WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - North Carolina Edition

As far as I’m concerned, the rankings are still rather meaningless, but that should change soon. As discussed ad nauseum, until each club in a league has played five matches, the numbers used for the rankings are a conglomeration of numbers from both the current season and the prior season. As that is the case for most major domestic leagues, we are still living primarily on last season’s numbers for the calculations. That will be changing soon, though. By the next set of rankings in two weeks (next week being an international weekend), France, Germany and the Netherlands will all meet the criteria to have their clubs’ performance based solely on the 2009-10 season. That alone should stir up the rankings quite a bit. Other leagues will reach that plateau shortly thereafter and we should be much more accurate with the rankings by the beginning of October. Until then, just be patient.

This is the North Carolina Edition because it is the first rankings coming to you from North Carolina. This also should be the final rankings coming from the United States in several weeks. By the time of the next set of rankings in two weeks, we should be in London. If all goes to plan, we hope to see you at the Manchester United – Tottenham Hotspur match at White Hart Lane on September 12. Wish us luck.

There were tons of great matches this weekend, as we saw in our television preview. Rather than discuss them twice, just look below for our brief descriptions and links to game summaries. Enjoy!!!

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – August 31, 2009

1. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – It took an own goal to do it, but Manchester United managed to hold off Arsenal and score a 2-1 victory in a key early-season matchup. Coming Up: The Red Devils’ next match will be at White Hart Lane against a Tottenham Hotspur club that has started the season very well.

2. Barcelona (Esp) (2) – With a goal in extra time, Barcelona defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 to win the 2009 UEFA Super Cup. Coming Up: Because of the match on Friday, Barcelona will not begin the defense of its Primera Division title until Monday in a home match against Sporting Gijon. After the international break, Barcelona will return to domestic action against Getafe.

3. Inter Milan (Ita) (3) – After a slow start to the season, Inter bounced back sharply against a short-handed AC Milan club, pulling off a 4-0 drubbing of the city rivals. Coming Up: On September 13, Internazionale returns to Serie A play against Parma.

4. Chelsea (Eng) (4) – Chelsea also looked good this weekend, doing what Manchester United and Everton failed to do by beating newly-promoted Burnley 3-0 in Premiership action. Coming Up: After the break, Chelsea will have an away match against Stoke City on the twelfth.

5. Wolfsburg (Ger) (5) – With a slow start to the season, Wolfsburg likely will be the club that takes the biggest hit in the next rankings when last season’s numbers drop off for the defending Bundesliga champions. This past weekend, Wolfsburg fell again, this time by a 0-3 score to Bayern Munich. Coming Up: Wolfsburg can make up some ground on Se ptember 12 when it will host Bayer Leverkusen in league play.

6. Porto (Por) (6) – Porto continued with its winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Naval. Coming Up: The next match for Porto in the Liga Sagres will be at home on September 13 against Leixoes.

7. Real Madrid (Esp) (7) – With as much money as it spent on players, Real Madrid is expected to win all of its matches by at least eight goals. It didn’t do that this weekend, but it did manage a 3-2 victory over Deportivo La Coruna in its Primera League debut. Coming Up: On the thirteenth, Real Madrid heads to Barcelona to play . . . don’t get excited . . . Espanyol.

8. Liverpool (Eng) (8) – The week started off badly enough for the Reds with a 1-3 loss at the hands of Aston Villa at Anfield. It almost got worse, but Liverpool managed to come from behind twice to score a 3-2 victory over Bolton Wanderers. Coming Up: Liverpool will host giant-killers (but not Chelsea-killers) Burnley on September 12.

9. Juventus (Ita) (13) – Juve jumps up the rankings this week following a 3-1 victory over AS Roma in the nation’s capital. Coming Up: The club may as well stay in Rome since its next match is an away match against Lazio on September 13.

10. Bayern Munich (Ger) (10) – Bayern’s poor start to the Bundesliga season improved greatly this weekend when it used two Arjen Robben goals to defeat defending Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg 3-0. Coming Up: Bayern’s next contest will be an away match against Borussia Dortmund on September 12.

11. Bordeaux (Fra) (11) – The club’s fourteen-match winning streak is over, but picking up a point at Marseille is seldom a bad result and it wasn’t this time as Bordeaux and Marseille drew 0-0 this weekend. Coming Up: After the break, Bordeaux will host Grenoble as it attempts to start a new winning streak.

12. Arsenal (Eng) (12) – It may be true that Gunners scored more goals than Red Devils on Saturday, but the own goal didn’t count in Arsenal’s favor and Arsenal suffered a painful 1-2 loss to Manchester United in Premiership action. This followed Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat of Celtic to move into the Champions League group stage. Coming Up: In what could prove to be a great early-season test for both clubs, Arsenal returns to Manchester on September 12 to take on City.

13. AC Milan (Ita) (9) – I know that they were shorthanded, but Milan looked bad in losing 0-4 to fellow Milanese club Internazionale. Coming Up: AC Milan will look to bounce back against Livorno on September 13, but regardless of the result, it will be a while before this past weekend’s drubbing will be forgotten.

14. AZ Alkmaar (Ned) (14) – AZ must have gotten addicted to leading the Eredivisie because it finds itself doing it again this season following a 2-1 victory over Willem II. Coming Up: AZ’s next match will be on September 12 in the Hague against ADO.

15. Sporting CP (Por) (15) – Okay, I’m not sure how much longer Sporting will stay this high after getting eliminated by Fiorentina from the Champions League, although Sporting did manage to draw both matches, including a 1-1 draw in Italy this weekend. Sporting did score a 2-0 victory over Academica de Coimbra in Liga Sagres play this weekend. Coming Up: Sporting will host Pacos de Ferreira on September 13.

16. Rangers (Sco) (18) – Wow, Rangers hasn’t played Celtic and, likewise, hasn’t lost in SPL play. This week, Rangers defeated Hamilton Academicals 4-1 to stay perfect. Coming Up: After the international break, Ranger’s victims, I mean opponents, will be Motherwell.

17. Sevilla (Esp) (16) – Sevilla’s ranking may be in trouble soon following a 0-2 loss to Valencia in its 2009-10 Primera Division debut. Coming Up: On September 13, Sevilla will try to bounce back against newly-promoted Real Zaragoza at home.

18. Palmeiras (Bra) (17) – A goalless draw against defending champion Sao Paolo was enough to allow Palmeiras to maintain the top spot in the Brasileirao Serie A table. Coming Up: No international break for South American clubs next week so Palmeiras will take on Gremio Barueri on the fifth and Vitoria on the twelfth, both away matches.

19. Atletico de Madrid (Esp) (19) – Like Sevilla, Atletico begins the 2009-10 season in piss-poor fashion, losing 0-3 Malaga in its opener. On the bright side, a 2-0 victory earlier in the week against Panathinaikos allows Atletico to advance to the UEFA Champions League group stage. Coming Up: Atletico will try to bounce back on September 13 when it welcomes Racing Santander to Madrid.

