’10 to Track’ soccer matches for Sunday, 3/4 – Welcome, LAFC

No time for dawdling, the ten most important soccer matches to follow for the newish American fan await us, Noobites!

  1. Sporting Kansas City vs. New York City FC – MLS

Last year’s Western Conference #5 and a The Management fave hosts the Eastern’s #2.

Noob will refrain from rooting against KC just to spite The Management.  For now.  It’s a gesture of good will with which to start the season.  (7:30 PM Eastern, FS1)

RESULT:   0-2   NYCFC

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B.  Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles FC – MLS

Welcome, new MLS club!   Seattle – fie on you, and you know why.  Less-tenured Noobites can search back to learn about the douchebag fan/TA first soccer fan I ever knew.  Actually, I guess that is the story.  (5:00 PM, ESPN Deportes)

RESULT:   0-1   LAFC

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Number B welcomes you to the soccer family, baby LAFC.

  1. Manchester City vs. Chelsea – English Premier

The new league champs host last year’s.  Chelsea wear the sadpants, as it’s looking likely that won’t even make top four and next year’s Champions League.  Noob hopes they can catch fire starting here, pass 4th place, traitorously-named Tottenham  Sir Topham Hatt Hotspur.  (11:00 AM, NBCSN)

RESULT:   Man City   1-0

  1. Toluca vs. Pachuca – Liga MX

Tied for 6th hosts tied for 10th in a table so tight, the ordinal rankings just don’t matter yet.   Pachuca tends to play more wide open than most sides, so if Toluca can score first, this could turn into a rout.

In fact, Noobstradamus sees it just that way, 4-1 for the host Sausagers.  (1:00 PM, Univision)

RESULT:   Toluca   2-1

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Sausage can be conjugated that way?

Not even I saw that coming.

  1. Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid – La Liga

Barcelona have yet to lose on the season.  A win today against #B Atletico – with just one loss of their own – likely salts the title away.  They play the league’s best defense, but Barcelona’s an absolute monster with the ball.  (10:15 AM, beIN Sports)

RESULT:   Barcelona   1-0

  1. Montpelier vs. Lyon – Ligue 1

These two faced off less than a month ago in the Coupe de France.  Montpelier lost 1-2 at home then.  Will history repeat itself?

Lyon is in 4th, five points behind Marseilles for the third and final Champions League berth.  Montpelier are tied for 6th, trying to catch Rennes for the last Europa League slot.

RESULT:   1-1

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History repeating itself

  1. AC Milan vs. Inter Milan – Serie A

Welcome back to the most interesting league race going.  Inter Milan were yesterday pushed out of the top four and a Champions League berth.  Today they’ll pull even on games played, but need a win to jump back up a spot in the table.

AC Milan are tied for 6th, but out of Europa League qualification based on tiebreaking goal differential.  They don’t have the defense to be great this year.  Noob smells a road win for “The Big Grass Snake”.

RESULT:   ppd

  1. Lokamotiv Moscow vs. Spartak Moscow – Russian Premier

#1 hosts #5, but with win a win Spartak would climb all the way up to #B.  Unlikely.  There’s a serious gap in defensive capability between them and the real powers of the league.

This is now the 6th-ranked league in European play.

RESULT:   0-0

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Defense.  You’re doing it wrong.

  1. Legia Warsaw vs. Lech Poznan – Poland Ekstraklasa

The regular season title is up for grabs as #1 hosts #3 in Europe’s 20th-ranked league.  Poznan sports the best goal differential in the league, so should give the league leaders a tough fight.

RESULT:   Warsaw   2-1

  1. Sanarate vs. Antigua Guatemala – Guatemala National League

Antigua was the Apertura (first half season) champs and are on top again now in the Clausura.

Sanrate has seen massive improvement.  They only finished 9th,  but are now tied for #B.  They scored 14 and gave up 22 goals before.  That line is now 14-8.  Still. Noob thinks they’d be pleased with a draw today, even being at home.

RESULT:   0-0

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Wait, can you say that?  That feels wrong. 

Ten To Track (8/6/2017)

1. Netherlands vs. Denmark Final!! – UEFA Women’s Euro 2017

This event should’ve had a sponsor. Germany has been the reigning champ for 22 years, so now the Final should have one. Since I’m sure it’s too late to make a corporate entity cough up money, I hereby declare this to the The Treaty of Versailles UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 Final.

B. Arsenal vs. Chelsea – FA Community Shield (Super Cup)

Eventually someone’s going to have to explain to me what the deal with shields is. Right now it burns me up.

3. NYCFC vs. New York Red Bulls – MLS

Now, if the team gets an actual shield, then we’re talking! If I were a player and got the Shield for a day, know where I’d take it? You’re darn right, a Rennaisance Faire. I’m running a sword through the gullet of some Medieval Literature grad student, then drinking honey mead while I clean my Shield.

4. Portland Timbers vs. L.A. Galaxy – MLS

*smokes a cigarette* #3 was awesome.

5. Sporting Kansas City vs. Atlanta United – MLS

Awesome matchup. KC is #1 in the weaker Western Division. Atlanta is #5 in the Eastern, but has only two fewer points with one less game played.

Avis and The Management adopt all things Kansas City.

6. Toluca vs. Atlas – Liga MX

See, soccer stuff in #5. the Avis the Noob can focus occasionally.

7. Besiktas vs. Konyaspor – Turkish Super Cup

I d wonder if these Super Cups, which are glorified preseason match-ups, are taken seriously.  If not, I want this guy in-goal:

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8. Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Spartak Moscow – Russian Premiere League

Last season’s #3 vs. #1.

9. Shanghai SIPG vs. Tianjin Quanjian – Chinese Super League

Current #2 vs. #3.

10. MFM FC vs. Enyimba – Nigeria Professional League

Current #2 vs. #5 yaddyaddawhatever let’s get to the holy crap part

Avis, soccernoob is clearly unhinged, yet won’t steer you wrong occasionally. MFM is Mountain of Fire and Miracles, a Lagos-based Pentecostal ministry organization. Look up these guys on your own, but the craziest thing I’ve found is that they’ve been accused of modern-day witch hunting in the U.S. and U.K.!

The Noob wonders what on earth he’s gotten himself into learning this sport.