Soccer By Ives

ESPN Press Pass discusses Donovan's potential Bayern move

For those of you who have missed it, ESPN Classic has begun airing ESPN Soccernett Press Pass every Monday and Friday at 7pm. Hosted by Adrian Healey and Derek Rae, and including New England head coach Steve Nicol, Tommy Smyth and Janusz Mchallik, the show is one of the best you will see discussing American soccer.

Last week's episode included interviews with Juergen Klinsmann and Jozy Altidore. Tonight's episode will feature special guest Claudio Reyna. The former U.S. national team captain will discuss topics ranging from the U.S. national team to Landon Donovan's potential move to Bayern Munich.

Here is a sneak peak:

Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

Good morning folks. The top-quality soccer action is already well under way, with Manchester United-Manchester City and Inter Milan-Napoli both in the second half of their games.

Here is today's list of games on TV:

• 8:30am- Setanta USA- Manchester United at Manchester City

• 9am- FSC- Napoli at Inter Milan

• 9am- ESPN360.com- Fiorentina at Roma

• 11am- FSC- Arsenal at Chelsea

• 11am- GolTV- Schalke 04 at Stuttgart

• 1pm- GolTV- Real Betis at Valencia

• 1pm- Telemundo- Tecos at Toluca

• 2:30pm- FSC- AC Milan at Palermo

• 2:55pm- Setanta USA- Paris St. Germain at Rennes

• 3pm- GolTV- Racing de Santander at Atletico Madrid

• 4:30pm- FSC- Everton at Tottenham

• 5:30pm- GolTV- Tolima at Nacional

• 6pm- Telemundo- Cruz Azul at UNAM Pumas

If you are watching today's games, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Soccer Saturday: Your Running Commentary

 

Good morning folks.  We have a full slate of games on tap today for those of you who plan on getting your fill of soccer on TV in between your Christmas shopping and eating leftover turkey.

Here is a rundown of today's games:

9:30am- Setanta USA- Bolton at Sunderland

10am- FSC- Newcastle at Middlesbrough

*11:30am- GolTV- Bayern Munich at Bayer Leverkusen

12:15pm- Setanta USA- Bristol City at Preston

12:30pm- FSC- Blythe at Bournemouth (FA Cup)

2pm- GolTV- Real Madrid at Getafe

2:30pm- FSC- Reggina at Juventus 

2:55pm- Setanta USA- Bordeaux at Sochaux

*4pm- GolTV- Barcelona at Sevilla

4:30pm- FSC- Lecce at Catania

5pm- Setanta USA- Fulham at Aston Villa

6:15pm- GolTV- Pereira at Deportivo Cali

6:45pm- Setanta USA- West Brom at Wigan

8pm- FSC- Dag & Red at Leceister (FA Cup)

10pm- Telemundo- Tigres at Atlante

*11pm- Telefutura- Santos Laguna at San Luis

11pm- FSC- Hull City at Stoke City

1am- FSC- Adelaide United at Newcastle Jets

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 (as always, please try to avoid commenting on games that will be shown on delay during the afternoon. This does not include the Hull-Stoke match.)

Enjoy the action.

This weekend's soccer on TV

Admit it, after spending the recent Thanksgiving Holiday indulging in food and family time, you are ready to sit in front of a TV all weekend and watch some good soccer. Well, if that is your plan then this is your weekend.

Some of the biggest rivalries in Europe kick off this weekend, as well as some strong match-ups with major table implications from Germany to Spain. Arsenal-Chelsea and Man Utd-Man City are two of England's greatest rivalries and both will deseserve your attention.

If the end of the MLS season has you craving some non-European soccer to watch then what better soccer to watch than the Mexican playoffs? They even include an MLS player in Cuauhtemoc Blanco and a U.S. national team player in Michael Orozco.

If you need help making your weekend soccer viewing plans, you know you can count on SBI to have the international soccer knowledge to steer you in the right direction. So here are the Top 10 matches to watch on TV this weekend, as well as the schedule of soccer matches on TV:

International Match Day

If you have been craving some quality international soccer, then today is your day.

With an international fixture date on the menu, you will not only get some important CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, you will also get some attractive friendlies on the docket.

