Happy Wednesday folks. It’s the day before Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday of the year. It’s a chance for me to relax with the family, recharge my batteries and enjoy life for a few days. A lot of soccer yesterday, so let’s jump on in:
MLS playoffs
CLB 0, TOR 0: Crew come close, but TFC keep shutout | MLS
Columbus Crew SC and Toronto FC played to a stalemate, with a scoreless draw at Mapfre Stadium. It had a few exciting moments, but we go to the 2nd leg next week in Toronto with a
HOU 0, SEA 2: Sounders make it look easy for 10-man Dynamo | MLS
Gustav Svensson gave the Seattle Sounders an early away goal. The Houston Dynamo went down to 10 men after Jalil Anibaba gets a red card in the box on a Seattle breakaway, but Joe Willis stopped Nicolás’s penalty to keep the score close. But, Will Bruin added another goal late in the first half and that may be all she wrote for Houston.
Liverpool waste 3-goal lead in Sevilla; Tottenham pip Real Madrid to top spot | ESPNFC
Sevilla FC overcame a 3-0 deficit to draw Liverpool 3-3, Real Madrid hammered APOEL Nicosia 6-0 (with 2 goals each by Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema), Tottenham Hotspur wins Group H with a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, and Besiktas drew FC Porto to make it to their first ever Champions League knockout stage.
Interesting news out of Chicago, where developer Sterling Bay announced he had purchased a USL expansion team for the city. His plan is to begin play in 2020 in a 20,000 seat, retractable roof stadium on the edge of the Lincoln Park area on the north side of Chicago. How this will mesh with the Chicago Fire is anyone’s guess.
Christian Pulisic says he’s still ‘learning a lot’ with Borussia Dortmund | ESPNFC
Christian Pulisic is tearing it up for Borussia Dortmund and for the United States, but he says while he’s learning a lot, he still has a lot to improve. Namely, he said wants to “[work] on my final ball, my precision in front of goal, my one-on-one attacking ability, just new ways to beat defenders and help my team." So basically, he wants to become the best at everything. That’s gotta bode well for the future of the USMNT and for Dortmund.
LAFC signs international soccer player Omar Gaber, nears deal with Diego Rossi | LA Times
Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club LAFC has signed Egyptian defender Omar Gaber, who played under Coach Bob Bradley during Egypt’s 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign. LAFC is also going after Uruguay youth international Diego Rossi on a young DP deal.
Ange Postecoglou quits as Socceroos coach after job 'takes its toll' | The Guardian
Surprising news out of Australia, as Ange Postecoglou steps down as the coach of the Socceroos. It’s unclear who will take over as the Socceroos begin to prepare to play in the 2018 World Cup.
Report: Crystal Palace to build new stadium | NBC Sports
Selhurst Park may soon be the former home of Crystal Palace. The South London side is set to make an announcement before Christmas detailing the possible building of a new stadium.
And that’s what I got today. For those of you traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, please take extra precaution and arrive at your destinations safely. All the best to you and yours for a wonderful holiday weekend!