Top games to watch this week
Friday, February 25
Milan vs Udinese (Serie A)
Genoa vs Inter (Serie A)
UEFA Europa League draw
USA U-20 vs Nicaragua U-20 (CONCACAF U-20 Women's Championship)
Saturday, February 26
Sassuolo vs AC Milan (Serie A Women)
Leeds vs Tottenham (English Premier League)
Man United vs Watford (English Premier League)
Everton vs Man City (English Premier League)
Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid (La Liga)
Atlético vs Celta Vigo (La Liga)
Empoli vs Juventus (Serie A)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayern Munich (Bundesliga)
Marítimo vs Sporting CP (Primeira Liga)
PSG vs Saint-Etienne (Ligue 1)
Cruz Azul vs. Tijuana (Liga MX Femenil)
Pumas UNAM vs América (Liga MX)
Mexico U-20 vs Panama U-20 (CONCACAF U-20 Women's Championship)
Sunday, February 27
Chelsea vs Liverpool (Carabao Cup final)
Sevilla vs Real Betis (La Liga)
Barcelona vs Athletic Club (La Liga)
Lazio vs Napoli (Serie A)
Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga)
Benfica vs Vitoria Guimaraes (Primeira Liga)
Porto vs Gil Vicente (Primeira Liga)
Troyes vs Marseille (Ligue 1)
Lyon vs Lille (Ligue 1)
Atlanta United vs Sporting KC (MLS)
LA Galaxy vs New York City FC (MLS)
Monday, February 28
Atalanta vs Sampdoria (Serie A)
Sporting Braga vs Santa Clara (Primeira Liga)
Tuesday, March 1
Peterborough United vs Man City (FA Cup)
Middlesbrough vs Tottenham Hotspur (FA Cup)
Milan vs Inter (Coppa Italia)
Wednesday, March 2
Mallorca vs Real Sociedad (La Liga)
Valencia vs Athletic Club (Copa del Rey)
Luton Town vs Chelsea (FA Cup)
Liverpool vs Norwich City (FA Cup)
Tigres UANL vs Cruz Azul (Liga MX)
Thursday, March 3
Real Betis vs Rayo Vallecano (Copa del Rey)
Everton vs Boreham Wood (FA Cup)
Olimpia vs Atlético Nacional (Copa Libertadores)
Most-watched soccer games on U.S. TV: Feb. 14-20, 2022
NBC's broadcast of the blockbuster Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, Feb. 19, was the most-watched game on American television last week, with an average of 1,275,000 viewers tuning in. The tie saw Harry Kane score his second goal of the evening in added time to help Spurs upset the Cityzens at the Etihad Stadium.
The UEFA Champions League returned to television in the USA last week, with CBS showing clashes between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid and Inter Milan and Liverpool. The UCL broadcast came in second and third, respectively.
Kylian Mbappe led PSG to a first-leg win on home soil against Real Madrid on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Mbappe's goal separated the two clubs by a minimal difference. An average of 769,000 people watched the game on CBS, with the broadcast earning a 0.47 rating.
Liverpool took a trip to Italy to face Inter Milan at the San Siro on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The English club took down the Nerazzurri 2-0 thanks to goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. About 727,000 people tuned in to CBS's broadcast to watch the game.
What are this week's must-watch games?
The Chelsea vs Liverpool Carabao Cup final live this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN+ and SiriusXM FC
The first of England's two cup finals is upon us! The Carabao Cup will come to an end this weekend as Chelsea prepare to lock horns with Liverpool at Wembley Stadium this Sunday. Klopp's men are still on the hunt for the treble, with the Reds enjoying a resurgence in the Premier League title race. Victory over the Blues could be the confidence boost they need to usurp Man City but that will be no easy feat. Tuchel's men have been tough to beat, with the London giants winning the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup in just over a year under the German's tutelage. Expect Chelsea to give Salah and Co. a true test for the title.
