European Stadium Tour: Stadion Letzigurnd

I wasn’t expecting to go to a fussball match while I was in Switzerland since I was going to be there midweek last week. Once I found out that the Swiss Super League was having a midweek matchday, though, I decided that I had to make it out to Letzigrund Stadium.

If you have been following the Champions League, then you know that Letzigrund Stadium is home to current competitor FC Zurich. If you follow the Swiss Super League (and I know you do) then you also know that Stadion Letzigrund is the temporary home of Grasshopper Club Zurich while the club waits for a new stadijm to be completed. The match that took place in Zurich during my trip was Grasshopper Club v. FC Aarau.

The Stadium is tucked away in the city. I had to take a tram out into the neighborhood and then work my way through some sidestreets to find the stadium. I expected to be able to follow people streaming to the stadium, as I do in most stadiums that I go to for the first time, but there was none of that here. Once I go to the stadium, I made my way to one of the several ticket booths. I purchased a corner seat for 29 Swiss Francs (about 20 Euros) and tried to get an aisle seat. The agent told me that it didn’t matter because there would be plenty of empty seats and I would be able to move if I wanted.

Plenty of extra seats turned out to be a huge understatement. If I remember correctly, the stadium holds around 25,000, but the attendance for this match was only 3,500, which was a little disappointing. I know that it was a midweek match against a last-place opponent, but c’mon Grasshopper Club supporters – you need to make a better showing than that.

What the Grasshopper Club supporters lacked in size, they more than made up for in noise. The supporters section in the corner of the stadium was perhaps the most entertaining that I’ve encountered yet. They were not only loud, but also coordinated.

The concessions were few, but there were no lines (obviously) and the prices were not too bad. I bought a beer for 5.50 SF plus a 2 SF deposit for the cup. They ended up keeping my deposit and I kept the cup as a souvenir.

One thing I didn’t like about the stadium is that it was built constructed more like an American football stadium in that there was too much room around the pitch and so the fans could not get close to the action. This was particularly true in the goal areas where the supporter sections were located. Those poor fans were dozens of meters from the match.

The match itself lacked drama. After no goals being scored in the first 42 minutes, Grasshopper Club went on a rampage and won 4-0.

Overall, I have to say that I was that although I had a good time, I was a little disappointed in the stadium. I wasn’t expecting it to be on the same level as Parc des Princes, but I did expect it to be better than most of the MLS stadiums to which I’ve been and it wasn’t. I’m glad to had had the experience, though. Next up: Allianz Arena (for a 2. Bundesliga match).

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Munich Edition

Good morning football fans regardless of what time of day it is when I finally get this posted and you actually read it. As I write this post, I am on a train from Munich, Germany to Vienna, Austria and I don’t have internet service, so if I miss a fact, I apologize. I think I’ve downloaded all of the information I need, so let’s get started. (By the way, the photo is from this weekend’s match between TSV 1860 Munchen and FC Padenborn. Bayern was out of town, so this was the best I could do.)

As mentioned in last week’s and prior WCR Top 25s, this is the week that sees the last of last season’s results drop off. The countries that it affects most this week are Spain, Italy and Portugal. From here on out, it’s only this season’s results that matter.

The word in the rankings this early in the season is volatility. There are lots of tests of volatility, but I think the best indicator is the fact that this week sees the fourth different number one club in the last four rankings. Manchester United was there; then Barcelona; last week was Chelsea’s turn; and this week sees Real Madrid move to the top of the rankings.

Another thing you’ll see as you go down the rankings is that the chart likes two things in particular. It likes clubs that are at or near the top of their domestic league tables. Therefore, you’ll see clubs like Hamburg SV and Sporting Braga high in the rankings. It also like goal differentials and recent blowouts have helped clubs like Benfica, Liverpool and Ajax tremendously in the rankings. It even allows for a surprise club at number twenty-five.

Certainly, some clubs that aren’t currently in the rankings like Arsenal and Bayern Munich will find their way in once they have started to settle things domestically. Just as certainly, some of the clubs currently in the rankings are destined for short stays. For now, however, here is the current ranking of the twenty-five best clubs in the world.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – September 28, 2009

1. Real Madrid (Esp) (7) – Dropping last season’s results helps Real Madrid in a big way as it finds itself atop the WCR weekly rankings for the first time in its brief (three-year) history. Real currently holds a narrow lead by goal differential in the Primera Division after defeating Villarreal 2-0 and Tenerife 3-0 in league action this week. Coming Up: On Wednesday, Real Madrid will host Olympique Marseille in a Champions League match. The match of the weekend will take place on Sunday when Real Madrid takes on Sevilla.

2. Manchester United (Eng) (3) – The Red Devils moved to the top of the Premiership table this weekend following a 2-0 defeat of Stoke City. Earlier in the week, Manchester United got past Wolverhampton 1-0 to advance in the Carling Cup. Coming Up: Manyoo will host defending Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg on Wednesday in Champions League action. On Saturday, it will welcome Sunderland to Old Trafford in a Premier League match.

3. Barcelona (Esp) (2) – Barca drops just a tad in the rankings despite continuing its perfect start in Primera Division play. In the past week, Barcelona defeated Racing Santander 4-1 at midweek and Malaga 2-0 in weekend play. Coming Up: Barcelona will be at home on Tuesday against Dynamo Kyiv. It’s next match in La Liga will be on Sunday against Almeria.

4. Chelsea (Eng) (1) – Well, it was a short trip to the top of the rankings for the Blues. The week started out well enough with a 1-0 Carling Cup victory over Queens Park Rangers, but it took a turn for the worse over the weekend with a 1-3 loss to Wigan Athletic. Coming Up: Chelsea will travel to Cyprus to take on APOEL in a Champions League match on Wednesday. Another candidate for match of the weekend will take place at Stamford Bridge on Sunday when Liverpool comes to town.

5. Hamburger (Ger) (5) – Like many of the top German clubs, Hamburger ran into trouble early in the DFB Pokal, losing on penalty kicks to Osnabruck (who?) in its opening match. Hamburger bounced back in a big way over the weekend by defeating Bayern Munich 1-0 to hold on to the current Bundesliga lead. Coming Up: Hamburger currently is the highest-ranked club participating in the Europa League. It’s Europa League match on Thursday will be at home against Hapoel Tel Aviv. When it returns to Bundesliga action, it will be against Hertha Berlin on Sunday.

6. Sampdoria (Ita) (NR) – It looked like Sampdoria had just been taking advantage of playing weak competition early in the season when it lost 0-2 to Fiorentina at midweek. It showed that it deserves its high position, however, after beating Inter Milan 1-0 to regain the current Serie A lead. Coming Up: No European action for Sampdoria, so it’s next match will not be until Sunday when it hosts Parma.

