The first two quarterfinal matches of this year’s Africa Nations Cup highlight this busy Saturday in the world of soccer.
Ghana will take on Cape Verde Islands in the opening match in Port Elizabeth. The Black Stars won Group B with very little trouble, netting six goals in their three group stage matches. Cape Verde Islands, playing in their first major international tournament, shocked the world earlier in the week by defeating Angola deep into stoppage time and securing a quarterfinal spot.
In the second quarterfinal, tournament hosts and Group A winners South Africa face a Mali side that only scored twice in the group stage. This is the first time that Bafana Bafana have made it to the knockout stage since 2002, and they will look to use their raucous homefield advantage to get a famous win.
In Germany, Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich will face a challenge as the club travels to face an impressive Mainz club fighting for a European place.
Over in England, striker Demba Ba makes his return to St James’ Park when Chelsea faces Newcastle United. The Blues hope to avoid yet another frustrating draw to a lower-ranked team and keep their lead over Tottenham intact.
Action from Mexico will cap off the day, headlined by a battle between the top two teams in Liga MX. Tigres U.A.N.L. and Tijuana are tied at the top of the Clausura table with perfect 4-0-0 records.
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):
7:45am – ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/ESPN3.com – Queens Park Rangers vs. Norwich City
9:30am – GolTV – Mainz vs. Bayern Munich
10am – ESPN3.com – Ghana vs. Cape Verde Islands
10am – Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Deportes – Newcastle United vs. Chelsea
10am – Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer2Go.com – Arsenal vs. Stoke City
10am – FoxSoccer2Go.com – Everton vs. Aston Villa
10am – FoxSoccer2Go.com – Reading vs. Sunderland
10am – FoxSoccer2Go.com – West Ham United vs. Swansea City
10am – FoxSoccer2Go.com – Wigan Athletic vs. Southampton
10am – BeIN Sport en Español – Osasuna vs. Celta Vigo
12pm – BeIN Sport – Getafe vs. Deportivo La Coruña
12pm – BeIN Sport en Español – Torino vs. Sampdoria
12:30pm – FoxSoccer Channel/Fox Deportes – Fulham vs. Manchester United
1:30pm – ESPN3.com – South Africa vs. Mali
2pm – BeIN Sport en Español – Espanyol vs. Levante
2:45pm – RAI – Napoli vs. Catania
4pm – BeIN Sport/BeIN Sport en Español – Granada vs. Real Madrid
6pm – Univision – América vs. Querétaro
8pm – Univision Deportes – Pachuca vs. Toluca
8pm – UniMás – Tigres U.A.N.L. vs. Tijuana
9pm – Telemundo – León vs. Cruz Azul
JFT (Gringo) with a late tackle bka a trip to set Xolos up with a FK 26 yards from goal. Nothing come of it ball struck into the wall.
Some decent tackling and pressure in this game. Not your typical Liga MX fixture.
Never mind … Route 1 ball + Bad Clearance falls right to Riascos who makes ’em pay. Nice celebration to breaking out “the Worm”
wish I’d read this comment before posting above. great call on the pressure D and it being atypical for a Mex Liga game.
Tigres-Tijuana just kicked off. Castillo, Corona and Torres all playing
“El Homey” (Castillo) had a great Dribble to draw a free kick in the 59th minute. The goal from the FK was waved off for Off Side. Offensive player about 9″ off.
Good game. Great intensity. Crowd is bananas!
all 3 had their moments, all 3 seemed to tire pretty hard too, both Corona and Torres being subbed off. lots of pressure in the middle third and high pressure from Tijuana especially all game made for a fast pace and back and forth action
that crowd was crazy, seemed like every shot of the stands showed a wild bunch with big beers in their hands loving it
This AZ game is some atrocious soccer.
Rooney with a great goal 1-0 man u, surprised there’s not more goals.
Lights have gone out at Craven Cottage in the forty-third minute. Interesting scene.
Both teams have been lead off the field. Good game so far, 0-0, ManU the better side but Fulham defending well and working the counter. Riise had a rocket of a shot saved, as did Ruiz. Rooney has been active, van Persie anonymous, both teams have hit the woodwork.
yeah, they are pulling an LA.
