By DAN KARELL
Arsenal are 90 minutes from qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage, an important achievement considering all of the players they are targeting before the transfer window closes.
Following a 3-0 victory last Wednesday, the Gunners host Fenerbahce at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, seemingly in a strong position to move on. It’s a complete turnaround from the first English Premier League weekend of the season, when Arsenal were outplayed and defeated by Aston Villa.
In addition to Arsenal’s match, Schalke 04 visits Greece to face PAOK with the teams level, 1-1, on aggregate. Austria Wien hosts Dinamo Zagreb, Steaua Bucharest visit Legia Warszawa, and FC Basel face Ludogorets.
Finally, an early afternoon Bundesliga match is on tap as Bayern Munich, with their UEFA Super Cup match coming in Prague on Friday, have moved their upcoming weekend match against SC Freiburg to Tuesday.
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):
12:30pm – Freiburg vs. Bayern Munich – GolTV USA
2:40pm – Liverpool vs. Notts County – beIN Sport USA
2:45pm – Arsenal vs. Fenerbahce – Fox Sports 1
2:45pm – PAOK vs. Schalke 04 – Fox Soccer 2Go
2:45pm – FC Basel vs. Ludogorets – Fox Soccer Channel
2:45pm – Austria Wien vs. Dinamo Zagreb – Fox Sports Net/MSG Plus
8pm – Houston Dynamo vs. Arabe Unido – Fox Sports 1
Sunderland scores again! My word 4-2! Johnson with the goal.
4 goals. this is just ridiculous.
it is a third division team
AND THEY SCORED AGAIN
It seems as if the Wickham-Jozy partnership is working well.
Wickham-Jozy w/ Flecther could be a pretty solid threesome up front.
Jozy is on a roll now. He is winning corners, drawing fouls, and playing with intensity. This is awesome.
Where are u guys watching this?
I am listening to the audio stream on the SAFC website.
These announcers are have a great time too
I can’t recall a team going from absolutely dreadful to scorching hot in a matter of minutes. Crazy.
PDC sides always have excellent conditioning, so that could play into it.
How about the USMNT v. Bosnia 😉
The Sunderland message boards have just exploded haha.
Can you provide a link to the message boards?
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/forums/pure-football.86/
first one I found when Jozy signed haha. thank you google
I made the mistake of clicking on that link. I don’t know what language they speak over there in England, but it made little sense.
You’re kiddin me. Have you ever seen the Jamaican’s then cause that may as well be in hieroglyphics.
http://www.thereggaeboyz.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/postlist/Board/1/page/1
Sunderland goes up 3-2! Jozy with a good free kick that Wickham puts in off the rebound. WOW!!!!
SUNDERLAND WITH THE 3RD. JOZY WELL INVOLVED
ALTIDORE TO WICKHAM YEAAAAAAH
Sunderland with the equalizer!!! Wickham with a big finish. Hopefully, they can get this in to extra time.
and we’re tied in stadium of light. jozy uninvolved in this one
One thing about PDC, his teams are well conditioned. The new Czech RB with the assist on that one.
YEEEEAAAH SUNDERLAND
Shalke has the third and is clear through
Good, Shalke needed to win something. They should be much better than this.
Liverpool…. ruh roh.
i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again. i don’t trust Jermaine Jones to play the shield role. cards, cards, cards and bad giveaways. $1000 says he gets benched by Klinsi, throws a fit, and never plays for MNT again.
$1000? Wow!
…
he’s gotten two yellows, the red and has been sent off. that deserves some concern though maybe not to that exaggeration.
He plays the destroyer role for the US and still has never been red carded. I believe Jones only has 2 more career red cards than Bradley does–with like 10 extra years of career.
According to national-football-teams.com, Jones has earned 9 yellow cards in the past two years (19 games). In that same stretch, MB has earned 2 yellow cards. Neither has a red. If we go off of recency, there’s some good reasons for concern. That doens’t mean you don’t play Jones.
TedMN.
Comparing JJ’s club card record with Mikey’s doesn’t really work.
JJ is more of Schalke’s enforcer while Mikey is not that for Roma.
Does that website explain the circumstances behind each yellow? You have to know that before you can make a judgment on what that tells you about a player.
As you know, yellows are given for many different reasons. Some are calculated for tactical reasons, such as JJ submarining Neymar in that US vs. Marcelo game. Did JJ even get a card for that? And some are given because the player is losing their ability to tackle cleanly. Others are due to temperamental issues and some are because the player is stupid.