Barcelona vs Athletic Club live this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Fresh off their Europa League victory over Napoli, Barcelona gear up for a crucial showdown in La Liga this weekend. The Spanish giants just made light work of Osimhen and Co. in the Europa League, with the Spanish giants beating their Italian rivals 4-2 in Naples, and 5-3 on aggregate. Additionally, their last domestic game saw the Blaugrana slap Valencia 4-1 in what was a convincing display from Xavi's men. Can they now go on and beat Athletic Club? The Basque outfit knocked Barcelona out of the Copa del Rey not too long ago, proving they are a capable side. However, the Catalan heavyweights will be out for revenge! Don't miss this showdown.
AC Milan vs Inter live this Tuesday on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and fuboTV
The Coppa Italia semifinals are here, with the first of this two-legged affair taking place this midweek. All eyes will be on Tuesday's clash as bitter Italian rivals AC Milan and Inter prepare to lock horns in a highly-anticipated affair. Both teams made it to this round in fashion, with the Rossoneri beating Lazio 4-0 while the Nerazzuri overcame Mourinho's Roma 2-0. Form favors Pioli's men as Milan have lost only once in their last 10 outings. Inzaghi's side, on the other hand, have won only once in their last five matches, hence why they've surrendered the lead in Serie A to their neighbors. Who'll come away with the win in Tuesday's 1st leg showdown? Tune in to Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and fuboTV for the answer!
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The Italian Serie A is back in action this weekend, the U.S. Soccer and the USWNT reached a $24 million equal pay settlement and a series of international friendly tournaments have concluded. Keep reading to get a breakdown of what went on last week in women's soccer, and what to expect this upcoming weekend.
Sassuolo vs. AC Milan live on ATA Football
ATA Football will stream an Italian Serie A match between Sassuolo and AC Milan live on Saturday, Feb. 26, starting at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Sassuolo and Milan have lived almost identical seasons up to Matchday 15. The Black and Greens sit third in the table, tied on points with Roma (34) and sitting below league-leaders Juventus (40). On the other hand, the Rossonere sit in fourth place with 31 points.
The top two teams at the end of each Serie A season qualify for the UEFA Women's Champions League. As a result, Sasssuolo, Milan and Roma find themselves in an all-out battle to clinch that second position in the table by the end of the campaign. With eight game weeks left to play including the one this weekend, this game between Sassuolo and Milan will be a critical one.
International friendly tournaments results: Algarve Cup, Arnold Clark Cup, SheBelieves Cup, Tournoi de France
Algarve Cup
Sweden won the 29th edition of the Algarve Cup on penalties against Italy in the final. Norway defeated hosts Portugal in the third-place game despite a Portuguese win over Norwegians during group play. And Denmark withdrew from the tournament after players tested positive for Covid-19.
The exhibition tournament averaged 2.33 goals per match, with Italy's Valentina Giacinti and Norway's Celin Bizet Ildhusoy sharing the golden boot with two goals apiece.
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Sweden – beat Italy in the final
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Italy – Lost to Sweden in the final
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Norway – Beat Portugal in third-place match
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Portugal – Lost to Norway in third-place match
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Denmark – Withdrew
Arnold Clark cup
England won the first edition of the Arnold Clark Cup after taking down Germany 3-1 on Wednesday. Fran Kirby's late goal in the final game separated the English from the Spaniards in the standings by one goal.
Given the competition in this tournament compared with others, the average goals per match was drastically lower (1.67). English center-back Millie Bright and Spanish attacking midfielder Alexia Putellas shared the golden boot, with each scoring two goals.
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England – 5 pts.
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Spain – 5 pts.
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Canada – 4 pts.
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Germany – 1 pts.
SheBelieves Cup
The USWNT claimed their fifth SheBelieves Cup title after a decisive 5-0 win against Iceland. The host nation did not allow one goal throughout the tournament and scored 10, five against Iceland and another five against New Zealand.
American winger Mallory Pugh was the top scorer of the tournament with three goals. The tournament averaged 2.33 goals per match.
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USA – 7 pts.
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Iceland – 6 pts.
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Czech Republic – 2 pts.
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New Zealand – 1 pts.
Tournoi de France
France won their second consecutive Tournoi de France. The host nation defeated the Netherlands and Brazil again, just like in 2020. Finland finished last without scoring a goal but managed a goalless draw against Brazil in their first-ever appearance in the tournament.
