What Matches to Watch This Week: Friday, November 29 to Monday, December 2
Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the United States. Whether or not you celebrate the holiday, there’s a lot of soccer or football action to be thankful for. Some matches more than others. Let’s break down my recommendations from the previous article.
The Good
Plymouth Argyle 2–2 Watford
Plymouth Argyle showed a never say die attitude thanks to the former Watford player Andre Gray scoring a brace, including the second goal coming in second half stoppage time to confirm the positive result. 4 goals split evenly between two clubs on either sides of the EFL Championship table sets the tone for the weekend.
I also caught the end of the Swansea Leeds 7 goal thriller won by Leeds. It’s been an entertaining week for the best second tie league in the world.
Fulham 1–4 Wolves
The game was 2–1 Wolves until the late stages, but you could sense that one team was hungrier for the win. Hungry like…the wolf? As it turns out, yes! Matheus Cunha and Gonçalo Guedes clinched the result late on and it looks like the Wolverhampton Wanderers side we expected to see this season has finally arrived. Well done Gary O’Neil keeping this team motivated and ending their 9 month drought without an away win in the Premier League.
Parma 1–3 Atalanta
Atalanta dominated the first half and got a 2–0 lead, but Parma four back to make it 2–1 in the second half. Whichever side’s star players showed out down the stretch would decide the outcome. Up stepped Ademola Lookman who found the back of the net twice: the first ruled offside, but the second confirmed the points for Atalanta.
New York City FC 0–2 New York Red Bulls
How do you stick it to your rival? You come into their home stadium and score twice in the first half. Make the rest of the game an uphill batlle they can’t climb. New York Red Bulls win the ultimate Hudson River Derby. The next step: finish the job to even this rivalry at 1 MLS Cup apiece.
WSL: Chelsea 1–0 Manchester United
England’s WSL still runs through Chelsea who are having another remarkable campaign domestically and in Europe. Manchester United almost pulled a showstopper with their equalizer attempt hitting the post, but it was a good showing against the class of the division.
Athletic Bilbao 1–0 Real Sociedad
The battle of the Basque clubs promised of loads of homegrown Spain national team caliber talent shining in this big game. Oihan Sancet set the tone with the opening goal. Sancet and the rest of the Bilbao midfield dictated the tempo for much of the match. The difference in this hotly but compactly contested derby was Bilbao took one of their chances but Real Sociedad spurned theirs, particularly a good one in the last 10 minutes.
LA Galaxy 6–2 Minnesota United
The game got off to a flying start with 3 goals scoring in the first 20 minutes to make it 2–1. In comparison to Orlando vs Atlanta being decided by just the one goal scored, that already made this a win for the neutrals. Joseph Paintsil looked to have put the game out of reach (especially after the John McCarthy penalty save) but then the retake went in to make it 3–2 before the first half. Aside from a Dayne St. Clair penalty save, the second half went all LA Galaxy’s way. The final score was a blowout and credit to the Galaxy (that’s how you can tell I’m unbiased), but Minnesota had their chances to keep it from going off the rails at least.
Empoli 1–1 Udinese
Two of Empoli’s key players 23 year old Italian striker Pietro Pellegri and Kiwi winger/wingback Liberato Cacace combined for Empoli’s crucial first half goal. This whole game has been a clash of two evenly matched sides and balanced rosters, full of talent looking to make a name for themselves and perhaps find a home at a bigger club next season. The English football cast off Keinan Davis equalized late for Udinese. 1–1 is a fair result for these two rising clubs of similar quality.
Newcastle United 0–2 West Ham United
A lot of West Ham’s most successful periods in the last half decade are tied to Tomas Soucek’s hot streaks, so when the Czech midfielder scores within 10 minutes at St. James’s Park, that boded well. Soucek really was everywhere for the Hammers, so much so that Joelinton had trouble marking him even on throw ins. West Ham doubled their advantage early in the second half with Jarrod Bowen setting up possibly the best finish of Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s career. West Ham put away their chances with Newcastle wasteful, so the visitors were rightful winners.