7. Benfica (Por) (23) – Despite being in second-place in the Liga Sagres, Benfica sees a big jump in the rankings for two reasons. First, dropping off last season’s disappointing results is a big help. Secondly, Benfica hasn’t just been winning against weaker clubs, it’s been destroying them. This past weekend, Benfica scored a 5-0 victory over Leixoes. Coming Up: In Europa League group stage action, Benfica heads to Greece to take on AEK Athens on Thursday. It’s next league match will be next Monday against Pacos de Ferreira.

8. Sevilla (Esp) (19) – Sevilla also makes a big jump up the rankings following some big victories. Sevilla defeated Mallorca 2-0 at midweek and then crushed Athletic Bilbao by an emphatic 4-0 score over the weekend. Coming Up: In one of the more interesting matches of the next Champions League matchday, Sevilla will be in Glasgow to take on Rangers, who have been struggling recently in the SPL. On Sunday, Sevilla will host Real Madrid in a test to see if it really is a two-horse race in La Liga’s Primera Division.

9. Bordeaux (Fra) (8) – It is not blowing anybody out by any stretch of the imagination, but Bordeaux keeps winning and maintaining its position atop the Ligue Un standings. This week, Bordeaux defeated contender Stade Rennes 1-0. Coming Up: In Champions League action, Bordeaux will host Maccabi Haifa on Wednesday. Saturday will see Bordeaux return to French league action when it takes on St.-Etienne.

10. Sporting Braga (Por) (NR) – The way it keeps winning match after match, it was obvious that it was just a matter of time before Sporting Braga made its debut in the rankings. Over the weekend, Braga defeated Olhanense 1-0 to pick up three away points and maintain its perfect start to the Liga Sagres season. Coming Up: Sporting Braga will be at home on Saturday when it takes on Vitoria Setubal.

11. Manchester City (Eng) (10) – Like all of the other clubs currently at the top of the Premiership table, Manchester City won its Carling Cup match to advance to the next round. City needed extra time to do it, but ultimately defeated Fulham 2-1. Coming Up: By the time I post this, the match likely will be over, but at the time I’m writing this, City has a match later today at home against West Ham United. Manchester City will also play next Monday against Aston Villa.

12. Juventus (Ita) (11) – Two matches this week for Juve, two draws, preventing the club from going top in Serie A. First, it was Genoa who fought Juventus to a 2-2 draw at midweek. Over the weekend, Bologna repeated the result, with the clubs drawing 1-1 in Turin. Coming Up: In perhaps the most anticipated Champions League match of the week, Juventus heads to Munchen (just as I’m leaving) to take on Bayern Munich on Thursday. On Sunday, Juventus will take on Palermo as it tries to end its drawing ways and collect three points.

13. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) (9) – Like Hamburger, Leverkusen was upset and eliminated from the DFB Pokal by virtue of a 1-2 loss to Kaiserslautern. Leverkusen did fare better domestically, beating Cologne 1-0 to keep pace with HSV in the Bundesliga title race. Coming Up: With no European action, Leverkusen will be off until Saturday when it hosts Nurnberg.

14. Liverpool (Eng) (20) – It was a narrow victory, but it was enough to advance for Liverpool as it beat Leeds United 1-0 in its Carling Cup match. Domestically, it was anything but narrow as Liverpool ripped Hull City a new one, winning by a 6-1 score. Coming Up: Livdrpool’s Champions League match will be Tuesday night in Italy when it takes on Fiorentina. Domestically, it should be even tougher as it travels to London to take on Chelsea.

15. Inter Milan (Ita) (5) – Everything looked great for Internazionale at midweek as it defeated Napoli 3-1 to take over the Serie A lead. The joy was short-lasting, however, as a 0-1 defeat to surprising Sampdoria saw Inter move back down the Serie A table and the WCR rankings. Coming Up: It’s a trip east for Inter Milan as it takes on Rubin Kazan in Russia in a Champions League matchup on Tuesday. Domestically, Inter Milan will host Udinese on Saturday.

16. Estudiantes (Arg) (12) – The students from La Plata drop a little bit in the rankings, but don’t disappoint on the pitch, defeating Boca Juniors 2-1. Coming Up: Next up for Estudiantes in the Argentine Clausura will be Argentinos Juniors on Sunday.

17. Mallorca (Esp) (NR) – This is a surprise club in the rankings, but it is currently fourth in the Primera Division, despite falling 0-2 to Sevilla at midweek. Mallorca did bounce back over the weekend, however, beating Real Valladolid 3-0. Coming Up: Mallorca needs to take some away points from Sporting Gijon if it wants to keep its new-found status as WCR Top 25 club.

18. TSG Hoffenheim (Ger) (BU) – Last season, Hoffenheim spent most of the season in the rankings before it finally fell apart in the second half of the season. This season sees Hoffenheim return to the rankings following a 5-1 defeat of Hertha Berlin in Bundesliga action. On top of that, unlike many top German clubs, TSG won its DFB Pokal match, beating Nurnberg 1-0. Coming Up: Without anything in European tournaments to worry about, Hoffenheim will be off until Friday when it will take on Mainz 05.

19. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (14) – The shakeup in the rankings sees PSV drop five notches, though not through any poor play on its part. In fact, PSV won twice this week, beating De Graafschap 2-1 to advance in the KNVB Beker and knocking off Willem II 3-1 to maintain its lead in the Eredivisie. Coming Up: PSV will host CFR Cluj in a Europa League group stage match on Thursday. On Sunday, PSV’s Eredivisie opponent will be Utrecht.

20. Porto (Por) (6) – Just like dropping last season’s results helped Benfica, it hurt Porto who drop to the bottom of the Top 20 despite defeating recently (but no longer) ranked Sporting CP 1-0. Coming Up: Porto will host Atletico de Madrid on Sunday in what should be an interesting Champions League match. As it tries to chase down Sporting Braga in the Liga Sagres, Porto will take on Olhanense on Sunday.

21. Celtic (Sco) (22) – The Bhoys extended their lead in the Scottish Premier League with a 2-0 defeat of St. Mirren over the weekend. This was on the heels of Celtic’s 4-0 victory over Falkirk to advance in the Scottish League Cup. Coming Up: Celtic will host Rapid Wien in a Europa League match on Thursday (which I’m hoping to catch on television in Bratislava, but you never know) and then play one of the only three matches that ever matter in Scotland, its first derby of the season with Rangers.

22. Lyon (Fra) (21) – With a 2-1 victory over Toulouse this weekend, Lyon kept pace on the heels of Bordeaux in Ligue Un. Coming Up: A trip to Hungary is in the cards for Olympique Lyon as it takes on Debreceni VSC in a Tuesday Champions League match. Domestically, Lyon will face Lens on Saturday.

23. Palmeiras (Bra) (25) – With two Brasileirao Serie A victories this week, Palmeiras was able to extend its lead in the table to five points. Both victories were by a 2-1 score, the first over Cruzeiro and the second against Atletico Paranaense. Coming Up: The next league match for Palmeiras will be against Santos on Saturday.

