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Soccer Saturday: Your Running Commentary

Shinji Kagawa of Manchester United in between Jason Puncheon of Southampton and Nathaniel Clyne

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

The English Premier League and La Liga return to action today with a packed viewing schedule for soccer fans here in the United States.

One of the day’s most intriguing matchups will take place at Old Trafford, where Manchester United will welcome Southampton. The defending champions have trudged out to ninth place to start David Moyes’s first season in charge, five places behind a surprising Saints squad that has not allowed a goal in its last six matches across all competitions.

Saturday’s EPL action starts at St. James’ Park as an up-and-down Newcastle United team hosts second-place Liverpool. The Reds are undefeated away from home this season, and their hosts have not exactly performed well in front of their fans so far, winning just one of their first three home matches.

In Spain, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid look to stay perfect through their Saturday road trips. Barca visit an Osasuna team that has played close with other Spanish powers this season while Atletico travel to Espanyol, who are desperate to snap a three-match losing streak after such an impressive start to the season.

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):

4:45am – Brisbane Roar vs. Sydney FC – Fox Sports 2

7:30am – Hibernian vs. Celtic – Fox Soccer Plus

7:45am – Newcastle United vs. Liverpool – NBC Sports Network

9am – Mexico vs. Nigeria (U-17 World Cup) – Univision Deportes

9:30am – Bayern Munich vs. Mainz 05 – GolTV USA

10am – Manchester United vs. Southampton – NBC Sports Network

10am – Chelsea vs. Cardiff City – NBC Sports Live Extra

10am – Arsenal vs. Norwich City – NBC Sports Live Extra

10am – Everton vs. Hull City – NBC Sports Live Extra

10am – Stoke City vs. West Bromwich Albion – NBC Sports Live Extra

10am – Swansea City vs. Sunderland – NBC Sports Live Extra

10am – Real Madrid vs. Malaga – beIN Sport USA/beIN Sport en Español

10am – Aberdeen vs. Dundee United – Fox Soccer Plus

11am – Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bastia – beIN Sport Play

12pm – Valencia vs. Real Sociedad – beIN Sport en Español

12:30pm – West Ham United vs. Manchester City – NBC

12:45pm – Go Ahead Eagles vs. Feyenoord – GolTV USA

2pm – Montreal Impact vs. Philadelphia Union – MLS Direct Kick

2pm – Osasuna vs. Barcelona – beIN Sport USA/beIN Sport en Español

2:30pm – FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders – NBC

2:45pm – AC Milan vs. Udinese – beIN Sport Play

2:45pm – Twente vs. Ajax – ESPN3

3pm – Colorado Rapids vs. Vancouver Whitecaps – MLS Direct Kick

3pm – Fluminense vs. Ponte Preta – GolTV USA

4pm – Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid – beIN Sport en Español

6pm – Veracruz vs. Morelia – Univision Deportes

6pm – Cruz Azul vs. Club America – Univision

7:30pm – New England Revolution vs. Columbus Crew – MLS Direct Kick

8pm – Tigres UANL vs. Atlante – ESPN Deportes/Univision Deportes

8:30pm – Chicago Fire vs. Toronto FC – MLS Direct Kick/TSN2

10pm – Chiapas vs. Pumas UNAM – Univision Deportes

10:30pm – Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake – MLS Direct Kick

Comments

      • I don’t think Irwin or Klute (or O’Neill) are eligible. I could be wrong, though… Think Brown’s strong finish couple with Powers’ injury at the end have probably sealed it up.

      • Oh yeah about all he can get, the way he came on out of nowhere like that and has done so well! Very consistent.

  1. Evans with a week to forget. Skyed that volley all alone, wide on that perfect through ball from Dempsey.
    I thought this was Dempseys best game with the Sounders, great touch and vision, and I didn’t see him miss a p@ss till the 72nd minute, and he was playing with a bum wing.. but shoulda been carded early for that retaliation….
    But Flounders is an appropriate name.. no midfield except Rosales ( who keeps getting subbed off??)
    That team looks lost and desperate

    I know that makes a lot of people happy

    Reply
    • Good to hear… he didn’t stand out over the last 2 USMNT matches (and he was pretty bad at RB), but he definitely showed moments of flash during them, and certainly deserves to be in the 23 at the moment.

      I hope to see more of him going forward.

      Reply
      • I disagree that his spot in the final 23 is a given at this point. No one doubts his hustle, but it’s almost to the point of trying too hard. A couple of moments of flash, yes, but he slowed down too many counters against Panama. I think he’s one of the final cuts…again.