The Trophies
Colorado Springs Switchbacks 3–0 Rhode Island
In the fluctuating world of the USL Championship, I do hope making the final provides enough positive momentum for Rhode Island to remain a part of this family for the long haul. Congratulations to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks!
Orlando Pride 1–0 Washington Spirit
Marta winning this title is great and this title was deserved by everyone in that team. Especially Barbara Banda who made NWSL history by scoring in every round of the playoffs. This final took place in the country’s first ever women’s soccer specific stadium in Kansas City, which is easily the most likely contribution Kansas City has made to sports lately (because it sure ain’t the Chiefs).
The Inspiring
Valencia 4–2 Real Betis
As far as the game went, this was an end-to-end display of attacking football with Valencia seizing the moment with four goals. Half of them came through a Hugo Duro brace. The bigger picture is clear: this is the first game played at La Mestalla since the floods that devastated the Valencia region. Valencia gave their fans dealing with things so much bigger than football something to smile about.
The Bad
Como 0–2 Fiorentina
Fiorentina’s performance can be best described as telling Como “know your role, rookies”. Goals from Yacine Adli and Moise Kean flexed the gulf in talent, with Como’s rising star Nico Paz having a quite night besides a yellow card. As you’ll see, despite the amount of promising fixtures for Serie A this weekend, it wasn’t the best quality of action displayed. Don’t let that discourage you from tuning in for the rest of this ride as this Serie A season has been a major net positive.
The Mixed Bag
AC Milan 0–0 Juventus
Not quite the USMNT showdown we were hoping for but even with that adversity, both big Italian clubs featuring an American starter (Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie respectively. Juventus’s squad has seen better days health wise considering they had to start Tim Weah, who can play striker but mostly features as a winger/wing back, up top. The match itself was frustrating to watch, but the frustration mounts more for AC Milan who missed out on a chance to close the gap between the top six and themselves. Juventus will take this away point and hope to get players back soon.
Napoli 1–0 Roma
Game 1 of the Claudio Rainieri era begins with the baseline hope that he can last longer than Juric. Roma are already on their third manager of the season. To add to the misery, Romelu Lukaku scored the lone goal against his former club. The best that can be said for Roma is that the scoreline wasn’t as bad as what many projected going into this one.
The Weekend Ahead
Friday, November 29
11:30 am P/2:30 pm E St. Pauli (16th/8 pts) vs Holstein Kiel (17th/5 pts) ESPN+
For the Bundesliga fans here, you’re well aware that there’s a much bigger fixture on tap this weekend. Like with any league though, it’s worth monitoring the drama at the bottom of the table along with the top. St. Pauli’s most recent points came in a shock 2–0 away win against Hoffenheim in early November, the same week Holstein Kiel beat Heidenheim at home. A draw wouldn’t be an unwelcome result, but a win would feel infinitely better.
Saturday, November 30
4:30 am P/7:30 pm E: Watford (5th/29 pts) vs Queens Park Rangers (24th/11 pts) Paramount+
After watching Watford lose out on two crucial points in the last minute to scrappy underdogs Plymouth Argyle, I am intrigued to see what their approach will be as they host QPR at Vicarage Road. This was a week that featured midweek action in the EFL Championship, one of many to accommodate their 46 game league schedule. Promotion chasing clubs like Watford are expected to have the depth to take care of business against lower table opposition, and QPR are running out of time to not only dig themselves out of last place but of the bottom three positions altogether.
7:15 am P/10:15 pm E: Deportivo Alaves (16th/13 pts) vs Leganés (14th/14 pts) ESPN+
We go back to the relegation six pointer well but this time in Spain, with these clubs three and four points off of 18th place Valencia in the relegation zone. Despite being a hair lower than their visiting opposition, Alaves should be relatively confident as they only lost 2–1 away to Atlético Madrid (and Atleti just mopped the floor with Sparta Prague in the Champions League 6–0). Alaves captain Ander Guevara’s presence in midfield will look to shield the defense against former Barcelona academy product Munir El Haddadi.