20. Velez Sarsfield (Arg) (21) – Velez scored a pair of Argentine Primera Division victories this week, defeating Colon 1-0 and Arsenal de Sarandi 3-1. Coming Up: Velez has a pair of addition Argentine matches over the next few weeks, taking on Gimnasia in La Plata on the third and San Lorenzo at home on the thirteenth.

21. Benfica (Por) (20) – Benfica’s only match this week was a 1-2 loss to Vorskla Poltava, but don’t let that fool you as Benfica still was able to advance to the next round of the UEFA Europa Cup. Coming Up: Later today, Benfica will host Vitoria Setubal in a Liga Sagres match. After the international break, Benfica will take on Os Belenenses.

22. Marseille (Fra) (22) – It was obvious that a tough match was in order and a tough match it was as Marseille battled defending Ligue Un champions Bordeaux to a 0-0 draw in Marseille. Coming Up: After the break, Marseille returns to league play against Le Mans.

23. VfB Stuttgart (Ger) (23) – Two matches for Stuttgart this week and nobody scored in any of them. Stuttgart advanced to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League following its goalless draw with Timisoara. In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart and Nurnberg also fought to a 0-0 draw. Coming Up: Stuttgart will face a tough battle after the break when if faces an away test against Hamburger on September 12.

24. Celtic (Sco) (24) – After losing 1-3 to Arsenal to be eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, Celtic took out its frustration with a 1-0 victory over Hibernian in the SPL. Evidently, there was very little frustration. Coming Up: The next SPL match in which Celtic will be heavily favored will be on September 12 at Celtic Park against Dundee United.

25. Genoa (Ita) (BU) – Following a 1-0 victory over Atalanta, Genoa finds itself making an uncustomary trip into the WCR weekly rankings. Coming Up: After the break, Genoa’s ranking will be put to the test when it hosts Napoli in an interesting early-season Serie A match.

Bubbling Under: Aston Villa (Eng), Everton (Eng), Internacional (Ita), Olympiakos (Gre), Sporting Braga (Por).

Next Five: Ajax (Ned), Fiorentina (Ita), Lyon (Fra), Twente (Ned), Valencia (Esp).

Matches Between Ranked Clubs Over Next Two Weeks:

None

Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 29/30 August 2009

Hail, hail the season has arrived!!! And arrived in fantastic fashion, at that. This week, we have it all. No matter where your heart lies, there probably is a great match taking place there this weekend. England? The Gunners are heading to Old Trafford to take on defending Premiership champions Manchester United. Italy? The Milan derby takes place on Saturday as AC Milan technically plays host to Internazionale. France? The top two finishers from last season in Ligue Un face off as Marseille hosts Bordeaux. Germany? Defending champion Wolfsburg heads to Munich to take on perennial powerhouse Bayern. Brazil? Defending champions Sao Paolo host current leaders Palmeiras. Spain? Not quite as big, but Valencia will host Sevilla.

All of the clubs in the WCR Top 25 are playing this weekend for the first time all season. Many of them are playing each other. Most of them are being broadcast on American television. All of them are below, including our picks for the top five matches of the weekend. Speaking of weekends, have a great one!!!!

Top Five Matches of the Weekend:

1. Arsenal at Manchester United (Saturday, 12 noon (EDT), FSC)
2. Inter Milan at AC Milan (Saturday, 2:30 pm, FSC)
3. Wolfsburg at Bayern Munich (Saturday, 12:30 pm, ESPND)
4. Bordeaux at Marseille (Sunday, 3:00 pm, Setanta USA)
5. Sevilla at Valencia (Sunday, 1:00 pm, ESPND)

Friday, August 28, 2009

2:30 pm – Mainz 05 at Borussia Monchengladbach (GolTV)
2:30 pm – (2) Barcelona vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (FSC, FSE)

Saturday, August 29, 2009

7:30 am – Burnley at (4) Chelsea (ESPN2)
9:30 am – Freiburg at Schalke 04 (GolTV)
10:00 am – Birmingham City at Tottenham Hotspur (FSC, FSE)
10:00 am – (8) Liverpool at Bolton Wanderers (Setanta USA)
12 noon – (12) Arsenal at (1) Manchester United (FSC, FSE)
12 noon – Bololgna at Bari (ESPN 360)
12:30 pm – (5) Wolfsburg at (10) Bayern Munich (ESPND, ESPN 360)
1:00 pm – Stade Rennes at Lens (Setanta USA)
2:00 pm – Deportivo La Coruna at (7) Real Madrid (GolTV)
2:30 pm – (3) Inter Milan at (9) AC Milan (FSC, FSE)
3:00 pm – Nancy Lorraine at Lyon (Setanta USA)
4:15 pm – (6) Porto at Naval (ESPN 360)
5:00 pm – Sunderland at Stoke City (Delayed) (FSC)
5:30 pm – Santo Andre at Flamengo (GolTV)
6:00 pm – Toluca at Club America (TeleFutura)
6:00 pm – Tecos UAG at Monterrey (Telemundo)
6:45 pm – West Ham United at Blackburn Rovers (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
7:30 pm – Atletico Huilo at Atletico Nacional (GolTV)
8:00 pm – Pachuca at Chivas de Guadalajara (Telemundo)
8:00 pm – Atlas at Indios (ESPND)
8:30 pm – D.C. United at Chicago Fire (FSC, FSE)
9:30 pm – Deportivo Pasta at Millonarios (GolTV)
10:00 pm – Puebla at San Luis (TeleFutura)
11:00 pm – Chivas USA at Los Angeles Galaxy (ESPN2, ESPN 360)

Sunday, August 30, 2009

12 midnight – Hull City at Wolverhampton (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
3:00 am – Wellington Phoenix at Sydney FC (FSC)
4:15 am – Kuban at Lokomitive (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
8:30 am – PSV Eindhoven at Groningen (ESPND, ESPN 360)
8:30 am – Manchester City at Portsmouth (Setanta USA)
10:00 am – Wigan Athletic at Everton (FSC, FSE)
10:30 am – Ajax at Heracles Almelo (ESPN 360)
11:00 am – Lille at Paris St.-Germain (Setanta USA)
11:00 am – Espanyol at Athletic Bilbao (ESPND, ESPN 360)
11:30 am – Cologne at Hamburger (GolTV)
11:30 am – Werder Bremen at Hertha Berlin (ESPN 360)
12 noon – (13) Juventus at Roma (FSC)
1:00 pm – Cruz Azul at Monarcas (FSE)
1:00 pm – (16) Sevilla at Valencia (ESPND, ESPN 360)
1:00 pm – Queretaro at UNAM Pumas (Telemundo)
2:30 pm – Palermo at Fiorentina (FSC)
2:45 pm – Livorno at Napoli (ESPN 360)
3:00 pm – (11) Bordeaux at (22) Marseille (Setanta USA)
3:00 pm – Houston Dynamo at Colorado Rapids (TeleFutura)
3:00 pm – Valladolid at Almeria (GolTV)
5:00 pm – Boca Juniors at Lanus (FSE)
5:00 pm – (17) Palmeiras at Sao Paolo (Delayed) (GolTV)
5:00 pm – Tigres at Santos Laguna (Galavision)
5:00 pm – Atlante at Jaguares (ESPND)

