Chelsea and Liverpool began the current season with hopes of challenge for the English Premier League title, and while both teams saw their league campaigns turn into disappointments, both have enjoyed considerable success in cup competitions.
Now the Blues and Reds are set to face off today in the FA Cup Final (12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel), with Chelsea hoping to add the trophy to its collection ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final, and with Liverpool looking to add the FA Cup to the Carling Cup the club has already won this season.
The Premier League hasn't taken the day completely off for the FA Cup, with Arsenal kicking the day off against Norwich City in a match the Gunners need to win to maintain third place in the Premier League. The match is also Arsene Wenger's 900th in charge, and will also be the final match for long-serving Arsenal assistant Pat Rice.
In Mexico, the playoffs are in full swing and several Americans will be in action today, with Jose Torres and Pachuca facing Club America, and Edgar Castillo, Joe Corona and Greg Garza leading Club Tijuana against mighty Monterrey.
In Germany, Borussia Dortmund will be playing its first match since clinching the Bundesliga title, and today's tilt against Freiburg could be an opportunity for U.S. national team striker Terrence Boyd to make his Bundesliga debut.
If you will be watching today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Today's TV schedule is after the jump):
TODAY'S SOCCER ON TV
7:45 a.m. - ESPN Deportes/ESPN2/ESPN3.com - Arsenal vs. Norwich City
7:45 a.m. - Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer2Go - Rangers vs. Motherwell
9:30 a.m. - ESPN Deportes/ESPN3.com - Borussia Dortmund vs. SC Freiburg
9:30 a.m. - GolTV - FC Cologne vs. Bayern Munich
11:30 a.m. - GolTV - Mainz vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach (Delayed)
12 p.m. - Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer2Go - Lecce vs. Fiorentina
12 p.m. - ESPN Deportes - Werder Bremen vs. Schalke 04
12:15 p.m. - Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Deportes - Liverpool vs. Chelsea
2:45 p.m. - Fox Soccer Channel/ESPN3.com - Roma vs. Catania
3 p.m. - ESPN3.com - Atletico Madrid vs. Malaga
3 p.m. - GolTV - Granada vs. Real Madrid
3 p.m. - DirecTV - Sporting Gijon vs. Real Betis
3:30 p.m. - ESPN3.com - FC Porto vs. Sporting CP
4:30 p.m. - MLS Direct Kick - Toronto FC vs. D.C. United
4:30 p.m. - NBC Sports - Seattle Sounders vs. Philadelphia Union
5 p.m. - ESPN Deportes - Atletico Madrid vs. Malaga (Delayed)
5:15 p.m. - GolTV - River Plate vs. Gimnasia Jujuy
7 p.m. - MLS Direct Kick - Vancouver Whitecaps vs. San Jose Earthquakes
7 p.m. - Telefutura - America vs. Pachuca
7 p.m. - USLLive.com - Rochestor Rhinos vs. Charlotte Eagles
7:30 p.m. - USLLive.com - Dayton Dutch Lions vs. Richmond Kickers
7:30 p.m. - USLLive.com - Orlando City vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds
8 p.m. - ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN3.com - Los Angeles Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls
8:30 p.m. - MLS Direct Kick - Sporting Kansas City vs. Montreal Impact
9 p.m. - Azteca America - Monterrey vs. Tijuana
10:30 p.m. - MLS Direct Kick - Portland Timbers vs. Columbus Crew
well, Arsenal looks a bit all-over-the-place.
If the English team DOESN’T give Holt a shot, they’re crazy. But remember, most England fans thought Crouch shouldn’t be on the team, even though his goal scoring record for the E-Nats is very, very good. So there is no figuring the English.
wow, how do YOU define worthy-of-a-PK?
Favorite part of ESPN broadcasts, when Darke reminds Macca of all of the times he lost. I might be in the minority but I think I could prefer John Harkes over him.
Is there a particular reason most BPL games are being played tomorrow and only 1 today?
Wow reading is HARD. So many letters.
Just saw where in the article it talks about being an FACup day. Never mind. It’s early y’all. Forgive me.
