Five Soccer Games To Watch This Weekend

For better or worse, college football Saturdays and NFL Sundays are an untouchable American tradition. With that being said, though, a different type of football is making inroads into the sports landscape.

Once reserved for the occasional major tournament, soccer has arrived in America. And with fans packing bars in the early morning, a continually growing MLS, and greater access than ever before to European matches, it’s clearly here to stay.

With that in mind, here are five real football games worth checking out this weekend. The NFL might still be king, but there’s enough quality here to occupy the rest of your weekend.

Real Madrid-Barcelona (Saturday. 12:15 EST)

When the Clasico comes around, the entire footballing world stops to watch. As always, these two sides are the top two in La Liga and have the talent to command anyone’s attention.

Barcelona may be missing Lionel Messi, but they still have two of the most electric attackers in Neymar and Luis Suarez. They’re anchored by Sergio Busquets, one of the best midfielders in the world, and the ever-present Andres Iniesta. There’s a reason Barcelona is consistently among the world’s top clubs.

For Real Madrid, Gareth Bale has declared himself fit and ready to go for the match; there’s a chance Karim Benzema returns, but the Welshman is likely to play through the middle. Casemiro has provided the steel to compliment Luka Modric and Tony Kroos‘ silk and, as always, Cristiano Ronaldo will be prowling the wing.

New York Red Bulls-Columbus Crew (Sunday, 5 EST)

While the first leg of a MLS Eastern Conference Playoff may not seem like the most exciting game in the world, the Red Bulls and Crew are poised for a battle of opposite styles.

New York, who claimed the Supporters’ Shield for the best record in the league, are a powerful attacking side. Bradley Wight-Phillips is a proven finisher and he’s backed up by a strong midfield of Dax McCarty, Felipe, Sacha Kljestan, Lloyd Sam and Mike Grella. And like so many other teams in this list, they’ve got a strong goalkeeper, this time Luis Robles, to clean up any mistakes.

While New York is powerful and pressing, Columbus relies on passing and ball control. Tony Tchani and Federico Higuin pull the strings in the midfield, but everything comes down to Kei Kamara. Strong in the air and a surprisingly good passer in the final third, just about any Crew goal will have his fingerprints on it.

Manchester City- Liverpool (Saturday, 12:30 EST)

One team is at the top and the other is trying to get there. City is currently the side on top of the table with 26 points; they’ve been a bit shaky at times this season, but have the payroll to keep themselves in the title race every season. Raheem Sterling has begun to show consistently show the talent that him a £49 million man, Sergio Aguero may be fit again, and back trio of Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi, and Joe Hart have only conceded nine times this season.

In the other coaching box, Jurgen Klopp is still trying to instill his signature high press on the team. They’re still a mid-table side, but it’s hard to see them not pulling more and more together as they have time together as a unit. Christian Benteke should be fit again following the international break and, if nothing else, it’s worth tuning in for the juxtaposition between Klopp’s animation and  Manuel Pelligrini‘s general lack of human emotion.

Bayern Munich- Schalke (Saturday, 12:30 EST)

If you name a world class footballer, there’s a decent chance he’s on Bayern Munich. Once again, they’re running away with the Bundesliga and, outside of shooting a blank at Arsenal, have looked close to unstoppable. Robert Lewendowski is in the form of his life, Douglas Costa is terrorizing defenders down the wing, and Pep Guardiola can tactically counter virtually any opponent.

But for all of Bayern’s talent, Schalke has youthful potential. They boast the young trio of Leroy Sane, Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer, all of whom scored in midweek for the German Under-21 side. Sane has speed and creativity to burn while Meyer is a creative midfielder in the Spanish mold; Goretzka is starting to develop into a confident midfielder thanks to his partnership with Johannes Geis. Shalke is definately the underdog, but they could have the youthful brashness to attack Bayern for all they’re worth.

Tottenham- West Ham (Sunday, 11 EST)

In addition to being a London Derby, both of these teams have gotten off to stronger starts than many would have expected.

Recently, Harry Kane has remembered how to put the ball in the back of the net for Spurs and that, combined with an improved defensive shape, lifted everyone’s spirits at the club. Whether you’re sold on his future potential or not, Kane is one of the league’s top goal threats at the moment. Beyond him, there’s plenty of pace on the wings, a young, promising midfield and Hugo Lloris can smother any mistake that Spurs might commit.

If Spurs feelings are buoyed by Kane’s return to form, West Ham must be absolutely gutted to go without Dimitri Payet. The summer signing from Marsaille has not only been involved with 35% of the Irons’ goals, but has completed more dribbles than any other player at the club. Slaven Bilic has had a magic touch so far this season, so it will be interesting to see how he compensates for that loss.