic chance of reaching the final after losing 1-0 at the Bernabeu in their semifinal first leg, Bayern Munich were destroyed 4-0 on their home turf by a Carlo Ancelotti-managed Real in a one-sided encounter that few saw coming. Ancelotti went on to lead his team to La Decima; now he finds himself on the other side, and the 23rd and 24th meetings between these teams will surely be closer. Confidence will certainly not be lacking after they scored 16 goals between them in the round of 16.Both teams lead their domestic leagues, Bayern by a familiar-looking 10-point margin after RB Leipzig’s early challenge faded. They have won 16 of their last 18 games in all competitions, drawing the other two, and have regained some of the fluency that was lacking in the early stages of Ancelotti’s time in Bavaria. Real’s form has not been much worse, and perhaps this tie will be decided by clever management of resources. Both teams will enter the first leg on the back of big domestic games against Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid, respectively. Whoever is fresher at the Allianz Arena a few days later may be able to wrest an advantage that they don’t give up.Prediction: Ancelotti’s knowledge of the Real squad to give him the edge; Bayern win.

Juventus vs. Barcelona

Juventus came through the round of 16 virtually unnoticed, profiting from early Porto red cards in both legs to progress with a minimum of drama. For Barcelona, it was the opposite and, in this rerun of the 2015 final, the first leg, in Turin, will be instructive in discovering just how much they have learned from the tie against Paris Saint-Germain.In Paris, and to a lesser extent in the group stage defeat at Manchester City, they were blown away and looked every inch a team in terminal decline. The comeback three weeks later was all the more shocking for that but, remarkable though it was, owed more to a concentrated burst of unusual events than sustained excellence from Luis Enrique’s side. Massimiliano Allegri will have taken note, and if they can produce a high-octane performance at Juventus Stadium, the Serie A leaders may fancy their chances.The flip side is that Juve are yet to face a top-quality test in Europe this season. Lyon, Dinamo Zagreb, Sevilla and Porto have not been the most inspiring opposition, while Manchester City and PSG have been genuine tests for Barcelona that have threatened to throw them off course. If Neymar, Lionel Messi and company felt that, after all that, nothing could stop them, then it would be difficult to argue. Prediction: Unlike PSG, Juventus have the experience and backbone to expose Barcelona’s frailties definitively. The Italians to go through.Nick Ames is a football journalist who writes for ESPN FC on a range of topics. Twitter:

Spain dominance, Leicester fairytale: UCL quarterfinalists in numbers

A number of familiar clubs, plus one notable English newcomer, will take part in the quarterfinal round of the UEFA Champions League beginning with first-leg matches on April 10.Bayern Munich have made the most quarterfinal appearances in Champions League history, followed closely by Barcelona and Real Madrid, and all three have advanced to that stage of the competition again this season. Those three clubs have combined for 46 quarterfinal appearances, while the other five have combined for 26:

UCL Quarterfinal Appearances
Bayern Munich	16
Barcelona	15
Real Madrid	15
Juventus	10
Borussia Dortmund	6
Atletico Madrid	5
Monaco	4
Leicester City	1
>> Includes this season

With Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid qualifying, Spain has three teams in the UCL quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive season — the longest such run in the competition’s history. Spanish clubs have won the last three Champions League titles:

UCL Quarterfinalists By Country
Spain	3
Germany	2
England	1
France	1
Italy	1

Barcelona advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals for the 10th consecutive year, which is the longest such run in the competition’s history:

Most Consecutive UCL Quarterfinals
Barcelona	10	2008-Present
Real Madrid	7	1998-2004
Manchester United	7	1997-2003
Real Madrid	7	2011-Present

Barcelona advanced following a four-goal comeback against PSG, winning 6-1 in the second leg. Barcelona became the first team to overcome a four-goal first-leg deficit to advance in Champions League history:

Largest First-Leg Deficits Overcome
4 goals	1 team
3 goals	1 team
2 goals	8 teams
1 goals	28 teams

Bayern Munich advanced to the quarterfinals for the 16th time with a 10-2 aggregate win over Arsenal.With an eight-goal difference, it is the second-largest aggregate goal difference in Champions League history:

Largest Margin of Victory in Knockout-Round Matchup
Stage	Winner	Loser	Diff.
2008-09 Round of 16	Bayern Munich	Sporting	11
2016-17 Round of 16	Bayern Munich	Arsenal	8
2004-05 Round of 16	Lyon	Werder Bremen	8
2011-12 Round of 16	Barcelona	Bayer Leverkusen	8

With Monaco and Manchester City combining for 12 goals — including a record eight goals in the first leg — as well as Bayern Munich and Arsenal combining for 12 goals and Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain combining for 11, more goals were scored in the round of 16 than in any such previous stage in Champions League history:

Most Goals in UCL Round of 16
2016-17	62
2011-12	56
2013-14	51

Leicester City qualified for their first Champions League campaign and have advanced to the quarterfinals. However, Leicester is England’s only representative in the quarterfinals, which has been the trend lately:

UCL Quarterfinalists By Country, Last Five Seasons
Spain	15
Germany	9
France	6
England	4
Italy	3
Portugal	2
Turkey	1
>> Spain has won last 3 titles

The draw for the quarterfinals will take place on Friday. Unlike the round of 16, there are no restrictions on which teams can meet. In the round of 16, teams from the same group or same country would not be allowed to play against each other.