Bonus: 9:20 am P/12:20 pm E: England vs USA TNT
The end of the NWSL season makes way for an International Break and this is one of the best matchups you could ask for. Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh, and George Stanway are among the key figures for the reigning European champions. USA come in as defending Olympic champions locked and loaded with stars like Naomi Girma, Rose Lavella, and recently committed Lily Yohannes. This friendly and the next one this window against the Netherlands will mark the final matches for the incredible shotstopper Alyssa Naeher in a USA jersey.
9:30 am P/12:30 pm E: Borussia Dortmund (5th/19 pts) vs Bayern Munich (1st/29 pts) ESPN+
Der Klassiker has arrived! Bayern Munich appear to be back to their status quo as Bundesliga leaders, and they want to keep it that way by keeping their biggest rivals at bay. Vincent Kompany, as most Bayern managers in the last fifteen years, has an embarrassment of riches of attacking options at his disposal. Pick your poison when it comes to Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman, and Leroy Sané. Harry Kane will be the constant threat coming off of a hat trick against Augsburg. Dortmund are starting to pick up the pace in the Bundesliga themselves, granted their 4–0 win against Freiburg was aided by two red cards. Nevertheless, expect Nico Schlotterbeck, Marcel Sabitzer, and Jamie Gittens to lead the Dortmund cause in the biggest fixture in German football.
11:45 am P/2:45 pm E: Bologna (8th/18 pts) vs Venezia (20th/8 pts) Paramount+
Like Watford vs QPR, Bologna are the more ambitious club hosting the bottom-placed opponents. Bologna’s thin squad (expected as bigger clubs swooped in to sign key players like Joshua Zirkzee) has been stretched and they haven’t been performing well in the Champions League or Serie A. They’ve been inconsistent at best, beating an albeit poor Roma side 3–2 before losing 3–0 to Lazio. You’d still expect the side featuring Riccardo Orsolini, Santiago Castro, and Remo Freuler to win this one, although their job will be harder with Tommaso Pobega serving a red card suspension.
3 pm P/6 pm E: Toluca vs Club America: Liga MX Playoffs Quarter Final 2nd Leg (Univision)
For a more in-depth preview to the Liga MX Playoffs, check out Cesar Hernandez’s article. He lists Club America among the underdogs, and I can’t remember the last time Club America entered a playoffs with that label. Even still, their attacking options will cause Toluca to be on high alert. This should be a fascinating clash of styles to kick off the quarterfinals and begin the quest for the latest Liguilla trophy.
MLS Playoffs: Conference Finals (MLS Season Pass Apple TV+)
4:30 pm P/7:30 pm E: Orlando City vs New York Red Bulls
7 pm P/10 pm E: LA Galaxy vs Seattle Sounders
The Western Conference offers a clash all too familiar to MLS fans of the early 2010s. The Eastern Conference features two clubs that once called on legends of the sport (Kaka and Thierry Henry respectively) but couldn’t get the MLS Cup victory their fans desired. There are so many great MLS Cup Final permutations possible from the Nicolas Lodeiro matchup to another classic LA/NY showdown (like the MLB World Series), but either way you won’t want to miss these playoff matches!
Sunday, December 1
5 am P/8 am E: Villarreal (4th/25 pts) vs Girona (7th/21 pts) ESPN+
A battle between the side in the final Champions League position vs a side currently experiencing the Champions League. This could be a feisty affair as Villarreal want to get back to where Girona is, while Girona have ground to make up to maintain their Champions League status for next season. Villarreal had to come back from 2–0 down to salvage a point at Osasuna (requiring a Gerard Moreno penalty to do so). Girona are in good form beating Espanyol 4–1 with Bojan Miovski scoring a brace.