Monday, August 31, 2009

5:00 am – Rubin Kazan at Spartak Moscow (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
4:00 pm – Sporting Gijon at (2) Barcelona (ESPN 360)

Non-Televised Matches Involving WCR Top 25 Clubs

Sat., 9:30 am – Nurnberg at (23) VfB Stuttgart
Sat., 10:00 am – Hamilton Academicals at (18) Rangers
Sat., 1:10 pm – Arsenal de Sarandi at (21) Velez Sarsfield
Sat., 1:45 pm – Willem II at (14) AZ Alkmaar
Sun., 7:30 am – (24) Celtic at Hibernian
Sun., 11:00 am – (19) Atletico de Madrid at Malaga
Sun., 2:15 pm – (25) Olympiakos at Larissa
Sun., 3:15 pm – (15) Sporting CP at Academica Coimbra

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Washington Edition

There’s nothing special about this edition being from Washington, D.C. because with very few exceptions, all of the past editions have been from Washington, D.C. The purpose for pointing it out this week is that this is the final edition from Washington. Next week’s edition will come to you from North Carolina. After the international break, the next several editions will come from various cities in Europe before a two-month stay in Argentina. At least until I get beaten and have my computer stolen, that is.

As we’ve discussed before, it’s still a little early to try to apply numbers from this season to a reasonably accurate ranking of the top clubs in the world. At this point, we are still using primarily numbers from the prior season, though this season’s numbers have had some affect on the weekly rankings.

What has happened thus far is prelude. We start getting to the good stuff this weekend from all over the world. In England? You have Manchester United playing Arsenal. Italy? Inter Milan and AC Milan will play this weekend. Germany? Bayern Munich takes on Wolfsburg this weekend. France? Bordeaux and Marseille face off. Brazil? How about Palmeiras and Sao Paolo. Spain? Sevilla will come to blows with Valencia. And I am going to miss most of it because I’m moving. D’oh!!!!

So where are all of these clubs ranked heading into the first big weekend of the season? You can see below.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – August 24, 2009

1. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – Burley surprised the world by beating the Red Devils 0-1 at midweek. Manchester United bounced back with a vengeance against Wigan Athletic, however, winning 5-0. Next Week: In one of the many marquee matches of the weekend, Manchester United welcomes Arsenal to Old Trafford on Saturday.

2. Barcelona (Esp) (2) – With a a 3-0 home victory over Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona finished off its pre-season with a Spanish Super Cup title. Next Week: On Friday, Barcelona goes for the UEFA Super Cup when it takes on Shakhtar Donetsk, the final UEFA Cup champion. Because of this, Barcelona will not get its Primera Division season underway until it hosts Sporting Gijon on Monday.

3. Inter Milan (Ita) (4) – Inter did nothing to move up a notch this week, except that it didn’t lose to Tottenham. Then again, it didn’t beat Bari, managing only a 1-1 draw. Next Week: I hope Internazionale has shaken out the cobwebs because this weekend, Inter will play an “away” match at the San Siro against archrivals AC Milan.

4. Chelsea (8) – Chelsea moves up, basically switching places with Liverpool, in part because Liverpool doesn’t play until later today. But with a 3-1 victory over Sunderland and a 3-0 victory over Fulham, Chelsea finds itself with an early lead in the English Premier League and deserving of a high ranking. Next Week: Burnley already has knocked off Manchester United and Everton this season. On Saturday, it will get a chance to take on Chelsea.

5. Wolfsburg (Ger) (5) – After a fast start to the season, Wolfsburg stumbled pretty hard this weekend, losing 2-4 to Hamburger. Next Week: It’s not going to get any easier on Saturday as Wolfsburg travels to Munich to take on Bayern, who also is coming off a loss.

6. Porto (Por) (6) – Porto scored its first Liga Sagres victory of the season with a 3-0 drubbing of Nacional. Next Week: Porto will play an away match against Naval on Saturday.

7. Real Madrid (Esp) (7) – No current matches. Next Week: Things begin to count for real this weekend when Real Madrid hosts Deportivo La Coruna.

8. Liverpool (Eng) (3) – Liverpool rebounded in style from its Tottenham surprise by handily stomping Stoke City 4-0 at midweek. Next Week: Later today (as I type this), Liverpool will have an interesting test at Anfield against Aston Villa. Coming up for Liverpool over the weekend will be Bolton Wanderers.

9. AC Milan (Ita) (9) – Milan got its Serie A season underway with a 2-1 victory over Siena. Next Week: AC Milan will host, at least officially, its cross-town rival Inter Milan at the San Siro this coming weekend.

10. Bayern Munich (10) – Following a surprising 1-2 loss to Mainz 05 this weekend, Bayern still finds itself without a Bundesliga victory. Next Week: Bayern will now try to get its first Bundesliga victory of the season against defending champions Wolfsburg. At least it will be playing at home.

11. Bordeaux (Fra) (17) – Demonstrating that last season’s Ligue Un championship was no fluke, Bordeaux crushed Nice by a 4-0 score over the weekend. Next Week: It’s a battle of the two best French clubs from last season as Bordeaux travels to take on Marseille on Sunday.

12. Arsenal (Eng) (14) – In its Champions League qualifier match, Arsenal scored a 2-0 away victory, nearly to guarantee advancement to the Champions League group stage. Its margin of victory was even larger in its Premier League match, scoring a 4-1 victory over Portsmouth. Next Week: The Gunners will face two other ranked clubs this week with its home leg against Celtic in the Champions League playoff qualifying round and a trip to defending Premier League champions Manchester United on Saturday.

13. Juventus (Ita) (12) – Like Milan, Juventus opened up its Serie A campaign with a victory, defeating Chievo Verona 1-0. Next Week: In yet another marquee matchup, though not quite as big as the Milan derby, Juventus heads to the capital to take on Roma on Sunday.

14. AZ Alkmaar (Ned) (15) – After starting slow, AZ has returned to form, as demonstrated by its 2-0 defeat of SC Heerenveen this weekend. Next Week: AZ has a home Eredivisie match on Saturday against Willem II.

15. Sporting CP (Por) (13) – Rough week in Lisbon. First, a ten-man Sporting club had to settle for a 2-2 draw in the home leg of its Champions League qualifier with Fiorentina. The weekend was even worse as Sporting fell 1-2 at home to Sporting Braga. Next Week: Now, Sporting , having given up two away goals, pretty much needs to beat Fiorentina in Italy to advance to the Champions League group stage. Domestically, Sporting will take on Academica on Sunday.

16. Sevilla (Esp) (16) – No current matches. Next Week: In the marquee matchup of La Liga’s opening weekend, Sevilla plays an away match against Valencia on Sunday.