24. Ajax (Ned) (24) – This is a club that is taking advantage of weaker competition, running up the score, and finding its way into the rankings because of it. In Dutch Cup action, Ajax advance with a 2-1 victory over AGOVV. In its Eredivisie match, Ajax defeated ADO Den Haag by a 3-0 score. Coming Up: It’s Thursday Europa League action in neighboring Belgium on Thursday when Ajax takes on RSC Anderlecht. On Sunday, Ajax will face Roda JC.

25. Tottenham Hotspur (NR) – It surprised me when I wrote this just as much as it likely is surprising to you to read it. But like I said, the chart likes big goal differentials early in the season. In Carling Cup play, Tottenham defeated Preston North End 5-1 to advance. The Spurs then followed that up with a 5-0 thrashing of Burnley thanks to Robbie Keane’s four goals (if I'm remembering correctly - remember I'm on a train and can't double check). Coming Up: Who knows how long it will last, but it’s fun to see if only for a while. Saturday will see Tottenham take on Bolton Wanderers in its next Premiership match.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Arsenal (Eng), Fenerbahce (Tur), Galatasaray (Tur), Panathinaikos (Gre), Velez Sarsfield (Arg).

Next Five (not quite as good but just as alphabetical): Deportivo La Coruna (Esp), Fiorentina (Ita), Rangers (Sco), Schalke 04 (Ger), Twente (Ned).

Matches This Week Between WCR Top 25 Clubs:

4 October – (1) Real Madrid at (8) Sevilla

4 October – (14) Liverpool at (4) Chelsea

Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 26/27 September

Another full weekend of action on television this weekend and so we may as well get right to the action.

There are two matches this weekend between WCR Top 25 clubs. One will be televised in the U.S., the other won’t. From Germanay, Bundesliga leaders Hamburger will host Bayern Munich in a Sunday morning match on GolTV. Later in the day, Porto will host Sporting CP in a Liga Sagres match as both clubs are fighting to stay in the rankings after falling behind early in league play to Sporting Braga.

The quality of the matches drops significantly after that, but this weekend, we’ll just concentrate on quantity, how about that? A full 17 of the 25 ranked clubs will be broadcast somewhere in the U.S., so no matter who you love, you probably will be able to find them this weekend.

One additional note is that my ESPN schedule is my best guess from several sources. ESPN’s official schedule, particularly ESPN Deportes, often doesn’t seem to be set until about four hours after the shows have already aired, so it’s getting more and more difficult to put its schedule on the website in a timely fashion. If its wrong, I apologize, but blame ESPN.

Top Five Matches of the Weekend:

1. Bayern Munich at Hamburger (Saturday, 12:30 pm (EDT), GolTV)

2. Sporting CP at Porto (Saturday, 2:15 pm, Not Televised)

3. Stade Rennes at Bordeaux (Sunday, 3:00 pm, Setanta USA)

4. Inter Milan at Sampdoria (Saturday, 5:00 pm (delayed), FSC)

5. Boca Juniors at Estudiantes (Saturday, 5:10 pm, Not Televised)

Friday, September 25, 2009

2:30 pm – VfL Bochum at Nurnberg (GolTV)

Saturday, September 26, 2009

7:30 am – Everton at Portsmuth (ESPN2)

9:30 am – Hannover 96 at VfL Wolfsburg (GolTV)

9:30 am – Schalke 04 at Borussia Dortmund (ESPND)

10:00 am – Hull City at (20) Liverpool (FSC, FSE)

10:00 am – (3) Manchester United at Stoke City (Setanta USA)

12 noon – Tenerife at (7) Real Madrid (ESPND)

12:30 pm – (16) Bayern Munich at (4) Hamburger (GolTV)

12:30 pm – Arsenal at Fulham (FSC, FSE)

1:45 pm – Willem II at (14) PSV Eindhoven (ESPN 360)

2:00 pm – (2) Barcelona at Malaga (ESPND, GolTV)

2:30 pm – Fiorentina at Livorno (FSC)

3:00 pm - Toulouse at (21) Lyon (Setanta USA)

5:00 pm – (5) Inter Milan at Sampdoria (Delayed) (FSC)

5:00 pm – (1) Chelsea at Wigan Athletic (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

5:30 pm – Atletico Paranaense at (25) Palmeiras (GolTV)

6:00 pm – Puebla at Monterrey (Telemundo)

7:00 pm – Burnley at Tottenham (Delayed) (FSC)

7:30 pm – Independiente Medellin at America de Cali (GolTV)

8:30 pm – (13) Aston Villa at Blackburn Rovers (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

9:30 pm – Deportivo Pasta at Atletico Nacional (GolTV)

10:00 pm – Jaguares at San Luis (TeleFutura)

10:00 pm – Tigres at Atlas (Telemundo)

1030 pm – New York Red Bulls at Chivas USA (FSC, FSE)

Sunday, September 27, 2009

3:00 am – Adelaide United at North Queensland Fury (FSC)

4:15 am – CSKA Moscow at Zenit St. Petersburg (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

9:00 am – Bologna at (11) Juventus (FSC, FSE)

9:30 am – Borussia Monchengladbach at Freiburg (ESPND)

11:00 am – Racing Santander at Almeria (GolTV)

11:00 am – Wolverhampton at Sunderland (FSC, FSE)

1:00 pm – Getafe at Real Zaragoza (GolTV, ESPN 360, ESPN2, ESPND)

1:00 pm – Queretaro at Monarcas (FSE)

1:00 pm – Chivas de Guadalajara (Telemundo)

2:30 pm – Bari at (17) AC Milan (FSC)

2:45 pm – ADO Den Haag at (24) Ajax (ESPND, ESPN 360)

3:00 pm – Villarreal at Deportivo La Coruna (GolTV)

3:00 pm – Independiente at Racing Club (FSE)

3:00 pm – Stade Rennes at (8) Bordeaux (Setanta USA)

3:00 pm – San Jose Earthquakes at D.C. United (TeleFutura)

4:00 pm – UAG Tecos at Indios (ESPND)

5:00 pm – Corinthians at Sao Paolo (Delayed) (GolTV)

5:00 pm – Pachuca at Santos Laguna (TeleFutura)

5:00 pm – Atlante at Club America (Univision)

Monday, September 28, 2009

5:00 am – Marseille at Valenciennes (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

6:45 am – Nice at Lille (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

3:00 pm – West Ham United at (10) Manchester City (ESPN2)

Non-Televised Matches Involving WCR Top 25 Clubs

Sat., 7:30 am – (22) Celtic at St. Mirren

Sat., 9:30 am – (9) Bayer Leverkusen at Cologne

Sat., noon – (19) Sevilla at Athletic Bilbao

Sat., 2:15 pm – (18) Sporting CP at (6) Porto

Sat., 4:15 pm Leixoes at (23) Benfica

Sat., 5:10 pm – Boca Juniors at (12) Estudiantes

Sun., 1:00 pm – Eskisehirspor at (15) Galatasaray

European Stadium Tour: Parc des Princes

This past weekend, I made it to another football stadium, this one Parc des Princes in Paris, France. The match was perhaps the biggest of the weekend in Ligue Un as Paris St.-Germain hosted Olympique Lyon.

