Wednesday, November 30, 2016

MLS Cup Playoffs: It's Reds Vs. Sounders For The Marbles

At Toronto:

After Nick Hagglund's goal in the 68th minute enabled Toronto FC to best the visiting Montreal Impact 3-2 in regulation of game two of their Major League Soccer Eastern Conference championship series on Wednesday, deadlocking the series at 5-5 on aggregate, the Reds got overtime goals from Benoit Cheyrou (98') and Tosaint Ricketts (100') as Toronto won their first-ever conference championship 7-5 on aggregate.

For the first time since 2008, two MLS Cup Final debutantes will meet in the championship game on Saturday December 10 as Toronto FC will host the Seattle Sounders at 5:00 PM Pacific Time (FOX Television Network).

It also will mark the first time that no original franchise will play in the MLS Cup Final. 

Loons' Coach

He didn't do all that well as Orlando City's coach their first season and-a-half in MLS.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Awful Plane Crash

It appears that there are only five survivors (including three players) from Monday's crash of the plane that was carrying a Brazilian team en route to the opening match of the Copa Sudamericana final against Colombia's Atletico Nacional (who won this year's Copa Libertadores).

The two-match series has been suspended.

The Copa Sudamericana is to South America is what the Europa League is to Europe.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

MLS Cup Playoffs: Jordan Rules As Sounders Knock Off Rapids On Road To Reach First-Ever Cup Final

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Jordan Morris scored the only goal of the match in the 56th minute on Sunday as the Seattle Sounders defeated the Colorado Rapids 1-0 on the road in the second game of the Major League Soccer Western Conference Final and won their first-ever playoff conference championship 3-1 on aggregate.

The defeat was the first that the Rapids suffered at home this year in all competitions.

The Sounders will play in their first MLS Cup Final on Saturday, December 10 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time on FOX against the winner of the Toronto-Montreal series (with the Impact up 3-2 on aggregate).

Saturday, November 26, 2016

JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTERS GAIN GAME-TWO ROAD DRAW WITH AL-AIN, CAPTURE SECOND ASIAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

At Al Ain, United Arab Emirates:

Han Kyo-won scored in the 30th minute for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors as the South Korean club gained a Saturday 1-1 game-two road draw with Al-Ain to capture the AFC Champions League final 3-2 on aggregate and win their second Asian club championship, their first since 2006.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will play in next month's FIFA Club World Cup, set to take place in Yokohama and Osaka, Japan, with their first match a quarterfinal-rounder against CONCACAF champions Club America of Mexico on December 11 at Osaka (with the winner to face Real Madrid on December 15 at Yokohama).

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Europa League

Action resumed in Europa League group-stage play on Thursday with 24 games.

GROUP A:

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Miroslav Stoch (59') and Simon Kjaer (67') each scored a goal as Fenerbahce blanked visiting Zorya Luhansk 2-0, eliminating the Ukrainian club from the tournament.

At Manchester, England:

Wayne Rooney opened the scoring in the 35th minute as Manchester United went on to demolish visiting Feyenoord Rotterdam 3-0.

Group A Standings:

1.    Fenerbahce (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 10)
2.    Manchester United (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 9)
3.    Feyenoord Rotterdam (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 7)
4. z-Zorya Luhansk (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 2)

z-Eliminated from tournament



GROUP B:

At Astana, Kazakhstan:

Dorde Despotovic scored the winning goal in the 84th minute as Astana knocked off visiting APOEL FC 2-1.

At Piraeus, Greece:

At Guillaume Hoarau's equalizer in the 58th minute lifted BSC Young Boys to a 1-1 road draw with Olympiacos.  Kostas Fortounis scored for The Legend at 48 minutes as the hosts advanced to the knockout stage and eliminated the Swiss club from the tournament.

Group B Standings:

1. x-APOEL FC (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 9)
2. x-Olympiacos (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 8)
3. z-BSC Young Boys (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 5)
4. z-Astana (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 5)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



GROUP C:

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Massimo Bruno scored the winning goal in the 90th minute as RSC Anderlecht defeated Gabala 3-1 on the road.

At Saint-Etienne, France:

A 0-0 home stalemate with Mainz 05 carried Saint-Etienne to the knockout stage.

Group C Standings:

1. x-RSC Anderlecht (GP: 5; GD: +9; PTS: 11)
2. x-Saint-Etienne (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 9)
3. z-FSV Mainz 05 (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 6)
4. z-Gabala (GP: 5; GD: -7; PTS: 0)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



GROUP D:

At Saint Petersburg, Russia:

Aleksandr Kokorin (44') and Aleksandr Kerzhakov (90'+1) each scored a goal as Zenit Saint Petersburg blanked visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0.

