WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - All Shook Up Edition

I warned everybody last week that all hell was going to break loose in the WCR Top 25 and I didn’t lie.  This week we have eight new clubs in the WCR Top 25, including five teams debuting in the Top Ten, including Lazio, Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen.  The reason for this is that last season’s results were removed from the statistics used to determine the countdown and the numbers got jumbled in England, Germany, Italy and Spain.  (Rather than explaining the criteria for the WCR Top 25 each week, I’ve posted an entry detailing the efforts, to which I’ll occasionally link.)  Of the domestic leagues that are still taking last season’s data into consideration, only the Dutch and Portuguese leagues have clubs in the WCR Top 25.

Among the clubs that have departed from the WCR Top 25 are Manchester United, Roma, AC Milan and Bayern Munich.  I expect all of these clubs will return to the Top 25 soon, but since none of these clubs are in the top five of their domestic leagues their numbers for the season thus far are not high enough to qualify for the Top 25.  Don’t worry, I’m sure that if your favorites are gone, they will be back once they have managed to work their way up their respective leagues.  They just have a little work to do.

If those clubs have departed, then who took their place?  Chelsea is on top of the Premiership, but other leagues have some surprise visitors at the top spot, if only temporarily.  Lazio currently is on top in Serie A, Valencia in La Liga Primera Division and Hamburger in the Bundesliga.  The difference is particularly clear in Serie A, where the top clubs include not only Lazio but also Napoli and Udinese, while AC Milan, Fiorentina and Roma are nowhere to be found in the top five.

Early in the season, and for the next several weeks, the Top 25 is very volatile and promises vast changes on a weekly basis.  How volatile?  If Arsenal had not been upset by Hull City at Emirates Stadium, it may very well have been ranked number one.  It lost, however, and is ranked thirteenth.

Even though much has changed, some things remain the same.  Most notably, Chelsea remains at the top spot of the WCR Top 25 for a third consecutive week.  And with eight new clubs, that still means that sixteen other clubs join Chelsea in its return trip to the rankings.

This week will see Matchday Two in the Champions League, so we will, of course, see lots of great matchups including Top 25 clubs.  Over the weekend, there will be one matchup between a pair of ranked clubs, when Chelsea takes on newcomer Aston Villa.  Without further adieu, below is the all new WCR Top 25.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – September 29, 2008

1.   Chelsea  (Eng) (1) – Chelsea remains at Number One despite losing all of its statistics from last season.  Chelsea appears to be even better this season that they were last season, especially at this point of the season.  This week, Chelsea defeated Portsmouth to advance in the Carling Cup and defeated Stoke City 2-0 to advance to the top of the Premiership.  This week, Chelsea attempts to improve upon Roma’s result against CFR Cluj in Champions League action.  This weekend, Chelsea will host Aston Villa in a battle of clubs near the top of the Premiership.

2.  Lazio  (Ita) (NR) – From the poorhouse to the penthouse, Lazio has started this season 180 degrees differently from the disappointments of last season.  This week, Lazio defeated Fiorentina 3-0 and Torino 3-1 to move into the top spot of the Italian Serie A and the upper echelons of the WCR Top 25.  This week, Lazio takes on Atalanta in the Italian League Cup and will attempt to maintain its place on the Serie A pinnacle when it hosts Lecce this weekend.

3.  Valencia  (Esp) (NR) – Like Lazio, Valencia is coming back from its disappointing season of a year ago with a vengeance, leading the Primera Division after five matches, defeating Malaga 2-0 and Deportivo La Coruna 4-2 this week.  Coming up, Valencia will host Maritimo in the UEFA Cup return leg and will play Real Valladolid this weekend.

4.  Liverpool  (Eng) (14) – I’ve been telling you for weeks that Liverpool was destined for a higher spot in the rankings and here it is.  Liverpool defeated Crewe Alexandra to advance in the Carling Cup and defeated Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside Derby this week.  Coming up, Liverpool will host PSV Eindhoven in Champions League action and will take on a new and improved Manchester City club in the Premiership.

5.  Villarreal  (Esp) (13) – Last season, I thought that Villarreal’s success may have been a fluke, but it is following up last season’s successes with even more, defeating Racing Santander 2-0 and Sporting de Gijon 1-0 this week.  On Tuesday, Villarreal gets another international test when it hosts Celtic.  This weekend, the Yellow Submarine will host Real Betis in Primera Division play.

6.  Bayer Leverkusen  (Ger) (NR) – Okay, this one really surprised me, but the numbers do whatever they want to do.  After advancing in the DFB Pokal, Leverkusen defeated Bochum 3-2 in its Bundesliga match.  Next weekend’s match will take place against Hertha Berlin.

7.  Lyon  (Fra) (8) – Lyon extended its lead in Ligue Un by defeating Nancy Lorraine 2-1.  Lyon goes to Germany in the Champions League to take on Bayern Munich.  This weekend, Lyon stays on the road when it takes on Stade Rennais.

8.  Real Madrid  (Esp) (3) – Real drops after having last season’s numbers fall away, despite having a great week, defeating Sporting de Gijon 7-1 and Real Betis 2-1.  This week, Real Madrid heads east to play Zenit St. Petersburg in Champions League action, then returns to take on Espanyol in domestic play.

9.  Napoli  (Ita) (NR) – Napoli is another of the surprise entrants into the Top Ten,  arriving, in part, due to victories this week over both Palermo and Bologna.  This week, Napoli will play two away matches, against Benfica in the UEFA Cup and Genoa in Serie A.

10.  Udinese  (Ita) (NR) – For a while last season, Udinese challenged for a Champions League spot.  Will it finally break through this season?  We’ll see.  It’s there for now, though, after defeating Bologna 3-0 and Siena 2-1 this week.  Udinese will take on Borussia Dortmund in UEFA Cup play this week and will host Torino domestically.

11.  Porto  (Por) (12) – Porto’s only match this week saw it defeat Pacos de Ferreira 2-0 on Friday.  This will be a huge week for Porto as it will take on Arsenal in Champions League play and will take on Sporting CP domestically over the weekend.

12.  Aston Villa  (Eng) (NR) – After “bubbling under” for most of the season, Aston Villa finally debuts in the WCR Top 25 after defeating Sunderland 2-1 and despite falling from the Carling Cup by virtue of a loss to Queen’s Park Rangers.  This week, Aston Villa will take on PFC Lovech in the UEFA Cup and will face it’s biggest test of this young season when it takes on Chelsea this weekend.

13.  Arsenal  (Eng) – What a shocking loss.  I don’t know if anybody could have predicted Arsenal losing to Hull City at Emirates Stadium, but it did.  Can’t do anything but bounce back now.  In the Champions League, Arsenal will host Porto this week before heading northeast to take on Sunderland over the weekend.

14.  PSV Eindhoven  (Ned) (11) – Despite victories over Jong PSV in the KNVB Beker and Volendam in the Eredivisie, PSV is still in second place.  This week will be much tougher as PSV travels to England to take on Liverpool and then take on De Graafschap  domestically this weekend.

15.  Gremio  (Bra) (9) – Gremio is still in first place in the Brasileiro, but only by virtue of goal differential, after falling 1-4 to Internacional on Sunday.  Things are starting to look bleak for Gremio as numerous clubs are now moving closer to the top of the league.  Gremio will see if they can slow the inevitable fall this weekend against Botafogo.

16.  Ajax  (Ned) (17) – Ajax was victorious twice this week, first 2-0 against Utrecht in the KNVB Beker and later 3-0 against Vitesse in the Eredivisie.  This week, Ajax will take on Borac Cacak in UEFA Cup play and will play a good Heerenveen club over the weekend.