LOL. If that’s the worst thing you do today, it’s a good day, right?
Cheers.
I can’t prefer Harkes to anybody but I hear what you’re saying about Macca.
Ramsey in the book, could have been sent off and frankly was super-lazy chasing the last Norwich break. He looks terrible today.
Why isn’t Whitbread playing for Norwich?
Wow, Darke just spouted a stat that showed up on OptaJoe’s twitter feed 10 minutes ago. Interesting.
Oh, the stat was Holt’s 8 goals versus the top 8 in the EPL.
Gervinho has created so much for Arsenal today and they just keep NOT putting the chances away.
Ongoing argument between Song and Holt. Holt is a big guy, but I would put money on Song.
And RVP!
RVP pulls arsenals arse out of the fire again?
Well this is a crackin’ tilt for a neutral.
RVP with a brace for 30 EPL goals. Maybe he ties Shearer’s EPL season record today?
This game is simply amazing. 3-3
This one keeps on giving. 3-3. Terrific diagonal run by the Norwich forward who smahes it far post.
Hahaha. This game is hilarious.
Such a problem with the current implementation of the offside rule. Gervinho was clearly influencing play even though he didn’t touch the ball.
that save by Ruddy on the last header was simply brilliant. Amazing game. 9:30 in the AM and I am WOUND UP.
WTF Arsenal…
Ruddy was sensational the last 10 minutes!!! Change the goalies and the game is Arsenal’s by two goals!
If current results hold, Hertha Berlin will move up a spot, Koln will move down a spot, and Hertha will live to fight another day in the relegation playoff against the 3rd place 2.Bundesliga side!
I always thought Crouch deserved more chances with England, but while he did have a good scoring record, it’s slightly less impressive when you look at who he scored those goals against. Crouch rarely got a run out in the biggest games, so most of his goals are against Euro lightweights.
Anyone know why Chandler is not playing today?
that was offsides…silly not to raise the flag just becasue he whiffed on the chance
Tis so. We’ll find out tomorrow whether Berlin will be playing a two-game tie against Dusseldorf, St. Pauli or Padeborn (with Matt Taylor) for a slot next season in the First Bundesliga.
in cre di ble
the save on Song’s awesome back flick was top shelf, just like the header Mig22 referenced
awesome game
yellow card accumulation
I did not see the Schalke match today, but the Bundesliga web site indicates that Jermaine Jones played right central defender today. Can anyone confirm that? If Jones did play central defender, it would seem that coach Huub Stevens wanted to see how he plays the position in a game that doe not mean anything. Schalke ranked third in goals scored this season in the Bundesliga behind Dortmund and Bayern, but while Dortumund gave up only 25 and Bayern 22, Schalke coughed up 44 goals. Stevens no doubt wants to shore up defense for next season in the Bundesliga and the Champios League. That’s why am wondering about Jones, who we know is a beast of a defender who also can pass and attack when necessary.
espn has Jones as a CB as well. This could be a good development for the NT, Jones has the pace, strength, and experience to succeed as a international caliber center half. He also has some passing range like some CB’s in the National Pool.
*unlike
Almost Cup Final time, here’s hoping it’s as entertaining as Arsenal dropping their pants and 2 points this morning!
Thats what I figured. Thanks
Monterrey/Tijuana is NOT on Azteca, it’s on Univision Deportes Network.
Azteca has Morelia/Tigres tomorrow at 6 PM.
And Liverpool’s D is a step behind on that counterattack goal by Ramires, who again drills one in a big game.
Red Dragons need to tighten things up in the back.
Lampard having a rough game
Jose Enrique just stinking up the joint with some feeble crossing attempts.
lol who is this guy that keeps trying to cross the ball??
see Eric’s comment. Enrique has been woeful today.
I’m sure we could throw some fans on the pitch with better crossing abilities.
This is some atrocious stuff. No way this guy should be getting paid for this.
And with that Drogba nutmeg goal, I’d expand your point to suggest we need to wholesale substitute the D (except Johnson). Of course, we only have 3 subs and also need an offensive spark.
