SoccerBlogs

By MICHAEL KLINE

This weekend gets kicked off in top fashion on Friday when Real Madrid clash with cross-town rivals Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey final.

Atlético look to break a 25-match winless run, dating back to 1999, by beating rivals Real to clinch their 10th Copa del Rey cup.

By DAN KARELL

Two teams that started their European season's in the Champions League will now finish when they meet up in Amsterdam at the UEFA Europa League final.

Chelsea, who know all about playing in a European final, would do well to pick up a trophy to cap off Rafa Benitez's tenuous stay with in London.

By MICHAEL KLINE

Aston Villa kicks off this weekend's soccer action, when they host Chelsea at Villa Park in one of the weekend's most important matches.

Villa are coming off of two consecutive victories in the league, and have two matches left in the season to survive the drop, while Chelsea have two matches left to qualify for next season's Champions League.

By DAN KARELL

The race for a place Champions League comes down to the wire as Chelsea hosts Tottenham in Premier League action today.

The two London clubs are locked in battle with their London rivals, Arsenal, for the third and fourth positions in the table, which would give the team a chance to play on Europe's biggest stage.

By IVES GALARCEP

A pair of MLS alumni will be facing off this weekend in a match-up with serious English Premier League relegation ramifications when Kei Kamara and Norwich City take on Brad Guzan and Aston Villa in one of the weekend's more intriguing match-ups.

There are more high-profile match-ups like Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea-Manchester United, but in terms of a match involving two teams that badly need a result, few are more meaningful this weekend than Norwich City's clash with the Villans, who are riding high after their thrashing of Sunderland earlier in the week.

By DAN KARELL

With Lionel Messi on the bench, Barcelona will hope for another savior to help them come back from four goals down when they host Bayern Munich today in the Champions League semifinals (2:45pm FX Channel).

Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova has called for his side to play good soccer, and through that, he's confident that they will find a way to score goals.

By MICHAEL KLINE

Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid clash this weekend, in a rivalry match with second place in the Spanish Primera Division on the line.

Real Madrid will attempt to bounce back from a midweek thrashing from Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals of the Champions League, and a victory over crosstown rivals Atlético will boost morale around the club.

By MICHAEL KLINE

Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez will attempt to do what no Chelsea manager has done since May of 2010: beat Liverpool in a league match.

The last time Liverpool lost to Chelsea in the league also happens to be Benitez's last loss as a Liverpool manager.

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

Since winning the American rights package to the English Premier League for 2013-2016 last fall, many people have wondered what direction NBC would take their coverage. On Tuesday morning, the network showed that they were more than serious.

By MICHAEL KLINE

All eyes will be on Wembley Stadium this weekend, when Manchester City and Chelsea clash in a huge FA Cup semifinal match.

Both clubs will be looking to make amends for an unfulfilling league campaign by reaching this season's FA Cup final.

Chelsea overcame a two-goal deficit in their quarterfinal match against Manchester United to force a replay, which they won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.

By MICHAEL KLINE

The relegation battle in the English Premier League will be kicked up a notch this weekend, with six of the bottom nine clubs pitted against each other, and the ever-important goal of staying in the top division on the line.

Reading and Southampton will accompany Saturday morning's breakfast, and a loss may very well doom The Royals to the Championship next season.

By MICHAEL KLINE

League-play kicks into top gear this weekend following an exciting World Cup Qualifying international break, and Juventus will commence Saturday's soccer action when they travel to the San Siro to meet Inter Milan.

The clash between Inter Milan and Juventus may not hold title-implications like fans have come to expect over the years, but the intensity will certainly remain, as Internazionale look to make a late push at Champions League qualification.

The U.S. Men's National Team's showdown vs. Costa Rica will be front and center for all American fans tonight, but before that match, and throughout the weekend, there are soccer matches of all kinds to keep fans entertained and excited.

Honduras faces off against Mexico in a match with plenty of CONCACAF ramifications.

By MICHAEL KLINE

This weekend gives Queens Park Rangers the opportunity to move up a couple places in the relegation zone, while Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona will all look to extend their tremendous leads atop their respective leagues.

Aston Villa will face a relegation battle for the second weekend in a row on Saturday, when they host Queens Park Rangers at Villa Park.

By MICHAEL KLINE

English soccer takes center stage this weekend, with both Premier League and FA Cup matches taking place.

Reading and Aston Villa will face off on Saturday, in a match that can have a huge impact on the battle to avoid relegation this season.The Villans are one of only six original Premier League teams to have never been relegated from the top flight, but their streak is in major jeopardy going into the last stretch of the season.

By MICHAEL KLINE

This is shaping up to be one of those kinds of dream weekends that soccer fans circle the calendar for. With top clashes in every top league in Europe headlining the schedule, and Major League Soccer kicking off the 2013 campaign, there will be more than enough soccer action to keep fans satisfied this weekend.

They may be far apart in the Spanish League standings, but that won't make the latest installment of the Barcelona-Real Madrid derby any less intriguing.

The Spanish giants meet on Wednesday in the week's most high-profile match-up, with Barcelona riding high and Real Madrid enduring controversy amid reported tension in the locker room.

By MICHAEL KLINE

Bayern Munich is currently on track to capture the Bundesliga title at the earliest point in the 50-year history of the German league, and will look to make a step closer this weekend when they welcome Werder Bremen to the Allianz Arena.

Bremen are faced with the daunting task of knocking off the German titans, who have been in tremendous form as of late.

By MICHAEL KLINE

Defending German champions Borussia Dortmund will host fourth place Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, in the Bundesliga's notable match-up of the weekend.

While excelling in the Champions League so far this season, Borussia Dortmund haven't defended their domestic title the way they had hoped, trailing league-leaders Bayern Munich by fifteen points with only thirteen matches left to be played.

By DAN KARELL

The popularity of soccer in the United States has been noticed by ESPN, and it seems like they are finally catching up with the times.

The sports media giant announced on Tuesday the creation of a daily soccer studio show called ESPNFC on TV, set to begin on August 11 and shown on ESPN2.

By DAN KARELL

In a highly-anticipated matchup, Spain travel to Paris, France to take on Frank Ribery and Les Blues, in a match that will likely determine the winner of Group I, forcing the loser to have to qualify for the World Cup finals via the playoffs round.

England visit Montenegro, needing a win to take control of Group H.

By IVES GALARCEP

This weekend's must-see fixture is the African Nations Cup final when Nigeria and Burkina Faso duke it out in Johannesburg.

Burkina Faso will be taking part in its first ever African Nations Cup final, and they have been handed a big boost following a successful appeal of striker Jonathan Pitroipa's controversial red cardin the semi-final match against Ghana.

As far as international fixture dates go, today will offer up a stacked and unique variety of matches for American fans looking to get their soccer-viewing fix.

The CONCACAF Hexagonal Round of World Cup qualifying kicks off today, not only with the United States taking on Honduras, but with Mexico facing Jamaica and Panama taking on Costa Rica tonight.

BY MICHAEL KLINE

The Barclays Premier League returns to full action this weekend, with Manchester City and Liverpool headlining the English fixtures.

The defending English champions, Manchester City, will attempt to keep this season's title hopes alive with a win on Sunday against Brendan Rodgers' transitioning side.