8 am P/11 am E: Liverpool (1st/31 pts) vs Manchester City (2nd/23 pts) Telemundo/USA
An eight-point gap is usually massive for a title race, even in November, but this is Manchester City we’re talking about. They’ve hoarded their Premier League titles in the last decade by overcoming these types of deficits with relative ease. Granted, they have to figure out a misfiring (by his lofty standards) Erling Haaland and life without Rodri in midfield has been brutal (champagne problems compared to the rest of the league). The lack of a contract offer for Mohamed Salah during another brilliant campaign by the Egyptian winger is the biggest storyline for the red side of Merseyside. This is a must-win game for both clubs.
9 am P/12 pm E: Fiorentina (4th/28 pts) vs Inter Milan (3rd/28 pts) Paramount+
A clash between 3rd and 4th in Serie A is worth the overlap with the previous fixture to check in on. The state of this Serie A title race is summarized with this club being only 1 point behind Napoli in 1st, 1 goal behind Atalanta in 2nd, and only 3 goals ahead of Lazio in 5th. This game is massive! Fiorentina’s attacking areas are humming with Edoardo Bove, Lucas Beltran, and Moise Kean looking to torment Yann Sommer in goal and Alessandro Bastoni, one of the league’s best center backs. Likewise, David De Gea and Lucas Ranieri will have their work cut out for them dealing with Nicolo Barella, Mehdi Taremi, and Lautaro Martinez.
12 pm P/3 pm E: Real Sociedad (10th/18 pts) vs Real Betis (9th/20 pts) ESPN+
If Girona may be a little disappointed in 7th, both Sociedad and Betis should be annoyed standing 4 and 2 points adrift from the European places. Real Sociedad got blanked by their Basque rivals Ahtletic Bilbao in an unusually quiet outing for Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Oyarzabal. Martin Zubimendi did his role as a stablizing force in holding midfield. Real Betis were on the wrong end of an emotional outing from a Valencia side with their backs against the wall. Real Betis only scored one goal on their own (the other in that 4–2 loss being an own goal), so 19-year-old wonderkid Vitor Roque will look to bounce back up top.
Monday, December 2
11:45 am P/2:45 pm E: Roma (12th/13 pts) vs Atalanta (2nd/28 pts) Paramount+
Atalanta have been battletested this season and they’re rising up to the challenge. Whether it’ll be a true Serie A title challenge may be doubted by some, but they are playing the part phenomenally. Ademola Lookman is playing as well as he did down the stretch of last season, and the midfield partnership of Ederson and Maarten de Roon is keeping everything ticking. It’s the complete opposite of the chaos that Roma are dealing with right now. Losing 1–0 to Napoli isn’t the worst result and that’s a tough for assignment for manager #3 in Claudio Ranieri anyway. What isn’t helping matters is big money acquisitions like Enzo La Fee and Matias Soule, along with versatile young star Nicola Zalewski are languishing on the bench. As far as Atalanta is concerned, they need to take advantage of this reeling Roma side.
Midweek Recommendations Lightning Round
Tuesday, December 3
9:30 am P/12:30 pm E: Bologna vs Monza Coppa Italia (Paramount+)
11:45 am P/2:45 pm E: Bayern vs Leverkusen DFB Pokal (ESPN+)
Wednesday, December 4
9 am P/12 pm E: Wolfsburg vs Hoffenheim DFB Pokal (ESPN+)
12:15 pm P/3:15 pm E: Arsenal vs Manchester United Premier League (Channel TBD)
Thursday, December 5
12 pm P/3 pm E: Lazio vs Napoli Coppa Italia (Paramount+)
I hope this article motivates you to bundle up, enjoy the comfort of your home or workplace with friends or family, and watch plenty of soccer/football this holiday season! There will be more to come and I look forward to pick out the best of that bunch next week!
