Top games to watch this week
Friday, March 31
Mallorca vs Osasuna (La Liga)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bochum (Bundesliga)
Olympique Marseille vs Montpellier (Ligue 1)
Saturday, April 1
Manchester City vs Liverpool (English Premier League)
Arsenal vs Leeds United (English Premier League)
Chelsea vs Aston Villa (English Premier League)
Elche vs Barcelona (La Liga)
Inter vs Fiorentina (Serie A)
Juventus vs Hellas Verona (Serie A)
Union Berlin vs Stuttgart (Bundesliga)
Bayern München vs Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga)
Sporting CP vs Santa Clara (Primeira Liga)
LA Galaxy vs Seattle Sounders (MLS)
St Louis City vs Minnesota United (MLS)
Colorado Rapids vs Los Angeles FC (MLS)
Pachuca vs Cruz Azul (Liga MX)
América vs León (Liga MX)
Atlas vs Guadalajara (Liga MX)
Sunday, April 2
Newcastle vs Manchester United (English Premier League)
Real Madrid vs Real Valladolid (La Liga)
Napoli vs Milan (Serie A)
Toluca vs Tigres UANL (Liga MX)
Rio Ave vs Benfica (Primeira Liga)
Porto vs Portimonense (Primeira Liga)
PSG vs Olympique Lyonnais (Ligue 1)
Monday, April 3
Everton vs Tottenham (English Premier League)
Valencia vs Rayo Vallecano (La Liga)
Empoli vs Lecce (Serie A)
Sassuolo vs Torino (Serie A)
Famalicao vs Arouca (Primeira Liga)
Tuesday, April 4
Chelsea vs Liverpool (English Premier League)
Athletic Club vs Osasuna (Copa del Rey)
Bayern vs Freiburg (DFB Pokal)
Juventus vs Inter (Coppa Italia)
Philadelphia Union vs Atlas (CONCACAF Champions League)
León vs Violette AC (CONCACAF Champions League)
Wednesday, April 5
Barcelona vs Real Madrid (Copa del Rey)
West Ham vs Newcastle (English Premier League)
Manchester United vs Brentford (English Premier League)
Nantes vs Lyon (Coupe de France)
RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund (DFB Pokal)
Cremonese vs Fiorentina (Coppa Italia)
Gil Vicente vs Sporting CP (Primeira Liga)
Motagua vs Tigres UANL (CONCACAF Champions League)
Vancouver Whitecaps vs Los Angeles FC (CONCACAF Champions League)
Most-watched soccer games in the USA: March 20-26, 2023
It was not the usual weekend for soccer fans in the USA as club soccer was put to rest in most leagues and the international break was in the spotlight. This meant a few changes in the way fans watch the beautiful game, but it did not bring major changes to who has dominated TV listings in North America in 2023.
With the international break in full motion, one could have expected the USMNT to be among the teams with the highest rating numbers. If you are among those who believe that, you would be making a mistake since it was Mexico who earned the top honor this week, as over one million average viewers saw them beating Suriname on Thursday evening. That was not all for El Tri, as their follow-up game against Jamaica had over 490,000 average viewers on Sunday, securing the first two spots on the podium for Diego Cocca's men.
The third place in this ranking went to a Major League Soccer match. The goalless draw between the Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy had a bit over a quarter of a million average viewers, but the difference between them and the first place was quite large.
In case you were wondering where the USMNT ranked on this list, the Stars and Stripes had their game against Grenada earning over 260,000 viewers, good enough for the fourth place in our ranking.
What are this week's must-watch games?
Man City vs Liverpool live this Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET exclusively on Peacock
Manchester City are back in action this weekend as the Premier League makes its much-awaited return following the international break. However, Guardiola's men will be in for a tough test from the get-go as the Cityzens prepare to host Liverpool at the Etihad. De Bruyne and Co. are currently eight points behind league leaders Arsenal while the Merseyside giants are desperately fighting to finish in the top four. The hosts look to be without both Haaland and Foden for this tie, which is a huge blow, as this is a must-win fixture. Do not miss this clash!
Der Klassiker is here! Bayern Munich host Dortmund this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes
Thomas Tuchel makes his Bayern Munich debut this weekend and his first game in charge of the reigning champions will come against his former club Borussia Dortmund. The German boss was hired to replace Julian Nagelsmann during the break and will be tasked with guiding the Bavarians to the Bundesliga title. However, Bellingham and Co. currently sit top of the table, albeit by a mere one-point advantage. Whoever wins this Der Klassiker will take one huge step toward the league title.