17. Palmeiras (Bra) (11) – After falling at midweek 0-1 to Coritiba, Palmeiras bounced back for an impressive 2-1 victory over Internacional. Next Week: In a marquee South American match, Palmeiras will take on defending Brasileirao champions Sao Paolo in a key away match.

18. Rangers (Sco) (18) – It had to come from behind to do it, but Rangers defeated Hearts 2-1 to maintain its perfect record in the SPL. Next Week: Rangers will host Hamilton Academicals on Saturday in Glasgow.

19. Atletico de Madrid (Esp) (19) – Atletico’s only match this past week was a 3-2 victory over Panathinaikos in Greece to take a commanding lead in the Champions League qualifier between the two clubs. Next Week: After the return match in Madrid on Tuesday, Atletico will begin its Primera Division season on Sunday against Malaga.

20. Benfica (Por) (20) – Two matches, two victories for Benfica this week. First up was a 4-0 victory over Vorskla Poltava to take a commanding lead in the Europa Cup matchup between the two clubs. Benfica also scored a 1-0 victory over Vitoria Guimaraes in the Liga Sagres. This Week: Benfica will play the away leg of its Europa Cup matchup on Thursday and will host Vitoria Setubal on Monday in the Liga Sagres.

21. Velez Sarsfield (Arg) (23) – In a Copa Sudamerican matchup, Velez Sarsfield escaped its away match with Boca Juniors with a 1-1 draw, with the home leg to come in later weeks. Domestically, Velez began the Apertura the way if finished the Clausura, with success, defeating Colon 1-0. Next Week: On Sunday, Velez will host Arsenal, but not that one. The one from Sarandi.

22. Marseille (Fra) (21) – Marseille’s good start in Ligue Un hit a little stutter this weekend as Marseille drew 1-1 with Stade Rennes. Next Week: Marseille will return home to welcome its toughest competition for the Ligue Un title, Bordeaux, on Sunday.

23. VfB Stuttgart (Ger) (BU) – Like a few other clubs on the list, Stuttgart scored a huge away victory in the Champions League, 2-0 over Timisoara, to almost guarantee a spot in the group stage. Domestically, Stuttgart didn’t fare as well, drawing 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund. Next Week: On Wednesday, Stuttgart should have its group stage ticket punched at home against Timisoara. Stuttgart also will be home for its Bundesliga match on Saturday against Nurnberg.

24. Celtic (Sco) (25) – Celtic is on the other end of the scale, now needing a miracle to advance in the Champions League after falling 0-2 to Arsenal at home in the first leg of the final qualifier. Domestically, Celtic won (of course, since it wasn’t playing Rangers), defeating St. Johnstone 5-2. Next Week: Celtic will try to score that miracle at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Win or lose, Celtic will take on Hibernian on Sunday.

25. Olympiakos (Gre) (BU) – Following in the footsteps of Arsenal, Stuttgart and Atletico Madrid, Olympiakos defeated Sherriff 2-0 on the road to score a huge advantage in its Champions League qualifier. Domestically, the highly anticipated match between Olympiakos and AEK was postponed due to the fires in the suburbs of Athens. Next Week: Olympiakos’ home leg in the Champions League qualifier is Wednesday. It’s opener in the Greek Super League now will take place on Sunday against Larissa.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Everton (Eng), Genoa (Ita), Goias (Bra), Sporting Braga (Por), Twente (Ned).

Next Five: Ajax (Ned), Aston Villa (Eng), Fiorentina (Ita), Lyon (Fra), Valencia (Esp).

Matches Between Top 25 Clubs This Week:

26 August – (24) Celtic at (12) Arsenal

29 August – (12) Arsenal at (1) Manchester United

29 August – (3) Inter Milan at (9) AC Milan

29 August – (5) Wolfsburg at (10) Bayern Munich

30 August – (11) Marseille at (22) Marseille

Weekend Soccer Television Schedule

If you try to follow as many leagues as we try to follow every week, you find that you are constantly learning new things. This week, in compiling the information for the weekend television schedule, I couldn’t find listings for Manchester United or Liverpool on either FSC or Setanta USA. What could this mean? As I continued to look, however, I found them. Where? Hiding in between college football and cheerleading over on ESPN2. Could this be? Am I finally going to get to see English Premier League football on HD?!?!? Oh, happy day. OH, HAPPY DAY!!!!

The big news this weekend, of course, is the return of another top European league to the world of televised football as the 2009-10 Serie A season gets underway. One thing that I was surprised to see when going through the schedules was that rather than delaying Italian matches on both FSC and FSE, as it has in the past, FSC and FSE are both broadcasting different matches live, giving us a fuller opportunity to see live Serie A play. (Don’t let FSE intimidate you. With the SAP function, you can watch it in English.) I’ll say it again. OH, HAPPY DAY!!!!

Most of the rest of the action is pretty average this weekend. The highlight for me will be Monday’s matchup between Aston Villa and Liverpool. There also is some promising Brazilian action on GolTV and Bundesliga action on GolTV and ESPN Deportes. The entire list is below, along with the rankings of the top matches of the weekend.

Note: With this being the third straight post about television schedules, I’m beginning to feel like a glorified soccer TV Guide. I promise that’ll change on Monday when the next edition of the WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World returns, although it will still be in a preliminary, early-season status.

Top Five Matches of the Weekend:

1. Aston Villa at Liverpool (Monday, 3:00 pm (EDT), ESPN2)

2. Internacional at Palmeiras (Saturday, 5:30 pm, GolTV)

3. Hamburger at Wolfsburg (Sunday, 11:30 am, ESPND)

4. Roma at Genoa (Sunday, 2:30 pm, ESPN 360)

5. VfB Stuttgart at Borussia Dortmund (Saturday, 9:30 am, ESPND)

Friday, August 21, 2009

2:30 pm – Schalke 04 at TSG Hoffenheim (GolTV)

9:00 pm – UNAM Pumas at Tecos (Galavision)

Saturday, August 22, 2009

8:00 am – Saturn Moscow at FC Moscow (Setanta USA)

9:30 am – (10) Bayern Munich at Mainz 05 (GolTV)

9:30 am – VfB Stuttgart at Borussia Dortmund (ESPND)

10:00 am – Portsmouth at (14) Arsenal (Setanta USA)

10:00 am – Wolverhampton at Manchester City (FSC)

10:00 am – (1) Manchester United at Wigan Athletic (ESPN2)

12 noon – Fiorentina at Bologna (FSC)

2:30 pm – (9) AC Milan at Siena (FSC)

3:00 pm – (21) Marseille at Stade Rennais (Setanta USA)

5:00 pm – Bolton at Hull City (Delayed) (FSC)

5:30 pm – Internacional at (11) Palmeiras (GolTV)

6:00 pm – Chippas at Queretaro (Galavision)

6:00 pm – Club America at Cruz Azul (ESPND)

6:45 pm – Blackburn Rovers at Sunderland (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

7:30 pm – Los Angeles Galaxy at D. C. United (FSC)

7:30 pm – Millonarios at Once Caldas (GolTV)

