Around the Leagues: Copa Libertadores Final and the USMNT back in action

Last week, the United States Women’s National Team thumped Colombia twice in five days by a combined score line of 10-0 in Orlando.

The matches were the final tune-ups for the team before next month’s SheBelieves Cup also in Orlando. The competition will take place from February 18-24 and joining the U.S. will be global powerhouses Argentina, Brazil and Canada. The USWNT’s opening match of the competition will be on February 18 against Canada.

Last week, the United States Women’s National Team thumped Colombia twice in five days by a combined score line of 10-0 in Orlando.

USMNT

While the women’s team recently impressed in Florida, now it’s the men’s turn.

The United States Men's National Team have an international friendly lined up against Trinidad and Tobago and while many of the top American players competing in Europe are still on club-duty, Sunday’s showdown will allow the opportunity for a number of other young players to impress head coach Gregg Berhalter before a busy calendar year.

The United States Men’s National Team have an international friendly lined up against Trinidad and Tobago and while many of the top American players competing in Europe are still on club-duty, Sunday’s showdown will allow the opportunity for a number of other young players to impress head coach Gregg Berhalter before a busy calendar year.

A pair of SRFC players were called into national team duty as Republic FC defender Shannon Gomez got the call into Trinidad and Tobago’s camp while goalkeeper Rafael Diaz was summoned into the starting lineup for the Dominican Republic against Serbia on Monday where he kept a clean sheet.

Gomez’s national team will be the final test for the USMNT before a busy 2021 schedule that includes the Olympics in Tokyo, the Concacaf Gold Cup, a pair of Nations League matches and eight World Cup qualifiers. Trinidad is far from an easy fixture for the U.S., as most supporters remember, it was the Soca Warriors who stunned the USMNT with a 2-1 win and denied the Stars and Stripes a spot in the 2018 World Cup.

Copa Libertadores

While the USMNT match is a friendly, there’s one colossal clash in South America where the winner will lift the most coveted trophy in soccer on this side of the globe. The Copa Libertadores will take place this Saturday inside Brazil’s famous Maracanã Stadium between fellow Brazilian clubs Santos and Palmeiras – two of the countries many fabled clubs.

The stadium might be empty due to COVID-19, but the intensity surely won’t be lacking. The match is South America’s version of the UEFA Championship League Final between the continent’s top clubs. Palmeiras downed Argentinian giants River Plate to get to the Final while Santos survived another juggernaut – Boca Juniors. The monumental matchup will kick off at noon.

European Leagues

Saturday’s schedule also features a slew of sensational league showdowns, especially in the Barclay’s Premier League where Arsenal host a Manchester United team hoping to reclaim the top spot in the standings. Table-toppers Manchester City host a tricky Sheffield United side fresh off a shock 2-1 win over United at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The following day, fourth place Liverpool travel to a fifth place West Ham United team that are unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions.

In Germany’s Bundesliga, Borussia Monchengladbach can leap as high as third with a win on Saturday but will need to do so on the road against eighth-place Union Berlin. Hours later, a heavyweight bout between the second and third place clubs when RB Leipzig host Bayer Leverkusen.

The following day, fourth place Liverpool travel to a fifth place West Ham United team that are unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions.

Saturday’s three game slate in Italy sees three of the top four clubs in action as league leaders AC Milan visit Bologna hours before Inter Milan – trailing its rival by just two points in the standings – play host to Benevento. Bookended by both Milan matches is USMNT star Weston McKennie’s Juventus-side currently in fourth but can climb up a spot with a win on the road against Sampdoria.

The Eredivisie – the top league in the Netherlands – features two Sunday matchups with major title implications as first place Ajax Amsterdam face a tough test to fourth place AZ Alkmaar. If the reigning Dutch champions fail to pick up a positive result, the four-point gap between Ajax and second place PSV Eindhoven could close to one if PSV can pick up a huge road victory over fifth place Feyenoord Rotterdam.

For those itching for more soccer matches come Monday, look no further than the topflight in Portugal when league leaders Sporting CP host a third place Benfica team that trail its rival in first by six points in the standings. Known as the Derby de Lisboa as both clubs reside in Lisbon, historically, Benfica is considered more a club of the people while Sporting was supported by the wealthy in the Portuguese capital.

January Transfer Window

Monday also marks the closing of the January transfer window – one of two scheduled opportunities during the calendar year when major European clubs are able to acquire new talent to bolster their squads.

This January, a number of big moves have already gone down including Mesut Ozil moving to Turkish-side Fenerbahce from Arsenal, United luring Amad Diallo to Manchester from Atalanta, and AC Milan landing Mario Mandzukic. Additional loan deals include Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard to the Gunners, Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik from Napoli to Olympique Marseille, Moussa Dembele swapping Lyon for Atletico Madrid and Luka Jovic heading back to Entracht Frankfurt from Real Madrid after the Spanish giants bought the striker from the German club just last year.

But one of the most interesting of all the deals from the perspective of the stateside soccer fan was the acquisition of USMNT and Seattle Sounders FC playmakerJordan Morris heading to Championship-side Swansea City on-loan until the end of the season.