I purchased the ticket a few months ago, as soon as the schedule was released, and had to pick up the ticket from the French equivalent of a will call window. First, of course, I had to get to the stadium. Parc des Princes is on the nine line of the Paris metro, a short walk from the Porte de St. Cloud stop. Fortunately, this stop was on the same line as a stop close to my hotel, so finding the stadium was no problem. At first, there was a little problem pulling up my ticket at the ticket window, but after about five minutes, all was resolved and I had my ticket.

Security around the stadium was heavy, with numerous armed policemen around every entrance. I’ve learned to expect this at European sporting events, but this was even heavier than I had previously witnessed.

The gates opened around an hour and a half before kickoff and I went upstairs to where my seats were located. Since I had some extra time, I decided to get some food and saw that the concession stands were selling hot dogs, so I tried one. The dog itself was good, neither the best I’ve ever had nor the worst, but the bun was essentially a mini-baguette, which added to the most unique hot dog eating experience I’ve ever had. After taking a few pictures of it, I ate it and it was quite good.

I didn’t see anybody selling beer but I did see a few people walking around with beer. I don’t know if they brought it in from outside (a lot of people were drinking outside the stadium) or if there was some place to purchase it from inside that I didn’t see, but those who had it were able to take it to their seats, unlike at the English matches that I attended.

The pitch and surrounding seats themselves were wonderful. Though I know there are several larger ones, this was the largest soccer-specific stadium to which I have ever been, seating nearly 50,000. I’m not sure if the match was sold out, though it appeared to be close as the only empty seats that I could see were in the upper corner of the visitors’ side. The crowd was loud, but generally mild except for the supporters section at one end of the stadium who were balls-to-the-wall crazy the entire time. They reminded me of the Barra Brava section of my hometown DC United club, only much larger and much louder.

The match itself was excellent. PSG took an early 1-0 lead and had several more chances for goals throughout the match to extend the lead but none of them came to fruition. Lyon finally turned on the jets with about twenty minutes to go and an equalizer appeared imminent. At around the 85^th minute, the equalizer finally came, much to the dismay of the crowd I was in, and the match finished 1-1.

Although my French is elementary, to say the least, I had very few problems navigating around the stadium or interacting with the people therein. After the match, I returned to Porte de St. Cloud expecting total chaos given the number of people at the match. Although there was some chaos, it was controlled chaos and I got through the turnstiles and onto a train rather quickly and returned to Montmartre.

My first football match experience on the continent was a great one, with a great stadium, great crowd and great match. If you’re a football fan (and you probably aren’t reading this if you are not) and you find yourself in Paris, I highly recommend catching a match at Parc des Princes.

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Paris Edition

There was big movement in the rankings this week as both England and Argentina reached a point in their schedules from which last season’s numbers have been discarded. This hurts Arsenal, primarily, though we expect to see them return to the rankings before too long. Currently, only three of the top ten domestic leagues in the world have yet to play enough matches to have last season’s statistics drop off: Portugal, Italy and Spain. With a double-match-week taking place in Spain, I anticipate that as of next week, all of the rankings will be based solely on this season’s statistics beginning with next week’s rankings.

That’s next week, though. This week sees Chelsea take the top spot in a rankings that will should be in a constant state of flux over the next several weeks. Six matches in, Chelsea is atop the English Premier League, off to a perfect start. Barcelona drops to second, but that could change next week following Barcelona’s pair of Primera Division matches this week.

This week’s rankings are brought to you from Paris, France. Last night, I was able to go to the match between Paris St.-Germain and Lyon. The stadium was awesome and I will post a review of the stadium, crowd and match in coming days. The match also was great as Lyon scored a late goal to secure a 1-1 draw. Next week, if I can tear myself away from Oktoberfest, the rankings will come to you from Munich, Germany.

Summaries of last week’s action and previews of the week to come are below.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – September 21, 2009

1. Chelsea (Eng) (4) – Dropping off last season’s numbers helped Chelsea, who continued its perfect start to the season with a 3-0 dismantling of Tottenham on Sunday. Earlier in the week, Chelsea defeated Porto 1-0 in its UEFA Champions League group stage opener. Coming Up: On Wednesday, Chelsea opens up in the Carling Cup with a home match against Queen’s Park Rangers. Domestically, Chelsea will take on Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

2. Barcelona (Esp) (1) – In a battle of heavyweights at the San Siro, Barcelona fought Inter Milan to a goalless draw in its Champions League opener. In league play, Barcelona handled Atletico Madrid easily at home, winning 5-2. Coming Up: The Primera Division has two matchdays this week and Barcelona will face Racing Santander on Tuesday and Malaga on Sunday.

3. Manchester United (Eng) (2) – In its Champions League debut, Manchester United scored on a header to defeat Besiktas 1-0 on Tuesday. Yesterday, in probably the most fun match of the weekend, Michael Owen scored in what seemed like the twentieth minute of extra time to lead United to a 4-3 victory over City in the Manchester derby. Coming Up: United starts its Carling Cup campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers this week. On Saturday, the Red Devils will face Stoke City in league action.

4. Hamburger (Ger) (3) – Hamburg SV keeps its spot high in the rankings despite falling 0-3 in an away match against Rapid Wien in the UEFA Europa League. It keeps its spot in the rankings because it remains atop the Bundesliga despite a 1-1 draw this weekend against Eintracht Frankfurt. Coming Up: Hamburger opens its DFB Pokal season on Wednesday against Osnabruck. In perhaps the match of the weekend, Hamburger will host Bayern Munich on Saturday in Bundesliga play.

5. Inter Milan (Ita) (5) – Inter took the defending champions to the wire in its first Champions League group match, where Inter Milan and Barcelona finished with a 0-0 draw. In Serie A action, Inter kept pace with current leader Juventus with a 2-1 victory over Cagliari. Coming Up: Like La Liga, Serie A has two matchdays this week and Internazionale will host Napoli on Wednesday and take on surprising Sampdoria on Saturday.

6. Porto (Por) (6) – Not a good week for Porto. It began with a 0-1 Champions League loss to (now) top-ranked Cheslea. That was followed with a 0-1 loss to current Liga Sagres leaders Sporting Braga. Look for Porto to fall in the rankings next week when its results from last season are dropped. Coming Up: Only one match this week for Porto, but it should be a great one when it hosts Sporting CP on Saturday.

7. Real Madrid (Esp) (7) – The red-hot start for Real Madrid continues with a 5-2 defeat of FC Zurich in the Champions League and a 5-0 drubbing of Deportivo Xerez in La Liga. Coming Up: A good test for Real Madrid will take place when it takes on Villarreal on Wednesday. On Sunday, Madrid will host Tererife in a second Primera Division match.