Newcastle vs Man United live this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET on USA Network, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes, and the NBC Sports App
In a repeat of the Carabao Cup final, Manchester United prepare to lock horns with Newcastle in a fixture that will heavily affect the top-four race. The Red Devils are in third but a defeat at St. James' Park could see Ten Hag's men drop out of the top four completely, should Spurs beat Everton. The Magpies, meanwhile, are desperate for revenge and will fight tooth and nail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. Make sure to catch this fixture live on Sunday.
Real Madrid visit Barcelona live this Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+
The final El Clasico of this season is upon us! Real Madrid prepare to visit Barcelona on Wednesday for the 2nd leg of their Copa del Rey showdown as Los Blancos need to overturn a 1-0 deficit at their bitter rivals' iconic stadium. The Blaugrana have gotten the better of Ancelotti's men recently, beating them 3-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final and triumphing 2-1 in the league just before the international break. While Xavi's side have a number of fitness issues, mainly regarding Pedri and Ousmane Dembele, the hosts should be high on confidence ahead of what should be a thrilling Clasico.
The UEFA Women's Champions League is now in the semi-finals stage, with four teams hoping to win the coveted prize this year. Meanwhile, the NWSL is in full swing after an exciting start, and the title races in England and Germany continue to pick up steam and keep fans on their toes.
Here's all you need to know ahead of another week of women's soccer.
NWSL
The newest season of women's top-flight soccer in the USA got off to a roaring start, as only one of the six games played - featuring Houston Dash and Racing Louisville - finished scoreless. Reigning champs Portland Thorns kicked off their title defense with a resounding 4-0 win over Orlando Pride, and they will look to make it two wins in two when they travel to face Kansas City on Saturday. Meanwhile, OL Reign, who won the NWSL Shield last season, slumped to a disappointing 1-0 loss to Washington Spirit and naturally will look to get back to winning ways on matchday two when they take on NY/NJ Gotham on the road.
Saturday, which will feature five matches, will conclude with a tie featuring San Diego Wave versus North Carolina Courage. Both teams come into this match having won their season openers, with the Wave beating Chicago Red Stars 3-2 thanks to a late penalty from Alex Morgan, while Danish international Mille Gejl's first-half effort was enough to decide proceedings against Kansas City.
Women's Super League
Last round saw a huge shake-up in the league standings. On Saturday, Manchester United cruised to a 4-0 win over West Ham to help the Red Devils rise to the top spot in the table ahead of the showdown between Manchester City and Chelsea. Then, on Sunday, the Cityzens defeated the Blues 2-0, meaning that Emma Hayes's side will be under some pressure to pick up maximum points in their Sunday tie against Aston Villa. While Chelsea do still have a game in hand, the Blues could find themselves four points behind both Manchester United and Manchester City before even taking to the pitch.
Meanwhile, Manchester United will kick off the upcoming matchday with an away game against Brighton, who have won just two games all season and none since November 2022. On paper at least, this looks like a straightforward win for the Red Devils, who won 4-0 in the reverse fixture and are hoping to win what would be their first WSL title this season.
Fresh off their crucial 2-0 win over Chelsea, Manchester City will look to build more positive momentum when they head to face Arsenal on Saturday. The Gunners are in fourth, but are still hoping to keep their foot in the door as far as the title race is concerned; a win for the hosts could see them rise to second in the table. Like Chelsea, Arsenal also have a game in hand so the outcome of this upcoming tie could cause yet another major shake-up in what's shaping up to be a very interesting title race.
Frauen-Bundesliga
Last week's batch of Frauen-Bundesliga games produced some exciting results. For starters, the title race starring Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg took another interesting twist, as Bayern narrowly defeated Wolfsburg 1-0. As such, Bayern hold a narrow one-point lead at the table's summit ahead of their Saturday trip to face a Meppen side who have picked up just one point from their last quintet of games.
Wolfsburg, for their part, will need to recover to keep up the pressure on Bayern. Die Wölfinnen will seek to use their recent success in the UEFA Women's Champions League after beating PSG 2-1 on aggregate to inspire them when they host Werder Bremen on Sunday. Their opponents come into that match having picked up two wins from their last two games after a previous wobble.
