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
It’s comforting that, when Deuce isn’t hitting the net in the EPL, Ream is getting an assist and Howard is shutting Tottenham down.
CAN’T WAIT!
I think you misunderstood my point. Whitbread’s 3+ years older than Ream and has had many injuries. Whitbread’s legs are made of glass. Ream likely has a much longer shelf life, irrespective of how good either is at this point.
Pay $50 for MLS Live and you can pretty much see them all, it’s worth it.
*might be a great situation for him, especially coming off an injury.
You’re simply playing the contrarian for the heck of it. Just because I am a USMNT fan doesn’t mean my statement is instantly discredited. Not every EPL side is Man City or Chelsea. Some combination of Wigan, Blackburn, QPR, West Brom, etc. will stay up if Bolton is relegated.
I’m not advocating for him to leave even if Bolton’s relegated. It might be a great situation for you. For a player that won team MVP last year and had his squad in the top 10 consistently prior to injury, it’s pretty silly to say there’s no other EPL side that would take him, even if he came in off the bench. It’s just untrue. Remember… Bolton’s not even his first EPL stop.
It’s not like I’m saying something completely off the wall, like that Deuce needs to be starting for Man City or Ream will make the EPL Best XI. You should be less quick to jump down everyone’s throats. Honestly, it seems to me you are so worried about seeming like you have a USMNT bias that you basically undervalue any American player.
Ok. Thank you. I needed to make sure I would be able to catch some games this season
Holliet just scored 2 goals for Blackburn man if he ends up playing for canda. Their national team is Gonna be stacked if the other de Guzman ends up suiting up for them also. Dero probably has a good 2 years left for the canucks.
A front three out of those players. Oh man they well be a sleeper team in wcq.
They have a free trial of the mls live online this weekend: live.mlssoccer.com. There will be games on ESPN and Galavision as well.
Some games will be on NBC and ESPN or you could watch the games online
…aaaaand the answer is no, at least for this game.
So if we don’t subscribe to MLS Directkick or get the NBC Sports channel, will we not be able to watch any MLS this year? I hope that’s not the case
True. 😉
Well, let’s just hope Cameron and Opara have the desire to improve because they are going to have to do that on their own.
JK seems to have more connections and pull around the football world but he can only do so much and Opara and Cameron can only spend so much time with the USMNT. The USMNT can help them but the improvement we are talking about will come from the individual and at the club level.
New coach for the bottom-dwellers in League 1. Perhaps Charlie Davies gets some more minutes?
Schwarzer bad mistake, and Fulham down 0-1.
Yeah, bad call when you have slo-mo, but in real time, it’s hard to see. Another vote for goal line technology?
How many people were not shocked up the terrible non-goal/goal in the QPR/Bolton game. Will be tough for QPR to swallow if they drop due to the terrible call.
Bayern is pissed.
Murphy out and Fulham looks much better. Dempsey seems to have moved up top with Probabniak and Fulham is dangerous.
🙂 + 1
Think of how the rest of us must feel! 🙂
Oops damn iPad. Good point not Gods point. What effing software thinks Gods point is a more likely choice than good point?
Gods point. I forgot to point out that he is weak inthe air or at least he has been beat on a number of set pieces in the past with NYRB, but there are techniques he can learn to compensate. There are lots of CBs that aren’t world beaters in the air but learn to use their bodies to prevent their mark from getting off the ground. If paired with a partner like Gooch, Goodson, Opara or Boca, it shouldn’t be an issue.
As I said, those are the 3 guys with the biggest UPSIDE. Nothing you said remotely began to contradict that. The WC is in 2 years and we would be best served if two or three of those guys DEVELOPED into international calibre starting CBs. You are talking about the present. I am discussing the future. Obviously first and foremost, a manager would have to have faith that his CBs can withstand the pace and pressure of WC play, but that is 2 years away and plenty of time for those guys to show their stuff. Ream is already in the PL. if he is successful there, it will be nearly impossible to keep him out of the WC. The other 2 are tougher calls, but Cameron has already earned a few call ups and a standout full season at CB for Houston could earn him a transfer to a big league. Opara is dripping with athleticism so a big team could also take a flyer on him after a good season or 2. If no one else steps up and we have to fall back on the experience of Boca then so be it but it is certainly not the best case scenario.
ah, it makes it more comprehensible if he was injured. Otherwise, Mikel was the obvious choice to come off.
Meanwhile, in the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim are getting annihilated, 7-0, and there are twenty minutes left for it to get worse.
