SoccerBlogs

By DAN KARELL

Real Madrid attempt to achieve the impossible when they host Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in the second-leg match of the Champions League semifinals (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

Jose Mourinho's men are given a boost as talismanic midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo returned to training this week, giving them a legitimate chance to come back from the 4-1 scoreline suffered last Wednesday.

By DAN KARELL

Two of the world's soccer heavyweights collide today in the Allianz Arena, as Bayern Munich play host to FC Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

Barcelona will be led by Lionel Messi, who has recovered from his hamstring injury and will start today.

By DAN KARELL

Rafael Benitez's managerial run with Chelsea hasn't exactly been a pleasant one, but like last season, the club is making a run in a European competition.

Chelsea takes a 3-1 lead in their tie with Rubin Kazan (12:00pm, Fox Soccer Channel) to Moscow, Russia to face a team that's knocked off the defending champions, Atletico Madrid, in the round of 32.

By DAN KARELL

The main question on everyone's mind in the run up to Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel) is "will Lionel Messi play?"

The Argentine limped off the field at half time of the first leg and hasn't played since, but Barcelona boss Tito Vilanova announced on Tuesday that whether Messi plays will be determined just before the teams arrive at the Camp Nou.

By DAN KARELL

Galatasaray hope to erase a three-goal deficit when they welcome Real Madrid (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel) to the cauldron that is the Ali Sami Yen Arena in Istanbul, Turkey on Tuesday night.

The Turkish side will be without their leading Champions League scorer, Burak Yilmaz, but with Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba on the pitch, anything is possible.

By DAN KARELL

Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba renew their long-standing rivalry when Real Madrid takes on Galatasaray (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel) on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.

The two have previously faced off in the English Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea as well as Portugal vs.

By DAN KARELL

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paris Saint-Germain host Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel) in one of Tuesday's first-leg matches of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.

Ibrahimovic was recently cleared of a red-card ban that would have ruled him out for the matches against Barcelona, but the French club's leading scorer is now set to run at the heart of his former team.

By IVES GALARCEP

FC Barcelona face the daunting task of trying to erase a 2-0 deficit today when they take on AC Milan in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 series (3:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

Milan pulled off a shocker in the first leg, not only scoring twice on Barcelona but holding them scoreless at the San Siro.

The next two spots in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals will be decided today when Paris St. Germain take on Valencia (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel) and Juventus faces Celtic (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Plus/MSG Plus).

Juventus has one foot in the quarters after romping at Celtic Park in the first leg, and their 3-0 advantage from the first leg is looking like an impossible hurdle for the Scottish champions to climb.

The first two spots in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals will be decided today, and at least one European giant will be eliminated from the competition as Manchester United and Real Madrid square off at Old Trafford (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

United and Real Madrid finished the first leg at the Bernabeu tied 1-1, meaning United have a valuable road goal and could advance with a win or scoreless draw.

A day after Bayern Munich sent a loud message that they are indeed a strong title contender, the UEFA Champions League favorites from Barcelona take the field at the San Siro today to take on AC Milan (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

Barcelona will be fielding a full-strength lineup today against AC Milan, with the attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi pulling the strings against a Milan defense that will have its hands full.

By IVES GALARCEP

Clint Dempsey and Tottenham will look to move a step closer to a European trophy today when they take on French side Lyon in Europa League Round of 32 action, which kicks off today throughout Europe.

The English Premier League is well-represented in the knockout rounds, with Liverpool facing a stiff test in one of today's early matches as they take on big-spending Russian side Zenit St.

If you are looking for exciting UEFA Champions League match-ups you won't find a better pair of Round of 16 match-ups than the ones on offer today, as Manchester United visits Real Madrid (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel) and Borussia Dortmund takes on Shakhtar Donetsk (2:45pm, MSG+/Fox Soccer Plus).

Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson renew acquaintances at the Bernabeu, where Cristiano Ronaldo will be facing off against his former club in what should be an offensive showcase.

The first two matches of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 kick off in Scotland and Spain, where first-leg action features Juventus traveling to Glasgow Celtic (2:45pm, Fox Soccer Channel), and Paris St. Germain visiting Valencia (2:45pm, MSG+, Fox Soccer Plus).

Both Celtic and Valencia are the underdogs in their pre-quarterfinal series, but both come in confident.

If you have enjoyed ESPN and Fox's broadcasts of EPL games in recent years, there appears to be some bad news on the horizon.

