29 Sep Soccer Insights – October Vol. 1
Mexico are CONCACAF champions, Netherlands out of France 2016 and South American World Cup Qualifiers begin. This is what has happened since our last edition of Soccer Insights:
Mexico will play in the 2017 Confederations Cup
Mexico and United States clashed on October 10th to define who would represent CONCACAF in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by Russia. El Tri claimed victory in an intense game that had to be defined in the extra time; penalties were almost a sure thing, but a late strike from Paul Aguilar settled the matter and upset the USMNT. Mexico joins Russia, Germany, Chile and Australia as qualified teams for the competition that precedes the FIFA World Cup.
Netherlands out of the Euro 2016
The worst news possible hit Netherlands, as they failed to qualify to the next UEFA European Championship, otherwise known as Euro 2016, to be held in France. The Dutchmen never showed solid performances, and the surprising run of Iceland, Czech Republic and Turkey doomed them and shocked the entire world. Netherlands reached the semifinals in the last World Cup, lost to Argentina but secured the third place against hosts Brazil.
Mexico and Honduras in Rio 2016, the U.S. to play-offs
The CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying ended this week, and Mexico secured their berth in the next Summer Olympics after beating Canada in the semifinals on October 10th (yes, the same day when Mexico won the CONCACAF Cup). They went on to defeat Honduras (also qualified as runners-up) in the final to claim the title of the tournament. The U.S. Youth Team must face Colombia in a playoff to define a last spot in Rio 2016.
South American World Cup Qualifiers have kicked-off
South American national teams have starting clashing with each other in what will be a two-year long battle to book tickets for Russia 2018. There have been some surprises, like both Argentina and Brazil losing their first games against Ecuador and Chile, respectively. These are the results so far:
Results
| Bolivia | 0-2 | Uruguay |
| Colombia | 2-0 | Peru |
| Venezuela | 0-1 | Paraguay |
| Chile | 2-0 | Brazil |
| Argentina | 0-2 | Ecuador |
| Ecuador | 2-0 | Bolivia |
| Uruguay | 3-0 | Colombia |
| Paraguay | 0-0 | Argentina |
| Brazil | 3-1 | Venezuela |
| Peru | 3-4 | Chile |
Table
| 1 | Uruguay | 6pts |
| 2 | Ecuador | 6pts |
| 3 | Chile | 6pts |
| 4 | Paraguay | 4pts |
| 5 | Brazil | 3pts |
| 1 | Colombia | 3pts |
| 2 | Argentina | 1pts |
| 3 | Peru | 0pts |
| 4 | Venezuela | 0pts |
| 5 | Bolivia | 0pts |
Premier League
Results
| Arsenal | 3-0 | Manchester United |
| Manchester City | 6-1 | Newcastle |
| Chelsea | 1-3 | Southampton |
| Everton | 1-1 | Liverpool |
| Crystal Palace | 2-0 | West Brom |
| Aston Villa | 0-1 | Stoke City |
| Bournemouth | 1-1 | Watford |
| Sunderland | 2-2 | West Ham |
| Norwich | 1-2 | Leicester City |
| Swansea | 2-2 | Tottenham |
Table
| 1 | Manchester City | 18pts |
| 2 | Arsenal | 16pts |
| 3 | Manchester United | 16pts |
| 4 | Crystal Palace | 15pts |
| 5 | Leicester | 15pts |
Talking points
- Liverpool announced Jürgen Klopp as their new manager after parting ways with Brendan Rodgers. Klopp had previously managed German side Borussia Dortmund, leading them to possibly the most glorious era in their history.
- Arsenal beat Manchester United with an unstoppable Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean scored two of their three goals in the first 20 minutes of the game.
- Manchester City destroyed Newcastle in the Etihad Stadium. The host side registered a 6-1 victory and Sergio Agüero scored five goals in less than 20 minutes, setting a new record in the English Premier League.
