AFC to expand Champions League, Women’s Asian Cup

From the 2021 season, the AFC Champions League will be expanded to 40 clubs with an extra group of four being added in both the east and west zones

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Saturday that it will expand the AFC Champions League to include 40 clubs at the start of the 2021 season. The AFC Women’s Asian Cup will also be expanded to 12 teams from eight in the last edition held in Jordan.

“From the 2021 season, the AFC Champions League will be expanded to 40 clubs with an extra group of four being added in both the east and west zones and further growing the reputation of one of the richest continental club competitions in the world,” the AFC’s official website said.

“In 2022, there will be four more teams in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup — going from eight in the last edition in Jordan to 12 in the next tournament. At present, the AFC have proposals from Chinese Taipei, India and Uzbekistan to host the tournament and with the added four teams, there will be further opportunities for more players, teams and member associations,” it said.

Toronto hail belief after reaching another MLS Cup final

Toronto FC are heading to their third MLS Cup final in four seasons and once again they will face the Seattle Sounders, this time on Nov. 10 at CenturyLink Field.

Greg Vanney’s side upset favorites and reigning champions Atlanta United 2-1 in Georgia on Wednesday, as TFC fell behind but rallied after goalkeeper Quentin Westberg saved Josef Martinez’s penalty kick.

Struggling along has been Toronto’s mantra all season, as injuries and key absences due to the Gold Cup have hit them hard but they’ve peaked at the right time and they’re now 13 games unbeaten heading into the final.

“Early in the year we battled, we went through the midseason and kept our head above water, got our team back together and have been on a run,” Vanney said. “Tonight was similar. We were missing a couple of guys, but the group of guys that were out there, nobody outside of our club thought could maybe get it done except maybe our fans and us.”

Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez were missing on Wednesday and so many players have been in and out of the team during the campaign. Nicolas Benezet equalized in the first half and after heavy pressure from Atlanta, Nick de Leon jumped off the bench and scored a beauty to sent TFC to the final.

Toronto finished fourth in the Eastern Conference in the regular season but they’ve now won away at New York City FC and Atlanta to knock off the top two seeds in the East, and that comes after a wild overtime win against D.C. United to kick off their playoff run.

Seattle will be favorites to win MLS Cup 2019 given its at their home stadium, but Vanney and Co. have upset the odds all season long to be within 90 minutes of being crowned champions once again.

Would you bet against Toronto rolling into Seattle and leaving with the MLS Cup trophy?

Captain Michael Bradley, someone who knows all about battling against the tide in recent years, was hoping to face LAFC and his dad Bob Bradley in the final but he clearly thinks sparks will fly in Seattle 10 days from now.

“With all due respect to Seattle, I was rooting for the other team on Tuesday pretty hard,” Bradley smiled. “The fact it works out to be Seattle against Toronto for the third time in four years… it makes for an interesting game!”

Berhalter calls up 20 MLS players for USMNT pre-camp

Gregg Berhalter cannot risk rust from his MLS-based players for November’s pivotal CONCACAF Champions League matches versus Canada and Cuba, and has called 19 players for a pre-camp from Nov. 2-9.

While the roster will undoubtedly have Christian Pulisic, Sergino Dest, and a bevy of European-based players, it will also have several MLS faces who have been eliminated by the playoffs or did not qualify altogether.

Berhalter has to make sure those players are fit and firing, and has included two players from sides eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs in the past two nights (Brad Guzan and Walker Zimmerman).

Uncapped defenders Chase Gaspar of Minnesota United and both Mark McKenzie of Philadelphia have been called up alongside McKenzie’s club teammate Brendan Aaronson and New England goalkeeper Matt Turner.

Djordje Mihailovic, Jonathan Lewis, and Jeremy Ebobisse are also back in the mix for the first time, while no MLS players called up in October has been dropped from the roster.

Toronto FC’s Michael Bradley and Seattle duo Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris are understandably omitted due to MLS Cup Final duty.

The U.S. plays Canada in Florida on Nov. 15 and Cuba in the Cayman Islands four days later.

Pre-camp roster

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Atlanta United), Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)

Defenders: Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas), Chase Gaspar (Minnesota United), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact), Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC)

Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes)

Forwards: Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake), Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers), Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew)

Ronaldo's last-gasp penalty sinks 10-man Genoa

Cristiano Ronaldo's controversial last-gasp penalty sinks 10-man Genoa. Ronaldo controversially won and then converted a stoppage-time penalty, seconds after having a goal chalked off for offside, as Juventus finally broke down 10-man Genoa to win 2-1 and go back to the top of Serie A on Wednesday.

Ronaldo went down under a challenge from Antonio Sanabria and, although their was minimal contact if any at all, the referee pointed to the spot and the VAR officials confirmed the decision with a silent check.

The Portuguese forward then fired in the penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

It was rough justice on 17th-placed Genoa who played with 10 men from the 51st minute when Francesco Cassata was harshly given a second yellow card for tugging Paulo Dybala's shirt.

Juventus, still unbeaten in all competitions under coach Maurizio Sarri, have 26 points from 10 games, one ahead of Inter Milan who beat Brescia 2-1 on Tuesday.

"We suffered a lot but we were the rightful winners. We created so many chances and deserved this win," said Ronaldo.

"We got a bit anxious as the game we went because we needed the win but we kept on trying until the end."

Referee Pino Giacomelli shows the red card to Carlo Ancelotti (L), coach of Napoli during the match. /VCG Photo

Atalanta twice fought back from a goal behind to hold Napoli to a 2-2 draw at the San Paolo, where a fiery ending resulted in red cards for Carlo Ancelotti and his assistant.