8:00 pm – San Luis at Indios (FSE)

8:00 pm – Puebla at Pachuca (TeleFutura)

8:00 pm – Monterrey at Tigres (Telemundo)

8:30 pm – Stoke City at Birmingham City (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

9:30 pm – Junior Barranquilla at Cartagena (GolTV)

10:00 pm – Chivas de Guadalajara at Atlante (Telemundo)

Sunday, August 23, 2009

3:00 am – Newcastle Jets at Perth Glory (FSC)

8:30 am – Tottenham Hotspur at West Ham United (Setanta USA)

8:30 am – NAC Breda at PSV Eindhoven (ESPND)

8:30 am – Sparta Rotterdam at Ajax (ESPN 360)

10:30 am – Hertha Berlin at VfL Bochum (GolTV)

11:00 am – (8) Chelsea at Fulham (FSC)

11:00 am – Nice at (17) Bordeaux (Setanta USA)

11:30 am – Hamburger at (5) Wolfsburg (ESPND)

12 noon – Bari at (4) Inter Milan (FSE)

1:00 pm – Santos Laguna at Toluca (Telemundo)

2:30 pm – Chievo Verona at (12) Juventus (FSE)

2:30 pm – Roma at Genoa (ESPN 360)

3:00 pm – Botafogo at Corinthians (GolTV)

3:00 pm – Toulouse at Lille (Setanta USA)

3:00 pm – FC Dallas at New York Red Bulls (TeleFutura)

3:15 pm – Nacional at (6) Porto (ESPN 360)

4:30 pm – Argentine Futbol – Teams TBD (FSE)

6:00 pm – (24) Everton at Burnley (Delayed) (FSC)

Monday, August 24, 2009

5:00 am – Lyon at Auxerre (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

6:45 am – Rubin Kazan at Dinamo Moscow (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

11:15 am – Hibernian at Falkirk (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

2:45 pm – Sunderland at Norwich (Setanta USA)

3:00 pm – Aston Villa at (3) Liverpool (ESPN2)

Non-Televised Matches Involving WCR Top 25 Clubs

Sat., 10:00 am – St. Johnstone at (25) Celtic

Sat., 4:15 pm – Braga Sporting at (14) Sporting CP

Sun., 7:45 am – (18) Rangers at Hearts

Sun., 8:30 am – (15) AZ Alkmaar at Heerenveen

Sun., 1:00 pm – (22) Benfica at Vitoria Guimaraes

Sun., 3:00 pm – (20) Atletico Mineiro at Gremio

Sun., 4:00 pm – Athletic Bilbao at (2) Barcelona

Sun., 7:00 pm – (23) Velez Sarsfield at Atletico Colon

Midweek Soccer Television Schedule - 18-20 August 2009

I’ve never posted mid-week television schedules before, but I couldn’t resist for a few reasons. The most important reason is that there is so much football on television over the next few days between the UEFA Champions League, Copa Sudamericana, CONCACAF Champions League and midweek matches in England and the United States (and first broadcasts of this weekend’s SPL action on Setanta USA). Secondly, I haven’t posted in several days, so I’m due. Finally, I’m going to be travelling a lot in the near future, so I just bought a MatchBook Pro and I wanted to test out posting from it before I hit the road.

What I have below is the television schedule for the next few days and needs very little explanation, but I’ll give a little bit anyway, just in case. The rankings next to the team name come, of course, from the most recent WCR Top 25 rankings. It also is worth noting that ALL of the UEFA Champions League matches will be shown over the next few days on FSC. The times and channels that I am showing below are the EARLIEST broadcast times that I can find for each match, but if you just sit in front of your television for the next two days and tune into FSC, you’ll see them all (and a lot more), I promise.

One last note. “FSN” below refers to Fox Sports Network, which provides regional coverage all over the United States. That’s it, except for the matches. Have a great . . . midweek!!!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

11:15 am – (25) Celtic at Aberdeen (Taped) (Setanta USA)

2:45 pm – (14) Arsenal at (25) Celtic (FSN)

2:45 pm – Olympiacos at Sheriff Tiraspol (FSC)

2:45 pm – VfB Stuttgart at Timisoara (FSE)

2:45 pm – (8) Chelsea at Sunderland (Setanta USA)

4:45 pm – Fiorentina at (13) Sporting CP (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

8:00 pm – Puerto Rico Islanders at Columbus Crew (FSC)

9:00 pm – San Lorenzo at Tigre (Delayed) (FSE)

10:00 pm – D.C. United at Marathon (FSC)

10:00 pm – Communicaciones at UNAM Pumas (Galavision)

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

12:30 am – Universidad de Chile at Deportivo Cali (Delayed) (FSE)

11:00 am – APOEL at FC Kobenhavn (Delayed) (FSC)

11:15 am – Falkirk at (18) Rangers (Taped) (Setanta USA)

2:45 pm – RSC Anderlecht at Lyon (FSC)

2:45 pm – (19) Atletico de Madrid at Panathinaikos (FSE)

2:45 pm – (1) Manchester United at Burnley (Setanta USA)

4:45 pm – Tottenham Hotspur at Hull City (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

8:00 pm – Lanus at River Plate (FSE)

8:00 pm – Pachuca at Arabe Unidos (TeleFutura)

9:00 pm – Metapan at Houston Dynamo (FSC)

9:00 pm – Los Angeles Galaxy at Chicago Fire (ESPN2)

10:00 pm – Saprissa at Cruz Azul (TeleFutura)

Thursday, August 20, 2009

12:30 am – Maccabi Haifa at Salzburg (FSE)

4:00 am – Zurich at Ventspils (Delayed) (FSC)

11:00 am – Debreceni VSC at Levski Sofia (FSC)

4:00 pm – Cerro Porteno at La Paz (FSE)

7:00 pm – (23) Velez Sarsfield at Boca Juniors (FSE)

8:00 pm – Stoke City at (3) Liverpool (Delayed) (FSC)

8:00 pm – Toluca at San Juan Jabloteh (Galavision)

10:00 pm – Western Connection at Real Espana (Galavision)

10:00 pm – New England Revolution at Seattle Sounders (ESPN2)

Weekend Soccer Television Schedule 15/16 August

The time many of you have been waiting for is here. The English Premiership season debuts this weekend!!!! Though I’m aware that some of you still are patiently awaiting the beginning of La Liga and Serie A, but this weekend’s debuts are enough to celebrate. We can celebrate the other debuts in the next few weeks. August is an entire month of celebrations.

The big match of the weekend will be the only one that matches up two clubs in the WCR Top 25. That takes place in England, where perennial wannabe Everton hosts perennial disappointing Big Four member Arsenal. The other potentially exciting match from England this weekend takes place at White Hart Lane, where Liverpool visits Tottenham.

Even without the Spanish and Italian clubs, there is plenty of excitement on the European continent this week. On Setanta USA, from France, Marseille will host Lille on Sunday. Additionally, ESPN Deportes shows some great European matches this weekend with Bayern Munich hosting Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday and PSV welcoming Ajax to Eindhoven from the Eredivisie on Sunday.