According to a report, NBC Universal is close to winning the bid for TV rights to EPL games for three years starting with the 2013-2014 season. NBC Universal has reportedly emerged as the front-runner after offering $83 million, an amount that is three times more than what Fox currently pays ($23 million).

The U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team begins qualification for the Under-17 World Cup today when they take on Haiti in the CONCACAF Under-17 Qualifying Tournament in Panama (6:30pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

Head coach Richie Williams will be leading out a team led by standouts such as Shaquell Mo0re and Rubio Rubin in a match they will be expected to win.

The U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team takes on Mexico today in the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship Final in Puebla, Mexico (7pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

Both teams have already qualified for the Under-20 World Cup in Turkey this summer, but bragging rights are on the line today as the Americans look to build on their unbeaten run through the tournament.

The U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team has already secured a place in the Under-20 World Cup, but there is still hardware to play for down in Mexico as they face Cuba in the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship semifinals (6pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

The Americans will be without Luis Gil and Cody Cropper, who both have returned to their club teams, while quarterfinal star Jose Villarreal is on the bench today nursing an ankle injury.

The Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy have already secured their place in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals and tonight the Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake will look to make it four MLS teams in the quarterfinals if they can get the results they need tonight.

The Houston Dynamo need at least a draw tonight when they take on CD Olimpia (8pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

The U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team takes on Canada today with a place in the Under-20 World Cup on the line (6pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

The Americans come in having won their group, and having posted a pair of 1-0 shutout victories over Haiti and Costa Rica. They take on a Canada side that lost to Cuba before rallying to trounce Nicaragua and book their place in this all-important CONCACAF Under-20 Tournament quarterfinal in Puebla, Mexico.

Head coach Tab Ramos has added German-born forward Jerome Kiesewetter to the U.S. Under-20 qualifying roster, U.S. Soccer announced on Monday.

Kiesewetter, who turned 20 last Saturday, is currently on the books with German side VfB Stuttgart, and playing with Stuttgart II of The German third division.

For all the success Manchester United has had in the past decade, one sore spot for the English club has been the team's inability to win an FA Cup.

The Red Devils have gone nine years since last lifting the FA Cup, a streak they will look to move toward snapping when they face West Ham United today in a match airing on national television (Noon, FOX).

Manchester City begins the new year with a seven-point deficit to try and erase against current English Premier League leader Manchester United, and their first step toward trying to climb back to the top pits them against a tough team on a good run.

Stoke City is riding a 10-match unbeaten streak, and will be welcoming back Geoff Cameron from suspension as the Potters take on the Citizens and the Etihad in one of the top New Year's chases of the day.

It is a light day of soccer action today, with just three matches on the docket, but the matches that are on the schedule should offer some good entertainment.

Chelsea has fallen behind the Manchester clubs in the race for first place in the English Premier League, but they can leap from seventh to third place with a victory today at home against Brad Guzan and Aston Villa.

Via SoccerSTL.net Welcome back everyone. Sorry for not having anything last week. Grad School was a little busy but now we should be back on schedule.

Last weekend we saw some very good football played. It started with Newcastle hosting Man City. The champs got off to a quick start as Nasri slotted Sergio Aguero in and all the Argentinian had to do was tap it in.

Last week, when news filtered in that FOX Soccer and ESPN's joint bid to continue showing Premier League soccer for three more years had failed, an insider revealed to EPL Talk that the atmosphere in the FOX Soccer headquarters felt like someone had just died.

Coverage of the English Premier League has been FOX Soccer's number one priority since the network began as Fox Sports World, which was renamed Fox Soccer Channel before becoming simply FOX Soccer.

By IVES GALARCEP

The ever-changing landscape of professional soccer on American television underwent another seismic shift with the news that NBC Universal has secured the rights to the English Premier League in the United States starting with the 2013/2014 season.

The EPL confirmed the news over the weekend that NBC had indeed beaten out Fox and ESPN for the rights, with reports putting the final deal at three-years and approximately $250 million.

Wayne Rooney of Manchester United (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Swansea City at Manchester City (Fox Soccer Channel, 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT): The undefeated and third-place Sky Blues (5-3-0) welcome 10th-place Swansea City (3-2-3) to Etihad Stadium in a match where the hosts should coast to a win.

By IVES GALARCEP

The U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team is one win away from securing a place in the Under-17 World Cup and standing in the way of that berth is Honduras, which will look go snatch that ticket to the world championship with a win today in CONCACAF Under-17 World Cup qualifying action in Panama (6pm, Fox Soccer Channel).