JJ has been playing this way his entire career and he is still a starter. That should tell you his managers aren’t that worried about the card business.
its not club, its national football team. otherwise, JJ would obviously have had a red card…cause he earned one today.
Also, both of them have played more than 19 games in two years. I don’t extensively watch either at club, but there’s a reason Jones is criticized with the Nats: he earns a lot of stupid yellows. Are there reasons for a lot of em? Sure. Does that explain 1 every other game over 2 years? I wouldn’t say so.
What’s more, the original intent was the comparison to MB as being worse which on the basis of actual statistics is ludicrous.
Once again though, I still think that doesn’t mean you sit Jones.
yeah, i was just “commenting” on the hyperbole given Jones has not had card problems with the USMNT…ever. and the fact that he played well today, including a sick @ssist. JK gave a very good description of Jones’ role so people understand his job is to pick up yellows sometimes. it just is what it is. but, picking up 2 is never part of the job and he deserves to be criticized for it.
‘Jones has not had card problems with the USMNT…ever.’
he did have to serve a suspension in the preliminary round of concacaf quals due to card accumulation, so you can’t say he’s never had card problems. but i agree that this whole argument is stupid.
That’s true. Forgot about that.
You’re going to bet a $1000 that a player who had his ankle slashed open beyond the flesh and continued playing in a blizzard with the open wound against the cold while wearing our colors–and who has never received a red card for the USMNT in 33 caps will throw a fit and never play for us again?
Please go find Jermaine Jones and say that bleeping garbage to his face.
I don’t understand the anti jones hate. He isn’t perfect but a pretty solid midfielder who has experience like no other player we have.
As one poster said here re: Johansson & Brooks debate and Wondo & EJ debate… the striking difference in support of Bradley (and his red cards) and the hate for Jones (and his lack of red cards) really is, well, black and white.
I don’t think its race… People seem to like Brooks more than Johnansson. Atleast until AZ season started…. after that I think its just goals.
Wondo and EJ? no idea.
Increase,
You’ve got guys who post that JK does not call in Lichaj because JK has issues with Polish people and you don’t think race is an issue? There is plenty of casual, thoughtless racism posted here.
Jones has got lots of tats and has something of a thug look. He also happens to be an enforcer for Schalke a role a lot of USMNT fans don’t really appreciate, understand or like.
If you pay attention JJ is arguably as skilled as anyone on the team but his value lies in other areas. He adds a lot of steel to the USMNT. Before JJ this team was often pushed around and intimidated by the big boys and not just because they were more skilled. Gooch , Boca and Pablo were tough guys but in a different way from Jones. JJ is more proactive and creative about it.
At the highest level this game is a blood sport and not for the faint of heart.
I am fascinated by the hate for Jones as well. From what I can tell, I think most of it is about a disdain for CMs who aren’t seen as being creative. It seems like most of the people who want to see JJ dropped from the team want him replaced with Mix or Corona (young guys who are viewed as potential offensive catalysts). I have yet to see an anti-Jones poster who advocates for Kljestian or Beckerman as his replacement, although some prefer Cameron to JJ. The other aspect is Jones’ age at the time he became a part of the USMNT picture: fans never had the chance to see him as the “future” of the team so it’s natural to dismiss him easier than other guys like Bradley.
Prediction of a Sunderland relegation by the third of the season mark is looking more promising every match.
Holy god they are bad.
At least Jozy is sweet.
Jozy!!!! That was huge. I new his work would pay off.
you are a hypocrite. shameful
F YEAH LETS GOOOOOO JOZYYYYY!!
Anyone see the Jozy goal? Can you describe it?
Finally Altidore!
Jozy!!
JOZZZZYYYYYYY
ALTIDORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ramsey with a brace today. Famous people worldwide had better watch their backs!
Altidore goes down light apparently. Been there a couple times over the past week.
I wish Altidore would stop diving
and Shalke’s got the lead again on a neat through ball. goes around the keeper and neatly into the opposite netting
Jones owes him dinner.
The announcers are cracking me up. They aren’t holding any punches on Sunderland. This is a total joke. Good thing Jozy chose to test himself week-in and week-out in the “best” league in the world.
Jones gets his yellow with a reckless one from behind after getting knocked off the ball
MK Dons just scored again…2-0. This is embarrassing. Cabral blew it and gave the Dons player a clear breakaway. Can Jozy get transferred out now, please?