17.  Werder Bremen  (Ger) (19) – Werder advance in the DFB Pokal and then outscored Hoffenheim 5-4 to move closer to the top of the Bundesliga.  This week, Werder Bremen will attempt to somehow perform better against Inter Milan than it did Anorthosis Famagusta in the Champions League and will take on VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.

18.  San Lorenzo  (Arg) (20) – San Lorenzo defeated Arsenal de Sarandi 2-0 to maintain its lead in the Argentine Apertura.  To maintain that lead, San Lorenzo likely will have to defeat Velez Sarsfield this weekend.

19.  Hamburger  (Ger) (NR) – Hamburger SV is on top in the Bundeliga after beating Borussia Monchengladbach 1-0, but is having problems gaining traction in the rankings with a goal differential of only +2 in five matches.  This week, Hamburger plays two away matches, against Unirea in the UEFA Cup and against Energie Cottbus in the Bundesliga.

20.  Rangers  (Sco) (21) – Rangers defeated Partick Thistle 2-1 to advance in the Scottish League Cup and defeated Hibernian 3-0 on Sunday to maintain its lead in the SPL.  This week, Rangers take on St. Mirren to see if it can maintain that position.

21.  Inter Milan  (Ita) (2) – Uninspired play led Internazionale to fall 0-1 to its cross-town rivals in the best matchup of the weekend after defeating Lecce by the same score at midweek.  The Inter Milan match against Werder Bremen promises to be entertaining.  Over the weekend, Inter will take on Bologna as it tries to climb its way back to the top of Serie A.

22.  Sevilla  (Esp) (NR) – Sevilla scored a huge victory in Madrid this weekend against Atletico, 1-0.  This week, Sevilla will try to recapture some past glory when it takes on Salzburg in the UEFA Cup.  In Primera Division action, Sevilla will host Athletic de Bilbao this weekend.

23.  Barcelona  (Esp) (15) – After a rough start to the season, Barcelona had a great week this time around, defeating Real Betis 3-2 and Espanyol 2-1.  We’ll see if the good times continue in the Ukraine when Barcelona takes on Shakhtar Donetsk in Champions League play.  Domestically, Barcelona will take on Atletico de Madrid in what promises to be the Primera Division game of the week.

24.  Palmeiras  (Bra) (22) – Palmeiras played two matches this week and didn’t score a single goal.  Nevertheless, Palmeiras managed to tie Gremio at the top of the Brasileiro Serie A after a goalless draw with Nautico.  This week, Palmeiras follows up its scoreless draw against Sport Ancash with the return leg in the second round of the Copa Sudamericana.  Domestically, Palmeiras will take on Atletico Belo Horizonte as it waits for Gremio to further self-destruct.

25.  Marseille  (Fra) (18) – It’s beginning to look like this isn’t the season that somebody challenges Lyon in Ligue Un after Marseille managed only a 1-1 draw against Le Mans after Sochaux eliminated Marseille from the Coupe de Ligue.  This week, Marseille goes to Spain to take on Atletico de Madrid in Champions League play and then returns home to host Caen in La Championnat.

Bubbling Under  (alphabetically):  Catania  (Ita), Celtic  (Sco), Sao Paulo  (Bra), Schalke 04  (Ger), West Ham United  (Eng).

Top 5 CAF:  (98) ES Sahel  (Tun), (130) Al Ahly  (Egy), (152) Club Africain  (Tun), (177) El Ismaily  (Egy), (184) ES Tunis  (Tun).

Matches Between Top 25 Clubs This Week:

30 September – (11) Porto at (13) Arsenal

1 October – (14) PSV Eindhoven at (4) Liverpool\

1 October – (17) Werder Bremen at (21) Inter Milan

5 October – (12) Aston Villa at (1) Chelsea

WCR Top 25 - Principles, Purposes and Criteria

For quite a while now, I’ve been getting questions and comments about the WCR Weekly Top 25.  Some weeks, I try to go into a little detail regarding the purpose and reasoning of the rankings, but it becomes cumbersome to try to give explanations and principles on a weekly basis.  For this reason, I thought it would be a good idea to give some information regarding the background behind the Weekly Rankings, as well as the criteria.

The weekly rankings came about by accident.  Originally, I was applying formulas to determine Annual Rankings of world football clubs.  I have completed those from 1960 through the present, many of which can be found by clicking on the Annual Rankings tag.  Upon completion of this project, I decided to apply the formulas to the season in progress to see what the results would be.  I found the results interesting and decided to start this blog in order to share them with others who might also be interested.

The WCR Top 25 is intended to be a reflective measure, not a predictive measure.  That is to say, if (just in way of an example), the rankings have AS Roma at number seven and FC Barcelona at number sixteen, the purpose of the rankings is not to tell you that AS Roma would defeat FC Barcelona in a heads-up match.  Rather, the purpose is to reflect the fact that from the beginning of the current season to the time that the rankings are published, AS Roma has performed better.  What happens in the future will be reflected in future rankings, not in the current ranking.

The rankings are determined, primarily, applying two factors.  The first is domestic league coefficients, which are based by club performance over the prior five seasons in the continental championship tournaments – UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores, and the Champions Leagues from North America, Africa and Asia.  The second factor is each club’s performance in its own domestic league, taking into consideration place in the table and goal differential.  (Also, late in the continental championship season, bonus points are given for performance in the continental championship tournaments.)

The most important factor in the formulas is domestic league performance.  I believe this is the best way to compare clubs within a league because, in most leagues, each club plays every other club, once at home and once away, and this standard, consistent schedule eliminates biases created by strength of schedule and home field advantage.  This is very helpful in creating annual rankings.  It is less effective in weekly rankings because the fewer matches a club has played, the more important a club’s schedule is in its ranking.  Of course, there are ways of altering the formulas to take strength of schedule into account on a weekly basis, but I know no way of doing it quickly and easily and, frankly, I do not have the time for such an endeavor.  Thus, the weekly rankings will penalize clubs that play a tough early-season schedule, but that penalty will become less and less every successive week since all of the clubs in a given league have identical schedules by season’s end.

Since the rankings use the data from the current season for each league, they are pretty meaningless until some point in the season in which each club in a given league has played enough matches to provide meaningful data.  When does that time occur?  I’m not sure.  To minimize this problem, however, I have decided to add data from the prior season to the current season’s data until such time as each club in a given league has played five matches.  This seems proper to me, but reasonable minds can differ.

I receive a lot of hits from people looking for “official club rankings” or “FIFA club rankings.”  I apologize it you search for these and are disappointed by what you find here, but FIFA does not officially rank clubs, which is one of the reasons that I decided to publish my rankings.  They are not, and do not presume to be, official.  It’s just a set of rankings that are determined in the manner in which I choose.  Again, reasonable minds can differ and if you have a ranking of your own, I would be interested in seeing it, but it’s likely that no two would be the same.

I know of only one other site, Soccer Source, that produces a weekly Top 25 list.  Ideally, I would love to see another three or four or more sites that attempt to do the same thing, which would allow us to aggregate the Weekly Top 25s in a similar manner as the AP or ESPN ranks college football or basketball clubs.  Additional opinions and additional perspectives could do nothing but improve the accuracy and legitimacy of the rankings.  Until then, I’ll just concentrate on publishing my own Top 25.

Finally, I’ve been accused of being a Liverpool fan, a Chelsea fan, a Liverpool hater, a Chelsea hater, Portuguese, Dutch and mentally challenged.  I assure you that I am none of the preceding.  I let the numbers pick the Top 25 each week.  For the sake of full disclosure, if I would be biased against any clubs, they would presumably be my favorites, which include:  DC United, Newcastle United, Boca Juniors, Werder Bremen, Inter Milan and Atletico de Madrid.  I don’t think I’ve shown any bias in the rankings towards any of those clubs, but if you believe I have shown bias, you should probably limit your suggestions of such to those clubs.