Check out The Ole Ballcoach online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Proud Member of the Brick Yard Battalion – http://www.brickyardbattalion.com , Sam’s Army- http://www.sams-army.com , American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite

3/26 – US Nabs Huge 6-0 Win faces Panama Tues 10 pm on beIN Sports, World Qualifiers Sun/Mon/Tues, Indy 11 Sat Home Opener at MIKE 3 pm on MyIndy TV

March 25, 2017March 27, 2017 gatorbest

3/26 – US Nabs Huge 6-0 Win faces Panama Tues 10 pm on beIN Sports, Indy 11 Sat Home Opener at MIKE 3 pm on MyIndy TV

So I guess Coaching does make a difference. Wow – just 4 months after taking over for the German (Juergan Klinsmann) – Bruce Arena – who some would say is the Best American coach ever – showed what a difference a coach can make. With an attacking mindset – players in the CORRECT places with confidence galore and a clear understanding of what the plan is – the US scored the most goals they have scored in years. The 6-0 (yes 6 goal explosion included a hat-trick from the Best US Player ever Clint Dempsey. But make no mistake – this game was a coming out party for 18 YO US sensation Christian Pulisic who had a role in 5 of the 6 goals. He wore the #10 to perfection providing 2 assists, 1 goal and the first goal off his shot that was deflected by the keeper. Missing players all over the field like F Bobby Wood, MF Fabian Johnson, MF Jermaine Jones and left back Deandre Yedlin did not matter as Bruce relied on a mix of veterans like Gonzales and Cameron and Dempsey of course along with the mixing of Nagbe who played great on the left side, LB Villafana who was so good the ball rarely came down the left side and Leggitt who scored the first goal before going out hurt. Brooks and Bradley looked more comfortable in their roles in the middle of the pitch. Oh and Timmy Howard was well same ole Timmy – 4 huge saves on the night helping to keep the clean sheet. I thought the defense played with more of a bite- blocking plenty of the shots taken. There was a little doughnut in the middle at times as Pulisic was a little too high and removed from Bradley in the back. But boy when #10 got that ball – he took off and his creativy in the middle is something the US has honestly never had.

It will be interesting to see what changes Bruce makes Tuesday at Panama – where a win could move the US from bottom of the group last week to 2^nd or 3^rd at worse. 6 Goals – wow and it honestly it could have been 2 or 3 more. Has Dempsey proven enough to claim the start again – I think so – hattrick? Does Jones slide in on the right side mid instead of Bedoya? Do you start the same back line or slide Cameron inside and give someone a run on the right side?

Either way honestly its nice to understand what we are doing – to have a coach who seems to be making moves that make sense. Bruce obviously has his players believing and playing much, much better soccer. Lets see if it holds up on the road vs a good Panama team – currently 3^rd just above the US in the group.

Oh and I am not going to let the horrible US Red Portugal look-a-like Nike Jersey thing alone. Honestly I watched CR7 play Sat and they are the EXACT SAME JERSEY except for the socks. Same for the Nike England Jerseys. Now that we have an American coaching the team again don’t we deserve a Unique US Jersey look. Come on NIKE – you are a US Company for heaven sakes – design a unique and special jersey for the USA don’t just copy the jersey you made for Portugal and England already.

3_Jerseys_all the Same GAMES ON TV

Sun, Mar 26

11:30 am Fox Sport2 England vs Lithuania WCQ

11:50 am ESPN 2 Azerbajan vs Germany WCQ

2:30 p.m., Fox Sport2: Montenegro vs. Poland WCQ

Tues Mar 28 –WCQ

11:50 am Fox Sport2   Russia vs. Belgium
2:35 p.m., beIN Sport Netherlands vs. Italy
2:45 p.m., ESPN3:        Austria vs. Finland
2:55 p.m., ESPN2         France vs. Spain

7 pm beIN sport Mexico vs T&T

10 pm beIN Sport Panama vs USA WCQ

Fri, Mar 31

730 pm Fox Sport 1 Toronto vs Sporting KC

10 pm fox sport 1 Seattle vs Atlanta United

Sat Apr 1

7:30 am NBCSN Liverpool vs Everton – Derby

10 am NBCSN?? Leiscester City vs Stoke City

3 pm ?? Indy 11 vs Puerto Rico

7:30 pm beIN Sport NY Cosmos vs Miami

Sun Apr 2

10:15 am beIN sport Real Madrid vs Alves – (hopefully I will be there!)

11 am NBCSN Arsenal vs Man City

9 pm ESPN2 Portland vs NE

Sun Apr 9

7 pm Fox Sport 1 Sporting KC vs Colorado Rapids (Tim Howard)