At Dublin, Ireland:

Wout Weghorst scored the only goal of the match in the ninth minute as AZ Alkmaar moved into second place in Group D with one game left with their 1-0 road win over Dundalk.

Group D Standings:

1. y-Zenit Saint Petersburg (GP: 5; GD: +10; PTS: 15)
2.    AZ Alkmaar (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 5)
3.    Dundalk (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
4.    Maccabi Tel Aviv (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 4)

y-Clinched berth in knockout stage



GROUP E:

At Rome:

Edin Dzeko scored twice (10', 61', 88') as AS Roma locked up top spot in Group E with a 4-1 beatdown of FC Viktoria Plzen that knocked the Czech club out of the tournament.

At Vienna, Austria:

Goals from Daniel Florea (79') and Constantin Budescu (PK-88') enabled Astra Giurgiu came from behind to upend Austria Vienna 2-1 on the road and took over second place in Group E.

Group E Standings:

1. y-AS Roma (GP: 5; GD: +9; PTS: 11)
2.    Astra Giurgiu (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 7)
3.    Austria Vienna (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 5)
4. z-FC Viktoria Plzen (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 3)

y-Won Group E and clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



GROUP F:

At Genk, Belgium:

Nikos Karelis scored the lone goal of the match in the 11th minute as KRC Genk clinched a berth in the Round of 32 with a 1-0 home win over Rapid Vienna as the Austrian club were eliminated.

At Bilbao, Spain:

Inigo Lekue scored the winning goal in the 79th minute as Athletic Bilbao locked up a berth in the knockout stage by eliminating visiting Sassuolo 3-2.

Group F Standings:

1. x-KRC Genk (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 9)
2. x-Athletic Bilbao (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 9)
3. z-Rapid Vienna (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 5)
4. z-Sassuolo (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 5)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament

NOTE:  Rapid Vienna and Sassuolo each scored three goals in the course of two draws between the clubs with the Austrian club having the away-goals advantage 2-1.



GROUP G:

At Vigo, Spain:

Konstantinos Laifls' equalizer in the 81st minute lifted Standard Liege to a 1-1 road draw with Celta Vigo.  Iago Aspas scored for the hosts in the eighth minute.

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Lasse Schone (40') and Kenny Tete (50') each scored once as Ajax Amsterdam blanked visiting Panathinaikos 2-0 and locked up the Group G title.

Group G Standings:

1. y-Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 15)
2.    Standard Liege (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
3.    Celta Vigo (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
4. z-Panathinaikos (GP: 5; GD: -8; PTS: 1)

y-Won Group G and clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



GROUP H:

At Lviv, Ukraine:

Abdulkerim Bardacki's ominous own goal in the 11th minute got the ball rolling for Shakhtar Donetsk as they demolished visiting Konyaspor 4-0 and eliminated the Turkish club from the tournament.

At Ghent, Belgium:

Nikola Stojiljkovic (14') and Ahmed Hassan (36') each scored once as SC Braga stayed in second place in Group H after their 2-2 road draw with KAA Gent.  Kalifa Coulibaly (32') and Danijel Milicevic (40') delivered the goals for the Buffalos.

Group H Standings:

1. y-Shakhtar Donetsk (GP: 5; GD: +14; PTS: 15)
2.    SC Braga (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
3.    KAA Gent (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 5)
4. z-Kanyaspor (GP: 5; GD: -9; PTS: 1)

y-Won Group H and clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



GROUP I:

At Krasnodar, Russia:

Fyodor Smolov delivered the equalizer in the 85th minute to carry FC Krasnodar to a 1-1 home draw with FC Red Bull Salzburg and a berth in the knockout stage.  Moanes Dabour scored in the 37th minute for the Austrian club, now eliminated from the tournament.

At Gelsenkirchen, Germany:

Yevhen Konoplyanka (14') and Dennis Aogo (PK-80') each scored once as Schalke 04 stayed perfect in Europa League group-stage play with their 2-0 home blanking of Nice.