If you’ve read this far, I’m impressed, and I appreciate your interest in these rankings.  I’m always open to comments, questions and suggestions.  I will supplement this from time to time as warranted.

 

WCR Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 27/28 September

This week should prove to be another great derby week, with inter-city rivalry matches taking place in Milan, Liverpool and Barcelona, among others. The only match between two current WCR Top 25 Clubs takes place on Sunday afternoon, where AC Milan and Inter Milan will battle for dominance of the city. As fate has it, the weekend’s second-best match will take place at pretty much the same time, when Atletico de Madrid hosts Sevilla.

As always, there are the normal slew of matches all up and down your television dial and broadband whatever-its-equivalent-of-a-dial-is. As usual, matches from all over the world wre considered for inclusion in the Top Five Matches of the Weekend, including nations such as England (Liverpool/Everton), Germany (Stuttgart/Dortmund), the United States (Columbus/New England), Spain (Barcelona/Espanyol) and Mexico (UNAM/Atlante). Which ones made it? Let’s see. (And have a great weekend!!!)

Top Five Matches of the Weekend

1. Inter Milan at AC Milan (Sunday, 2:30 pm, FSC)
2. Sevilla at Atletico de Madrid (Sunday, 3:00 pm, GolTV)
3. Liverpool at Everton (Saturday, 7:30 am, Setanta)
4. UNAM Pumas at Atlante (Saturday, 11:59pm, Galavision)
5. Columbus Crew at New England Revolution (Saturday, 7:30 pm, MLS Direct Kick)

Saturday, September 27, 2008

6:00 am – JEF United Ichihara Chiba at Kyoto Purple Sanga (ESPN 360)
7:30 am – (14) Liverpool at Everton (Setanta)
7:30 am – Dalian Shide at Chengdu Blades (ESPN 360)
8:00 am – Zenit St. Petersburg at Lokomotiv Moscow (ESPN 360)
9:45 am – Bolton Wanderers at (6) Manchester United (Setanta)
10:00 am – (1) Chelsea at Stoke City (FSC)
11:30 am – VfB Stuttgart at Borussia Dortmund (Delayed) (GolTV)
12:30 pm – Hull City at (4) Arsenal (FSC)
1:45 pm – (11) PSV Eindhoven at Volendam (ESPN 360)
2:00 pm – (3) Real Madrid at Real Betis (GolTV)
2:15 pm – West Ham United at Fulham (Delayed) (Setanta)
2:30 pm – Genoa at (24) Fiorentina (FSC)
3:30 pm – Houston Dynamo at Toronto FC (MLS Direct Kick)
4:00 pm – Sunderland at Aston Villa (Delayed) (Setanta)
4:00 pm – (15) Barcelona at Espanyol (GolTV)
4:30 pm – (10) Juventus at Sampdoria (Delayed) (FSC) (Live at Noon on ESPN 360)
6:00 pm – Puebla at San Luis (Galavision)
7:30 pm – Colorado Rapids at New York Red Bulls (MLS Direct Kick)
7:30 pm – Columbus Crew at New England Revolution (MLS Direct Kick)
8:00 pm – Monterrey at Pachuca (ESPND)
8:00 pm – Indios Juarez at Tigres (Galavision)
8:00 pm – Blackburn Rovers at Newcastle United (Delayed) (FSC)
10:00 pm – Real Salt Lake at San Jose Earthquakes (HDNet)
10:00 pm – Chivas de Guadalajara at Atlas (Delayed) (TeleFutura)
10:30 pm – Kansas City Wizards at Chivas USA (FSC)
12 Midnight – UNAM Pumas at Atlante (Delayed) (Galavision)

Sunday, September 28, 2008

3:00 am – Queensland Roar at Melbourne Victory (FSC)
7:30 am – Beijing Guoan at Wuhan Huanghelou (ESPN 360)
8:30 am – Tottenham Hotspur at Portsmouth (Setanta)
8:30 am – FC Groningen at Feyenoord (ESPN 360)
8:30 am – (17) Ajax at Vitesse (ESPN 360)
9:00 am – Atalanta at (7) Roma (FSC)
9:00 am – Napoli at Bologna (ESPN 360)
10:00 am – FC Moscow at Rubin Kazan (ESPN 360)
11:00 am – Manchester City at Wigan Athletic (FSC)
11:00 am – (16) Schalke 04 at Cologne (Delayed) (GolTV)
1:00 pm – Santos Laguna at Toluca (Univision)
1:00 pm – Deportivo La Coruna at Valencia (GolTV)
2:30 pm – (2) Inter Milan at (25) AC Milan (FSC)
3:00 pm – D.C. United at FC Dallas (TeleFutura)
3:00 pm – Sevilla at (23) Atletico de Madrid (GolTV)
5:00 pm – Racing at River Plate (Delayed) (FSC) (Live at 1pm on FSE)
6:00 pm – Cruz Azul at Club America (TeleFutura)
6:30 pm – Millonarios at America de Cali (GolTV)

Non-Televised Matches Involving Top 25 Clubs

Sat., 9:30 am – (5) Bayern Munich at Hannover 96
Sat., 9:30 am – TSG Hoffenheim at (19) Werder Bremen
Sat., 1:00 pm – Nancy Lorraine at (8) Lyon
Sat., 1:00 pm – (18) Marseille at Le Man
Sat., 2:00 pm – (13) Villarreal at Sporting de Gijon
Sat., 5:15 pm – Arsenal de Sarandi at (20) San Lorenzo
Sun., 9:00 am – (21) Rangers at Hibernian
Sun., 3:00 pm – (22) Palmeiras at Nautico
Sun., 5:10 pm – (9) Gremio at Internacional

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Last Week Before All Hell Breaks Loose Edition

After this week, the WCR Top 25 will go through its most radical change of the season.  The reason for this is that until each club in a given domestic league has played five matches, the prior season’s results are factored in to preserve some sense of continuity and to give the new season time to mature.  As a result, last season’s results will drop off in many of the world’s top domestic leagues, including the English Premiership, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Division and German Bundesliga.  (Last season’s results already have been purged from French Ligue Un statistics.)  The effect of this will be apparent immediately as clubs that you are used to seeing in the rankings will disappear (like Manchester United, who currently are mired in the bottom half of the Premiership – I blame AIG), while others that you haven’t seen before will make a strong debut, benefitting from a strong start to the season.  At the moment, it is nearly impossible for me to predict what the chart will look like next week.

But that’s next week.  What about this week?  There There were international tournaments, like the UEFA Champions League, but those results have very little affect on the rankings until the group stages conclude.  The group stages are six match tournaments, so it is unfair to judge them until completed.   So, while they are reference here, don’t expect to see CFR Cluj on the charts until such time as they have advanced to the knockout stage – not that I’m predicting that.

The big match of the week, of course, took place in London, where Chelsea and Manchester United played to a 1-1 draw.  The result had no affect on Chelsea, who remains in the top slot, but hurt Manchester United by allowing it to be caught and passed by Arsenal in the composite table.  In other chart movements, this weekend’s results resulted in the exit of Sevilla, Everton and UNAM Pumas from the Top 25, replaced by Atletico de Madrid, San Lorenzo and AC Milan.  Whether they will survive next week’s shuffle is up to next week to tell.