Josip Ilicic struck a contentious 86th-minute equalizer that was upheld following a lengthy VAR review, as Napoli appealed for a penalty.

Napoli forward Fernando Llorente tumbled to the ground after jostling with Simon Kjaer in the Atalanta area before the visitors countered and scored through Ilicic.

A five-minute interruption followed before the referee awarded the goal without reviewing the incident on the touchline monitor.

"I consider what happened an attack on my professionalism, my players and my club," Ancelotti said.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis was livid with the officiating.

"If there is VAR it's pointless creating eight minutes of additional time because all that happens is pushing and shouting," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"And what is this buffoonery from the referee who kicks out a gentleman like Ancelotti?

"We're fed up. Without us the referees would be peeling potatoes. We're tired of paying for this standard of refereeing."

(With input from Reuters and AFP)

Suso’s terrific free kick gives Pioli 1st AC Milan win

MILAN (AP) New AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli earned his first win with the club as the Rossoneri beat SPAL 1-0 in Serie A on Thursday.

Suso came off the bench to score with a free kick shortly after the hour mark, ending a scoreless streak stretching back to last season.

Milan’s fourth win in 10 matches moved the Rossoneri up to 10th place while SPAL remained in 19th place.

Samu Castillejo also hit the crossbar for Milan early on.

Suso, who had been heavily criticized for his performances this season, scored six minutes after coming on for Castillejo.

The Spaniard’s free kick spun over SPAL’s wall then dipped down in under the bar.

Suso’s previous goal came on May 19.

Urawa Earn Important Point in Hiroshima, Faces Tough Kashima Challenge

This week’s J.League 1 action went into full swing on Tuesday, October 29th as Urawa Red Diamonds played out their Matchweek 31 match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the Hiroshima Big Arch, which was played earlier due to Urawa’s qualification to the 2019 AFC Champions League final. Taking on the league’s 4th placed side, Urawa showed the same determination that they had in their continental matches and took the lead in the 75th minute thanks to Takuya Iwanami. However, all hopes for an Urawa victory were dashed in the 88th minute after Daiki Hashioka scored past his own keeper, with the own-goal equalizing the score. The match ended 1-1, and while the solitary point meant that Sanfrecce would remain 4th, the draw meant a lot for Urawa as it brought them up to 9th place, a relief in their battle to stave off relegation. They are now 5 points clear off Shonan Bellmare in the relegation play-off zone, and should they win their next match and other results elsewhere go their way, Urawa’s relegation woes are as good as over.

Except that it won’t be easy for Urawa as the Saitama-based side face the challenge of league leaders Kashima Antlers at the Kashima Soccer Stadium on the night of Friday, November 1st. The Urawa-Kashima match will kick-off proceedings in J1’s Matchweek 30, as Kashima are eager for all three points in order to distance themselves from 2nd placed FC Tokyo, having allowed their capital-based rivals to bridge the gap by drawing 1-1 against relegation-battling Matsumoto Yamaga on Matchweek 29 last week. Urawa head coach Tsuyoshi Otsuki will have to rotate his squad as his side will face a number of crunch ties that will decide both their domestic and continental fates – after the Kashima match, Urawa will take on another top-half side in defending champions Kawasaki Frontale on Tuesday, November 5th, before flying out to Riyadh to take on Saudi giants Al-Hilal in the 1st leg of the ACL final five days afterwards. Having played Sanfrecce only days earlier, fatigue is definitely going to affect Urawa, so Tsuyoshi will be expected to do some inevitable rotation to his team for the Kashima match.

On Saturday, November 2nd, Matchweek 30 continues with 7 matches, with a clash of titans between Kawasaki and Sanfrecce at the Todoroki Stadium, with hosts Kawasaki eager to build on their momentum from winning the 2019 J.League Cup title. FC Tokyo are also playing on Saturday, visiting the Showa Denko Dome to take on this season’s overachievers Oita Trinita. With only 5 points separating Oita on 7th and Kawasaki on 6th, the newly-promoted side are eager to cement themselves on the top half of the table, and would happily put a wrench in FC Tokyo’s title charge in doing so. Saturday’s other matches see star-studded Vissel Kobe taking on Vegalta Sendai at the Misaki Park Stadium, Sagan Tosu continuing their relegation battle by taking on the tough challenge of Yokohama F. Marinos at the Ekimae Real Estate Stadium, Cerezo Osaka facing-off against Matsumoto at the Kincho Stadium, a now Chanathip Songkrasin-enforced Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo out to shake off their J.League Cup final defeat blues by going up against Nagoya Grampus at the Sapporo Dome, and last but not least, the latest edition of the Shizuoka Derby as Shimizu S-Pulse takes on prefectural rivals Jubilo Iwata at the IAI Stadium Nihondaira. The last edition of the Shizuoka Derby saw Shimizu beating Jubilo on penalties in a classic Emperor’s Cup encounter last month, and Jubilo are eager to avenge that painful defeat in order to not only claim prefectural bragging rights, but also keep their slim hopes of J1 survival intact.

Sunday’s only Matchweek 30 match will have crisis club Shonan hosting Gamba Osaka at the Shonan BMW Stadium Hiratsuka, with the hosts looking to end their rot in form in order to escape the relegation play-off zone. Shonan had lost 4 of their last 5 matches with those 4 losses coming in 4 consecutive matches and with 10th placed Gamba looking to consolidate themselves in mid-table, things are not looking easy for the Hiratsuka-based club. Shonan’s defense had conceded an astonishing 17 goals in their last 5 matches and Gamba’s attackers should have a field day in this match should things go the Suita-based side’s way.