In the German Bundesliga, there is Bayern Munich and then everyone else.
With an eight-point lead on the table already after only 14 matches, the three-time defending league champion is running towards yet another title. However, that does not take away the intrigue heading into a big weekend in the Bundesliga.
Bayern will face a tough task in visiting fourth-place Borussia Mönchengladbach — featuring American Fabian Johnson — while third-place VfL Wolfsburg will play hosts to Borussia Dortmund, which is seven points ahead. To stretch things further, fifth-place Hertha Berlin will take on sixth-place Bayer Leverkusen to add to the competitiveness of this weekend’s action.
The outcomes may not alter much in the grand scheme of things in the Bundesliga, but it could very well demonstrate the disparity within the league and, at the very least, shake up the race for a UEFA Champions League berth for the time being.
Meanwhile in England, Jamie Vardy, who last week broke Ruud Van Nisterooy’s Premier League record of an 11-match scoring streak, will look to match the all-time record of 12 this week when he and Premier League-co-leading Leicester City visit Swansea City.
The other team atop the table, Manchester City, will take the field at Stoke City, while third-place Manchester United will host West Ham United.
Nice-PSG, Lazio-Juventus and Valencia-Barcelona will provide some of the other enticing fixtures in European soccer.
As for action in North America, the MLS Cup takes center stage, while Liga MX playoffs will wrap up its semifinals. The NCAA, on the other hand, will crown a new women’s champion on Sunday and determine the participants in men’s College Cup.
Not to be left out are the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship, which kicks off with the group stage matches on Friday in Honduras, and U.S. Women’s National Team’s friendly against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday.
Here is rundown of all the weekend’s soccer action on TV.
FRIDAY
NCAA MEN
7 p.m. — ESPN3 — Maryland vs. Clemson
NCAA WOMEN
5 p.m. — ESPNU — Rutgers vs. Penn State
7:30 p.m. — ESPNU — Duke vs. Florida State
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
2:30 p.m. — Fox Soccer 1/Fox Sports Go/Fox Soccer 2Go — Schalke 04 vs. Hannover 96
ITALIAN SERIE A
2:45 p.m. — beIN Sports en Español/beIN Sports Connect/RAI Internazionale — Lazio vs. Juventus
FRENCH LIGUE 1
2:30 p.m. — beIN Sports USA/beIN Sports Connect — Nice vs. Paris Saint-Germain
ENGLISH LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
2:45 p.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Ipswich Town vs. Middlesbrough
ENGLISH FA CUP
2;55 p.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Salford City vs. Hartlepool United
CONCACAF WOMEN’S U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP
6 p.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Haiti vs. Panama
8:30 p.m. — Fox Sports 2/Fox Sports Go/Fox Soccer 2Go — United States vs. Mexico
SATURDAY
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
7:45 a.m. — NBCSN/NBC Sports Live Extra/NBC Universo — Stoke City vs. Manchester City
10 a.m. —NBCSN/NBC Sports Live Extra/NBC Universo — Manchester United vs. West Ham United
10 a.m. — NBC Sports Live Extra — Swansea City vs. Leicester City
10 a.m. — NBC Sports Live Extra — Arsenal vs. Sunderland
10 a.m. — NBC Sports Live Extra — West Bromwich Albion vs. Tottenham Hotspur
10 a.m. — NBC Sports Live Extra — Southampton vs. Aston Villa
10 a.m. — NBC Sports Live Extra — Watford vs. Norwich City
12:30 p.m. — NBC/NBC Sports Live Extra — Chelsea vs. Bournemouth
SPANISH LA LIGA
10 a.m. — beIN Sports USA/beIN Sports en Español/beIN Sports Connect — Real Madrid vs. Getafe
12:15 p.m. — beIN Sports en Español/beIN Sports Connect — Granada vs. Atlético Madrid
2:30 p.m. — beIN Sports USA/beIN Sports en Español/beIN Sports Connect — Valencia vs. Barcelona
4 p.m. — beIN Sports en Español/beIN Sports Connect — Deportivo La Coruña vs. Sevilla
4:05 p.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Real Betis vs. Celta de Vigo
ITALIAN SERIE A
9 a.m. — RAI Internazionale — Torino vs. Roma
2:45 p.m. — RAI Internazionale/beIN Sports Connect — Inter vs. Genoa
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
9:30 a.m. — Fox Sports 1/Fox Sports Go/Fox Soccer 2Go — Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Bayern Munich
9:30 a.m. — Fox Sports 2/Fox Sports Go/Fox Deportes/Fox Soccer 2Go — Hertha Berlin vs. Bayer Leverkusen
9:30 a.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Ingolstadt vs. Hoffenheim
9:30 a.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Hamburg vs. Mainz 05
9:30 a.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Cologne vs. Augsburg
12:30 p.m. — Fox Sports 2/Fox Sports Go/Fox Soccer 2Go — VfL Wolfsburg vs. Borussia Dortmund
FRENCH LIGUE 1
11 a.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Lyon vs. Angers
ENGLISH LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