There was a lot of action last week as most ranked clubs played multiple matches.  The same is true this week as we are in one of the busiest times of the season.  Let’s get started.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – September 22, 2008

 1. Chelsea  (Eng) (1) – Chelsea got off to a great start in the Champions League with a 4-0 thrashing of Bordeaux.  Of course, Chelsea’s biggest match was against Manchester United and Chelsea fought hard at the end for a 1-1 draw.  This week sees Chelsea taking on Portsmouth at midweek in League Cup action and Stoke City over the weekend in the Premiership.

 2.  Inter Milan  (Ita) (2) – Internazionale continued its winning ways under the Special One with a 3-0 victory over Panithinaikos in the Champions League and a 3-1 victory over Torino in Serie A play.  This week, Inter plays two Serie A matchups with a warmup against Lecce on Wednesday before taking on archrival AC Milan in the main event on Sunday.

 3.  Real Madrid  (Esp) (3) – A pair of 2-0 victories are making Real Madrid look more like the defending Primera Division champions that they are.  The first was over BATE Barisov in the Champions League and the second was against Racing Santander.  This week, Real faces two Primera division opponents, Sporting de Gijon at midweek and Real Betis over the weekend.

 4.  Arsenal  (Eng) (6) – Arsenal moves up to its highest point in several months after a 3-1 victory over Bolton.  This follows a disappointing 1-1 draw against Dynamo Kyiv in continental action.  This week, Arsenal hosts Sheffield United in the League Cup and will host surprising Hull City in its Premiership match.

 5.  Bayern Munich  (Ger) – This is the first club in the countdown that will suffer when last season’s results are disregarded after this week.  After starting the week well enough with a 1-0 win against Steaua Bucuresti, Bayern was completely humiliated by Werder Bremen in Bundesliga play on Saturday.  It should get a little easier this week for Bayern as they take on Nurnburg in DFB Pokal action and Hannover 96 in Bundesliga play.

 6.  Manchester United  (Eng) (4) – The mighty have fallen and will fall much further next week when last season’s results are erased from consideration.  Counting the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup, Manchester United has played six competitive matches and have walked away with one, count them, one victory.  Ronaldo’s return is more than welcomed, but sitting near the bottom of the Premiership is United’s current lot.  This week, Manchester United participate in two draws, one at home against Villarreal and one away against Chelsea.  Coming up, United will try to change its luck against Middlesbrough in the League Cup and against Bolton Wanderers in league play.

 7.  Roma  (Ita) (7) – I don’t even know what to say about Roma’s Champions League performance.  There’s no reason why this club should lose at home against CFR Cluj.  Roma did bounce back, scoring its first Serie A victory of the season, against Reggina 3-0.  Roma’s two Serie A opponents this week will be Genoa and Atalanta.

 8.  Lyon  (Fra) (8) – The expected classic between Lyon and Fiorentina at midweek did not disappoint, with Lyon holding on to a 2-2 draw at home.  Lyon scored a 1-0 victory over the weekend to extend its lead in Ligue Un.  Unlike most of the clubs in the rankings, Lyon will not have to play again until next week, when it will host Nancy Lorraine.

 9.  Gremio  (Bra) (9) – With a goalless draw this weekend against Atletico Paranaense this weekend, Gremio’s lead in the Brasileiro Serie A, and thus its spot in the WCR Top Ten, is becoming more and more precarious.  The slumping Gremio will try to hold on to its one-point league lead this weekend when it takes on the club that knocked it out of the Copa Sudamericana, Internacional.

 10.  Juventus  (Ita) (12) – Juve moved up two notches, into the WCR Top Ten, with 1-0 victories over Zenit St. Petersburg and Cagliari.  Juve will face two Serie A opponents this week in league action, Catania and Sampdoria.

 11.  PSV Eindhoven  (Ned) (10) – PSV demonstrated that they likely are overrated this week, falling to both Atletico de Madrid in the Champions League and AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie.  We’ll see where PSV lands after losing last season’s results, which is still a few weeks away in the Eredivisie.  This week should be much easier as PSV faces Jong PSV in the KNVB Beker and Volendam in league play.

 12.  Porto  (Por) (11) – Oddly, Porto found the going much easier in continental play than in domestic play this week, defeating Fenerbahce 3-1, but managing only a goalless draw against Rio Ave.  In bwin liga action this weekend, Porto will face Paco de Ferreira.

 13.  Villarreal  (Esp) (13) – Any week a club can walk into Old Trafford and walk out with a draw is a good week.  The Yellow Submarine did just that this week in Champions League play.  Villarreal also walked away with a 2-1 victory over Numancia.  In upcoming domestic play this week, Villarreal will face Racing Santander and Sporting de Gijon.

 14.  Liverpool  (Eng) (14) – This should be the last week for a while that Liverpool is ranked this low after defeating Marseille 2-1 in CL group stage play.  Still, ‘pool has to be disappointed with a scoreless draw at home against Stoke City this past weekend.  In League Cup play, Liverpool takes on Crewe Alexandra (who?) before playing a derby match against Everton on Saturday.

 15.  Barcelona  (Esp) (17) – Barcelona moves up two notches after a week of playing like, well, Barcelona.  Two big victories this week, 3-1 over Sporting CP and 6-1 over Sporting de Gijon.  We’ll see if they can keep it up this week against Real Betis and in a derby of its own against Espanyol.

 16.  Schalke 04  (Ger) (16) – Relegated to UEFA Cup play after being unfortunate enough to play Atletico de Madrid, Schalke showed that it is the cream of this years crop, defeating APOEL Nicosia 4-1.  Schalke also defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0, domestically.  This week sees Schalke taking on Hannover 96 in DFB Pokal action and Cologne in the Bundesliga.

 17.  Ajax  (Ned) (18) – Ajax did defeat Borac Cacak 4-1 in UEFA Cup action this week, but managed only a 2-2 draw against Feyenoord, domestically.  Ajax will host Utrecht in KNVB Beker play this week and Vitesse over the weekend in the Eredivisie.

 18.  Marseille  (Fra) (15) – Marseille drops three notches after a rough week – losing at home to Liverpool and drawing 0-0 at home against Monaco.  This week, Marseille has a midweek Coupe de Ligue match against Sochaux and a weekend Ligue Un match against Le Mans.

 19.  Werder Bremen  (Ger) (19) – This week’s Jeckyll and Hyde award goes to Bremen who could not score a single goal in its draw with Anorthosis Famagusta, but found a way to score five of them against Bayern Munich in its 5-2 Bundesliga slaughter.  In cup action this week, Werder Bremen takes on Erzgebirge Aue (I think that’s right), as well as Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.

 20.  San Lorenzo  (Arg) (NR) – The highest debut club of the week is San Lorenzo, who defeated Colon 3-0 this past week and further secured its spot at the top of the Argentine Apertura.  As it tries to hold on to the top spot, San Lorenzo will face Arsenal de Sarandi.

 21.  Rangers  (Sco) (20) – Rangers defeated Motherwell this weekend to hold on to the top spot of the SPL.  In League Cup action at midweek, Rangers will face Partick Thistle.  In SPL play, Rangers will face Hibernian over the weekend.

 22.  Palmeiras  (Bra) (24) – Double your pleasure, double your fun.  At midweek, Palmeiras defeated Vasco da Gama 3-0 to advance to the Round of Sixteen in the Copa Sudamerican.  This weekend, Sao Paulo defeated Vasco da Gama again, this time 2-0, to move within a point of the lead of the Brasileiro Serie A.  Palmeiras will take on Sport Ancash from Peru in the Copa Sudamerican this week before taking on Nautico domestically over the weekend.

 23. Atletico de Madrid  (Esp) (NR) –Tremendous week for Atletico this week, defeating PSV Eindhoven 3-0 and Recreativo de Huelva 4-0.  We’ll see if they can keep it up with two tough matches in Primera Division play this week against Getafe and Sevilla.