      • Fortunate for Bedoya JK sees it different, since the GC Bedoya has been starting over Zusi except for one game and that game (CR) Zusi looked overwhelmed, Bedoya even started in KC, Zusi’s home field.

  2. Sounders have got some serious issue, if they somehow miss the playoffs Sigi should be fired before he even leaves the sidelines.

    Reply
    • how much of an issue has the dempsey signing been? seems that is when their problems started and I can see how that would be a huge distraction/team chemistry killer

      Reply
      • its just a general lack of continuity issue in large part. they have had a lot of injuries and callups. i dont know if they have started the exact same lineup twice this year

      • They actually started playing really well after the Dempsey signing. His first game was August 10 vs Toronto and the team went on a 6-1-2 stretch before dropping these last four games.

  3. Dempsey puts Evans in with what should have been a sure goal. Missed. Still a little banged up but I think Clint has looked just fine today, its his teammates that have let the Sounders fans down.

    Reply
    • Yeah, they’ve been playing this well the entire trophyless period.

      Wenger did what everyone said he needed to do for years, and it looks like it’s working out very well. That’s an indictment of Wenger, not vindication.

      Reply
      • Or you can argue that he did what he could while the club recovered financially from the financial crisis, groomed and kept a core of terrific young players (Walcott, Wilshire, Ramsey, Gibbs, Chambelrin), spent more money than he people claim (50 million last year on Giroud, Corzola, Monreal, etc.) and then pulled the big trigger when they were finally in position to.

  4. Is it frickin’ “Don’t Play a Yank Weekend?”

    Cameron, D. Williams, Lichaj, Jones didn’t dress.

    Bradley, Kljestan dressed but didn’t play (more understandable)

    Altidore got garbage minutes off the bench with his side down 4 goals.

    Reply
  5. So, since I’m subscribed to GolTV for the month, to watch USOC final, I thought I’d check it out. PSG vs. SC Bastia, with PSG up 2-0. They deserve a lot of credit in being able to defend against a team wearing camouflage uniforms. Perhaps, they’re able to track them because of the white shorts. Is it Armed Forces Day in France?

    Reply
    • Like clubs have lined up to sign him? Like he is in the Top 10 strikers on any top manager’s list. He ain’t going no where if no one wants him. What’s the rumor this time from his agent? Milan? Lol.

      Reply
  6. Goal by Shawn Parker against Bayern Munich. Has be made a firm decision (or given a hint, at least) on his National Team allegiance?

    Reply
  7. Anyone having trouble DVRing games on the NBC extra live channels? 2nd time I’ve tried to record a Sunderland game only to find it doesn’t start recoding untiexploring the DVR menu.

    Reply
      • I’ve never been able to record them on Directv. My guess was you only could record them if you bought the package, as opposed to getting it extra.

    • I have been able to record the matches on DirecTV but they would record in six hours chunks and parts unplayable. I have to manually program the DVR to record at start the match and end at the approx end of the match. DirecTV usually designates a large block of the Extra Live channel to match.

      Reply
  8. I know it is only the Bristol Rovers in League 2 and no one cares but it is really great to see Will Packwood come back from his horrific injury and in the starting 11.

    Reply
  9. Southampton are pressing Man United tight, and players are not making themselves available for a pass.

    Then again, it’s not like they have anyone on th he bench who would be able to do that, right?

    Reply
    • Does that team miss Paul Scholes or what…
      Not like anyone really cares
      I know Carrick is highly rated, and Fellaini is a player… but I don’t see the two of them as a good midfield pairing…

      Reply
      • It was annoying that they were always the tv game, but they were almost always worth watching in terms of their style of play.

        Now, they are watchable for different reasons, of they are at all.

  10. Dang. Tim Krul with a terrific save of Suarez’s free kick (which IMO should not have been given). Liverpool had several chances in the final 15 mins and didn’t convert and Newcastle didn’t just sit back so kudos to them for getting the tie.

    Reply
  11. good to see timmy chandler winning back his starting spot.

    but no dolo in the 18 for hannover. kind of thought he was coming back this game.

    Reply
  12. Loaning out Borini was a mistake. He cant get a game and witjh Aspas out we have no senior backup striker. Either Sturridge or Suarez goes down. Bad day for us. We should still win though left back cover finally and glen jo back.

    United has 4 senior strikers eventhough hernandez cant get a game. They will have a tight game against the saints. Scary team. Sorry Ill have to miss it.

    Reply

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