Group I Standings:

1. y-FC Schalke 04 (GP: 5; GD: +8; PTS: 15)
2. x-FC Krasnodar (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
3. z-FC Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
4. z-OGC Nice (GP: 5; GD: -7; PTS: 3)

y-Won Group I and clinched berth in knockout stage

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



GROUP J:

Liberec, Czech Republic:

Nikolay Komlichenko (PK-57', 63') scored twice as Slovan Liberec dominated visiting Qarabag 3-0.

at Florence, Italy:

Garry Rodrigues scored the game winner in the third minute of second-half stoppage time as PAOK FC knocked off Fiorentino 3-2 on the road.

Group J Standings:

1. Fiorentino (GP: 5; GD: +8; PTS: 10)
2. Qarabag (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 7)
3. PAOK FC (GF: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
4. Slovan Liberec (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 4)

NOTE: Qarabag won both meetings with PAOK FC.



GROUP K:

At Beersheba, Israel:

Lucio Maranhao (58'), Anthony Nwakaeme (PK-71'), and Ben Sahar (90'+3) each scored once in the second half as Hapoel Be'er Sheva came back from two goals down to upend visiting Inter Milan 3-2 and knocked the Nerazzurri from the tournament.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Costa Nhamoinesu scored the game's lone goal in the 11th minute as Sparta Prague locked up the Group K title by downing visiting Southampton 1-0.

Group K Standings:

1. y-Sparta Prague (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 12)
2.    Southampton (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
3.    Hapoel Be'er Sheva (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. z-Inter Milan (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 3)

y-Won Group K and clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament



GROUP L:

At Bucharest, Romania:

Marko Momcilovic (68') and Gabriel Tamas (86') each scored once as Steaua Bucharest came from behind to upend visiting Osmanlispor 2-1.

At Zurich, Switzerland:

Roberto Rodriguez successfully converted a penalty kick in the 87th minute to lift FC Zurich to a 1-1 home draw with Villarreal.  Bruno Soriano scored for the Yellow Submarine in the 14th minute.

Group L Standings:

1. Osmanlispor (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
2. Villarreal (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
3. Steaua Bucharest (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 6)
4. FC Zurich (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 6)

NOTE:  Steaua Bucharest and FC Zurich battled to two draws in the two games played between the two clubs with the Romanian club holding the away-goal advantage (1-0).

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

UEFA Champions League, Group D: Rostov Knock Off Bayern

Two games were played on Wednesday in Group D of the UEFA Champions League.

At Rostov-on-Don, Russia:

Christian Noboa scored the winning goal in the 67th minute as FC Rostov upset visiting (and knockout-stage-bound) Bayern Munich 3-2.  In the above photo, we see Bayern's Thiago Alcantara battling Rostov's Dmitri Poloz for the ball.

Associated Press photo by Sergey Pivovarov

At Madrid:

Kevin Gameiro (55') and Antoine Griezmann (66') delivered the goals as Atletico Madrid locked up top spot in Group D by blanking visiting PSV Eindhoven 2-0.   In this shot, we see two Mattress Makers, Jose Maria Gimenez (center) jumping for the ball with Diego Godin.  Looking on is PSV's Daniel Schwaab.

Associated Press photo by Paul White

Group D Standings:

1. y-Atletico Madrid (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 15)
2. x-Bayern Munich (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 9)
3. z-FC Rostov (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 4)
4. z-PSV Eindhoven (GP: 5; GD: -7; PTS: 1)

y-Won Group D and clinched berth in knockout stage

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament but still alive for Europa League knockout-stage berth

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

UEFA Champions League, Group C: Barca and Citizen Advance To Group Stage; Gladbach To Europa League; Bhoys Out Of European Competition

Two contests were staged in Group C of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Lionel Messi scored twice (24', PK-56') as Barcelona secured top spot in Group C with a 2-0 road blanking of Celtic, knocking the Bhoys out of European competition.  In the above photo, we see the Bhoys' Callum McGregor (center) and Barca's Neymar compete for the ball.

Associated Press photo by Scott Heppell

At Monchengladbach, Germany:

David Silva's penalty kick in the opening minute of first-half stoppage time lifted Manchester City to a 1-1 road draw with Borussia Monchengladbach, good enough for the Citizens to advance to the Champions League's knockout stage.  The hosts, eliminated from this tournament, still qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League.  Here, we see the aforementioned David Silva (in the orange jersey) challenged by Gladbach's Nico Elvedi.