10 a.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Burnley vs. Preston North End
ENGLISH FA CUP
10 a.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Northampton Town vs. Northwich Victoria
10 a.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Stourbridge vs. Eastleigh
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
7:30 a.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go/Fox Soccer Plus — Dundee vs. Aberdeen
NCAA MEN
7 p.m. — ESPN3 — Stanford vs. Wake Forest
SUNDAY
MLS CUP
4 p.m. — ESPN/WatchESPN/Univision Deportes/UniMás — Columbus Crew vs. Portland Timbers
NCAA WOMEN
Noon — ESPNU — Rutgers/Penn State vs. Duke/Florida State (National Championship game)
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
11 a.m. — NBCSN/NBC Sports Live Extra/Telemundo — Newcastle United vs. Liverpool
SPANISH LA LIGA
6 a.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Real Sociedad vs. Eibar
10 a.m. — beIN Sports en Español/beIN Sports Connect — Villarreal vs. Rayo Vallecano
12:15 p.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Sporting Gijón vs. Las Palmas
2:30 p.m. — beIN Sports en Español/beIN Sports Connect — Athletic Bilbao vs. Málaga
ITALIAN SERIE A
6:30 a.m. — beIN Sports USA/beIN Sports en Español/beIN Sports Connect — Bologna vs. Napoli
9 a.m. — beIN Sports USA/beIN Sports Connect — Fiorentina vs. Udinese
9 a.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Hellas Veronas vs. Empoli
9 a.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Atalanta Palermo
9 a.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Frosinone vs. Chievo Veronas
Noon — beIN Sports en Español/beIN Sports Connect — Sampdoria vs. Sassuolo
2:45 p.m. — beIN Sports USA/beIN Sports Connect — Carpi vs. Milan
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
9:30 a.m. — Fox Sports 2/Fox Sports Go/Fox Deportes/Fox Soccer 2Go — VfB Stuttgart vs. Werder Bremen
11:30 a.m. — Fox Sports 2/Fox Sports Go/Fox Deportes/Fox Soccer 2Go — Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Darmstadt 98
FRENCH LIGUE 1
8 a.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Marseille vs. Montpellier
11 a.m. — beIN Sports USA/beIN Sports Connect — Bordeaux vs. Guingamp
3 p.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Saint-Étienne vs. Rennes
MEXICAN LIGA MX PLAYOFFS
1 p.m. — Univision Deportes/Univision — Pumas UNAM vs. Club América
7 p.m. — Univision Deportes — Toluca vs. Tigres UANL
ENGLISH LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
8:15 a.m. — beIN Sports Connect — Sheffield Wednesday vs. Derby County
ENGLISH FA CUP
7 a.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Rochdale vs. Bury
9 a.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Welling United vs. Carlisle United
9 a.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Oxford United vs. Forest Green Rovers
9 a.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Dagenham & Redbridge vs. Whitehawk
CONCACAF WOMEN’S U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP
2:30 p.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — United States vs. Panama
6 p.m. — Fox Soccer 2Go — Mexico vs. Haiti
FIFA WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY
8 p.m. — Fox Sports 1/Fox Sports Go — United States vs. Trinidad and Tobago
Portland-Columbus a fun match, I love the matchup and how those two teams have built their teams, but it lacks star power tho I’m still excited to watch it. Americans like star power, for better or worse. a couple of other points
Garber is a mouthpiece…duh.
Playoffs in American sports are normal whatever the world does…but then again the Euro CL is an awesome playoff!
limiting travel to east and west because it’s too much for the players…LMAO! and besides the real travel issues are in the CONCACAF CL anyway…real issues there. MLS could do WAY MORE to help those teams compete
Miami over Sacramento…ridiculous! but this goes back to Beckham’s original deal with the league I think, right?
look, if you want to rip the league, go ahead! I do it too, but I also recognize what it’s accomplishing, here in America in a multi-sport playing field (which is just like in the rest of the world, right? lmao)…a lot of great stuff!! if your doom and gloom glasses only allow you to see that side of it, well, would you like some cheese with that whine?
anyway, you want to know why posting here is down? too many arrogant folks posting who know nothing but are very loud, volume posters. very simple equation. used to have insightful participators but that has obviously changed
There’s many theories of why people aren’t posting as much anymore and I think it’s directly attributed to the lack of quality form the journalists, absenteeism from Ives, and posters trying to be friends and SBI becoming an intolerable echo chamber.
You want to hold hands and sing kumbaya more power to you, but if you think your exonerated from any arrogance or lack of insight, you might want to read up and pay attention to player quotes who CONFIRM they hate the travel.
