Americans Scored In Bundesliga, Serie A And Premier League Saturday
What a day for Americans abroad, all capped off by a well-taken Christian Pulisic goal vs Leeds United on Saturday.
What a day for Americans abroad, all capped off by a well-taken Christian Pulisic goal vs Leeds United on Saturday.
LONDON — Manchester United came from a goal down to beat West Ham United 3-1 at London Stadium on Saturday as fans returned to the Premier League for the first time since March.
After Tomas Soucek put West Ham ahead, three goals inside 13 minutes in the second half, from Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford turned the game around for United.
United, who moved up to fourth in the table, have now won all five away games in the league this season, coming from behind in each one.
It’s nearly a weekly ritual this season. There’s a big slate of Premier League matches on the weekend and NBC decision makers pick which matches go on TV and which matches are thrown into the abyss of streaming services. NBC then posts these spineless choices onto social media and I gawk at the hate-filled comments and replies.
This week, it’s the North London Derby and a Liverpool match that get the shaft, and as usual the fireworks followed.
It was a massive week in U.S. soccer viewership with everyone taking time off for Thanksgiving and hunkering down to watch to incessant onslaught of the Premier League, the start of the MLS Cup playoffs and the business end of the Liga MX Apertura liguilla.
In terms of English-language broadcasts, the highest-rated event between Nov. 23 and Nov. 29 was last Sunday’s dire 0-0 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. An audience of 744,000 tuned in on NBCSN to have their spirits crushed by José Mourinho.
Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill was probably pretty happy with his goalkeeping situation to begin the season. Adam Davies won the starting job at the end of last season and was impressive. Jack Butland, though not the talent he was once prophesized to be, was as good of a backup keeper as you'll find in the Championship. Below them was a couple of promising keepers for the future.
When Kevin Davies took the field for Bolton Wanderers, the action on the pitch often resembled a barroom brawl rather than a soccer match.
Under manager Sam Allardyce, Davies consistently led the league in both fouls committed and fouls received, setting multiple records along the way.
Edinson Cavani’s celebrations and praise after scoring a double to seal Manchester United’s 3-2 comeback victory against Southampton on Sunday was short lived. The Uruguayan striker is facing an FA investigation and scrutiny after posting an Instagram story that some perceived as racist.
Soccer hasn't been the same without fans. The emotion just isn't there. The fake crowd noise is mediocre but matches without fan chatter (even the artificial kind) lack the sense of importance that the game is supposed to carry. It is tough to watch at times.
The one positive to empty stadiums? We have unprecedented access to the vocal expressions of the players on the pitch. Every bit of banter, every plea to the referee and every frustrated proclamation is audible to viewers at home.