By DAN KARELL
The battle for a playoff place in the Western Conference heats up on Saturday as the LA Galaxy host the Portland Timbers.
The Galaxy and Timbers are each full of talent but for one reason or another, have not been able to put together enough consistent performances this season. Both teams though are trying to build off morale boosting wins, with the Galaxy dominating the Seattle Sounders, 3-0, and the Timbers fighting back to defeat the Montreal Impact, 3-2.
In addition to the MLS action on Saturday, there are plenty of international friendlies occurring across the globe. This morning saw the first day of the Emirates Cup in England and Schalke 04 Cup in Germany, while the International Champions Cup continues with a four-game schedule. The day’s matches are highlighted by Real Madrid hosting Manchester United at “The Big House” in Ann Arbor, Mich.
A sold-out crowd of more than 109,000 is expected and the game will be shown live on FOX national television.
Liga MX, the North American Soccer League, and the National Women’s Soccer League are all in action this evening as well.
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 Soccer TV schedule is after the jump):
1 p.m. – Inter Milan vs. AS Roma – Fox Sports 2/ESPN Deportes
2:30 p.m. – LA Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers – NBC
2:45 p.m. – Nice vs. Barcelona – BeIN Sports USA/BeIN Sports en Español
3 p.m. – Olympiacos vs. Manchester City – Fox Sports 2/ESPN Deportes
4 p.m. – Real Madrid vs. Manchester United – FOX
5 p.m. – Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC – MLS Live/TSN
5:30 p.m. – Botafogo vs. Cruzeiro – ESPN3
6 p.m. – Universitario vs. Fiorentina – BeIN Sports USA/BeIN Sports en Español
6 p.m. – Cruz Azul vs. Veracruz – Univision
6 p.m. – Puebla vs. Club America – ESPN Deportes/Azteca America
6:30 p.m. – Liverpool vs. AC Milan – NBC Sports Network
7 p.m. – New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution – MLS Live
7 p.m. – New York Cosmos vs. Carolina RailHawks – One World Sports
7:30 p.m. – Indy Eleven vs. Atlanta Silverbacks – ESPN3
8 p.m. – Monterrey vs. Santos Laguna – Univision Deportes
8:30 p.m. – Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew – MLS Live
9 p.m. – Club Leon vs. Morelia – Telemundo
9 p.m. – Colorado Rapids vs. Real Salt Lake – MLS Live
10 p.m. – Atlas vs. Chiapas – Univision Deportes
10:30 p.m. – San Jose Earthquakes vs. Seattle Sounders – NBC Sports Network