La Liga
Results
| Atlético de Madrid | 1-1 | Real Madrid |
| Sevilla | 2-1 | Barcelona |
| Levante | 1-0 | Villarreal |
| Athletic Club | 3-1 | Valencia |
| Málaga | 3-1 | Real Sociedad |
| Granada CF | 1-1 | Deportivo de La Coruña |
| Las Palmas | 0-2 | Eibar |
| Espanyol | 1-2 | Sporting de Gijón |
| Rayo Vallecano | 0-2 | Real Betis |
| Celta de Vigo | 0-0 | Getafe |
Table
| 1 | Villarreal | 16pts |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 15pts |
| 3 | Celta de Vigo | 15pts |
| 4 | Barcelona | 15pts |
| 5 | Atlético Madrid | 13pts |
Talking points
- Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid tied in the city’s derby. Karim Benzema opened the score for Real, but Atlético found the equalizer in the last minutes of the game to settle the draw.
- Barcelona played their first game since Lionel Messi was ruled out for two months following a knee injury. If things weren’t bad enough, Barça lost 2-1 to Sevilla and lost the chance to jump to the top of the table.
- Villarreal sits atop of the league after some great performances during their first games. It’s not the first time the Yellow Submarine registers a good start, but this time they’ll have to make sure to continue on the winning path to avoid being reached by their pursuers.
Bundesliga
Results
| Bayern Munich | 5-1 | B. Dortmund |
| SV Darmstadt 98 | 2-3 | Mainz 05 |
| Hannover 96 | 1-0 | Werder Bremen |
| Ingolstadt 04 | 2-0 | Frankfurt |
| Hoffenheim | 2-2 | Stuttgart |
| B. Mönchengladbach | 2-0 | VFL Wolfsburg |
| Hertha BSC | 3-0 | Hamburger SV |
| Schalke 04 | 0-3 | FC Köln |
| B. Leverkusen | 1-1 | FC Augsburg |
Table
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 24pts |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund | 17pts |
| 3 | Schalke 04 | 16pts |
| 4 | Hertha BSC | 14pts |
| 5 | FC Köln | 14pts |
Talking points
- Bayern Munich made a statement by beating Borussia Dortmund 5-1 at the Allianz Arena. Some say this result could ultimately prove decisive when the league ends, as seven points separate both clubs in the classification.
- Stuttgart returned to the bottom of the table and are starting to lose ground to some clubs higher than them.
- Ingolstadt have had a pretty decent run so far, with four victories, two draws and two defeats in their eight games.
Serie A
Results
| AC Milan | 0-4 | Napoli |
| Sampdoria | 1-1 | Inter Milan |
| Juventus | 3-1 | Bologna |
| Palermo | 2-4 | Roma |
| Empoli | 1-0 | Sassuolo |
| Udinese | 1-1 | Genoa |
| Chievo Verona | 1-1 | Hellas Verona |
| Fiorentina | 3-0 | Atalanta |
| Carpi | 2-1 | Torino |
| Lazio | 2-0 | Frosinone |
Table
| 1 | Fiorentina | 18pts |
| 2 | Inter Milan | 16pts |
| 3 | Lazio | 15pts |
| 4 | Roma | 14pts |
| 5 | Torino | 13pts |
Talking points
- AC Milan suffered a painful 0-4 defeat at the hands of Napoli, the first time in years the have received such an amount of goals at their home ground of San Siro.
- Inter Milan lost the top of the league to Fiorentina following two a defeat against them and a draw with Sampdoria. Only two points separate the two of them so far.
- Roma and Lazio entered the title battle after successive wins. The Roman clubs aim to score high and get Champions League qualification.
- Juventus’ slow start has cost them a lot of points, and they hope to climb a few spots in the next weeks to recover and fight for the first spots.
Ligue 1
Results
| PSG | 2-1 | Marseille |
| Monaco | 1-1 | Rennes |
| Caen | 1-0 | St. Etienne |
| Lorient | 3-2 | Bourdeaux |
| Lyon | 1-0 | Reims |
| Angers | 1-0 | Bastia |
| Ajaccio | 2-2 | Toulouse |
| Troyes | 0-1 | Guingamp |
| Lille | 2-0 | Montpellier |
Table
| 1 | PSG | 23pts |
| 2 | Angers | 18pts |
| 3 | Caen | 18pts |
| 4 | Rennes | 16pts |
| 5 | St. Etienne | 16pts |
Talking points
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic became Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time top goalscorer after scoring a brace in their victory against Marseille, that also set them 5 points clear on the top of the league.