Mexico takes on Honduras with a chance to knock the Catrachos out of next year's qualifying with a win and a Jamaica win against Canada. Trinidad & Tobago can lock up a place in the Hexagonal round of CONCACAF qualifying with a win or tie against Cuba. If T&T loses, then Guatemala can slip into the Hexagonal with a victory against an inexperienced USA B team.

Friendlies offer up some quality match-ups as well, with England and Germany renewing their long-standing rivalry, while Brazil and Portugal square off.

If you will be watching today's matches, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comment section if this post.

Here is the schedule of international matches on TV today:

Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

Good morning folks. Today is a relatively light day for soccer on TV, but what the schedule lacks in total games it makes up for in quality of match-up.

You have the Rome Derby, the Lyon-Bordeaux tilt and an intriguing Man City-Hull City clash.

Here is the full schedule of games today:

• 8:25am- Setanta- Middlesbrough at Everton
• 9am- FSC- Chievo at AC Milan
• 11am- FSC- Manchester City at Hull City
• 11am- GolTV- Villarreal at Malaga
• 12:55pm- Telemundo- San Luis at Toluca
• 2:30pm- FSC- Lazio at Roma
• 2:45pm- Setanta- Bordeaux at Lyon
• 3pm- GolTV- Barcelona at Recreativo Huelva
• 5pm- GolTV- Santa Fe at Junior
• 5pm- Setanta USA- Club America at Necaxa
• 7pm- Setanta- Nacional at Danubio

For those of you looking for some post-game analysis and more stories from the New York Red Bulls 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake in last night's Western Conference final, there will be plenty of analysis and interviews coming this afternoon so stay tuned for that.

For now, enjoy today's soccer and if you will be watching today's games please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Soccer Saturday: Your Running Commentary

Good morning folks. If you plan on watching some soccer today on TV, here is your schedule of matches:

7:40am- Setanta- Liverpool at Bolton

9:40am- Setanta- Stoke City at Manchester United

10am- FSC- Aston Villa at Arsenal

11:30am- GolTV- Bayern Munich at Borussia Moenchengladbach

12:15pm- Setanta- Ipswich at Doncaster

12:30pm- FSC- Chelsea at West Brom

2pm- GolTV- Real Madrid at Valladolid

2:30pm- FSC- Inter Milan at Palermo

2:55pm- Setanta- St. Etienne at Lille

4pm- GolTV- Liverpool at Penarol (Uruguay)

4:30pm- FSC- Wigan at Newcastle

5:55pm- Telemundo- UNAM Pumas vs. Monterrey

6:15pm- GolTV- Medellin at Tolima

8pm- Telemundo- Indios vs. Chivas de Guadalajara

8:30pm- GolTV- Schalke 04 at Bayer Leverkusen

9:30pm- FSC/HDNet - New York Red Bulls at Real Salt Lake

If you will be watching the action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

This weekend's soccer on TV

Admit it. Your diet of European soccer is heavy on the English and Spanish, with a dash of Italian.

Well, this is the weekend to try a little French, some German, and yes, some more Italian.

The best match-up of the weekend isn't Arsenal-Aston Villa, which is a good one, but rather the Ligue 1 clash between perennial French champions Lyon and rising force Bordeaux. You have probably heard of star Lyon striker Karim Benzema (pictured), easily one of the world's best young strikers. You may or may not have heard of Bordeaux midfield magician Yoann Gourcuff, who is fast becoming one of the hottest properties in Europe (who happens to be the property of AC Milan).

If you're not lucky enough to have Setanta Sports to watch Lyon-Bordeaux, you should make sure to catch Bayern Munich-Borussia Moenchengladbach, which could offfer us a chance to see Michael Bradley in a big game against a quality opponent.

If you're more of an MLS person, you can't miss the West final between Real Salt Lake and the New York Red Bulls, which may not have the star power of the East final, but should still be an entertaining and potentially high-scoring encounter.

Here are this weekend's Top matches to watch, along with the complete schedule of soccer on TV:

UEFA Champions League: Matchday Four (Your Running Commentary)

The second half of the UEFA Champions League Matchday Four is underway today with several key match-ups that should determine the next group of teams to earn berths into the final round of 16.