Turbine Potsdam still have a long way to go to avoid relegation, but the struggling side finally achieved something they were desperately needing to do all season: They won a match! The relegation candidates valiantly battled to a 3-1 win over Meppen last time out, and will now look to take advantage of Freiburg's recent woes. While Freiburg, who will host Sunday's match, sit in a more comfortable fifth spot with 22 points - versus Turbine Potsdam's measly five - they have lost four on the trot, meaning that this could represent a great chance for the visitors to pick up some much needed points this weekend.
Didn't find your favorite women's league on this list? No worries, as this is just a highlight of some of the exciting games coming up this week. Make sure to check out our special women's soccer page here at LiveSoccerTV.com for full broadcast info, match updates, news, and more.
Major League Soccer: Preview, news, and broadcast details for Matchday 6
With the international break over, MLS fans can get to watch their favorite clubs going at it for one more weekend with their best players at their disposal.
The maiden season of the dominant St. Louis SC has started to break several records for a new team. Their 4-0 win away from home last week shows that the new club in town means business, and now they are ready to be considered title contenders following their massive start of the campaign.
In the other conference in this league, the battle for the top spot will continue between the New England Revolution and Cincinnati FC. Both of them will enjoy home-field advantage this week, which will give them no excuses in regards to their fans' giving them the much-needed support to claim the no.1 place in the Eastern Conference.
Without further ado, here's what you should keep in mind before Matchweek Six gets underway.
How to watch Matchweek 6 in the 2023 MLS season?
Fans in the USA and Canada will be able to watch select games on regular TV networks. The first one of those will be LA Galaxy vs Seattle, where the most-winning club in MLS history will be seeking their first win of the season after five unsuccessful attempts. Meanwhile, Toronto vs Charlotte will be another one to keep an eye on, as the hosts look for their second win of the season after three draws in their last four matches. The rest of this week's meetings will be available to be streamed in over 100 countries via MLS Season Pass.
Top news of the week in Major League Soccer
Atlanta United ace named Player of the Month
There was hardly any debate on who deserved the award more than Argentine international Thiago Almada, who earned the POTM award with his impressive display during the first weeks of action in this MLS season.
Almada's form this month was only slowed down by the international break, which prevented him from playing this week after his call-up to La Albiceleste's friendlies in Argentina.
Joao Klauss earns St. Louis City's first-ever Goal of the Matchday
The massive start of the season for St. Louis City has been cemented with some key performances, one of them being by DP Joao Klauss. This week, the Brazilian footballer earned a milestone by scoring a brace for the expansion team, and while at it, he earned the first Goal of the Matchday award for the franchise in its short history.
Seattle Sounders' playmaker unmoved by lack of contract extension talks
It has been a great start of the year for the Rave Green, and one of their main men out there has been captain Nicolas Lodeiro. Nevertheless, the footballer's deal with the CONCACAF Champions League winners in 2022 is about to expire. With that in mind, one could expect Lodeiro to get a bit uneasy about his deal coming to an end, but the South American footballer has other things to think about.
"I try not to think about that. What I want is to enjoy the day-to-day. Let the club decide – truthfully, they know that whenever they want they can sit and talk to me. I want to play well, help the team on and off the field, be a leader, be an example," the Uruguayan star told MLS' website.
For additional details regarding Major League Soccer's schedule, top scorers, and more, visit our bespoke MLS page here.
Biggest stories of the week
Bayern Munich CEO reveals the real reason behind Julian Nagelsmann's sack
Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn has detailed the reason that influenced the club to sack Julian Nagelsmman from his post as the manager. The 53-year-old club chief has cited fluctuations in performance as the motivating factor for the parting with their young head coach.
On March 23, Bayern Munich sent a shockwave across the world by announcing the termination of Nagelsmann's contract. A subsequent report and an official statement from the club on Friday revealed that former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was set to take over the reins, having agreed a two-and-half contract.
The abrupt nature of the announcement turned a lot of heads given that the Bundesliga giants are in contention to complete a treble this season. The club is currently a point behind league leaders Borussia Dortmund and have quarter-final appearances in the DFB Pokal and the Champions League on the horizon.
Generally, the expectation is that Bayern will end the season with at least a trophy, hence the sacking of Nagelsmann coming as a huge surprise. However, Oliver Kahn has put all the murmurs to bed, citing the lack of success as the main driving force in the decision to sack the 35-year-old former RB Leipzig coach.
"We were convinced we would work with him [Nagelsmann] on a long-term basis – and that was the goal of all of us right up to the end," Kahn wrote in a statement on Friday.