WOW Bayern must REALLY want to stop the bleeding with the recent losses in Bundesliga play, they have scored 7 goals now, it’s 7-0 and barely in the 69th minute…
I don’t think ream is national team quality, so if that means I don’t like Ream, then sure. I am sure there are a lot of people who think Tim Ream is great, I am just not one of them. I don’t base my opinion on what everyone else thinks, I base it on what I see. Ream was pretty good today, he certainly wasn’t incredible. It is very possible I don’t give him enough credit, but I also think people tend to give him too much credit at times.
BTW- I am a redbulls fan.
That someone was me!
Did Soccernet say injury? I’ve got a very iffy feed going and using Sky Sports ScoreCentre which only said he was pulled.
Makes more sense if he picked up a knock.
Leo Messi is not a very good header of the ball. How then is it possible that some are saying he is the greatest player ever?
Probably because they are focused on what he can do not what he can’t do.
It is very simple really. Focus on any player at Ream’s alleged level and you will find they all make mistakes. But if they keep getting on the field then it is because they make fewer ones than their competition.
You are such a typical USMNT fan, a few bad mistakes and the guy should have his citizenship revoked, a good outing or a goal and then guy is then next Fabio Cannavaro.
Keep in mind that Bolton is a bad team and that Ream is an inexperienced player trying to learn his craft and doing a reasonable job.
Right now he seems to be doing the most important thing of all.
He isn’t worried about pleasing you.
Rather, he is worried about making Owen Coyle, his boss happy enough so that he keeps sending him out there. So far, so good.
Actually, I think it’s a combination of things, Polo. He was resting Mata, I believe, but after Fuller got sent off, he wanted more offense in there. I AM surprised and a bit disappointed that Mikel didn’t come off since he has the early yellow card.
Well ESPN’s Soccernet says in their Gamecast that he came off due to an injury???
I think as someone said above, Di Mateo wanted to rest some of it’s starters in order for them to be fresh against Napoli midway thru next week?
I’ll be surprised if Stoke makes it through the second half without receiving at least another red card.
They are displaying even more rashness than usual.
Dempsey right in front of goal just can’t reach great centered ball by Johnson. And first half ends …
That tells me that either di Mateo caved on his plan to rest the best players… or he legitimately thought Meireles over Mata was a good decision.
Well that sucks….probably pulled something, lets hope it’s just a 2 week thing and not something that keeps him out too long…
Yeah I was wondering about this because he has no yellows on his stats that I could find????
di Mateo taking Meireles off 13 minutes before half. Doesn’t appear to have a knock… he just got Ricardo Clarked.
Yeah, Dempsey the only cottager showing confidence and good passing. But the rest of them are lifeless. Gotta give AV credit for taking the game.
ahhh.. we got to. I can deduce, that you do not “like” ream… it has nothing to do with his skill set regardless of how much you insist… take it easy, its overwith, he is not on the redbulls anymore, redbull hater. We are talking about a player who was not a first round draft pick, who almost got mvp, who peaked Arsen Wenger’s interest and was signed by Bolton after TWO seasons in the MLS… I dont know what game you are watching, but Ream was incredible today. If the other options were better than ream, why has there been no chatter or even looks by kilinsmann? you think its USSF politics or something? Or maybe, just maybe, your opinions and favoritism clouds your judgment….
Do Opara and Cameron play in a top 5 league?
And have they proven that their technique holds up at at the highest level? Right now they are mediocre as international centerbacks. Ream showed a desire to improve himself by moving to a higher level. Have Opara and Cameron displayed similar desire?
If those two can increase the level and intensity of their club play then they may have a better shot at starting for the US because the US can’t develop them; that happens at the club level.
The one thing Opara and Cameron have a very serious deficit in is high level experience.
They have almost zero international experience of any note.
At the centerback position in a World Cup, guys with technical ability and athleticism take a back seat to guys who actually know how to play the position under severe duress. JK isn’t keeping Boca around for his technical abilitiy and his athleticism
He was injured in warmups.
Yeah the ‘John Harkes’ of English commentary…
agreed. Sometimes things happen too fast for for a linesman or ref to spot. If a bit of tech helps, then do it.
Is there a reason Fabian Johnson is not playing?
AJ is on the foward left wing.
Dempsey playing center mid now ever since Danny Murphy got hit in the eye by Steph Ireland. The midfield now looks like:
Dembele-Dempsey
—Murphy——
He is getting more touches, controlling the game. I like this move from Jol as they were getting utterly dominated in the 4-4-2, the 4-3-3 with more central control is working better.
Aston Villa has 10 shots already in the first 25 minutes.
If ever any more ammunition is needed for goal line video replay technology, need not to go any further than that “goal”. It was a good 2 diameters of the ball in goal. No excuses for misses like that by the ref crew.
25 minutes AV is dominating Fulham, especially in the midfield. Murphy making lots of passing mistakes. If it keeps on like this, Fulham is going to lose big.