Of course, there’s also a ton of Mexican, South American and MLS football on all over the place this weekend as well as lesser important (than those mentioned above) European matches. We’re back, baby!!! Have a great weekend!!!

Top Five Matches of the Weekend

1. Arsenal at Everton (Saturday, 10:00 am (EDT), FSC, FSE)
2. Werder Bremen at Bayern Munich (Saturday, 9:30 am, ESPND, ESPN 360)
3. Ajax at PSV Eindhoven (Sunday, 6:30 am, ESPND, ESPN 360)
4. Lille at Marseille (Sunday, 3:00 pm, Setanta USA)
5. Liverpool at Tottenham (Sunday, 11:00 am, FSC, FSE)

Saturday, August 15, 2009

9:30 am – Borussia Dortmund at Hamburger (GolTV)
9:30 am – Manchester City at Blackburn Rovers (Setanta USA)
9:30 am – Werder Bremen at Bayern Munich (ESPND, ESPN 360)
10:00 am – Wigan Athletic at Aston Villa (FSC, FSE)
12:30 pm – (5) Wolfsburg at Cologne (GolTV)
12:30 pm – (14) Arsenal at (24) Everton (FSC, FSE)
1:45 pm – (15) AZ Alkmaar at RKC Waalwijk (ESPND)
2:30 pm – Burnley at Stoke City (Delayed) (FSC)
3:00 pm – St. Etienne at Toulouse (Setanta USA)
4:00 pm – D.C. United at Toronto FC (TeleFutura)
5:00 pm – West Ham United at Wolverhampton (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
5:30 pm – Botafogo at (11) Palmeiras (GolTV)
6:00 pm – Toluca at Monterrey (Telemundo)
6:45 pm – Fulham at Portsmouth (Setanta USA)
7:30 pm – Atletico Nacional at Millonarios (GolTV)
8:00 pm – Queretaro at Chivas de Guadalajara (Telemundo)
9:00 pm – Houston Dyanamo at Real Salt Lake (FSC, FSE)
9:30 pm – Envigado at Independiente Medellin (GolTV)
10:00 pm – Pachuca at San Luis (TeleFutura)

Sunday, August 16, 2009

3:00 am – Adelaide United at Sydney FC (FSC)
6:30 am – Ajax at PSV Eindhoven (ESPND, ESPN 360)
8:30 am – Birmingham City at (1) Manchester United (Setanta USA)
9:30 am – Hertha Berlin at Borussia Monchengladbach (ESPND, ESPN 360)
11:00 am – (3) Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur (FSC, FSE)
11:00 am – Stade Rennes at Nice (Setanta USA)
11:30 am – VfL Bochum at Schalke 04 (GolTV)
1:00 pm – Valenciennes at Lyon (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
1:00 pm – Indios at Monarcas (FSE)
1:00 pm – (6) Porto at Pacos Ferreira (Setanta USA)
1:00 pm – Atlante at Puebla (ESPND)
2:30 pm – Sampdoria at Napoli (GolTV)
3:00 pm – Lille at (21) Marseille (Setanta USA)
3:00 pm – Chicago Fire at Kansas City Wizards (TeleFutura)
4:00 pm – Argentine Football – Teams TBD (FSE)
4:30 pm – (20) Atletico Mineiro at Corinthians (Delayed) (GolTV)
5:00 pm – Atlas at Club America (Univision)
5:00 pm – Cruz Azul at Santos Laguna (TeleFutura)

Monday, August 17, 2009

12 Midnight – FC Moscow at Spartak Moscow (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
3:00 pm – Hearts at Dundee United (Setanta USA)

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Meaningless Early Season Edition

As I mentioned in the pre-season rankings, and many times prior to that, early season rankings don’t account for much, especially on this site. As explained ad nauseum on this site, it’s because this is a reflective ranking and not a predictive ranking, and as such, the rankings on based on recent performance and, for most clubs anyway, there has been no recent performance. Therefore, the rankings are based largely on last season’s results, and primarily domestic results at that.

So, why do we do the early-season rankings? The primary reason is that so you won’t forget me. The interwebs produces a fickle audience and we don’t want you searching for something new , now do we? The other reason is that it gives us an opportunity to identify what is going on because even the early action can be exciting. So, going back to what we’ve done in the past, this week includes commentary on recent action and what is coming up.

Finally, you will notice that there are few references to pre-season friendlies and other matches that don’t otherwise count in the standings. These matches, though entertaining, aren’t considered in the rankings at all. Please keep this in mind before asking me how I can rank your team below some other team that just lost to some low-money club from a near-anonymous league in a friendly played in some neutral location. I just don’t care and they just don’t matter.

So here are the current rankings. Again, they are based largely on last season’s action, at least for the European clubs. The next weekly ranking will appear in two weeks, when most clubs will have returned to action.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – August 10, 2009

1. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – Manchester United faced off with Chelsea in England’s Community Shield (or Super Cup anywhere other than England), playing to a 2-2 draw before losing on penalty kicks to (one of) its rivals from London. Coming Up: The Red Devils will have three Premiership matches under its belt by the time the weekly rankings return, taking on Birmingham City (8/16), Burnley (8/19) and Wigan Athletic (8/22).

2. Barcelona (Esp) (2) – No current action. Coming Up: Although La Liga’s season starts later than others, Barcelona will get some action in as it takes on Athletic Bilbao over the next two weekends in Spain’s Super Cup.

3. Liverpool (Eng) (3) – No current action. Coming Up: Liverpool’s Premier League season starts in full throttle next week. Over the next two weeks, Liverpool will take on Tottenham (8/16), Stoke City (8/19), and Aston Villa (8/24).

4. Inter Milan (Ita) (4) – Internazionale took on Lazio in Italy’s Super Cup this weekend, losing 1-2 to the club from Rome. Coming Up: Inter’s Serie A season begins on August 23 when Inter hosts Bari.

5. VfL Wolfsburg (Ger) (5) – The Bundesliga has already returned to action for 2009-10 and the season started off in style on Friday as Wolfsburg defeated VfB Stuttgart 2-0 in the season opener. Coming Up: Over the next two weeks, Wolfsburg will play an away match against Cologne and a home match against Hamburger.

6. Porto (Por) (6) – Porto defeated Pacos de Ferreira 2-0 this weekend to take home the Portuguese Super Cup. Coming Up: This coming weekend sees the return of the Liga Sagres and Porto will take on Pacos de Ferreira (again) and Nacional in the league’s first two weekends.

7. Real Madrid (Esp) (7) – Only friendlies this week, including a 3-0 defeat of D.C. United. (I break with my policy of ignoring friendlies only in this case because I was at the match and the photo at top is from that match. Not because it was important. It wasn’t.). Coming Up: Nothing immediate.

8. Chelsea (Eng) (8) – Chelsea joined Porto and Lazio as domestic Super Cup winners by defeating Manchester United on penalty kicks in the FA Community Shield. Coming Up: Like most other Premiership clubs, Chelsea has three league matches coming up over the next two weeks. Chelsea’s are against Hull City (15th), Sunderland (18th) and Fulham (23rd).