• 2:45pm- ESPN2- Manchester United at Celtic FC (LIVE)
• 2:45pm- ESPN Deportes- Juventus FC at Real Madrid (LIVE)
• 2:45pm- Setanta Sports- Fenerbahce at Arsenal (LIVE)
• 4:30pm- ESPN Deportes- Villarreal at Aalborg BK
• 5pm- ESPN Classic- Juventus FC at Real Madrid
• 5:40pm- Setanta Sports- FC Porto at Dynamo Kiev
• 7:30pm- Setanta Sports- Juventus FC at Real Madrid

If you are watching today's matches, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below (TV schedule coming shortly).

Enjoy the action.

Champions League: Matchday Four (Your Running Commentary)

The UEFA Champions League is back in action today, with Liverpool facing Atletico Madrid in the marquee match-up (and no, Fernando Torres will not play).

Here is a rundown of where you can watch today's matches:

• 2:45pm- ESPN2- Atletico Madrid at Liverpool (LIVE)
• 2:45pm- ESPN Deportes- FC Basel at FC Barcelona(LIVE)
• 2:45pm- Setanta Sports USA- AS Roma at Chelsea(LIVE)
• 2:45pm- ESPN360.com- AS Roma at Chelsea(LIVE)
• 5pm- ESPN Classic-AS Roma at Chelsea
• 5pm- ESPN Deportes- Atletico Madrid at Liverpool
• 5:40pm- Setanta Sports USA- Panathanaikos at Werder Bremen
• 7:30pm- Setanta Sports USA- Shakhtar Donetsk at Sporting Lisbon
• 9:15pm- Setanta Sports USA- AS Roma at Chelsea

If you will be watching today's matches, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action:

Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

Good morning folks. It is a light day of soccer on TV today, but one of the few games being shown today happens to be one of the best.

Young and exciting Napoli travels to Milan to take on the star-studded squad AC Milan. It is an absolute must-see game so you need to at the very least TIVO it and watch it when you can if you're not going to watch it live.

Here is the rest of today's schedule of matches on TV:

11am- FSC- Manchester City at Bolton

11am- GolTV- Sevilla at Valladolid

1pm- GolTV- Real Madrid at Almeria

1pm- Telemundo- Atlas at Toluca

2:30pm- FSC- Napoli at AC Milan

3pm- GolTV- Deportivo La Coruna at Real Betis

3pm- Setanta USA- Le Mans at Lyon

5pm-FSC- San Lorenzo at Boca Juniors.

5:30pm- GolTV- Once Caldas at Millonarios

As always, if you will be watching today's games, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Soccer Saturday: Your Running Commentary

If you were looking for a full day of soccer action to watch, then this is your day.

There is pro soccer action on TV all day, from now until past midnight, and while not all the matches on the schedule are headliners, you will at least have the option of watching some good action.

Some quality EPL tilts and the MLS playoffs lead the way for your viewing options. Here is today's full schedule:

• 9am- Setanta USA- Fulham at Everton
• 10:30am- GolTV- Karlsruhe at TSG Hoffenheim
• 11am- FSC- Sunderland at Chelsea
• 11am- Setanta USA- Hull City at Manchester United
• 12:30pm- GolTV- Arminia Bielefeld at Bayern Munich
• 1:30pm- FSC- Liverpool at Tottenham
• 1:30pm- Wolverhampton at Cardiff City
• 3pm- FSC- Roma at Juventus
• 3pm- GolTV- Barcelona at Malaga
• 4pm- MSG- Houston Dynamo at New York Red Bulls
• 4pm- Setanta USA- St. Etienne at Marseille
• 5pm- GolTV- Racing de Santander at Valencia
• 6pm- Setanta USA- Arsenal at Stoke City
• 6pm- FSC- Chivas USA at Real Salt Lake
• 7pm- GolTV- Medellin at Deportivo Cali
• 7pm- Telemundo- Atlante at Monterrey
• 8pm- Setanta USA- Wigan at Portsmouth
• 8pm- HDNet- Columbus Crew at Kansas City Wizards
• 9pm- Telemundo- UNAM Pumas at Chivas de Guadalajara
• 11pm- FSC- Inter Milan at Reggina
• 11pm- Telefutura- San Luis at Necaxa
• 2am- FSC- Queensland Roar at Newcastle Jets

If you will be watching any of these matches, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below (and please try not to comment on matches that are being shown on delay until they are actually shown).