 24. Fiorentina  (Ita) (23) – A draw for Fiorentina in Lyon is not a bad result.  Fiorentina followed that up with a 1-0 victory over Bologna in Serie A.  This week, Fiorentina will go to Rome to take on Lazio and head home to host Genoa.

 25.  AC Milan  (Ita) (NR) – Milan returns to the rankings, though it may only be temporary based upon its poor showing thus far in Serie A.  This week was good, though, as Milan defeated FC Zurich 3-1 in the UEFA Cup and Lazio by an even wider margin, 4-1, domestically.  AC Milan will take on Reggina at midweek, but the real test will come on Sunday when AC will take on its cross-town rival.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically):  Aston Villa  (Eng), Cruzeiro  (Bra), Everton  (Eng), Hamburger  (Ger), Heerenveen  (Ned)

Next Five UEFA:  (31) Sevilla  (Esp), (32) Celtic  (Sco), (34) Sporting CP  (Por), (35) Le Man  (Fra), (37) Galatasaray  (Tur)

Matches Between Top 25 Clubs This Week:

28 September – (2) Inter Milan at (25) AC Milan

WCR Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 20/21 September

It’s been a tough stretch for Manchester United. After going to Liverpool (and losing) and going to Spain (and tying), the past WCR Top 25 Number One Club has to go to London to face the current WCR Top 25 Number One Club, Chelsea. Their challenge is our pleasure, however, as we get to watch the match on Sunday morning.

Another match this weekend seeing two WCR Top 25 clubs face-off takes place in Germany, where Werder Bremen hosts Bayern Munich on Saturday morning. The match is at 9:30, but will be televised, delayed, at 11:30 am on GolTV.

One new pleasure in the television lineup is on ESPN 360. The broadband station began showing Eredivisie matches a few weeks back. This week, ESPN 360 debuts matches from Portugal’s bwin Superliga – though I would have preferred if the network would have debuted with Porto/Benfica last week. (Was it last week? I’m doing this from memory, folks. It may have been the week before.)

Of course, we also have the normal Spanish, Italian, Mexican and MLS matches all over the channels this weekend. I love football season!!!!

As always, please advise me if you have additional information or a correction. (I’m not all that sure about the time for the Rangers match, below, but it is what I read.) Below are the Top Five Matches of the Weekend and the rest of the schedule. Have a great weekend!!!

Top Five Matches of the Weekend

1. Manchester United at Chelsea (Sunday, 9:00 am, FSC)
2. Bayern Munich at Werder Bremen (Saturday, 11:30 am, GolTV)
3. San Luis at UNAM Pumas (Sunday, 1:00 pm, Univision)
4. Feyenoord at Ajax (Sunday, 6:30 am, ESPN 360)
5. Portsmouth at Manchester City (Sunday, 10:00 am, Setanta)

Saturday, September 20, 2008

2:30 am – Yokohama F. Marinos at Jubilo Iwata (ESPN 360)
7:30 am – Beijing Guoan at Shandong Luneng (ESPN 360)
7:40 am – Middlesbrough at Sunderland (Setanta)
9:30 am – Stoke City at (14) Liverpool (Setanta)
10:00 am – Newcastle United at West Ham United (FSC)
11:30 am – (5) Bayern Munich at (19) Werder Bremen (Delayed) (GolTV)
12:15 pm – Fulham at Blackburn Rovers (Delayed) (Setanta) (Live at 10 am on SBB)
12:30 pm – (6) Arsenal at Bolton Wanderers (FSC)
2:00 pm – Recreativo at Atletico de Madrid (GolTV)
2:30 pm – Reggina at (7) Roma (FSC)
2:45 pm – AZ Alkmaar at (10) PSV Eindhoven (ESPN 360)
4:00 pm – Getafe at Espanyol (GolTV)
4:30 pm – Atalanta at Catania (Delayed) (FSC)
6:00 pm – Morelia at Monterrey (Galavision)
7:20 pm – Independiente Santa Fe at Millonarios (GolTV)
8:00 pm – Toronto FC at Kansas City Wizards (HDNet)
9:00 pm – New England Revolution at Colorado Rapids (MLS Direct Kick)
9:00 pm – Chivas USA at Real Salt Lake (MLS Direct Kick)
10:00 pm – Toluca at Necaxa (TeleFutura)
11:00 pm – DC United at Los Angeles Galaxy (FSC)

Sunday, September 21, 2008

3:00 am – Wellington Phoenix at Perth Glory (FSC)
6:30 am – Feyenoord at (18) Ajax (ESPN 360)
7:45 am – Shanghai Shenhua at Tianjin Teda (ESPN 360)
8:00 am – CSKA Moscow at Zenit St. Petersburg (ESPN 360)
9:00 am – (4) Manchester United at (1) Chelsea (FSC)
9:00 am – (12) Juventus at Cagliari (ESPN 360)
10:00 am – Portsmouth at Manchester City (Setanta)
11:00 am – Hamburger at Wolfsburg (Delayed) (GolTV)
11:30 am – (2) Inter Milan at Torino (Delayed) (FSC) (Live at 9 am on ESPN 360)
12:00 pm – (25) Everton at Hull City (Delayed) (Setanta) (Live at 10 am on SBB)
1:00 pm – Tigres at Puebla (FSE) (ESPND)
1:00 pm – (3) Real Madrid at Racing Santander (GolTV)
1:00 pm – San Luis at (22) Pumas UNAM (Univision)
2:30 pm – Lazio at AC Milan (FSC)
3:00 pm – FC Dallas at Chicago Fire (TeleFutura)
3:00 pm – River Plate at San Martin de Tucman (FSE)
3:00 pm – Aston Villa at West Bromwich Albion (Delayed) (Setanta)
3:00 pm – Sporting Gijon at (17) Barcelona (GolTV)
3:15 pm – (11) Porto at Rio Ave (ESPN 360)
4:30 pm – Wigan Athletic at Tottenham Hotspur (Delayed) (FSC)
5:00 pm – Atlante at Club America (Delayed) (TeleFutura)
5:00 pm – (21) Sevilla at Real Bettis
7:00 pm – Once Caldas at Pereira

Non-Televised Matches Involving Top 25 Clubs

Sat., 9:30 am – Eintracht Frankfurt at (16) Schalke 04
Sat., 1:00 pm – (8) Lyon at La Havre
Sun., 9:00 am – Bologna at (23) Fiorentina
Sun., 10:00 am – Motherwell at (20) Rangers
Sun., 11:00 am – (13) Villarreal at Numancia
Sun., 3:00 pm – (9) Gremio at Atletico Paranaense
Sun., 3:00 pm – AS Monaco at (15) Marseille
Sun., 5:10 pm – Vasco da Gama at (21) Palmeiras

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - New Number One Edition

We still have two weeks to go until last season’s results are erased from the databases for English clubs (three weeks for some others), yet Manchester United has already managed to lose the advantage that it carried into this season.  With its loss to Liverpool, Manchester United has relinquished the title that it has held since early this year.  Since we started this blog eleven months ago, only two clubs have reached the pinnacle, Inter Milan and Manchester United.  This week, we welcome a third as Chelsea takes over the top spot.  As a note to Liverpool fans, Liverpool did not improve this week because it finished a distant fourth place last year and those results will still be used over the next few weeks.  Provided Liverpool maintains form over the next few weeks, I foresee it rising to or near the top of the rankings at that time.