Associated Press photo by Martin Meissner

Group C Standings:

1. y-FC Barcelona (GP: 5; GD: +12; PTS: 12)
2. x-Manchester (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
3. z-Borussia Monchengladbach (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 5)
4. o-Celtic (GP: 5; GD: -11; PTS: 2)

y-Won Group C and clinched berth in knockout stage

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament but still qualified for Europa League knockout stage

o-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League, Group B: Eagles (Benfica) And Black Eagles (Besiktas) Battle To 3-3 Draw In Turkey; Goose Eggs For Napoli And Dynamo Kiev; Ukrainian Club Eliminated From European Competition

Two Wednesday Group B matches were contested in the UEFA Champions League.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Cenk Tosun (58'), Ricardo Quaresma (PK-83'), and Vincent Aboubakar (89', that's him here, celebrating after scoring) each scored a second-half goal as Besiktas came back from three goals down to gain a 3-3 home draw with SL Benfica.  Goncalo Guedes (19'), Nelson Semedo (25'), and Ljubomir Fejsa (31') each tallied a first-half score for the visiting Eagles.

Associated Press photo

At Naples, Italy:

Napoli (Italy) battled visiting Dynamo Kiev to a 0-0 draw, which knocked the Ukrainian club out of European competition.  Here's Dynamo's Yevhen Makarenko, seemingly heading the ball as the Light Blues' Piotr Zielinski looks on.

ANSA photo via Associated Press by Ciro Fusco

Group B Standings:

1.    Napoli (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
2.    SL Benfica (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 8)
3.    Basiktas (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
4. o-Dynamo Kiev (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 2)

o-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League, Group A: Gunners And PSG Battle To 2-2 Draw In London; Goose Eggs For Ludogorets And Basel

Eight games were contested in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, with two of them taking place in Group A.

At London:

In a battle of the group's two Round-of-16-bound clubs, Edinson Cavani (18') and Alex Iwobi (OG-78') propelled Paris Saint-Germain to a 2-2 road deadlock with Arsenal.  Olivier Giroud (PK-45'+1) and Marco Veratti (OG-60') each scored once for the Gunners. In the above photograph, here's PSG's Thiago Motta (left) battling the Gunners' Alexis Sanchez for the ball.

Associated Press photo by Alastair Grant

At Sofia, Bulgaria:

Ludogorets Razgrad battled visiting FC Basel to a 0-0 stalemate.  That's Basel's Seydou Doumbia (right) battling Ludogorets' Cosmin Moti for the ball.

Associated Press photo by Valentina Petrova


Group A Standings:

1. x-Paris Saint-Germain (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 11)
2. x-Arsenal (GP: 5; GD: +9; PTS: 11)
3. z-Ludogorets Razgrad (GP: 5; GD: -9; PTS: 2)
4. z-FC Basel (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 2)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament but still alive for Europa League knockout-stage berth

NOTES:  Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain each scored three goals in the course of the two games between the clubs with PSG gaining the away goals advantage (2-1); Ludogorets Razgrad and FC Basel scored once apices during the course of the two game contested between the clubs with the Bulgarian club having the away goals advantage (1-0).

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

MLS Cup Playoffs: Impact, Sounders Take Conference Final Openers While Reds And Rapids Stay Alive Due To Away Goals

Both conference finals in Major League Soccer's MLS Cup Playoffs commenced on Tuesday.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Montreal:

Dominic Oduro (10'), Matteo Mancosu (12'), and Ambroise Oyongo (53') each scored once as the Montreal Impact raced out to a 3-0 lead, then held on for an Eastern Conference championship series-opening 3-2 home win over Toronto FC.  Jozy Altidore (68') and Michael Bradley (73') each scored a precious away goal for the Reds.

The series will resume next Wednesday at Toronto at 4:00 PM Pacific Time (Fox Sports 1).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Seattle:

Jordan Morris (19') and Nicolas Lodeiro (PK-61') each scored a goal as the Seattle Sounders topped the visiting Colorado Rapids 2-1 in the opening contest of the Western Conference championship series.  Kevin Doyle scored for the visiting Rapids in the 13th minute.

The series will continue at Commerce City, Colorado this coming Sunday at 1:00 PM Pacific Time (ESPN).

Bruce's New Gig...

Is actually an old one.

UEFA Champions League, Group H: Juve Advance To Knockout Stage

Two games were contested in Group H of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Alexandre Lacazette scored the only goal of the match in the 72nd minute (shown here) as Lyon picked up a 1-0 road win over Dinamo Zagreb.

Associated Press photo by Darko Bandic

At Seville, Spain:
Leonardo Bonucci scored the winning goal in the 84th minute (shown here) as Juventus defeated Sevilla 3-1 on the road and locked up a knockout-stage berth while preventing the hosts from advancing themselves.