The tournament averaged 2.83 goals per match, with Les Bleues scoring 10 goals out of the 17 total goals. French forward Marie-Antoinette Katoto was the top goalscorer with four goals.
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France – 9 pts.
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Netherlands – 4 pts.
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Brazil – 2 pts.
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Finland – 1 pts.
Equal Pay Settlement
The U.S. Women's National Team reached a proposed settlement in its equal pay lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation.
"We are pleased to announce that, contingent on the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement, we will have resolved our longstanding dispute over equal pay and proudly stand together in a shared commitment to advancing equality in soccer," the USWNT and U.S. Soccer said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
U.S. Soccer agreed to pay $22 million to the players. The money will be distributed by players and approved by the court. The remaining $2 million will go into a fund for USWNT players' post-career goals and charitable efforts. Each former player will be able to apply for the fund for up to $50,000. The federation also promised to pay men's and women's senior national teams the same in all friendly games and tournaments, including the World Cup.
The agreement fell short of the more than $66 million that the players demanded in back pay. However, the $24 million figure and equal pay is still a big win for the team.
"We feel like this is a huge win – obviously contingent upon the ratification of the CBA – but it will have equal pay on everything moving forward," two-time World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe told The Athletic. "It's honestly kind of surreal. I feel like I need to take a step back. We've all been in the trenches of it for so long. I think I honestly don't even understand how monumental this is."
Biggest stories of the week
UEFA make decision on UCL final in St. Petersburg after Russia's attack on Ukraine
UEFA announced that an extraordinary meeting of their executive committee will be held on Friday to discuss the geopolitical crisis facing the continent after Russia launched an attack on neighboring country Ukraine.
One of the biggest issues for UEFA to discuss is the venue of this season's Champions League final. Hosting rights for the ultimate match, which is scheduled to take place on May 28, was awarded to the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg.
According to several sources, including the Associated Press News and CBS Sports, European football's governing body have decided to move the Champions League final out of Russia. While a contingency plan is being drawn up, a specific replacement might not be decided until the latter stages of the tournament. Nonetheless, London has been touted as a possibility, with Wembley Stadium, West Ham's home ground, and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium being plausible venues.
But that's not the only footballing concern sparked by this latest crisis. Russia are set to host Poland in the World Cup playoffs and would welcome one of Sweden or the Czech Republic as well if they beat Lewandowski and Co. The country's participation in this summer's UEFA Women's Euro also needs to be discussed, as well as Zenit's and Spartak Moscow's ongoing Europa League campaigns.
Another point of discussion is UEFA's relationship with Gazprom. In the aftermath of Russia's attack on Ukraine, Schalke announced their decision to remove the majority state-owned energy company as their shirt sponsor. It remains to be seen whether European football's governing body will take stern action with their $45-million-a-year sponsors as well.
Juve star McKennie suffers double fracture, rest of season now in doubt
With the first leg of the Villarreal-Juventus round of 16 clash having finished as a one-all draw, the stakes will be even higher for the second leg, which will be played in Turin next month.
However, Massimiliano Allegri will have to make do without one of his key players. American star Weston McKennie, who has become a fan favorite since moving from Schalke, sustained an injury during the game and had to be subbed off.
And now, the extent of his injury has been fully revealed, with the Texan-born midfielder suffering a double fracture in his foot.
According to Sky Sport Italia, the 23-year-old is expected to miss at least two months, but potentially more. That means not only will he not be able to feature for the USMNT in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but he could potentially be out for the rest of the season as well.
This comes as a huge blow for Juventus, especially as they already had to make do without key players like Giorgio Chiellini, Paulo Dybala, and Federico Chiesa for the first leg against Villarreal.
Bruno Fernandes breaks David Beckham's 24-year-old UCL record as Elanga fires Man Utd to draw vs Atletico
Bruno Fernandes landed yet another UEFA Champion League League milestone with his assist for Manchester United's equalizer in Wednesday night's UEFA Champions League draw with Atletico Madrid. The 27-year-old Portuguese set up Anthony Elanga for his side's goal, breaking David Beckham's 24-year-old record to become the first player in the competition's history to assist in six consecutive appearances while playing for an English club.