Hernandez on, 66th minute 0-0n as RVP and Rooney stand over an indirect free kick outside the are. RVP rips it but Schwarzer is there
fun game to watch so far this one
LetS start a protest against the sash! Before it is too late
I am serious. We have great colors but our kits could be so much better!
ah, Altidore! Missed an easy tap-in, skying it over instead
Jozy had a couple of great plays and an excellent shot saved by the keeper in the first half – he looks like he could put one in tonight (or at least tally an assist)
Roma fired their manager, hopefully this won’t effect the playing time of Bradley but that is something to watch.
Maurice Edu started for Bursaspor against Galatasaray. Edu playing deep Number Six position, going forward now and then. His touch is looking excellent, very calm on the ball and good distribution and, as expected, solid on defense. The game is 1-1 in the 32nd minute in a packed and boisterous Bursaspor stadium and highly entertaining. This move looks like a good one for Edu.
your stream must be a lot better than mine. can hardly pick him out, even though he’s one of the only black guys on the field.
edu starting for bursa in their match against gala. pretty sure he’s mid. it looks f***ing intense.
Just looked at the SBI American’s Abroad and makes no mention of Germerican Shawn Parker, who has been scouted by Klinsmann. Parker started for Mainz today against FC Bayern and played 84 minutes. No goals, but apparently, according to reports, he looked decent.
Napster, Facebook, now German soccer player. Is there anything this guy can’t do?
nice!
Parker is firmly entrenched with the German Youth National Teams at the moment and it is unlikely, as of right now, that he will play for the US.
lolcatastrophe! after being up 2-1, chelsea end up losing to newcastle 3-2 in stoppage time. they are awful.
I love jack Wilshire. I wish he was an American. Micheal Own’s an English legend – does Wilshire care? Nope, he shoved one of Wilshire’s team mates so he immediately gets in his face.He can play some too…
Nice Punch by Michael Owen. After a clean tackle from Arteta. Didn’t take long for Owen to assimilate into a Stoke player
And it’s 1-0 Arsenal after a Podolski free kick deflects off a jumping Cameron’s legs and into the back of the net.
Schalke lost with a last-second goal form the worst team in the Bundesliga, Greuther Fuerth, and appears to be falling apart. I gotta say, as a Huub Stevens fan, that firing ol’ Huub was a very stupid move by Schalke management. He has been replaced by the previous youth coach, who is good buddies with the team’s sport direction and who was obviously not ready to move up to the first team. The wheels are starting to come off Schalke as they prepare to play Galatsray in the Champions League.
Oh yeah, Jermaine Jones started and did not get a yellow card.
SBI sould report Jones’ performances that way “Jones started and playing 90 min and did not recieve a yellow card”
Williams’ form had nothing to do with the previous coach. The kid was just simply not getting it done. You could argue his confidence suffered with the previous coach but not his form. That is a patented Yank Abroad apologist comment if I ever saw one.
Great come from behind win for Hoffenheim today. New coach has inspired this team to give it all. Danny Williams did not start, but came in at the 76th minute and looked very, very good. His previous poor form might have had to do with the previous joker of a coach, Markus Babbel. Also Hoffenheim’s new goalkeeper, the previous Number 3 from Tottenham, started in palce of Bad Boy Tim Wiese and looked good, could actually smile with his teammates unlike Wiese.
Is D-Will now competing for playing time with Polański?
chelsea continue their quest to drop points to every bottom-half team. down 1-0 at half; ba subbed off after a kick to the head.
2-1 Chelsea after Mata scores, unmarked.
nothing you said was incorrect, but i’d like to point out that that was a beautiful goal by mata.
If Guzan beats Howard’s team today does that mean he gets to start in honduras? Surely Klinsman couldn’t have arranged it any better.
Probably not.
Guzan is arguably playing better but with keepers it is a lot like boxing, you have to knock out the champ to replace him.
Allegedly, Timmy is a long time team leader and I would not be inclined to replace him and disrupt an already shaky defense with a new keeper unless Brad was clearly playing a level above Timmy. On the other hand, maybe that shake up is just what the defense needs.
Right now JK has more pressing issues to address.
Eric Lichaj does not appear to even be on the bench today for the battle between the American keepers
Lichaj appears to be in the dog house with manager and fans..in fairness to him he was doing really well until he was moved from RB to LB. I think as a RB he could have a nice career in the PL, but on the left side probably not
Lichaj is probably most comfortable at right back but when he was at Leeds they played him at left back and wanted to buy him for that spot.
Too bad for Eric that the deal never happened.
Lambert bought Lownton specifically to strengthen Villa’s right back spot. It seems Lichaj lost that battle which is why he moved to left back.