Enjoy the action.

This weekend's soccer on TV

It may be tough to imagine it, but Tottenham is playing in a can't-miss match this week.

That's what happens when you finally fire your winless manager and your new manager leads you to a win and an unforgettable comebackdraw. Now, all of a sudden, Tottenham has the look of a team worth watching.

And what better way to test that improving Spurs squad than to take on unbeaten league leaders Liverpool? That match, along with the three MLS playoff games, headline this weekend's soccer on TV action.

Here are the Top Five matches to watch as well as the weekend's schedule of matches on TV:

Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

Good morning all. Today is offering up a loaded schedule of high quality soccer match-ups, led off by the big Liverpoool-Chelsea tilt.

That isn't the only match worth watching today. Here is a rundown of all of today's matches on TV:

• 9:30am- Setanta USA- Liverpool at Chelsea (LIVE)
• 10am- FSC- AC Milan at Atalanta (LIVE)
• 11am- GolTV- Valencia at Recreativo Huelva (LIVE)
• Noon- FSC- Arsenal at West Ham United (LIVE)
• 1pm- Setanta USA- Fulham at Portsmouth (LIVE)
• 1pm- GolTV- Atletico Madrid at Villarreal (LIVE)
• 1pm- Telemundo- Indios de Ciudad de Juarez at UNAM Pumas (LIVE)
• 3pm- GolTV- Athletic Bilbao at Real Madrid (LIVE)
• 3pm- Telefutura- FC Dallas at Los Angeles Galaxy (LIVE)
• 3:30pm- FSC- Fiorentina at Palermo (LIVE)
• 4pm- Setanta USA- Paris St. Germain at Marseille (LIVE)
• 6pm- FSC- Stoke City at Manchester City
• 6:30pm- GolTV- Tolima at Once Caldas (LIVE)
• 7pm- Univision- Chivas de Guadalajara at Club America (LIVE)
• 10pm- Setanta USA- Bolton at Tottenham
• 10pm- GolTV- Hamburg at TSG Hoffenheim
• 11pm- FSC- San Lorenzo at Racing

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 (please try not to discuss matches that will be shown via tape delay before they have been shown).

Enjoy the action.

This weekend's soccer on TV

The two top teams in Europe will square off on Sunday as Liverpool travels to Chelsea on the most high-profile match-up of the weekend.

That battle for first place is just one of several high-caliber matches. Not only are there good games in Europe, but there is also a crucial playoff position decider in MLS play as Real Salt Lake and Colorado meet with the winner reaching the playoffs.

If you want to see some Americans Abroad, this will be a good weekend to watch them. Villarreal (Jozy Altidore), Monaco (Freddy Adu), Reading (Marcus Hahnemann) and Fulham (Clint Dempsey) are all on American TV this weekend.

You can check out the Top Five matches to watch, and this weekend's soccer on TV schedule after the jump. Enjoy:

Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

Good morning all. Today's slate of games offer up plenty of options for soccer fans of all preferences. Whether it's the EPL, Bundesliga, Serie A or even MLS, there is something for you to watch today.

Here is today's schedule of games on TV:

11am- FSC- Tottenham at Stoke City

11am- GolTV- Schalke 04 at Hamburg

1pm- GolTV- Barcelona at Athletic Bilbao

1pm- Telemundo- Pachuca at Toluca

2:30pm- FSC- Inter Milan at Roma

3pm- GolTV- Sevilla at Almeria

3pm- Telefutura- Colorado Rapids at Chivas USA

3pm- Setanta USA- Marseille at Valenciennes

4:30pm- FSC- Boca Juniors at River Plate

5pm- Galavision- Futsal World Cup Final

5pm- GolTV- Numancia at Valencia

7pm- GolTV- Millonarios at Chico

If you will be watching today's games, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Soccer Saturday: Your Running Commentary

Good morning all. If you're looking for some good soccer matches to watch, today will not disappoint you.

