By TRAVIS CLARK
The 2010 MLS Playoffs are off the mark. After Thursday night's Colorado-Columbus opener, three more first legs highlight the slate of action. All three MLS matches should provide an entertaining spectacle, with the strong crowd out in Seattle one of many reasons to tune in Sunday night.
Across the Atlantic, top of the table clashes in France and Germany should provide an entertaining spectacle — surprise Rennes takes on Marseille, while in Germany, Mainz and Borussia Dortmund square off, while fourth place Hoffenheim hosts third place Hannover 96.
Italy and England action gives ample reason for attention as well, with AC Milan going up against Juventus, and Tottenham heading up to Old Trafford.
Here is a rundown of this weekend's soccer on TV, as well as SBI's Top Ten Matches to Watch:
SBI's Top Ten Matches to Watch
1. Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders FC. A must-watch matchup, as the Galaxy take the trip to Qwest Field and open up the playoff series with the Sounders. An inspired Qwest Field crowd will hopefully be matched by an equally as entertaining performance on the field.
2. Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas. This could be the best playoff matchup of the weekend, as Real Salt Lake visits Dallas. Both sides play a fairly entertaining possession style game, and if they decide to open things up it'll be fun to watch.
3. New York Red Bulls vs. San Jose Earthquakes. The Chris Wondolowski show has been one of the stories of the season. He now has a chance to show what he can do in the playoffs, and stake the Earthquakes to a valuable lead over the injury plagued Red Bulls.
4. AC Milan vs. Juventus. Milan's high-powered offense looks to hold off a recovering Juventus side.
5. Barcelona vs. Sevilla. FCB has encounted a few bumps early on in La Liga, and will be tested by Sevilla.
6. Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City. North England derbies have the ability to produce some fireworks, both on and off the pitch, and the Birmingham derby pits two clubs jostling for position in the middle of the Premier League standings.
7. Marseille vs. Rennes. OM splashed the cash this summer, and it's paid dividends to this point, as the club sits in second behind Rennes. Can the Ligue 1 leaders avenge last week's home defeat at the Velodrome?
8. Manchester United vs. Tottenham. A trip to Old Trafford gives Tottenham a chance to leapfrog United in the standings, while the Red Devils aim to keep up with Chelsea and keep the Rooney saga at a distance.
9. Mainz vs. Borussia Dortmund. The surprise first place team in Bundesliga, Mainz, looks to prove they belong at the top when they host Mainz on Sunday.
10. Stade Brest vs. St. Etienne. Another top four clash in France, Carlos Bocanegra and St. Etienne travel to face Brest and maintain pressure on Marseille and Rennes above them. Brest is one of the big surprises, currently in fourth place after earning promotion to Ligue one at the end of the 2009-10 season.
FRIDAY
2:30pm– GolTV- Bayern Munich vs. SV Freiburg
2:45pm– ESPN3.com/Fox Soccer Plus- Genoa vs. Inter Milan
8:00pm– Fox Soccer Channel- Evansville vs. Eastern Illinois
11:00pm– Fox Soccer Channel- UCLA vs. Washington
SATURDAY
9:30am– GolTV- Wolfsburg vs. Stuttgart
10:00am– Fox Soccer Channel- Arsenal vs. West Ham
10:00am– ESPN2/ESPN3.com- Chelsea vs. Blackburn
10:00am– FoxSoccer.tv- Everton vs. Stoke City
10:00am– FoxSoccer.tv- Fulham vs. Wigan Athletic
10:00am– Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv- Wolverhampton Wolves vs. Manchester City
12:00pm– Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv- Roma vs. Lecce
12:00pm– ESPN3.com- Valencia vs. Real Zaragoza
12:20pm– FoxSoccer.tv- Barnsley vs. Hull City
12:30pm– Fox Soccer Channel- Tottenham vs. Manchester United
1:00pm– FoxSoccer.tv- Auxerre vs. Nice
1:00pm– FoxSoccer.tv- Brest vs. St. Etienne
1:00pm– FoxSoccer.tv- Caen vs. Nancy
1:00pm– FoxSoccer.tv- Lorient vs. Arles
1:00pm– FoxSoccer.tv- Lyon vs. Sochaux
1:00pm– FoxSoccer.tv- Toulouse vs. Lens
2:00pm– GolTV- Hercules vs. Real Madrid
2:30pm– Fox Soccer Channel- AC Milan vs. Juventus
2:45pm– ESPN3.com- PSV vs. Twente
3:00pm– FoxSoccer.tv- Marseille vs. Rennes
4:00pm– ESPN3.com- Barcelona vs. Sevilla
4:15pm– ESPN3.com- Academica de Coimbra vs. FC Porto
5:00pm– Fox Soccer Channel- FC Dallas vs. Real Salt Lake
6:00pm– GolTV- Internacional vs. Santos (Delayed)
8:00pm– GolTV- La Equidad Bogota vs. Millonarios Bogota
9:00pm– Telemundo- Tigres UANL vs. Jaguares
8:00pm– Telefutura- Santos Laguna vs. Guadalajara
8:00pm– Fox Soccer Plus- Fulham vs. Wigan Athletic (Delayed)
10:00pm– Telefutura- San Jose Earthquakes vs. New York Red Bulls
10:45pm– Telemundo- Atlas vs. Pachuca
SUNDAY
3:00am– Fox Soccer Channel- North Queensland Fury vs. Gold Coast United
7:30am– ESPN3.com/Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv- Palermo vs. Lazio
8:00am– FoxSoccer.tv- Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City
9:30am– Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv- Newcastle United vs. Sunderland
10:00am– ESPN3.com- Brescia vs. Napoli
10:30am– ESPN3.com- Mainz 05 vs. Borussia Dortmund
12:00pm– Fox Soccer Channel- Bolton vs. Liverpool
12:00pm– GolTV- Sporting Gijon vs. Villareal
12:00pm– DirecTV- Malaga vs. Real Sociedad
12:00pm– ESPN3.com- Deportivo La Coruna vs. Espanyol
12:00pm– FoxSoccer.tv- Monaco vs. Bordeaux
2:00pm– Telemundo- Toluca vs. San Luis
2:00pm– Fox Deportes- Morelia vs. Monterrey
2:00pm– GolTV- Athletico Madrid vs. Almeria
3:45pm– ESPN3.com- Catania vs. Fiorentina
4:00pm– DirecTV- Athletic Bilbao vs. Getafe
4:00pm– GolTV- Hannover vs. Hoffenheim (Delayed)
4:00pm– Fox Soccer Plus- Montpellier vs. PSG
8:00pm– ESPN2/ESPN3.com- Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders FC
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What matches are you looking the most forward to?
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