"Julian shares our aspiration to play successful and attractive football. But now we have come to the conclusion that the quality in our squad – despite the Bundesliga title last year – has come to the fore less and less often.
"After the World Cup we have played less successfully and less attractively. The big fluctuations in performance have cast doubt on our goals for this season, but also our goals for the future.
"That is why we have acted now. Personally and on behalf of FC Bayern, I would like to thank Julian and his coaching team, and wish everyone the best of luck for the future."
Julian Nagelsmann is still regarded as one of the top managers in the world and is currently rumored to be in consideration by Tottenham as Antonio Conte's replacement. The former RB Leipzig manager leaves Bayern with a 71.4% winning percentage. He managed 60 wins of the 84 games he supervised at the club, drew 14 times, and lost only 10. He has also won one Bundesliga championship and two German Super Cups.
Report: Seven Bayern heavyweights directly named for mutiny to sack Nagelsmann
One of the most surprising stories during the international break had to do with Julian Nagelsmann's exit from Bayern München. The 35-year-old still was in contention to win all tournaments with Die Roten, but recent reports hint that the relationship with some of the top players in the team had a massive influence on his ultimate fate.
According to a report by Bild, the German tactician did not have the best relationship with some of his pupils, which eventually ended in his contract being terminated by Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic.
Things started to go sideways for Nagelsmann after his decision to have goalkeepers' coach Toni Tapalovic fired. This decision caused quite a stir among the players, especially Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich, who trusted Tapalovic for their years of working together. This move was one of the many issues the players had with their former boss, but there were others within the squad who also complained about Nagelsmann's methods.
Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sané, and Jamal Musiala were among some of the key members of the team that had frequent discussions with Nagelsmann, according to the newspaper. Gnabry and Sane's stance must come as no surprise since Nagelsmann frequently subbed them off in key games, and critics in Germany aimed their words at them for their poor displays on the pitch.
But Nagelsmann's woes did not only have to do with veterans or homegrown players. Players such as Sadio Mané or Joao Cancelo, who joined the team this season, also had some disagreements with Nagelsmann, who did not hesitate to leave them on the bench whenever needed. Cancelo had already complained about his playing time days after joining Bayern on loan, where he also had some run-ins against former boss Pep Guardiola.
Even if the coach had some disagreements with these footballers, some still believed in his tactics and tried to carry the team's weight whenever possible. According to Bild, one of those players was Thomas Müller, who never had an issue with Nagelsmann's plans. Additionally, Joshua Kimmich was named among those who were keen on following orders, and the midfielder was sure to make that clear in a recent interview.
"It is obvious to say we have not played properly recently, especially in Bundesliga games. We have only won five out of our last ten, but I don't think the coach had lost the locker room. I've been through a lot of managerial changes, but I did not see this one coming because us as players were not happy with the way things were going," Kimmich stated.
The Bavarian side will return to action this Saturday when they get ready to welcome league leaders Borussia Dortmund in one more edition of Der Klassiker.
Huge blow for Man City as star player is ruled out for upcoming Premier League clash vs Liverpool
Manchester City return to action this weekend, with the reigning Premier League champions facing bitter rivals Liverpool on Saturday in the English top flight.
And with league leaders Arsenal sitting eight points ahead, albeit having played a game extra, a slip-up against Klopp's men could see the Cityzens fall 10 to 11 points behind the North London giants.
As a result, Saturday's highly-anticipated Etihad Stadium tie is a must-win game for Guardiola's side as they gear up for the final hurdle in this season's title race. Unfortunately, the English giants will have to overcome Liverpool in the absence of one of their most talented players.
That man is none other than Phil Foden. The Manchester City academy graduate has been ruled out for the upcoming tie against the Reds, but this isn't due to an injury that he picked up during the international break.
The England national team announced on Sunday that Foden, who was called up for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine, underwent surgery for appendicitis after succumbing to worrying pain during training.
Phil, who came off the bench in the 2-1 win over the Azzurri but missed out on the 2-0 victory over Ukraine, has had successful surgery but the timeline of his recovery remains uncertain. Nonetheless, the Cityzens confirmed in an official statement that their Three Lions sensation will miss Saturday's clash with the Merseyside giants.
This is a concerning update for Guardiola's side after witnessing Erling Haaland succumb to a groin issue a few days earlier. The Norwegian goalscoring machine picked up this knock in the FA Cup victory over Burnley but joined up with his national team only to be sent back after undergoing tests.