9. AC Milan (Ita) (9) – No current action. Coming Up: AC Milan’s first meaningful match will be its Serie A debut on 22 August against Siena.

10. Bayern Munich (Ger) (10) – Bayern began its Bundesliga season in dubious fashion, managing only a -1- draw against last season’s first-half champions, TSG Hoffenheim. Coming Up: Over the next two weeks, Bayern’s Bundesliga competition will be at home against Werder Bremen and away at Mainz 05.

11. Palmeiras (Bra) (17) – Despite managing only a 1-1 draw against Gremio, Palmeiras maintained its narrow lead in the Brasileirao. Coming Up: The Brasileirao will be busy with four match days over the next two weeks. Palmeiras matches will be against, Atletico Mineiro, Botafogo, Coritiba and Internacional. These next two weeks could prove to be the most important of the season for Palmeiras.

12. Juventus (ita) (12) – No current action. Coming Up: Juve will have its Serie A debut at home on 22 August against Chievo Verona.

13. Sporting CP (Por) (13) – With a 1-1 draw against FC Twente, Sporting advanced to the playoff round of the UEFA Champions League. Coming Up: There will be a lot of action coming up for Sporting coming up as it opens up its Liga Sagres season with matches against Nacional and Sporting Braga. In between those weekend bookends, Sporting will begin its Champions League playoff round bout with Fiorentina.

14. Arsenal (Eng) (14) – No current action. Coming Up: Arsenal is the only ranked club that has two matches over the next two weeks against other ranked clubs. Arsenal faces Everton and Portsmouth in weekend Premiership matches over the next two weeks. Between and following those, Arsenal will take on Celtic in the UEFA Champions League playoff round.

15. AZ Alkmaar (Ned) (15) – After faltering in its Eredivisie debut, AZ bounced back this weekend to defeat Sparta Rotterdam 2-0. Coming Up: Over the next two weekends, AZ will take on RKC Waalwijk and host SC Heerenveen in Dutch action.

16. Sevilla (Esp) (16)

17. Bordeaux (Fra) (20) – Bordeaux made its return to Ligue Un play this weekend by ruining Racing Lens’ return to top-level football. Bordeaux won its debut by a 4-1 score. Coming Up: Over the next two weekends, Bordeaux will face off against Sochaux and Nice in Ligue Un play.

18. Rangers (Sco) (19) – No current action. Coming Up: The next two weekends will be the first two for the 2009-10 SPL season. Rangers’ first two matches will be against Falkirk and Hearts.

19. Atletico de Madrid (Esp) (18) – No current action. Coming Up: While it waits for the beginning of the Primera Division’s season, Atletico will keep busy taking on Panathinaikos in the UEFA Champions League playoff round.

20. Atletico Mineiro (Bra) (11) – No current action. Coming Up: Over the busy next two weeks in the Brasileirao Serie A, Atletico Mineiro will take on Palmeiras, Corinthians, Avai and Gremio in league play.

21. Marseille (Fra) (24) – Like Bordeaux, Marseille was successful in this past weekend’s Ligue Un debut, defeating Grenoble 2-0. Coming Up: Over the next two weekends, Marseille will host Lille and face Stade Rennais away.

22. Benfica (Por) (22) – No current action. Coming Up: Benfica will take on Maritimo and Vitoria Guimaraes in Liga Sagres play over the next two weekends. Between those matches, Benfica will host Vorskla Poltava in an UEFA Europa League match.

23. Velez Sarsfield (Arg) (23) – No current action. Coming Up: Nothing this week for Velez Sarsfield, but it will take on Boca Juniors in a Copa Sudamericana match on the 21st and begin another Argentine semester against Arsenal de Sarandi on the 23rd.

24. Everton (Eng) (25) – No current action. Coming Up: In the most interesting match of the Premier League’s opening week, Everton will host Arsenal on 15 August. Midweek, the following week, Everton will take on Sigma Olomouc in an UEFA Europa League match, followed by another Premiership match against Burnley.

25. Celtic (Sco) (BU) – Celtic did the unusual this week, coming back to defeat Dinamo Moscow 2-0 to advance in the UEFA Champions League despite losing the first leg at home. Coming Up: Over the next two weekends, Celtic will take on Aberdeen and St. Johnstone in SPL action. In between, Celtic will play the home leg of its UEFA Champions League playoff round matchup with Arsenal.

Bubbling Under: Ajax (Ned), Genoa (Ita), Huracan (Arg), Olympiakos (Gre), VfB Stuttgart (Ger).

Next Five: Borussia Dortmund (Ger), Fiorentina (Ita), Hertha Berlin (Ger), Nacional (Por), Valencia (Esp).

Upcoming Matches Between Top 25 Clubs:
13 August – (11) Palmeiras at (20) Atletico Mineiro
15 August – (14) Arsenal at (24) Everton
18 August – (14) Arsenal at (25) Celtic

Transatlantic League - Free Fantasy Premier League Returns

If you recall last year, and you should because it wasn’t really all that long ago, WCR hosted an English Premier League fantasy league on the official Barclay’s EPL website. As could have been predicted, we here at WCR demonstrated our knowledge of the beautiful game and skill at predictification to finish somewhere in the middle of the league, often forgetting that matches were even taking place. So much for our “expertise” . . .

Because of other obligations (re: laziness), we here at WCR haven’t gotten around to setting up a fantasy league of our own, but a “Friend of the Site” has taken the initiative and started a league that the editors at WCR will join and that we also are encouraging others to join. The name of the league is the Transatlantic League and like last year, the league will be hosted on the Barclay’s official EPL site. The fantasy homepage can be accessed by clicking here. After you set up your team, you will have an option to join an existing league. The Transatlantic League can be accessed by entering the following league code:

648995-200876

Hope to see you there. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line. If I can’t help you, I may re-direct you to the “Friend of the Site,” who I’m sure is waiting at a keyboard as we speak, hoping to have an opportunity to help you out.

Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 8/9 August 2009

Once again, the soccer world shifts into a higher gear, this being August and everything, and once again, we have new entries into the weekend football television schedule. This week, the two new additions of note are the Bundesliga on GolTV and Ligue Un on Setanta USA as the German and French leagues begin play this weekend. The highlight of these two debuts will be Friday afternoon when defending Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg hosts VfB Stuttgart. As the only match of the week featuring two clubs from the WCR Top 25 that matters, that is the match heading the Top Five Matches of the Weekend, which returns this week. Also, though not nearly as exciting, the Australian A-League returns this week as well.

Of course, there is another match this weekend featuring two ranked clubs. It’s just that it doesn’t matter. It should be entertaining as Hell . . . it just doesn’t matter. England’s Community Shield, between Manchester United and Chelsea, should be easy to find on Sunday since it’s on Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports Espanol and Setanta USA. It’s probably on Animal Planet and the Disney Channel too. I haven’t checked.