Yes, why don’t you quit your job after your third day when things haven’t immediately worked out. That’s a great way to make decisions. Do you realize how knee jerk you are being? There are about 60 matches in the BPL season and you are ready to give up after 2? Sunderland turned over their whole roster. YOu have to give it at least 3 months to see how things gel, not 3 games. Just relax.
Yes, why don’t you quit your job after your third day when things haven’t immediately worked out. That’s a great way to make decisions. There are about 60 matches in the BPL season and you are ready to give up after 2? Sunderland turned over their whole roster. YOu have to give it at least 3 months to see how things gel, not 3 games. Just relax.
The announcers are dumping on some of Di Canio’s decisions. Ji was just pulled 3 minutes into the second half, as well.
This is embarrassing from Sunderland
PAOK ties it up quite easily
PAOK looks weird as heck with the fan ban. Too many empty seats .
Stadium isn’t totally empty, hear some chanting after he PAOK equalizer.
haha which you can hear because its so empty. there’s only about 30 people (they’ve showed em a couple of times) because there was some violence by PAOK fans last year against Vienna
According to ESPN Gamecast, there have been a ton of shots from the midfield circle in the Sunderland – MK Dons game. Guys are feeling ambitious today I guess
Danny Williams starting for Reading….which is losing 3-0 to Peterborough
Whitbread and Spector both starting and winning which means Tim Ream is the only man not out for his team after playing on the weekend but that’s injury related.
Announcers saying that Altidore is having to do it all by himself. He is getting no support in the attack.
Yeah, they don’t sound impressed with the other attackers. Adam Johnson seems to be okay? But not getting crosses in.
Ji has been absolutely terrible. He is turning it over and missing on almost every pass. Johnson and OShea have been decent, but haven’t provided too much going forward. At least that’s what it sounds like.
Jones with a pinpoint 50 yarder to unlock the PAOK defense, Schalke go up 1-0.He may play lax at times and give the ball away too easily but the guy sure can pick out a long pass.
Awesome p@$$$ by Jermaine Jones to get Shalke up 1-0
Jozy slammed one off the post. Dang…so close.
Jozy is doing well so far. He is taking guys on and drawing fouls. He is having to do quite a bit by himself. Fletcher is warming up as we speak. I figure he will be coming on up top to partner with Jozy.
Announcers saying that Ji will get the hook at the half.
How many games without scoring until we can say that Jozy’s form and confidence will suffer?
I don’t want to say it, but it seems Jozy is reverting to his stand around and wait for service form. Not aggressive enough for Sunderland so far IMO.
I say that based on his BPL games. I can’t see this game, just the audio stream for me.
Can you say where you’re finding that (without activating angry moderators?)
or just F me I need to look down farther
I think the issue will be frustration moreso than confidence this time around with Jozy. I think he is playing well in terms of form. Unfortunately, he is having to do everything by himself.
Jozy went nearly two years and 12 games for USMNT w/o scoring and it did not dent his form and confidence since at the same time he was torching the Dutch league.
Jozy is much tougher than you guys think he is.
sunderland
live AUDIO stream.
http://safc.com/news/team-news/2013/august/live-matchday-audio?registered=true
Jones with the mandatory yellow in the 19th minute.Doing a nice job of spraying the ball around though.
As I say that he gives the ball away under zero pressure.Typical Jones playing too laid back.
Guy hardly gets reds considering… It is actually quite surprising.
You jinxed him.
Sunderland’s experiment not going so well thus far. It is taking too much time to implement a new style of play. Celustka looks out of his depth in the Premier League and keeps hitting inaccurate long balls.
Aww, Jozy almost got a pen. Needs to learn to get fouled in the box. =d
Well, MK Dons just scored against Sunderland. 1-0 early on….yikes. Fletcher is also amongst the subs for today. It will be interesting to see if he makes it on the pitch today.
Jozy starting for Sunderland.
Jones starting for Schalke
So sweet to see FC Bayern drop points against Freiburg, with the game ending 1-1. Hilarious after the game to see crazy Freiburg coach Christian Streich exuberantly shaking hands with a humiliated and ununhappy looking Pep Guardiola and patting him on the back.
Sunderland stream?
“Sunderland stream?”?
http://www.safc.com/news/team-news/2013/august/live-matchday-audio
You’ll need to register an account with them.
Lletget on the bench for West Ham
Looking foward to watching Houson tonight
Me too. I hope that they take it serious.
Maybe the reserves will be motivated to show that they deserve to be playing 1st team ball after the utter embarrassment at Montreal.