Your post simply highlights: If you aren’t singing praises of MLS, you must “hate it”. Just another sheep on SBI…THAT is the there’s no discussion. People can’t handle conflict or debates.
BS as usual from you. you just try to intimidate
sheep at SBI? reread my post. I call out MLS all the time…reasonably. I dare you. I see both the good and the bad, being being truly old school as I am, not just some hack behind a keyboard with a handle.
You try to intimidate, the sheep cower, but the knowing see through you. the true old school
reread my post. and if you’d like, let’s discuss what we coaches are doing this off season because of USSoccer’s shenanigans…you must know what I’m talking about right? so all knowing and from the inside you are
“Intimidate”?
Wow. Thanks for confirming the exact sentiment of what I said. Grow some thicker skin or stay off the internet. I’m not here to be your friend.
I thought the mls semis were excellent in terms of intensity and late game drama.
Paulo Dybala with an absolute golazo volley from 23 yard out.. Kid’s got Messi-like potential #forzajuve
Cool. MLS Cup got a half a line!
It’s because people couldn’t give “half” a crap.
Look at the threads associated with the playoffs on SBI. They have been nothing more than dead and deserted. Don’t let the snake oil salesman, Don Garber, lead you to believe the league is on it’s way to being one of the best in the world – as he so repetitively says.
The product is still far too manufactured, soulless and lacking any character. This is the opinion of someone who is not a eurosnob and wants to see MLS succeed.
You finally have a match-up that doesn’t have one of the League Office’s propped up teams in it and you’re saying it lacks character? I think this is one of the best MLS Cup matches possible from this year.
Very much looking forward to Sunday!!
You only need half a line because there are plenty of articles specifically geared to this match. No need to waste time on this site with what is already being hyped. And MLS comments are second only to USMNT comments on these posts; no doubt about it in my mind. All comments have dropped in number because of the site change and the holidays. I read that more people are loving these MLS playoffs than ever before. Almost nobody comments on the Daily Ticker or Daily Kickoff about world soccer.
MLS is alive and well. Trying to make something yuuuge out of a half sentence on SBI is a fireable offense.
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
“The product [MLS] is still far too manufactured, soulless and lacking any character.” – Old School
Why do you think this? I want to make an argument against you but I need some details on why and how you possibly think that. Do you think it’s because of the salary cap, or the playoffs, or not having a pro/rel setup, or having team names like “Timbers”, or. . . what? I think all of those things give us soul, and character, and make us feel more natural to US sport’s fans.
I grew up loving the NHL, NBA, and NFL. They all had playoffs, and silly-named mascots, and drafts, and enforced some degree of parity. That’s the natural soul and character of US citizens and consequently US sports.
“Why do you think this?”
Because it is in every sense of the word and that is be design, intention and obvious to anyone paying attention that lacks rose-tinted glasses. Hell, read Don Garber’s comments in trying to “create” rivalries. There’s nothing organic about the league and the excuse that it’s a young league only goes so far.
–Is it a business venture that is showing signs of success? No doubt (depending on if there’s a CBA negotiation – then the league isn’t doing good, according to Don Garber).
–Does it have passion? Outside a few cities – little to no passion at all.
–Is it an appealing product to the fans? Not really. The TV ratings reflect that.
–Is the league heading the right direction? I don’t believe so. Look at the the Miami vs Sacramento obsession.
–Is MLS Cup a good thing for the league? No. The regular season remains fairly pointless and there’s not a lot of evidence people get excited for MLS Cup in numbers that would suggest retainable excitement.
–Salary Cap: holding back the league. It’s ok for there to be “villains” by way of big clubs that are in more attractive markets and can attract better players. If the club can cover the cost – LET THEM. From a player talent perspective – outside some notable players that had storied careers and are within the last year or two of their career, the product remains hard to market, the talent remains hard to watch and the outlook appears hard to predict.
If you’re asking me on ways to improve the league from an organic, logical and intriguing sense: MLS West and MLS East. Two conferences that only play each other within its region. This cuts down on travel soccer players appear to not be able to handle (unlike other American sports). This would also encourage natural/geographical rivalries over time. This would also be the most natural transition way down the line to a Pro/Rel set-up, but again Pro/Rel is the least of my concerns as a fan.
I’m not sure why YOU brought up Pro/Rel because that is step 26 in comparison to the step 3 where they’re at. I’m not sure why YOU brought up nicknames. I’m not sure why YOU brought the “natural” soul of American sports. This is not our game. The arrogance and insecurity with trying to make it “our” game – in fact – robs it of any “natural” soul the sport already has. Please refrain from talking about “soul” when we have a commissioner obsessed with Miami over a primed city at every level in Sacramento.That entire inquiry and range of questions just sounds like an insecure American fan.
*Parity has handcuffed this league.
*The product is bland.
That’s why I, and far too many others think this. TV ratings very much support this opinion.