8. Bordeaux (Fra) (10) – Bordeaux achieved a great road result in its 1-1 draw against Juventus. Domestically, Bordeaux beat Boulogne 2-0 to remain atop the Ligue Un table. Coming Up: Bordeaux is off until Sunday when it will host a good Stade Rennes club.

9. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) (9) – Missed a chance to take over the Bundesliga lead by scoring only a goalless draw with Werder Bremen this weekend. Coming Up: On Wednesday, Leverkusen will take on Kaiserslautern in a DFB Pokal match. On Saturday, Bayer Leverkusen takes on Cologne in a Bundesliga match.

10. Manchester City (Eng) (NR) – Dropping off last season’s results helped out City who enters the rankings for the first time (at least that I can remember) despite its heartbreaking 3-4 loss to Manchester United in Sunday’s derby. Coming Up: Manchester City will take on Fulham in its Carling Cup debut this week. Next Monday, Man City returns to Premiership play by hosting West Ham United.

11. Juventus (Ita) (11) – Probably a little disappointing for Juve fans to see their club draw 1-1 at home against Bordeaux in Champions League play. I’m sure they were happier to see Juventus remain perfect in Serie A play by defeating Livorno 2-0 over the weekend. Coming up: Thursday’s match at Genoa could be the best match of midweek. On Sunday, Juventus will host Bologna in its second Serie A match of the week.

12. Estudiantes (Arg) (NR) – The defending Copa Libertadores champions from La Plata return to the rankings by hitting the top of the Argentine Clausura after five matches, including its recent 4-1 defeat of Huracan. Coming Up: Argentina has has a pair of league matches scheduled this week with Estudiantes taking on Boca Juniors on Thursday and Argentinos Juniors on Sunday.

13. Aston Villa (Eng) (NR) – Aston Villa’s season got better and Pompey’s got worse with a Villa 2-0 victory over hapless Portsmuth this weekend. Coming Up: Aston Villa will debut in the Carling Cup by hosting Cardiff City on Wednesday. On Saturday, Aston Villa returns to Premier League action against Blackburn Rovers.

14. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (15) – PSV could do no more than draw 2-2 with Sparta Praha in its Europa League group stage opener. In the Eredivisie, PSV defeated Feyenoord 3-1 to extend its lead. Coming Up: The KNVB Beker begins for the top Dutch clubs this week and PSV will host De Graafschap on Wednesday. On Saturday, PSV will host Willem II in league play.

15. Galatasaray (Tur) (NR) – Galatasaray’s tremendous start sees it enter the rankings for the moment in a week in which it defeated Panathinaikos 3-1 in its Europa League match. Coming Up: Later today (as I type this), Galatasaray will take on Kasimpasa in Turkish Super Ligi action. On Sunday, Galatasaray will return to action when it hosts Eskisehirspor.

16. Bayern Munich (Ger) (BU) – Bayern returns to the rankings following a week in which it defeated Maccabi Haifa 3-0 in Champions League play and Nurnberg 2-1 in its Bundesliga match. Coming Up: Bayern will host Rot-Weib Oberhausen on Tuesday in its opening DFB Pokal match. On Saturday, Bayern Munich hits the road to take on current Bundesliga leaders Hamburger.

17. AC Milan (Ita) (14) – The crazy rankings this week move Milan down despite a pair of victories, including an impressive 2-1 away victory over Marseille in the Champions League and a 1-0 victory over Bologna in Serie A play. Coming Up: Milan’s two Serie A matches this week will be on Wednesday against Udinese and at home on Sunday against Bari.

18. Sporting CP (Por) (16) – With last season’s Portuguese results soon dropping out, this likely is the last week for Sporting CP in the rankings for a while, but you never know. It did defeat SC Heerenveen 3-2 on the road in its first Europa League group stage match. Coming Up: Sporting is taking on Olhanense as I write this. On Saturday, Sporting will take on defending Liga Sagres champions Porto in an attempt to remain in the rankings.

19. Sevilla (Esp) (19) – In a relatively light Champions League matchup, Sevilla won its opener 2-0 over Unirea Urziceni at midweek. Domestically, Sevilla defeated Osasuna 2-0 over the weekend. Coming Up: Sevilla’s two Primera Division matches this week will be at home against Mallorca and what promises to be an exciting match on Sunday against Athletic Bilbao.

20. Liverpool (Eng) (8) – Like Arsenal, Liverpool takes a hit early in the season after seeing last season’s results dropped. That notwithstanding, it wasn’t a bad week for the Reds with a 1-0 victory over Debreceni in the Champions League and 3-2 over West Ham United in the Premier League. Coming Up: Liverpool’s first Carling Cup opponent will be Leeds United on Tuesday. On Saturday, Liverpool will host Hull City in its next Premiership match.

21. Lyon (Fra) (13) – Lyon scored a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina to kick off its Champions League group stage efforts, but slipped a little in Ligue Un by scoring only a 1-1 draw with Paris St.-Germain by hitting a late goal. Coming Up: Lyon’s next match will be a Ligue Un home match against Toulouse on Saturday.

22. Celtic (Sco) (BU) – Celtic started the week by being surprised by Hapoel Tel Aviv in a 1-2 Europa League loss. It did bounce back, however, to beat Hearts 2-1 and take advantage of Rangers’ stumble to move atop the Scottish Premier League table. Coming Up: Two away matches for Celtic this week, first on Wednesday in a League Cup match against Falkirk and then on Saturday in an SPL match against St. Mirren.

23. Benfica (Por) (18) – A drop for Benfica despite two victories. Benfica beat BATE Barisov 2-0 in its first Europa League group stage match. Domestically, Benfica defeated Uniao de Leiria 2-1 over the weekend. Coming Up: Benfica’s next match will be a Liga Sagres home match on Saturday against Leixoes.

24. Ajax (Ned) (BU) – Ajax’s 0-0 draw with Timisoara in its Europa League match was disappointing, but Luis Suarez cannot score four goals in every match like he did in Ajax’s 4-0 victory over VVV Venlo. Coming Up: A KNVB Beker match on Thursday against AGOVV will be Ajax’s first match this week. On Sunday, Ajax will return to Eredivisie action against ADO Den Haag.

25. Palmeiras (Bra) (21) – No matches this week. Coming Up: Palmeiras has a pair of matches coming up in Brasileirao Serie A play. First up for Palmeiras is Cruzeiro on Thursday. On Saturday, Palmeiras hosts Atletico Paranaense.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Genoa (Ita), Hoffenheim (Ger), Marseille (Fra), Rangers (Sco), Valencia (Esp).

Next Five: Arsenal (Eng), Fenerbahce (Tur), Olympiakos (Gre), Stade Rennes (Fra), Twente (Ned).

Matches This Week Between WCR Top 25 Clubs:

26 September – (16) Bayern Munich at (4) Hamburger

26 September – (18) Sporting CP at (6) Porto

European Stadium Tour: Craven Cottage

In another entry in my posts regarding various stadiums I visit during my time in Europe, I followed up my trip to White Hart Lane on Saturday with a trip to Craven Cottage on Sunday to watch the match between Fulham and Everton. I had not originally planned to attend this match but my new Spurs friends told me that the Fulham matches seldom sold out and that if I went to the stadium at match time, I could probably get a ticket. I took their advice and went and, indeed, I got in.