A few domestic leagues did reach the point in their seasons where last season’s results have been eliminated.  Most notably, those nations include France and Scotland.  The results of this change are reflected in the Top 25, where Marseille replaces Bordeaux and Rangers replace Scotland.  As mention in recent past rankings, as last season’s results are dropped, the Top 25 will become much more fluid and that is reflected in this week’s chart, where we have five clubs that were not around last week.

Another reason for changes this week is that clubs near the bottom of the rankings did their best to forfeit their spots.  Boca Juniors managed only a draw against Independiente, Bordeaux, a draw against Marseille, and AC Milan and Atletico de Madrid both fell this weekend.  All of these clubs have been removed from the rankings for this week, if only temporarily.  We’ll see how the numbers work out in future weeks.

Rankings, shmakings.  The big news this week, of course, is the beginning of the UEFA Champions League group stage.  This will provide us with six great matchweeks full of great matches, beginning this week, where we will see clubs like Manchester United and Villarreal face off.  Matches involving multiple Top 25 clubs are highlighted below.  Even when those are over, however, it’s still not over as Manchester United, fresh off of its trip to Liverpool, goes to London to take on Chelsea over the weekend.  Also, in the Bundesliga, Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich will face off on Saturday. 

Great clubs, great matches.  I love this time of year!!!  Below is the current Top 25.

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World – September 15, 2008

1.            Chelsea  (Eng) (4) – Chelsea becomes the third club to top the WCR Top 25 by virtue of Manchester United’s loss and Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat of the other club from Manchester.  Robinho scored early, but Chelsea scored often.  In Champions League action, Chelsea will host Bordeaux, but the more important match for Chelsea will be on Sunday, when Chelsea faces the club they displaced at the top of the rankings.

2.            Inter Milan  (Ita) (2) – Just below Jose Mourinho’s former club is Jose Mourinho, himself.  Inter won its first Serie A match this week, defeating Catania 2-1.  Internazionale has two away matches this week, against Panathinaikos in Champions League action and Torino in domestic play.

3.            Real Madrid  (Esp) (3) – It wasn’t easy, and for a while it looked like another upset, but Real Madrid held on to defeat Numancia 4-3 in Primera Division play.  Real Madrid will host BATE Barisov on Wednesday in Champions League action and play Racing Santander in La Liga this weekend.

4.            Manchester United  (Eng) (1) – Liverpool knocked United off its perch with a 2-1 victory over the defending champions.  United is at risk of falling even further when it travels to London to take on Chelsea.  Before that, however, Manchester United has to host Villarreal in Champions League play and the way the Reds have been playing recently, it’s definitely not a given that they will win.

5.            Bayern Munich  (Ger) (5) – Bayern was dominant this weekend, defeating Cologne 3-0.  Bayern returns to the Champions League this week when it takes on Steaua Bucuresti.  Its more difficult match, likely, will be in the Bundesliga on Saturday, when Bayern will host Werder Bremen.

6.            Arsenal  (Eng) (7) – Arsenal moved up a little bit after defeating Blackburn Rovers 4-0 this weekend and could move up even more if they can take advantage of the fall of Manchester United.  Arsenal goes out to Ukraine for a Champions League matchup against Dynamo Kyiv and head to Bolton to take on the Wanderers this weekend.

7.            Roma  (Ita) (6) – Roma’s Serie A season is not shaping up as it had hoped, falling this week 1-3 to Palermo.  Although it is taking advantage of last season’s results, it will need to turn things around quickly or it will not be long for this chart.  Roma will host CFR Cluj in Champions League action this week before hosting Reggina in domestic action this weekend.

8.            Lyon  (Fra) (10) – No longer surviving on last season’s results, Lyon doesn’t have to with its 3-2 victory over Nice placing Lyon in its familiar spot atop the Ligue Un standings.  In a very interesting Champions League match, Lyon hosts Fiorentina.  In domestic action, OL will take on Le Havre.

9.            Gremio  (Bra) (8) – Unlike most European leagues, the Brasileiro Serie A season is mature – over halfway complete.  Gremio jumped out to a quick lead, but that lead has been shrinking and shrank some more this weekend as Gremio fell 1-2 to Goias.  As Gremio attempts to hang on, Gremio will take on Atletico Parananense this weekend.

10.          PSV Eindhoven  (Ned) (9) – With a 1-0 victory over Sparta Rotterdam this weekend, PSV hangs on to a Top Ten spot.  In an intriguing matchup on Tuesday, PSV will host Atletico de Madrid in Champions League action.  Domestically, PSV will take on AZ Alkmaar this weekend.

11.          Porto  (Por) (9) – Porto has had a few weeks off now, and it’s time for them to get back to work.  First up?  Last season’s surprise club, Fenerbahce.  This weekend, Porto returns to bwin Superliga action against Rio Ave.

12.          Juventus  (Ita) (12) – Juventus was able to defeat Udinese 1-0 in Serie A action this weekend.  It’s match against Zenit St. Petersburg on Wednesday promises to be one of the most interesting of Matchday One in the Champions League.  Juventus will play Cagliari this weekend in Serie A.

13.          Villarreal  (Esp) (13) – Villarreal was able to put one in the victory column this weekend with a 1-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.  Villarreal comes to the isles this week to take on slumping Manchester United in Champions League play.  In La Liga’s Primera Division, Villarreal will be next on the agenda for Numancia, who is coming off of matches against Real Madrid and Barcelona.  Welcome to the Primera Division, Numancia!!!

14.          Liverpool  (Eng) (14) – Don’t get upset, this is only temporary.  Once last season’s data is removed in two weeks, Liverpool should shoot up.  For now, Liverpool can celebrate knocking Manchester United with its 2-1 victory, even if it does mean that it is responsible for placing Chelsea in the top spot.  Liverpool crosses the Channel this week to take on Marseille in the Champions League.  Domestically, Liverpool will host Stoke City over the weekend.

15.          Marseille  (Fra) (NR) – The first club in this week’s Top 25 to benefit from losing last season’s data is Marseille, which debuts in the Top 25 despite drawing 1-1 with Bordeaux this weekend.  As I stated in the paragraph above, Marseille will host Liverpool in the Champions League.  In Ligue Un, Marseille will host AS Monaco on Sunday.

16.          Schalke 04  (Ger) – Schalke lost its top spot in the Bundesliga this weekend when it couldn’t hold on to its 3-0 lead against Borussia Dortmund and had to settle for a 3-3 draw.  Schalke, is the highest currently ranked club in the UEFA Cup and it will enter that tournament playing APOEL Nicosia on Thursday.  This weekend, Schalke will host Eintracht Frankfurt in Bundesliga action.

17.          Barcelona  (Esp) (15) – Barcelona remains without a victory in the Primera Division after managing only a 1-1 draw with Racing Santander.  On Tuesday, Barcelona will host Sporting CP in the Champions League and it will try to bounce back in La Liga against Sporting Gijon on Sunday.

18.          Ajax  (Ned) (17) – Ajax bounced back in the Eredivisie with a 1-0 victory over Roda JC this weekend.  Ajax probably should be in the Champions League, but it’s not, so it will face Borac Cacak in UEFA Cup competition on Thursday.  Domestically, Ajax will face Feyenoord in a classic Dutch matchup.

19.          Werder Bremen  (Ger) (19)– As Bremen gears up for the Champions League, it defeated Energie Cottbus handily, as it should, 3-0.  Bremen will host surprising Cypriot participant Anorthosis Famagusta in a Champions League match on Tuesday.  The competition will pick up on Saturday when Bremen travels to Munich to take on Bayern in Bundesliga action.

20.          Rangers  (Sco) (NR) – It’s true that Rangers already has been eliminated from European action, but Rangers returns to the rankings by virtue of being on top of the SPL after this weekend’s victory.  With no match to focus on in midweek, Rangers can concentrate on defeating Motherwell on Sunday.