That’s the excitement in a nutshell. There are lots of Western Hemisphere matches on and the final few friendlies are taking place. Also, on Monday, Setanta USA broadcasts its first Carling Cup match of the season (already? really?). The complete list of televised matches is below along with WCR’s recommended watch list. Have a great weekend!!!

(Note: Happy Birthday to Me!!!! Okay, enough of that. The real note is that rankings are not listed below for clubs participating in friendlies or other exhibition matches.)

(New Note / Update: According to the TV guide on my television, ESPN Deportes is broadcasting Bundesliga matches beginning this weekend. Who knew?!?!? The schedule below has been updated.)

Top Five Matches of the Weekend

1. Stuttgart at Wolfsburg (Fri., 2:45 pm (EDT), GolTV)
2. Manchester United vs. Chelsea (Sun., 10:00 am, FSC, FSE, Setanta USA)
3. PSV Eindhoven at Twente (Sun., 8:30 am, ESPND, ESPN 360)
4. Pachuca at Atlante (Sat., 8:00 pm, Telemundo)
5. Rubin Kazan at FC Moscow (Sun., 6:00 am (delayed), Setanta USA)

Friday, August 7, 2009

2:30 pm – (21) VfB Stuttgart at (5) Wolfsburg (GolTV)
2:45 pm – Sparta at (15) AZ Alkmaar (ESPND)
7:30 pm – Real Madrid at Toronto FC (ESPN, ESPND, ESPN 360)

Saturday, August 8, 2009

3:30 am – Sydney FC at North Queensland Fury (FSC)
9:30 am – Colonia at Borussia Dortmund (GolTV)

12:30 pm - Bayern Munich at TSG Hoffenheim (ESPND)
12:45 pm – RKC Waalwijk at Ajax (ESPN 360)
3:00 pm – (24) Marseille at Grenoble (Setanta USA)
5:30 pm – Avai at Santos (GolTV)
6:00 pm – Los Angeles Galaxy at New England Revolution (FSC)
6:00 pm – Puebla at Queretaro (TeleFUtura)
6:00 pm – Monterrey at Cruz Azul (ESPND)
7:30 pm – Medellin at Santa Fe (GolTV)
8:00 pm – Pachuca at Atlante (Telemundo)
8:30 pm – Columbus Crew at San Jose Earthquakes (FSC, FSE)
9:30 pm – Millonarios at Cucuta (GolTV)
10:00 pm – Santos Laguna at Atlas (Telemundo)
10:15 pm – Paris Saint-Germain at Montpelier (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
11:00 pm – Chivas de Guadalajara at Barcelona (FSC, TeleFutura)

Sunday, August 9, 2009

6:00 am – Rubin Kazan at FC Moscow (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
8:30 am – PSV Eindhoven at Twente (ESPND)
10:00 am – Manchester United vs. Chelsea (FSC, FSE, Setanta USA)
10:30 am – Borussia Monchengladbach at VfL Bochum (GolTV)

11:30 am - Hamburger at Freiburg (ESPND)
1:00 pm – San Luis at Monarcas (FSE)
1:00 pm – UNAM Pumas at Toluca (Telemundo)

1:15 pm - Lorient at Lille (Setanta USA)
3:00 pm – Real Madrid at D.C. United (FSC, TeleFutura)
3:00 pm – Corinthians at Flamengo (GolTV)
3:00 pm – Lens at (20) Bordeaux (Setanta USA)
10:15 pm – Amkan at CSKA Moscow (Setanta USA)

Monday, August 10, 2009

2:45 pm – Leeds at Darlington (Setanta USA)

World CLub Rankings - Top 25 Clubs in the World - 1988

There were a few continental milestones hit in 1988 with respect to the World Club Rankings annual rankings. One was a last, one was a first. The last was for CONMEBOL. Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys became the final South American club to date to finish atop the World Club Rankings annual chart. The first was for the CAF as Egypt’s Al-Ahly, despite falling on penalty kicks in the semifinals of the African Champions Cup, became the first African club to finish in the WCR Top 25.

In Europe, Englad was in year three of five of its UEFA competition ban. The European Cup final in Stuttgart, West Germany saw PSV Eindhoven and Benfica play to a 0-0 draw through full time. PSV took the title with a 6-5 penalty kick victory following Antonio Velaso’s miss. The UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup title was taken by Belgium’s KV Mechelen, who defeated Ajax 1-0 in the final in Strasbourg, France. Finally, the UEFA Cup title went to West Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen who came back from a 0-3 first leg loss to Espanyol to score a 3-0 victory of its own at home and defeated the Spanish club 3-2 on penalty kicks.

In the western hemisphere, top-ranked Newell’s Old Boys made it to the finals of the 1988 Copa Libertadores, but lost 3-1 on aggregate to Uruguay’s Nacional for the title. Farther north, Olimpia, from Honduras, defeated Defence Force from the Trinidad & Tobago for the Copa de Campeones y Subcampeones title.

In Africa’s two major cups, Nigerian clubs fell in the finals of both. Algeria’s Entente Setif defeated Iwuan Yanwu 4-1 in aggregate for the African Champions Cup. In the African Cup Winner’s Cup, Tunisia’s CA Bizerte defeated Ranchers Bees in the final. Finally, the Asian Champions Cup went to Japan’s Yamiuri after Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal withdrew from the tournament prior to the final.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – 1988

1. Newell’s Old Boys (Arg) – Copa Libertadores- Runner-up; Final Number One Ranking for Non-European Club.
2. Benfica (Por) – Champions Cup- Runner-up; Highest Ranking since 1968.
3. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) – Champions Cup- Champions.
4. Steaua Bucuresti (Rom) – CC- SF.
5. Real Madrid (Esp) – CC- SF.
6. San Lorenzo (Arg) – CL- SF; Highest ever ranking.
7. Porto (Por) – EC- 2R.
8. AC Milan (Ita) – UEFA Cup- 2R.
9. Liverpool (Eng) – Fourteenth consecutive Top 25.
10. Napoli (Ita) – EC- 1R.
11. Dinamo Bucuresti (Rom)
12. Danubio (Uru)
13. Os Belenenses (Por) – UEFA- 1R; Highest ever ranking.
14. Manchester United (Eng)
15. Roma (Ita)
16. Sporting CP (Por) – CWC- QF.
17. Ajax (Ned) – CWC- RU.
18. Werder Bremen (FRG) – UEFA- SF.
19. Racing Club (Arg)
20. Real Sociedad (Esp) – CWC-2R.
21. Nottingham Forest (Eng) – Final ranking.
22. Victoria Bucuresti (Rom) – First ever ranking.
23. America de Cali (Col) – CL- SF.
24. Al-Ahly (Egy) – African Champions Cup- SF; First ever ranking for CAF club.
25. Boavista (Por) – First ever ranking.

Past Final Season Top 25s: 2008 ,2007, 1987, 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, 1979, 1978,1977, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970,1969, 1968, 1967, 1966,1965, 1964, 1963, 1962, 1961,1960