In retrospect, it was a tale of two halves for the two teams involved. Although United sought to emulate the success of the three Premier League clubs in the first of their respective round of 16 ties, they hardly hit the ground running at Wanda Metropolitano. Atletico Madrid fairly dominated the first half of the clash and were duly reward with a goal before the break. Portuguese sensation and eventual Man of the Match Joao Felix broke the deadlock in the seventh minute by capitalizing on Harry Maguire's poor defending to head home the opener.
However, the break gave the visitors the opportunity to reassess their approach and eventually stepped up to get the upper hand. The breakthrough came in the 80th minute when substitute Elanga latched onto Bruno Fernandes' pass to blast his shot across Jan Oblak into the bottom corner to cancel out Atletico's first half goal.
Conte drops hint about exit in post-match interview following Tottenham's 1-0 loss at Burnley
Speaking in the post-match interview for Tottenham's midweek defeat against Burnley, Antonio Conte did not hold back about his team's disappointing performance, while also stating that the club might need to think about his replacement after losing many games in a short time span.
The Italian tactician even went on to reveal he intends to have a meeting with the club's executives to determine his future with the club, suggesting he does not feel qualified to steer this club back to a UEFA Champions League spot even with two games in hand.
"It was a difficult night. It's not only tonight, in the last five games we lost four games. It means there will be [an] assessment about the club, about me, because I think for me it is very frustrating to lose four out of five.
"For sure the situation speaks clear. I am really sorry for the fans, I am really sorry because I think they don't deserve this. But when you lose four out of five it means the club have to make an assessment, also to speak together, and to understand which is the best solution.
"In this situation the players are always the same in this club, the club change coaches, but the players are the same, but the result doesn't change.
"I repeat, I am too honest to accept this type of situation, and for sure we will make an assessment with the club, because I repeat, it is not right, it is not right, it is not good for everybody to continue to lose and I can't accept this. It's not good for nobody."
Tottenham will face Leeds United away from home during the weekend. Given the short time left before that game, that clash could be Conte's final chance to change things around for Spurs, but in the event of a loss, the team or even the coach himself could be ready to part ways.
Other key headlines from the world of football
Former Italy star suggests Messi will go back to Barcelona this summer
Speaking in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS, former Italy and Juventus striker Fabrizio Ravanelli spoke about Messi's stint at PSG and how he does not see the Argentine superstar staying with Les Parisiens beyond next summer.
"I am conscious and convinced that, at this point of the season, one could say that Messi's stint in Paris is over, because in my opinion, he will return to Barcelona after the end of this campaign, even if he leaves on a free transfer and goes back to Barcelona with a reduced salary," Ravanelli stated.
Before the interview came to an end, Ravanelli urged Messi to cut his losses and return to Camp Nou as soon as possible. "He knows that Barcelona is his home, and he has realized he made a huge mistake in leaving Barcelona to join PSG. He is an extraordinary player, who has shown he's the best for many years," he concluded.
Italian media claim that "unhappy" Lukaku wants to move back to Inter
Italian reports, namely La Gazzetta dello Sport, have claimed that Lukaku is "so keen" on coming back to Inter that he'll even be willing to take a pay cut.
That's despite the Nerazzurri not really having made any noises about a potential return, but the same report also claims that Lukaku has been aggressively networking with some of Inter's directors about making this a reality.
With plenty of time to go between now and the summer transfer market, it will be interesting to see how this story develops over the next few months.
Date and kickoff time for second El Clásico of the 2021-22 La Liga season revealed
These clubs have played two matches so far in the ongoing campaign, with both of those being won by Real Madrid. The first one of them came on October 24, 2021, which concluded with a 2-1 triumph for Ancelotti's team. Then, these Spanish football titans met in the Supercopa de España semifinals, with the end result going Los Blancos' way, this time with a 3-2 score after extra time.
Now, Barcelona will have a chance to redeem themselves on March 20, the date set by La Liga to play the second Clásico of this La Liga season. This game will mark debuts for several members of the Blaugrana squad, including Xavi Hernández, who will make his first appearance as Barcelona's coach at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Meanwhile, players such as Adama Traoré and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will also play their first matches at the Bernabeu wearing the Barcelona's jersey.