21.          Sevilla  (Esp) (NR) – Sevilla is off to a good start and returns to the Top 25 this week.  Sevilla will take place in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, hosting FC Salzburg.  In trying to continue its solid Primera Division start, Sevilla will take on Real Betis on Sunday.

22.          Pumas UNAM  (Mex) (NR) – With a 2-0 victory over Tigres, Pumas moves to the top of the Mexican Primera division and makes its debut in the WCR Top 25 this week.  The move is timely, as well, as it allows me to highlight the fact that the two best clubs in Mexico in the current season will face off on Sunday when Pumas hosts San Luis.

23.          Fiorentina  (Ita) (22) – Fiorentina is off to a disappointing start in the Serie A season, losing this weekend 1-2 to Napoli.  Fiorentina heads north to take on Lyon on Wednesday in Champions League play.  On Sunday, Fiorentina will host Bologna in domestic action.

24.          Palmeiras  (Bra) (21) – With a 1-0 victory over Cruzeiro this weekend, Palmeiras firmly is in second place in the Brasileiro Serie A and only three points behind leading Gremio.  Palmeiras will host Vasco da Gama twice this week, on Thursday in the Copa Sudamerican and on Sunday in domestic league play.

25.          Everton  (Eng) (NR) – Everton is here more by default than any other reason, but with a victory this weekend, they slide ahead of clubs like AC Milan and Atletico de Madrid.  Everton will host Standard Liege in this week’s UEFA Cup match and will play Hull City in what promises to be an interesting early-season matchup.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically):  Boca Juniors  (Arg), Cruzeiro  (Bra), Hamburger  (Ger), Heerenveen  (Ned), Milan  (Ita).

Next Five CONMEBOL:  (33) Sao Paulo  (Bra), (35) River Plate  (Arg), (43) Botafogo  (Bra), (46) River Plate  (Uru), (50) Flamengo  (Bra).

Matches Between Top 25 Clubs This Week:

16 September – (14) Liverpool at (15) Marseille

17 September – (13) Villarreal at (4) Manchester United

17 September – (23) Fiorentina at (8) Lyon

20 September – (19) Werder Bremen at (5) Bayern Munich

21 September – (4) Manchester United at (1) Chelsea

WCR Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 13/14 September

Thank goodness, club football is back. I have nothing against international football, I’ll even blog about it when I have nothing else to talk about, but I do love me some club football.

All of the WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World are in action this weekend. The most anticipated matches are taking place on Saturday morning and coming out of England, where Manchester United takes on Liverpool and Robinho-riffic Manchester City hosts Robinho-less Chelsea. Of course, there’s plenty of other English action all over FSC and Setanta.

There are the normal slew of games from around the world on various networks. Eredivisie action returns to your computers this weekend on ESPN 360. The most intriguing matches on ESPN 360 this weekend will be out of the east where the top two clubs in China and the top two clubs in Russia will face off to determine which clubs are best, for now.

There are a handful of matches involving Top 25 clubs that are not being televised, and two of them will be sorely missed as Bordeaux hosts Marseille on Saturday and Cruzeiro hosts Palmeiras on Sunday in matches that should affect next weeks rankings.

It was easy picking the top two games of the weekend, this week, but a little more difficult after that. Below is my take. As always, if you have any additional information that you can share, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail and I will update the list accordingly. Have a great weekend!!!

Top Five Matches of the Weekend

1. Manchester United at Liverpool (Saturday, 7:30 am, Setanta)
2. Chelsea at Manchester City (Saturday, 12:30 pm, FSC)
3. Marseille at Bordeaux (Saturday, 3:00 pm, Not Televised)
4. Palmeiras at Cruzeiro (Sunday, 3:00 pm, Not Televised)
5. Dynamo Moscow at Rubin Kazan (Sunday, 8:00 am, ESPN 360)

Saturday, September 13, 2008

1:00 am – Oita Trinita at Urawa Red Diamonds (ESPN 360)
3:35 am – Shandong Luneng at Shanxi Baorong (ESPN 360)
6:00 am – Spartak Moscow at FC Moscow (ESPN 360)
7:30 am – (1) Manchester United at (14) Liverpool (Setanta)
7:30 am – Beijing Guoan at Henan Jianye (ESPN 360)
9:45 am – (7) Arsenal at Blackburn Rovers (Setanta)
10:00 am – Hull City at Newcastle United (FSC)
11:30 am – (16) Schalke 04 at Borussia Dortmund (Delayed) (GolTV)
12:30 pm – (4) Chelsea at Manchester City (FSC)
12:45 pm – (9) PSV Eindhoven at Sparta Rotterdam (ESPN 360)
2:00 pm – Racing Santander at (15) Barcelona (GolTV)
2:30 pm – Catania at (2) Inter Milan (FSC)
2:45 pm – Feyenoord at FC Volendam (ESPN 360)
3:30 pm – Columbus Crew at Toronto FC (MLS Direct Kick)
4:00 pm – (25) Atletico de Madrid at Valladolid (Delayed) (GolTV)
4:00 pm – West Ham United at West Bromwich Albion (Delayed) (Setanta) (Live at 10am on SBB)
4:30 pm – (6) Roma at Palermo (Delayed) (FSC) (Live at Noon on ESPN 360)
5:00 pm – Los Angeles Galaxy at Kansas City Wizards (HDNet)
5:45 pm – Bolton Wanderers at Fulham (Delayed) (Setanta)
6:00 pm – (5) Bayern Munich at Cologne (Delayed) (GolTV)
6:00 pm – Club America at San Luis (TeleFutura)
7:00 pm – Indios at Jaguares (Delayed) (FSE)
7:30 pm – FC Dallas at DC United (FSC)
7:30 pm – Real Salt Lake at New York Red Bulls (MLS Direct Kick)
8:00 pm – Pumas UNAM at Tigres UANL (Galavision)
8:00 pm – Millonarios at Atletico Junior (Delayed) (GolTV)
10:00 pm – Cruz Azul at Atlante (Galavision)
10:00 pm – Houston Dynamo at San Jose Earthquakes (MLS Direct Kick)
11:00 pm – Middlesbrough at Portsmouth (Delayed) (FSC)
12 Midnight – Puebla at Atlas (Delayed) (Galavision)

Sunday, September 14, 2008

3:00 am – Queensland Roar at Perth Glory (FSC)
8:30 am – Everton at Stoke City (Setanta) (Delayed at 11am on FSC)
8:00 am – Dynamo Moscow at Rubin Kazan (ESPN 360)
8:30 am – Roda JC at (18) Ajax (ESPN 360)
9:00 am – (24) AC Milan at Genoa (FSC)

9:00 am - (23) Fiorentina at Napoli  (ESPN 360)
11:00 am – Deportivo La Coruna at (13) Villarreal (GolTV)
1:00 pm – Monterrey at Toluca (Univision)
1:00 pm – Numancia at (3) Real Madrid (GolTV)
2:30 pm – Udinese at (12) Juventus (FSC)
3:00 pm – Chicago Fire at Colorado Rapids (TeleFutura)
5:00 pm – Borussia Monchengladbach at Hannover 96 (Delayed) (GolTV)
5:00 pm – Independiente at (20) Boca Juniors (Delayed) (FSC) (Live at 3pm on FSE)
5:00 pm – Necaxa at Santos Laguna (ESPND)
7:00 pm – Independiente Medellin at Boyaca Chico (Delayed) (GolTV)

Non-Televised Matches Involving Top 25 Clubs

Sat., 7:30 am – (18) Celtic at Motherwell

Sat., 9:30 am – Energie Cottbus at (19) Werder Bremen
Sat., 1:00 pm – Nice at (10) Lyon
Sat., 3:00 pm – Marseille at (22) Bordeaux
Sat., 5:20 pm – (8) Gremio at Goias
Sun., 12 noon – (11) Porto at Rio Ave
Sun., 3:00 pm – (21) Palmeiras at Cruzeiro

What's Going On . . . in the World Cup Qualifiers

Here at World Club Rankings, you know what we like.  We like rankings.  Specifically, club rankings.  Sometimes, however, there’s not enough going on in club football to write about.  (Of course, there’s the Newcastle United fiasco, but that’s been blogged to death already.  I’ll miss you, Kev.)  Since we don’t have club football this week, we’ll concentrate on the rankings part.