- Marseille has had a really bad season up until this point. The have just eight points and are close to the relegation zone. The have a a four points advantage against the menaced teams, and cannot afford more defeats is they wish not to suffer with relegation this season.
- Ajaccio is the worst Ligue 1 club, just three points in nine games are evidence of a worrisome performance by them.
MLS
Latest Results
| Toronto FC | 2-1 | New York Red Bulls |
| FC Dallas | 2-0 | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| Real Salt Lake | 0-1 | Portland Timbers |
| Colorado Rapids | 0-1 | Montreal Impact |
Tables
Eastern Conference
| 1 | NY Red Bulls | 54pts |
| 2 | Toronto FC | 49pts |
| 3 | DC United | 48pts |
Western Conference
| 1 | FC Dallas | 54pts |
| 2 | LA Galaxy | 51pts |
| 3 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 50pts |
Talking points
- New York Red Bulls could clinch the first place of the Eastern Conference if they win or tie against Philadelphia Union on Sunday.
- Today’s game is vital for Orlando City. If they lose or tie against New York City, they’ll be eliminated from playoff competition. New York City is already out of competition.
- FC Dallas can win the Western Conference with either a win or draw against Real Salt Lake.
- Sporting Kansas City, Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers could secure their place in the playoffs this weekend.
Liga MX
Results:
| Pumas UNAM | 1-0 | Chivas |
| América | 2-1 | Chiapas |
| Monterrey | 4-0 | León |
| Santos | 0-0 | Toluca |
| Atlas | 0-1 | Tigres |
| Puebla | 1-3 | Morelia |
| Querétaro | 2-1 | Tijuana |
| Dorados | Suspended | Veracruz |
| Pachuca | Suspended | Cruz Azul |
Table
| 1 | UNAM | 25pts |
| 2 | León | 24pts |
| 3 | Toluca | 23pts |
| 4 | América | 21pts |
| 5 | Tigres | 19pts |
| 6 | Puebla | 19pts |
| 7 | Veracruz | 19pts |
| 8 | Morelia | 17pts |
Talking points
- The game of the week ended with a 1-0 victory of Pumas UNAM over Chivas. The game was so intense that it was decided by a penalty kick goal.
- Two games (Dorados vs Veracruz and Pachuca vs Cruz Azul) were suspended due to heavy rain and bad field conditions.
- Leon suffered a heavy loss in their visit to Monterrey, showing once again their two faces in the league: an unstoppable team at home and a weak team on the road.
What to look out for this weekend
Premier League: Tottenham vs Liverpool – Saturday, October 17 on NBCSN/NBC Universo at 7:45 a.m. ET.
La Liga: Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano – Saturday, October 17 on beIN Sports/beIN Sports en español at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Bundesliga: Mainz 05 vs Borussia Dortmund – Friday, October 16 on Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Serie A: Inter Milan vs Juvventus – Sunday, October 18 on beIN Sports at 2:45 p.m. ET.
Ligue 1: Monaco vs Lyon – Friday, October 16 on beIN Sports en español/beIN Sports Connect at 2:30 p.m. ET.
MLS: Orlando City vs New York City – Friday, October 16 on UniMás at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Liga MX: León vs Pumas UNAM – Saturday, October 17 on NBC Universo at 9:06 p.m ET.
UEFA Champions League
- Bayer Leverkusen vs AS Roma – Tuesday, October 20 on ESPN 2/ESPN Deportes at 2:45 p.m. ET.
- Arsenal vs Bayern Munich – Tuesday, October 20 on Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes at 2:45 p.m. ET.
- PSG vs Real Madrid – Wednesday, October 21 on Fox Soccer Plus/Fox Deportes at 2:45 p.m. ET.