+1
he’s a championship-caliber left back, and he has potential to be epl-caliber right back, and now he’s stuck in that wasteland where versatile players who aren’t quiiiite good enough go (although when he’s on his game, like the end of last season, he can easily be good enough for the usmnt).
I doubt JK caps Lichaj until he either wins a full time job with Villa or transfers elsewhere and wins a job there.
Right now both full back positions are covered by Dolo, Fabian and in no particular order Chandler, Cameron, Parkhurst, Morales, Morrow, Fiscal, Spector, D. Williams and Evans. I would also put Besler, who reminds me of Phil Jones of Man U., in there.
Given the way Lichaj has played this year I rate him behind all of them.
*soccernet
Soccer is not showing Holden on the bench for Bolten. Hope it’s not a bad sign.
He has dinged his knee. Not sure how bad.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO G. Bean, don’t even get people scared with that rumor. he was on the other end of a harsh tackle in a reserve game yesterday, and limped off the field and out of the game in the 32nd minute. HOWEVER, it was his foot that received the knock, not his knee (albeit the foot on the same leg where his injured knee was). After the match they caught him saying the foot/ankle is sore, but he’s ok
The first reports that I had heard were a non-serious knock to the knee or leg. Bolton is playing it down, so hopefully it’s minor.
Ya hopefully, this is what I got just now from Bolton’s like match tracker site “Just in case you missed it earlier, Stuart Holden limped out of the development squad game last night at Hyde United. He’s OK, though, and only has minor ankle bruising and cuts.”
Good news for the USMNT. Fabian Johnson is starting for Hoffenheim today. There had been a bit of an injury concern over him last week but this means he’s good to go for Honduras.
cameron is playing in the hole in the 4-4-1, with crouch up top.
make that a 4-4-1-1
So he is a support striker?
pretty much. he has been very economical with his touches so far.
I think Cameron is in midfield today
That’s what I was seeing. Possibly CDM on the left.
Or LM.
he seems to be roving around a lot – it’s probably a tactical thing. I’ve seen him on LW and at AM position. Interesting
Not surprising considering that Kinnear had him play in several roles, but really interesting that Pulis is.
He’s pretty strong on the ball.
I’m pretty sure the commentator said that Stoke just signed “Ben Shea from MLS.” – Lol
the USA centennial kit might have been leaked on the free beer movement’s twitter.
Not liking it. Really getting sick of the sash. I just think it’s tacky, and they’ve never been able to make the sash look good.
Agree, the sash is always been a thing of central and south America
Link? Pwitty pweez?
DAT SASH
https://twitter.com/FreeBeerMovemnt/status/297471631025115136/photo/1
I think that badge is SO much better than the dumb one we’ve had for years.
Yeah but,……IMHO – the sash should run from L shoulder to R hip, the starts n’ stripes crest should be over the heart / L man boob, centered inside the sash margins.
The Nike logo in red or navy, where it is, but on the white jersey as background.
So much more stylish and soulful that way.
The Nike swoosh inside he says says money, money, money, cold corporate profit over team spirit, National pride and soul.
sorry, should read “stars n stripes”
+1
They can wear pink tutus for all I care, as long as they perform well. Everyones fixation on the goddam kits is maddening!!
That would look really nice without the sash. That sash kills it.
^ This. Minus the sash, that’s a good shirt. Badge is way better, dig the blue accents but that sash is brutal.
I like the reference to historic US jerseys. This, to me, is how they should have used the sash from the beginning.
+1. Mixed feelings about this one. Could be better but i like it
anything is better than the dang hoops.
BTW I love that mock badge. put US Soccer in navy at the top of that bad boy and we have a new crest that doesn’t look like clipart.
roma fired zeman. had to happen. hope bradley keeps playing.
Unfortunate. They were fine before the break and afterwards simply could not find the back of the net. Not the managers fault. The last two matches, Zeman seemed to panic for his job and change tactics which led to some problems but before that, it was mostly a matter of missed chances.
So Fulham can afford £100k a week for Berbatov but Dempsey couldnt get 50k?
Jozy to score today
Why doesnt fox soccer channel show more PL games? 3 a day. they should do 5. forget Serie A. no1 wants to see that crap
Fox Soccer doesn’t even have Serie A anymore, that too has been snatched up by BeIN. They only have Premier League (for the rest of this year) and the Champions League.