Liverpool’s lack of creativity and *effective* build up play combined with piss poor positioning when Chelsea counters… …not sure I see a way back here.
Crazy stuff in the Bundesliga as Bayern wins and relegates Koln. Smoke bombs, military formations, pitch invasions, players running for the tunnels — can’t imagine what the media would do if that ever happened in MLS!
link to youtube.com
Carroll. The FA Cup terror (think he has about half his season’s total in this competition) strikes. 2-1 Chelsea
Terry abused in front of net by Carrol for a goal
intensity just ratcheted up
I’d worry about PKs to go with his yellow cards, should he line up as a CB. Still, he’s a beast of a player.
Here’s hoping Fox will consider transitioning some of these Cup Finals to FX or even Fox in the future.
Suarez looks the most likely; serves it up perfecty for Carroll who drills it but is denied on the line by a lunging Cech just below the bar
Carroll’s was a header btw
Terry w/ a huge header clearance in the 89th off a menacing corner delivery…big play
Drogba runs the entire field in the 94th to win the ball…gotta love that stuff!
Glad they didn’t give that goal. Mata’s obviously shouldn’t have been given in the semis, and this attempt also wasn’t definitively over the line. More good ammunition for proponents of goal-line technology.
2-1 Chelsea…deserved
good for di Matteo, he’s jumping all over the place…happy guy
Sporting Lisbon playing @ already-crowned Porto on espn3, if Gooch can pull off a win OR get the same result Braga gets against an easier opponent(e.g. tie and tie, loss and loss), then all they would need is a win against Braga in the last match by any score that isn’t a one goal win of 3-2 or more(e.g. 1-0, 3-1, etc.) That would get Gooch in the CL next year, something that would have been crazy even a month and a half ago.
At least assuming this is still true in Portugal-can anybody confirm this?
link to theoffside.com
confirming that you meant “*un*like some CB’s in the National Pool.” That is a good point. The German national team and top German teams like Bayern, you see their defenders, like Boateng and Badstuber, regularly moving forward toward the half-field line or even beyond and then passing off. I did confirm that Jones played central defender and was thought to have done a good job back there. I wonder whether it was a one-shot deal or a try-out. But yeah, this could have huge implications for the USMNT, as Klinsmann likes to push defenders forward, as we saw Gooch do against—darn, which team was that, a South American team. In any case, Gooch made it almost to the penalty box and I don’t think he ever did that under the previous regime, did he?
This is just a guess but uh injury? Maybe he sprained an eyelid of something…
I don’t think it’s happening. There’s about a 5% chance I calculated based on the relevant teams’ records.
Yeah I was wrong. They moved to GD this year. Either have to keep par @ 3 points back and beat Braga by 4 goals or make up 1 point today in some way.
Messi with his 69th goal. With every goal he’s stretching his new La Liga record and new European top flight record.
71 goals!
A second consecutive hat trick. He’s now 9 goals above the La Liga all-time record and 4 goals above the all-time top flight record.
70th and 71st too. Nine over Ronaldo’s la liga record, and this isn’t the last game.
72nd. I should have waited until the end of the game.
He needs to stop playing on “amateur” difficulty. Step up to “professional” at least.
72nd. He’s 10 over the La Liga record now and 5 over the top-flight record.
Here is a link to an excellent video of how the Koln-Bayern match ended, with players fleeing field for the dressing room. The player in back in white is Lukas Podolski, a fan favorite who took his time getting off the field for his last game before moving to Arsenal and is reported to anguished by the whole thing. Same thing happened last year in Frankfurt, with ultras rushing on to the field and taking over the field after Frankfurt lost and ended up going to the 2nd Bundesliga. Police learned from those mistakes and were ready this year.
link to youtube.com
and Gooch sees red…
The whole world is tweeting that the last goals-in-a-season record to fall to Messi is an American’s. Archie Stark of Bethlehem Steel in Philadelphia, 1924-25, 70 goals.
Not sure how Archie got gifted another 3 goals from that 1924-25 season.