December 9, 2021 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Sacramento Republic FC News Release
The final round of U.S. football in 2021 is here, with the MLS Cup Final set to kick off this weekend. Two clubs that each upset higher-seeded conference rivals will battle on Saturday.
Across the Atlantic, the UEFA Champions’ League group stage concluded, setting in stone the 16 clubs advancing to the knockout round. In England, Premier League action continued to deliver must watch contests between clubs looking to climb the table ahead of the holidays.
Major League Soccer
Portland Timbers will host New York City FC this Saturday, December 11 at 12:00 PM PT as the two sides grapple for the league’s 26th trophy at Providence Park.
Portland comes into the matchup as arguably the postseason’s most dominant squad. Timbers has allowed just one score in three contests, including a shutout of top-seeded Colorado in front of a record-breaking Thanksgiving day TV audience and a 2-0 win over a confident Salt Lake team coming off three straight thrillers. Another strong performance from their back line, which has posted two straight clean sheets, will be needed for them to claim this year’s hardware.
New York City FC enters nearly evenly matched offensively with their foes- they enter level with Portland in scores and separated by just two in chances created. However, New York has been the best of the bunch this postseason in taking advantage of close range opportunities- all six of their scores in the playoffs thus far have come from inside the 18. Their ability to take advantage of any chance they get could very well determine who raises the trophy, especially since Portland has conceded only two goals since October 27.
Premier League
The top end of the Premier League is tightly contested through the second week of December, with just two points separating the top three clubs entering Thursday through third place just two points apart entering Thursday.
After Chelsea fended off pressure from Liverpool and Manchester City last week, the North London side fell from first in the table after dropping points to West Ham at the death. A hot Tottenham squad won their third straight Sunday, and with a win over Brighton this weekend could find their way into the top four.
Manchester United seems to be regaining momentum after a tough few weeks. A Cristiano Ronaldo brace put them over Arsenal last week, before a 77th minute game winner put them over Crystal Palace over the weekend. Looking forward, the Red Devils’ will have four advantageous matchups on their hands against Brentford, Brighton, Newcastle and Burnley- who have one combined win in league play since the start of November- to close out the year.
UEFA Champions’ League
Entering the final round of the Group Stage this week, the final spots in four groups were up for grabs.
In Group B, a 55th minute score from Antoine Greizemann and two stoppage time daggers lifted Atlético Madrid over Porto, securing them a spot in the knockout stage alongside Liverpool. The eventful contest saw Porto finish with just nine men after two red cards were shown, and Atlético finish a man down as well.
A Barcelona v Bayern clash highlighted Wednesday’s action, which solidified the knockout stage participants at last. A Bayern win eliminated the Spanish outfit from the Round of 16 for the first time since 2005, sending Benfica on in their place. Lille OSC and Salzburg emerged victorious in Group G, securing the French and Austrian clubs spots in the next round.
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