Associated Press photo by Miguel Morenatti

Group H Standings:

1. x-Juventus (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 11)
2.    Sevilla (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
3.    Lyon (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
4. o-Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 5; GD: -13; PTS: 0)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

o-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League: Group G: Foxes Advance To Knockout Stage

Two Tuesday contests took place in Group G of the UEFA Champions League.

At Leicester, England:
Shinji Okazaki (5') and Riyad Mahrez (PK-30') each delivered a goal as Leicester City won Group G and locked up a berth in the knockout stage with a 2-1 home victory over Club Brugge, who were eliminated from European competition.   Here, we see the aforementioned Mr. Okazaki battling Club Brugge's Timmy Simons for the ball.

Associated Press photo by Rui Vieira

At Copenhagen, Denmark:

FC Copenhagen kept their chances of advancing to the knockout stage alive by battling visiting FC Porto to a 0-0 stalemate.  Dragons head coach Nuno Santo, with a perplexed look on his face, watches from the sidelines.

POLFOTO photo via Associated Press by Jens Dresling

Group G Standings:

1. y-Leicester City (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 13)
2.    FC Porto (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 8)    
3.    FC Copenhagen (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
4. o-Club Brugge (GP: 5; GD: -10; PTS: 0)

y-Won Group G and clinched berth in knockout stage

o-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League, Group F: Galacticos Join Dortmund In Knockout Stage

Two games in Group F of the UEFA Champions League were contested on Tuesday.

At Lisbon:

Karim Benzema (that's him celebrating here) scored the winning goal in the 87th minute as Real Madrid clinched a berth in the knockout stage with a 2-1 road win over Sporting CP.

Associated Press photo by Steven Governo

At Dortmund, Germany:

Shinji Kagawa (17', 18') and Marco Reus (32', 52') each scored twice as Borussia Dortmund put the hurt on visiting Legia Warsaw 8-4.  Here, we see Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele scoring in the 29th minute.

Associated Press photo by Martin Meissner

Group F Standings:

1. x-Borussia Dortmund (GP: 5; GD: +12; PTS: 13) 
2. x-Real Madrid (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 11)
3. z-Sporting CP (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. z-Legia Warsaw (GP: 5; GD: -16; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament but still alive for Europa League knockout-stage berth

UEFA Champions League, Group E: Monaco Knock Off Spurs, Advance To Knockout Stage

Group-stage play in the UEFA Champions League resumed with eight games on Tuesday, two of them in Group E.

At Moscow:

Kevin Volland scored in the 16th minute as Bayer Leverkusen gained a 1-1 road draw with CSKA Moscow.  The draw clinched a berth in the knockout stage for the German club. Bibras Natklho scored for the Horses in the 78th minute by successfully converting a penalty kick.  Still, the hosts were eliminated from the tournament.  Here's Kevin being observed by his coach, Roger Schmidt.

Associated Press photo by Ivan Sekretarev

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Thomas Lemar scored the game-winning goal in the 53rd minute as AS Monaco locked up the top spot in Group E by defeating visiting Tottenham Hotspur 2-1, knocking the English club out of the tournament. In the above photo, we see Monaco's Kamil Glik battle Spurs' Son Hueng-min for the ball.

Associated Press photo by Claude Paris

Group E Standings:

1. y-AS Monaco (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 11)
2. x-Bayer Leverkusen (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
3. z-Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
4. z-CSKA Moscow (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 3)

y-Won Group E and clinched berth in knockout stage

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage

z-Eliminated from tournament but still alive for Europa League knockout-stage berth

Monday, November 21, 2016

Jurgen Canned

Looks like Bruce Arena, currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy, who previously coached the men's National Team, could become the interim coach this time out.

Losing the first two contests of the Hexagonal Round of 2018 World Cup qualifying, dropping the home match against Mexico, then looking like a squad with their heart amputated in the humiliating setback in Costa Rica, finally finished off Jurgen.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

AFC Champions League Final: Jeonbuk Motors Take Series Opener At Home

At Jeonju, South Korea:

In Saturday's opening match of the AFC Champions League Final, Leonardo Rodriguez Pereira scored twice (70', PK-77') as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors defeated visiting Al-Ain 2-1.  Danilo Moreno Asprilla scored for the visiting club from the United Arab Emirates in the 63rd minute.

The series will conclude next Saturday at Al Ain, in the United Arab Emirates.

The winner will advance to next month's FIFA Club World Cup, set to take place in Yokohama and Osaka, Japan.