 World Cup qualifiers are taking place all over the world.  We would find them exciting if we weren’t so early in the process.  Even though many of the matches taking place will have an effect on who makes the World Cup, ultimately, it’s just hard for us at WCR to get too involved.

 We’ve gotten involved in international football before, with limited posts.  Since international football is dominating the scene at the moment, though, this week’s What’s Going On feature looks at the qualifiers.

 What’s going on in the World Cup qualifiers?  Way too much to go into all of the detail here.  I’ve found that the best site to find scores and standings and statistics and stuff (and anything else starting with the letter “s”) is the official FIFA website.  I’ll let you use that link if you want the nitty and the gritty.

 What I can provide here is a brief synopsis of what’s going on among FIFA’s Top 25 national teams.  Unlike the WCR Weekly Top 25, we do not generate a ranking for world clubs, so we’ll go with the official FIFA rankings.  Below is that synopsis.  Also, as an added treat, and since we also like television schedules here at WCR, we’re including U.S. television information for the midweek matchups in case you’d like to catch the top national teams in action.  We must admit that even we at WCR are watching, although we prefer club football.

How the FIFA Top 25 National Teams are Faring

 1.  Spain – Spain defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 in its Saturday World Cup qualifier.  On Wednesday, Spain will host Armenia in Albacete.  (GolTV - Wed., 4:50 pm)

 2.  Italy – Italy was fortunate to squeak out a late goal to defeat Cyprus 1-0 in Lanarca.  Italy’s second qualifier will take place at home in Udine against Georgia.  (GolTV - Wed., 2:45 pm)

 3.  Germany – After a slow first-half, Germany went crazy on little Liechtenstein, winning 6-0.  Germany plays a second away match during this session in Helsinki, Finland on Wednesday.  (Setanta - Wed., 8:30 pm - delayed)

 4.  Netherlands – The Dutch did not participate in World Cup qualifying action this weekend, though they did fall 1-2 in Eindhoven in a friendly against Australia.  The Netherlands debuts in qualifying this action on Wednesday when it takes on Macedonia in Skopje.  (FSC - Wed., 2:30 pm)

 5.  Croatia – Both of Croatia’s opening qualifiers take place in friendly Zagreb.  First up for Croatia was Kazakhstan, whom Croatia defeated 3-0.  One of the most anticipated matches of the early bouts takes place Wednesday when England comes to town.  (Setanta - Fri., 6:00 pm - delayed)

 6.  Brazil – Having struggled in the earlier rounds of South American qualifying, Brazil was able to put everything together this weekend, defeating Chile 3-0 in Santiago.  Brazil faces Bolivia on Wednesday at home in Rio de Janeiro.  (ESPND - Sat., 9:00 pm - delayed)

 7.  Argentina – Argentina has not been having an easy time in South American qualifying.  This weekend, Argentina hosted surprisingly strong Paraguay and had to come from behind to take a point at home.  On Wednesday, Argentina will face off with Peru in Lima.  (ESPND - Fri., 10:00 - delayed)

 8.  Czech Republic – The Czech Republic did not participate in World Cup qualifying this weekend.  Its debut will be in Belfast on Wednesday against Northern Ireland.  (Setanta - Thu., 9:15 am - delayed)

 9.  Portugal – Portugal benefited from a light start in European qualifying, defeating Malta 4-0 in its first away match.  Portugal comes home to Lisbon this weekend where it will take on Denmark.  (Setanta - Wed., 3:45 pm)

 10.  Turkey – Turkey opened its quest for a World Cup spot on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Armenia in Yerevan.  Turkey will be at home on Wednesday, taking on Belgium in Istanbul.  (Setanta - Wed., 2:00 pm)

 11.  France – The highest ranked national team to lose this weekend was France, who fell 1-3 to Austria and didn’t look very good while doing it.  France will need to bounce back on Wednesday when it hosts Serbia.  (Setanta - Wed., 6:45 pm - delayed)

 12.  Russia – World Cup qualifying for Russia will not begin until Wednesday, when Russia hosts Wales in Moscow.  (FSC - Wed., 11:00 am)

 13.  Romania – Romania was embarrassed in Cluj this weekend, losing to Lithuania by a 0-3 score.  What could be even more embarrassing for Romania would be to lose on Wednesday to Faroe Islands.

 14. Cameroon – Cameroon had to come from behind, but it did to defeat Cape Verde Islands 2-1 on Saturday.  There is no midweek matchup for Cameroon.

 15.  England – England defeated minnow Andorra 2-0 to start qualifying off on the right foot.  The competition will be much fiercer on Wednesday when England travels to Zagreb to take on fifth-ranked Croatia.  (Setanta - Fri., 6:00 pm - delayed)

 16.  Scotland – Scotland could not score in Skopje and Macedonia walked away with a 1-0 victory.  Scotland has a golden opportunity for a desperately needed victory against Iceland on Wednesday.  (Setanta - Thu., 2:45 pm - delayed)

 16.  Bulgaria -  I guess there are two nations ranked sixteen this month.  Anyway, Bulgaria fared only slightly better than the other sixteenth-ranked nation, taking only a single point in its match against Montenegro on Saturday.  Bulgaria is off during the midweek matches.

 18.  Greece – Greece should have went to Luxembourg and scored a victory and they did, winning 3-0.  Coming up for Greece on Wednesday is another away match, this one in Riga against Latvia.  (Setanta - Thu., 8:45 pm - delayed)

 19.  Israel – Israel opened up European World Cup qualifying with a 2-2 draw at home against Switzerland.  That doesn’t bode well.  A victory against Moldova on Wednesday is a must, if it wasn’t already.

 20.  Ghana – The sole African qualifier for Ghana this week took place in Tripoli, where Libya upset Ghana 1-0.

 21.  Egypt – Egypt took on Congo DR in Kinshasa on Sunday and walked away with a 1-0 victory.

 22.  Uruguay – Uruguay took an important away victory away from Colombia by the score of 1-0.  The Uruguayans return home on Thursday to host Ecuador.  (ESPND - Fri., 5:00 pm - delayed)

 23.  Cote d’Ivoire – Like the other African World Cup qualifying nations, Cote d’Ivoire only had one match this week.  Cote d’Ivoire could only take a single point this weekend in its matchup with Mozambique in Maputo.

 24.  Mexico – Maybe it’s the American in me, but why is Mexico ranked so high when we always seem to beat them?  Anyway, Jamaica doesn’t seem to beat them much and didn’t on Sunday, when Mexico won a 3-0 match.  The troubled Canadian team heads down for a match on Wednesday.  (Telemundo - Wed., 9:00 pm)

 25.  Paraguay – Paraguay took to the road and was able to hold on and take a point from Argentina.  Wednesday’s home matchup against Venezuela should be much easier, but I guess you never know (do you, Romania)?  (ESPND - Thu., 5:00 pm - delayed)