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Soccer Saturday: Your Running Commentary

 TimHowardBlack (Getty)

 

Tim Howard celebrated his 33rd birthday earlier this week and will be looking for a belated birthday present in the form of a victory against fellow American Brad Friedel and Tottenham today.

Today's Tottenham clash is the first game in a big week of matches for Everton, with the Toffees taking on Liverpool on Tuesday and playing in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Saturday against Sunderland.

The Everton-Tottenham clash isn't the only match-up that will pair Americans up against each other. In Mexico, U.S. World Cup teammates Herculez Gomez and DaMarcus Beasley could see a lot of each other when Santos Laguna takes on Puebla.

Tim Ream and Bolton open today's action on national TV against Queens Park Rangers, with a win potentially helping the Trotters climb out of the relegation zone. In Germany, another key match-up featuring Americans will see Hoffenheim take on Bayern Munich, with Fabian Johnson and Danny Williams expected to play key roles against the German powerhouse.

The 2012 MLS season also kicks off today, with defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy taking on Real Salt Lake.

If you will be watching today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Today's TV Schedule is after the jump):

TODAY'S SOCCER ON TV

7:45 a.m. - ESPN2/ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes - Bolton vs. Queens Park Rangers

9:30 a.m. – ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes - Bayern Munich vs. Hoffenheim

10 a.m. - Fox Soccer Channel - Chelsea vs. Stoke City

10 a.m. - Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv - Sunderland vs. Liverpool

10 a.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Aston Villa vs. Fulham

10 a.m. – FoxSoccer.tv - Wolverhampton vs. Blackburn

10 a.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Portsmouth

12:20 p.m. - Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv - Bristol City vs. Cardiff City

12:30 p.m. – Fox Soccer Channel - Everton vs. Tottenham

12:30 p.m. - GOLTV - FC Augsburg vs. Borussia Dortmund

1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Brest vs. Bordeaux

1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Evian Thonon Gaillard vs. Sochaux

1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Nice vs. Nancy

1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Toulouse vs. Lorient

1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Valenciennes vs. St. Etienne

2 p.m. - ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes - Sevilla vs. Sporting Gijon

2:45 p.m. – Fox Soccer Channel - Palermo vs. Roma

3 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Lyon vs. Lille

3:15 p.m. - ESPN3.com - Porto vs. Academica de Coimbra

4 p.m. - ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes - Real Betis vs. Real Madrid

4:30 p.m. - GOLTV - Corinthians vs. Guarani

6 p.m. - MLS Live/Direct Kick - Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Montreal Impact

6 p.m. - MLS Live/Direct Kick - Colorado Rapids vs. Columbus Crew 

6 p.m. – Telefutura - Monterrey vs. Queretaro

6 p.m. - ESPN Deportes/Azteca America - Jaguares vs. Tigres UANL

7:30 p.m. - MLS Live/Direct Kick - D.C. United vs. Sporting Kansas City

8 p.m. - Telefutura - Santos Laguna vs. Puebla

8 p.m. - Telemundo - Chivas de Guadalajara vs. Cruz Azul

10 p.m. - Galavision - San Luis vs. Pachuca

10 p.m. – Telefutura - Atlante vs. Atlas

10:30 p.m. - MLS Live/Direct Kick - Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake

10:30 p.m. - MLS Live/Direct Kick - San Jose Earthquakes vs. New England Revolution

Comments

  1. You are correct.I just reviewed on old DVD of Barca. However he does do it so rarely one tends to forget.

    Barca keep the ball mostly on the ground because they are better there than anyone.

    Reply
  2. Holden isn’t the only change from their successful team.

    Bolton don’t have a lot of depth and in the competitive EPL it doesn’t take much to drop back into danger.

    Reply
  3. Mr Hogatroge,

    The scenarios you cite for Holden staying in the EPL should Bolton be relegated are possible but fall into the category of best case scenario.

    Could they happen? Absolutely. But for them to happen, it would mandatory that the buyer believe in Holden the way US , Houston and Bolton fans as well as Owen Coyle, do.

    The single biggest question mark about Holden is his propensity to get hurt at just the wrong time. The mugging that eventually ruined his chances at Sunderland , and the injuries courtesy of DeJong and Evans that cost him a regular spot with the USMNT, playing time in the World Cup and nearly half his games at Bolton, were put on him by others.

    That does not alter the fact that he has missed a great deal of time, and seems to have a lot of bad luck on a regular basis. And at 27, he will most likely be on the downside of his career.

    I’m sure Holden will be fine. Coyle and those who believe in him don’t care about these details but others do.

    Logic dictates that he stay with those who have faith in him and will give him a chance to prove more realistic people like me wrong.

    Reply
  4. It wasn’t USA fans promoting Holden. The English fans, club, and press all voted him the MVP, and Bolton dropped like a rock when he departed.
    Because of injury and long lay-off it’s still a risk, but not as much as a hundred other EPL buys in recent years.

    Reply
  5. You should get your local market games. ESPN will cover a handful and I think some playoff games will probably be on NBC proper.

    Reply
  6. After watching a painfully error-riddled Bolton-QPR match and the dreary mess that was Chelsea-Stoke, I signed up for MLS DirectKick. Seriously, after those games, the first Canadian derby of the year and my beloved Galaxy’s first match will seem like gold.

    Reply
  7. Seriously — if you’re a fan, buy a package. I’m a DC United fan, so I have season tickets. If I didn’t have a team, I’d buy a TV package…for a lot less money — about what I’d pay to go to one game, with parking, food and drink, if I didn’t already have my tickets…

    Reply
  8. True but he still should be on the radar ESP if he stays healthy and in form. Not sure he and Ream are actually competitors, though as their games are so different.

    Reply
  9. WC is still 2 years away, though. Their club situations could change drastically in that time. I don’t know what Cameron’s contract is like, but I’m sure Klinsi will push him to go to Europe if it is at all feasible. Omar got a Bundesliga shot so why can’t Cam? Opara is younger, less technical and a longer shot, sure, but you never know. Someone could watch him in the Olympics and fall in love with him and offer a big enough transfer fee to pry him loose.

    Reply

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