In cased you missed it, here is my preview on the top matches of the weekend. Also, here are the soccer matches you can watch on TV today:

• 10am- FSC- Everton at Arsenal
• 10am- Setanta USA- Wigan at Liverpool
• 11:30am- GolTV- Borussia Dortmund at Werder Bremen
• 12:15pm- Setanta USA- Barnsley at Crystal Palace
• 12:30pm- FSC- West Brom at Manchester United
• 2pm- GolTV- Real Madrid at Atletico Madrid
• 2:30pm- FSC- Juventus at Napoli
• 3pm- Setanta USA- Lille at Lyon
• 4pm- GolTV- Villarreal at Espanyol
• 4:30pm- FSC- Reggina at Fiorentina
• 5pm- Setanta USA- Portsmouth at Aston Villa
• 6pm- Telemundo- Tigres at Monterrey
• 6:30pm- FSC- Sunderland at Fulham
• 7:30pm- MSG2- Columbus Crew at New York Red Bulls
• 8pm- GolTV- Deportivo Cali at Once Caldas
• 8pm- Telemundo- Atlante at Chivas de Guadalajara
• 8:30pm- HDNet- Los Angeles Galaxy at Houston Dynamo
• 9pm- FSC- FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake
• 10pm- GolTV- Bayern Munich at Karlsruhe
• 10pm- Telefutura- Atlas at Necaxa
• 10:15pm- Setanta USA- Blackburn at Bolton
• 2am- FSC- Sydney FC at Perth Glory

If you will be watching the action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

This Weekend's Soccer on TV

What's the best way to shake off a 6-1 defeat? If you're Atletico Madrid, you start with taking a week-long break for the international window. Then you come back and square off against the defending league champions, and your arch-rival, Real Madrid.

Okay, so maybe that's not the best way, but it's going to have to be the way for Atletico, which is in the midst of a brutal part of its schedule. Diego Forlan and Simao Sabrosa are set to come back from injury, meaning the Atletico attack should be slightly more effective than it was against Barcelona.

Real Madrid will look to straighten things out after tying Espanyol the last time out. Currently three points out of first place, Real Madrid won't be wanting to settle for a tie.

The Madrid Derby is just one of several juicy matches on TV this weekend. Here are the Top 10 matches to watch for, as well as the complete schedule of soccer matches on TV this weekend. Enjoy:

Soccer Wednesday: Your Running Commentary

World Cup qualifying resumes today throughout the world, with several quality match-ups filling out the schedule.

If you missed the schedule yesterday, here is a listing of today's qualifiers on TV:

1pm- FSC- Netherlands at Norway

2:25pm- Setanta USA- Switzerland at Greece

2:45pm- GolTV- Wales at Germany

3pm- FSC- Slovenia at Czech Republic

4:25pm- Setanta USA- Spain at Belgium

4:45pm- GolTV- Montenegro at Italy

6:15pm- Setanta USA- Albania at Portugal

8pm- ESPN- USA at Trinidad & Tobago

9pm- Telemundo- Mexico at Canada

11pm- Setanta USA- Turkey at Estonia

If you will be taking in any of today's World Cup qualifying action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions, live feed sources and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Wednesday World Cup Qualifying on TV

                                                      Photo by ISIphotos.com

Good evening folks. If you plan on watching World Cup qualifying matches, be it live or via TIVO, here is a schedule of World Cup qualifiers on TV on Wednesday:

• 5:30am- FSC- Qatar at Australia
• 11am- FSC- United Arab Emirates at South Korea
• 1pm- FSC- Netherlands at Norway
• 2:25pm- Setanta USA- Switzerland at Greece
• 2:45pm- GolTV- Wales at Germany
• 3pm- FSC- Slovenia at Czech Republic
• 4:25pm- Setanta USA- Spain at Belgium
• 4:45pm- GolTV- Montenegro at Italy
• 6:15pm- Setanta USA- Albania at Portugal
• 8pm- ESPN- USA at Trinidad & Tobago
• 9pm- Telemundo- Mexico at Canada
• 11pm- Setanta USA- Turkey at Estonia

What games will you be watching? What match-up, be it teams or players, will you be looking forward to the most on Wednesday?

Share your thoughts below.