I purchased a ticket in the neutral side, which meant that I basically was lumped in with the Everton supporters and confined to only one corner of Craven Cottage. I went to the match truly a “neutral,” but by the time the match started, I found myself rooting for Everton. It helped that Tim Howard was at our end for the first half and, as an American, I’m a big Tim Howard fan. (I like Fulham’s Clint Dempsey as well, but I’ll always be a goaltender at heart.)

I got to the stadium an hour or so early. The walk from the Underground stop (Putney Bridge) was about fifteen minutes long and brought us through a beautiful park, right up to the stadium from which I could hear a Rolling Stone song (Gimme Shelter) blasting. I bought my ticket and went into the visitors side of the stadium.

Since I was there early and confined to a relatively small area, you’d think that it would be a long, boring hour. It wasn’t. I had a Pork Bap (before purchasing it, I had no idea what a “Bap” was, but I sure as hell knew what “Pork” was), a few beers and there were several televisions broadcasting the Newcastle United match. Since I’m a Magpie fan, I enjoyed the pre-game festivities (Newcastle won) and then went to take my seat.

No offense to Craven Cottage, but when I first looked around, I thought “here’s a football disaster scene waiting to happen.” It’s an older stadium than White Hart Lane, smaller, and appears to be in need of a lot of maintenance, which is unexpected this early in the season. Also, there were several beams providing several obstructed view seats, including the one I ended up with. (I traded my better seat with somebody else to allow him to sit next to his friend.)

The match was not as exciting, but there was no Manchester United so it’s not that surprising. Still, the stadium appeared to be nearly full and the match was well-fought. Like the day before, the game started with an early goal, this time by Everton, just to see the other club come from behind as Fulham scored a 2-1 victory at home.

After the match, the streets were lined with policemen, presumably to prevent any violence, but all of the fans on both sides appeared to be pretty low key and nothing like anything violent appeared likely. I’ve seen much worse at any American football game involving Philadelphia Eagles fans. The trip home was peaceful (since the Underground was up) and that was about it.

One thing I found a little strange about both matches that I attended this weekend was that the home and visitor fans were segregated at both. I guess this makes sense, especially with the UK’s notoriety for hooliganism, but it’s not something I normally see at American sporting events, where fans typically are intermingled.

The other thing I found strange (and horrible) was that no beer was allowed in the stands. In the United States, beer typically is not sold at college games, but at any professional sporting event, drinking beer while watching a game is part of the experience. Again, I assume this is due to the prevention of hooliganism, which just goes to show you the horrible damage hooliganism has caused. No beer?!?!? THE HORROR!!!

Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 19/20 September 2009

Perhaps the most difficult to do this week (aside from getting information on ESPN 360’s schedule while in Europe) is limiting the games in the list of the weekly best to just five. Unlike a few weeks ago, there are no major marquee matchups, but there are just so many good ones to choose from. Among the ones that didn’t make the list are a pair of matches from the Bundesliga featuring clubs that are doing tremendously well this year as Schalke 04 hosts defending champions Wolfsburg and second-place Bayer Leverkusen hosts Werder Bremen. Also, a pair of great Ligue Un matches didn’t make the list including Marseille’s home match against upstart Montpellier and PSG’s match against Lyon at Parc des Princes (which is particularly notable because I will be there).

Among those that did make the list, there are two matches featuring a pair of WCR ranked clubs. To be fair, in its current form, Atletico Madrid likely won’t be ranked for long, but it could change that with some points when it visits top-ranked Barcelona on Saturday. On Sunday, turn-around Feyenoord will host current Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven in another battle of ranked clubs.

As always, the complete list for American television is below. Have a great weekend!!!

Top Five Matches of the Weekend:

1. Atletico de Madrid at Barcelona (Saturday, 4:00 pm (EDT), GolTV)

2. PSV Eindhoven at Feyenoord (Sunday, 8:30 am, ESPND)

3. Hamburger at Eintracht Frankfurt (Sunday, 10:30 am, ESPND)

4. Porto at Sporting Braga (Saturday, 4:15 pm, Not Televised)

5. Manchester City at Manchester United (Sunday, 8:30 am, Setanta USA)

Friday, September 18, 2009

2:30 pm – Wolfsburg at (17) Schalke 04 (GolTV)

9:00 pm – Morelia at UAG Tecos (Galavision)

11:00 pm – San Jose Earthquakes at Colorado Rapids (ESPN2, ESPN 360)

Saturday, September 19, 2009

7:45 am – Sunderland at Burnley (ESPN2)

9:30 am – Borussia Dortmund at Hannover 96 (GolTV)

9:30 am – Nurnberg at Bayern Munich (ESPND)

10:00 am – Portsmouth at Aston Villa (FSC, FSE)

10:00 am – Wigan Athletic at (12) Arsenal (Setanta USA)

12:00 noon – Udinese at Napoli (FSE)

12:00 noon – Espanyol at Deportivo La Coruna (ESPND, ESPN 360)

12:30 pm – (8) Liverpool at West Ham United (FSC)

1:00 pm – Monaco at Nice (Setanta USA)

2:00 pm – (19) Sevilla at Osasuna (GolTV)

2:30 pm – NEC Nijmegen at AZ Alkmaar (ESPND)

3:00 pm – Chivas USA at Seattle Sounders (FSC)

3:00 pm – (24) Montpellier at Marseille (Setanta USA)

4:00 pm – (22) Atletico de Madrid at (1) Barcelona (GolTV)

5:30 pm – Stoke City at Bolton Wanderers (Delayed) (FSC)

6:00 pm – (25) Internacional at Vitoria (GolTV)

6:00 pm – San Luis at Cruz Azul (ESPND)

6:45 pm – Birmingham City at Hull City (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

7:30 pm – Livorno at (11) Juventus (Delayed) (GolTV)

8:00 pm – Atletico Junior at Independiente Santa Fe (GolTV)

8:00 pm – Monterrey at Pachuca (TeleFutura)

8:00 pm – Jaguares at Chivas de Guadalajara (Telemundo)

10:00 pm – Atletico Nacional at Once Caldas (GolTV)

10:00 pm – Santos Laguna at Atlante (Telemundo)

Sunday, September 20, 2009

3:00 am – Perth Glory at Brisbane Roar (FSC)

4:15 am – FC Moscow at Lokomotiv (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

6:00 am – Dinamo Moscow at CSKA Moscow (Setanta USA)

8:30 am – Manchester City at (2) Manchester United (Setanta USA)

8:30 am – (15) PSV Eindhoven at (23) Feyenoord (ESPND, ESPN 360)

9:00 am – Bologne at (14) AC Milan (FSC, FSE)

10:30 pm – (3) Hamburger at Eintracht Frankfurt (ESPND)