The former Dortmund striker is also a doubt for the Liverpool game, and due to the lack of playing time, the Norwegian could hit the bench, if not worse.
As mentioned earlier, Manchester City are in second but with an eight-point disadvantage over Arsenal. While the defending champions have a game in hand, the Gunners face relegation-battling Leeds this weekend and are thus the favorites to triumph. This means that De Bruyne and Co. cannot afford to drop points when Liverpool pay them a visit.
Mourinho disappoints PSG, delights Roma with decision
PSG's hopes of bringing in Jose Mourinho as their new manager has hit a major snag, at least according to reports from Italy.
Despite a rocky spell at the Stadio Olimpico, Mourinho, who led Roma to their first-ever European title when the Giallorossi won the UEFA Europa Conference League last term, appears set to remain in the Eternal City for a bit longer. As per the Corriere dello Sport, the 60-year-old tactician has finally decided to stay put with Roma, with his contract set to expire in 2024.
That means that PSG, who are already seeking to replace Christophe Galtier after yet another disappointing showing in the Champions League, will have to look elsewhere as they aim to overhaul the squad this summer.
Mourinho, meanwhile, will be focused on leading Roma to possibly more silverware this season. The Giallorossi are into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, and presently sit in fifth spot in Serie A, with a top-four berth - which would guarantee Champions League football - not out of the realm of possibility.
Next up for Roma, who lost 1-0 to Lazio in the Derby della Capitale just before the international hiatus, will be a home game against Sampdoria this weekend. The Lupi will resume European action in mid-April with a series of ties against Dutch side Feyenoord, with the first leg taking place on April 13th while the return leg will take place on the 20th.
Other key headlines from the world of soccer
MLS officers discuss innovative plan to lure Messi to North American league
A recent report by Spanish media outlet Sport suggests that the Argentine legend could be lured to play in the MLS thanks to an innovative approach by the league's executives. The plan, discussed in February by all 29 teams, would see each club paying a portion of Messi's salary, regardless of which team he chooses to join.
While this plan could seem far-fetched to most, the fact that Messi's presence could bring a landslide of endorsements and bids for the league's media rights could be enough to have all 29 clubs on board. As of now, Messi collects over $1,000,000 a week at PSG, and this plot by MLS execs could be one way to lure him to play in North America.
Even if this plan was approved by the MLS board, there are a couple of roadblocks to it. The first one would be the implication of having all 29 clubs pay the wages of one player, which may raise some eyebrows within FIFA.
The second hurdle to overcome may be even more complicated, as Messi's inner circle has revealed the player still wants to play in Europe, with offers from PSG and even Barcelona on his agent's desk.
Tour 2023: Manchester United announce pre-season friendly against Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham
Manchester United and Wrexham AFC have announced that they will play a preseason friendly during their respective 2023 tours of the United States. A humorous video featuring Sir Alex Ferguson and Wrexham's co-owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds disclosed that the game will be played in San Diego on July 25.
The video starts with Reynolds and McElhenney initiating a video conference with Sir Alex to share their enthusiasm for the impending game. Reynolds then refers to Ferguson as a "great intimidator" before the two abruptly cease the call due to fear. Yet, Ferguson later reveals that the entire video was muted.
The encounter with Wrexham is part of Manchester United's upcoming U.S. tour, which will also take them to Las Vegas, among other cities. According to reports, the former are also in talks with Chelsea on a prospective preseason warm-up match, although neither team has made an official announcement.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger become the first managers inducted into Premier League Hall of Fame
The Scottish and French icons have been honored by the English top flight, becoming the first two inductees of 2023.
For the first time since its launch back in April 2021, managers have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, and to no one's surprise, the English top flight bestowed this honor to the iconic Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
The Scottish and French tacticians are two of the greatest names to have stepped foot in the Premier League, with the pair enjoying one of the competition's most heated rivalries in the late '90s and early 2000s.
Ferguson remains the most successful manager in the competition's history, winning a whopping 13 titles during his historic 27-year reign at Old Trafford — though 21 seasons were in the Premier League. Additionally, he won an unrivaled 528 matches out of the 810 games he managed, the second-highest number of fixtures overseen by a single manager in this competition.
Arsene, on the other hand, is the longest-serving Premier League manager in history, overseeing a whopping 828 games, 476 of which ended in victories. Additionally, the is the most successful manager in FA Cup history, having won the prestigious title seven times, and lifted the top-flight crown three times, with the 2003/04 "Invincibles" team being his standout side.