11:00 am – Villarreal at Athletic Bilbao (GolTV)

11:00 am – Tottenham Hotspur at Chelsea (FSC, FSE)

11:00 am – Lille at Lens (Setanta USA)

1:00 pm – Werder Bremen at (9) Bayer Leverkusen (Delayed) (GolTV)

1:00 pm – Fulham at Wolverhampton (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

1:00 pm – Atlas at Toluca (Telemundo)

1:00 pm – Xerez at (7) Real Madrid (ESPN2, ESPN 360)

2:30 pm – Fiorentina at Roma (FSC, FSE)

3:00 pm – Sao Paolo at Santo Andre (GolTV)

3:00 pm – (13) Lyon at Paris St.-Germain (Setanta USA)

3:00 pm – Columbus Crew at Chicago Fire (TeleFutura)

3:00 pm – Sporting Gijon at Valencia (ESPND)

5:00 pm – Club America at Queretaro (Univision)

7:00 pm – Blackburn Rovers at Everton (Delayed) (FSC)

Non-Televised Matches Involving WCR Top 25 Clubs:

Sat., 7:30 am – (20) Rangers at Kilmarnock

Sat., 1:00 pm – (10) Bordeaux at Boulogne

Sat., 4:15 pm – (6) Porto at Sporting Braga

Sun., 9:00 am – (5) Inter Milan at Cagliari

Sun., 3:15 pm – (18) Benfica at Uniao Leiria

Mon., 3:15 pm – Olhanense at (16) Sporting CP

European Stadium Tour: White Hart Lane

Since I went to my first two English Premier League matches, I wanted to do a short summary of my initial thoughts of the stadiums to which I went. The first was White Hart Lane, which I went to on Saturday for the match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. I went with a number of Tottenham supporters, so I sat in the Tottenham section.

Because the Victoria line is closed on the Underground on gamedays, getting to the stadium required a roundabout trip, taking a train to Liverpool Street and then hopping on the National Rail to the stadium. Easy enough, I suppose, but it did require switching vehicles, which can always be a risky proposition for me.

When we got to the White Hart Lane stop, we stopped in a pub, to use the term loosely. It more resembled a dance hall with a bar at one end and a big screen television broadcasting Sky Sports News at the other. Nevertheless, the beer was cheap, the company was good and we all enjoyed watching the scores on the big screen as Manchester City was dismantling Arsenal.

Shortly before the match started, we reached the stadium. The concessions were fewer than I’m used to seeing at American sporting events, but there was bad beer, bad food and programs for sale (not unlike at American sporting events). Directions in the stadium were easy to navigate and everything was easy to find.

When I got to the seats, I was first amazed to see how compact the stadium is for a field that holds over 35,000 people (if I remember correctly what I was told). I’m used to soccer in America on American football fields that are much more spacious and in which the fans are much farther away from the action. (I understand that the soccer-only stadiums being built in America are like this and I’ve been to Toyota Park outside of Chicago and seen it first hand.) This was a tremendous atmosphere for a football match. Another thing I noticed is that from beginning to end, I did not see an empty seat in the stadium. People were focused on the match the entire time.

If you saw the match, you know what happened. Tottenham scored quickly to take the lead, but gradually gave up three goals, including a beautiful shot by Wayne Rooney, and Manchester United won 3-1. At least with respect to the fans with which I was spending time, the feeling appeared to be that it was a good match, fairly lost, to a world-class club. For the love of God, at least they didn’t lose to Arsenal.

Although it may not be the first stadium one thinks of when thinking of football in London, I had a great time at the match and highly recommend it to anybody visiting London who likes good football. Good luck getting a ticket, though, because I hear it sells about 99% of its seats, so they go fast.

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - London Edition

We’re not there yet, but we are getting closer. The Bundesliga, Eredivisie and Ligue Un all reached the point in the season where last season’s results have dropped out of the calculations for the WCR Top 25. For clubs from England, Spain, Italy and Portugal, results for last season still count because all clubs in each of those domestic leagues have yet to play five matches, but we are getting close. Still, the three leagues that did reach that mark this week have brought on major changes in the rankings.

Where we are is London. This week, we were fortunate to see both the Tottenham Hotspur/Manchester United and Fulham/Chelsea matches. Next weekend, we will be in Paris for the PSG/Lyon match, with a brief stop in Brussels to catch the Champions League matches. (If you know a good place to watch the matches in Brussels, please leave a comment.)

As mentioned, the big event of the coming week is the first match of the UEFA Champions League group stage. The most prominent of those matches will be Tuesday’s Chelsea/Porto and Juventus/Bordeaux matches and Wednesday’s Inter Milan/Barcelona match. There are also some good matches on tap for the weekend. For information on those and all of the past week’s big matches, see below.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – September 14, 2009

1. Barcelona (Esp) (2) – In this topsy-turvy week in the rankings, Barcelona returns to the top of the rankings following its 2-0 defeat of Getafe this weekend. Coming Up: There are five matches this week featuring two clubs that are currently ranked and Barcelona is playing in two of them. On Wednesday, Barcelona will take on Inter Milan at the San Siro in what should be an interesting matchup between Eto’o and Ibrahimovic. On Saturday, Barca will head to Madrid to take on Atletico.

2. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – For some mathematical reason, Man United drops to second in the rankings despite defeating previously unblemished Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in London. Coming Up: On Tuesday, the Red Devils will be in Turkey to take on Besiktas in Champions League play. Even more interestingly, United will welcome City to Old Trafford in the Manchester Derby on Sunday.

3. Hamburger (Ger) (NR) – This is the first big move of the week as Hamburg SV moves to the top of the Bundesliga and near the top of the WCR rankings following a 2-1 defeat of VfB Stuttgart. Coming Up: Hamburger is playing in the Europa League, where it will take on Rapid Wien on Thursday in Austria. On Sunday, Hamburger will take on another hot German club in Eintracht Frankfurt.

4. Chelsea (Eng) (4) – A late goal gave Chelsea a 2-1 victory over Stoke City and left the club in first place at this point in the Premier League. Coming Up: On Tuesday, Chelsea will host Porto in a battle of Jose Mourinho’s former clubs in the Champions League. Domestically, it will be a London derby on Sunday as Chelsea welcomes Tottenham Hotspur to Stamford Bridge.

5. Inter Milan (Ita) (3) – Internazionale defeated Parma 2-0 this weekend as it seeks to find its way back to the top of Serie A early this season Coming Up: The biggest match of the week will be on Wednesday when Inter welcomes Barcelona to the San Siro for a Champions League match. In Serie A, Inter will take on Cagliari on Sunday.

6. Porto (Por) (6) – Porto has returned to form in the Liga Sagres, defeating Leixoes 4-1 this weekend in domestic play. Coming Up: On Tuesday, Porto heads to London to take on Chelsea in a Champions League group stage match. Domestically, Porto takes on red-hot Sporting Braga on Saturday.

7. Real Madrid (Esp) (7) – Thus far, it would appear that Real’s spending spree is paying off as it defeated Espanyol 3-0 this weekend. Coming Up: Real Madrid heads to Switzerland to take on FC Zurich on Tuesday. In the Primera Division, Real Madrid will host Deportivo Xerez on Sunday.

8. Liverpool (Eng) (8) – Like Real Madrid, Liverpool also had a big weekend, taking advantage of a Benayoun hat trick to defeat Burnley 4-0. Coming Up: Liverpool’s Champions League match this week will be on Wednesday at Anfield against Debreceni. Liverpool will then come to London to take on Vest Ham United on Saturday.

9. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) (NR) – Leverkusen returns to the rankings after another hot start, though to be fair, it did cool down rather quickly last season. Is this another fluke start? Perhaps not as Leverkusen defeated defending champions Wolfsburg 3-2 this past weekend. Coming Up: With no European action, Leverkusen will wait until Sunday for its next match against Werder Bremen.

10. Bordeaux (Fra) (11) – Dropping off last season’s results turned out not to hurt Bordeaux as it remains atop the Ligue Un standings following an unimpressive 1-0 victory over Grenoble. Coming Up: A true test for Bordeaux will take place in Turin on Tuesday when it takes on Juventus in the Champions League. On Saturday, Bordeaux will take on Boulogne in Ligue Un play.

11. Juventus (Ita) (9) – Juventus’ great start to the season continued this weekend with a 2-0 victory over Lazio on Saturday evening. Coming Up: Juventus will host Bordeaux (in case you skipped the last entry) on Tuesday and then will host Livorno in a Serie A match on Saturday.

12. Arsenal (Eng) (12) – Next week, when last season’s stats drop off for the Premiership, Arsenal likely will not be ranked following its 2-4 loss to upstart English powerhouse Manchester City. Coming Up: Arsenal, like me, heads to Belgium this week as it takes on Standard Liege on Wednesday. On Saturday, Arsenal will try to bounce back domestically against Wigan Athletic.

13. Lyon (Fra) (NR) – After a disappointing season last year, Lyon returns to the WCR Top 25 after a 1-0 victory over Lorient. Coming Up: Lyon will host Fiorentina in what should be a very interesting Champions League match on Wednesday. On Sunday, Lyon will be in Paris to take on PSG. I’ll be there too, rooting for the home team.

14. AC Milan (Ita) (13) – Milan’s sketchy start to the Serie A season continued this week with a 0-0 draw against Livorno. This Week: Milan will have to play better on Tuesday when it visits Marseille in Champions League action. AC Milan’s next Serie A opponent will be Bologna, at the San Siro, on Sunday.

15. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (NR) – PSV has emerged this early part of the Eredivisie season on top of the table following a 3-0 victory over Roda JC. Coming Up: PSV missed out on the Champions League, so it will take on Sparta Praha on Thursday in the Czech Republic in Europa League play. In domestic play, first-place PSV will take on second-place Feyenoord on Sunday in what promises to be an exciting early-season match.

16. Sporting CP (Por) (15) – Another good start in the Liga Sagres for Sporting, scoring a 1-0 victory over Pacos de Ferreira this weekend. Coming Up: Sporting will take on SC Heerenveen on Thursday in a Europa League match. On Monday, Sporting CP will play its next Liga Sagres match, this one against Olhanense.

17. Schalke 04 (Ger) (NR) – Like Hamburger and Leverkusen, Schalke takes advantage of dropping last season’s results and enters the rankings after a 2-1 defeat of Cologne left it in third place in the Bundesliga. Coming Up: This weekend should provide a good test for Schalke as it hosts defending champions Wolfsburg on Friday.

18. Benfica (Por) (21) – Benfica continues to roll over Liga Sagres opponents, defeating Os Belenenses 4-0 this weekend. Coming Up: In its Europe League match on Thursday, Benfica will host BATE Borisov. On Sunday, Benfica will take on Unioa de Leiria.

19. Sevilla (Esp) (17) – Sevilla’s Primera Division prospects improved with a 4-1 victory over Real Zaragoza. Coming Up: Sevilla will host Unirea Urziceni in Champions League action on Wednesday. In La Liga action, Sevilla will take on Osasuna on Saturday.

20. Rangers (Sco) (16) – Perfection was obliterated this week for both Rangers and Celtic, allowing the two to remain tied atop the SPL table. Rangers experienced a scoreless draw with Motherwell. Coming Up: As Scotland’s representative in the Champions League group stage, Rangers heads to Germany to take on VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday. Domestically, Rangers will face Kilmarnock on Saturday.

21. Palmeiras (Bra) (18) – Despite a 2-3 loss to Vitoria this weekend, Palmeiras remains atop the Brasileirao Serie A table. Coming Up: It’s an away match for Palmeiras on Sunday as it takes on Cruzeiro, who defeated Internacional this past weekend.

22. Atletico de Madrid (Esp) (19) – Atletico is one of those clubs that looks like its in deep trouble with the rankings once last season’s numbers are dropped out for the Spanish clubs. Atletico’s dismal start to the Primera Division season continued with a 1-1 draw against Racing Santander. Coming Up: I guess we’ll see if the club from Madrid is saving it for the Champions League when it hosts APOEL on Tuesday. Given recent results, I don’t think anybody can really like its chances on Saturday in an away match against top-ranked Barcelona.

23. Feyenoord (Ned) (NR) – The club from Rotterdam has really bounced back after last season’s disappointing results. Feyenoord is currently in second place in the Eredivisie after a 3-2 defeat of Willem II. Coming Up: With no European action to worry about, Feyenoord can focus on its home match against table toppers PSV Eindhoven on Sunday.

24. Montpellier (Fra) (NR) – This time of the year there often are surprising clubs making appearances in the WCR Top 25. (Remember TSG Hoffenheim and Hull City here last season.) Whether it’s not expected to stay, Montpellier is ranked at the moment after winning its third straight, 1-0 over Lens. Coming Up: Are hard times coming or is Montpellier for real? We should see soon as Montpellier travels to take on Marseille on Saturday.

25. Internacional (Bra) (BU) – Internacional returns to the rankings despite falling this weekend 2-3 to Cruzeiro. Coming Up: Internacional trades opponents with Serie A-leading Palmeiras this weekend by taking on Vitoria on Saturday.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Ajax (Ned), Bayern Munich (Ger), Celtic (Sco), Genoa (Ita), Velez Sarsfield (Arg).

Next Five: Aston Villa (Eng), Eintracht Frankfurt (Ger), Olympiakos (Gre), Sporting Braga (Por), Valencia (Esp).

Matches Between Ranked Clubs This Week:

15 September – (6) Porto at (4) Chelsea

15 September – (10) Bordeaux at (11) Juventus

16 September – (1) Barcelona at (5) Inter Milan

19 September – (22) Atletico de Madrid at (1) Barcelona

20 September – (15) PSV Eindhoven at (23) Feyenoord