Philadelphia Union acquire defensive midfielder Jose Andres Martinez

TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Transfer

The Philadelphia Union have acquired defensive midfielder José Andrés Martínez from Zulia FC for an undisclosed transfer fee, the club announced Monday. According to Jonathan Tannenwald of The Inquirer, the Union paid a $325,000 transfer fee. Martinez is the club's first signing of the offseason.

Martinez, 25, had two goals and four assists across 65 appearances for Zulia over the last two seasons, guiding the club to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Copa Sudamericana, the furthest a Venezuelan team has progressed in the history of the competition.

“We’re excited to welcome ‘El Brujo’ to the Philadelphia Union. He is an up-and-coming player whose tenacity and athleticism will bolster our midfield going forward,” sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a club statement. “We look forward to welcoming him to the team and an exciting 2020 season.”

Nicknamed 'El Brujo', which translates to 'the wizard', Martinez received a call up to the Venezuelan national team earlier this year but didn't make his debut. He comes from the same club as Real Salt Lake's Jefferson Savarino and D.C. United's Junior Moreno.

After allowing Haris Medunjanin to depart this offseason, Philly were in need of a new defensive midfielder. Tanner spoke previously of searching for a more mobile player to accentuate the club's high-energy, high-pressing system. 

It's been an interesting offseason for the Union, who traded Auston Trusty to the Colorado Rapids, Fafa Picault to FC Dallas and allowed the likes of Medunjanin and Marco Fabian to leave. They earned a club-record 55 points in 2019 and won an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs match for the first time, defeating the New York Red Bulls.  

2020 Philadelphia Union Roster as of December 23, 2019:

HEAD COACH: Jim Curtin

FORWARDS (5):

• Burke, Cory
• Ngalina, Michee
• Przybylko, Kacper
• Santos, Sergio
• Wooten, Andrew

MIDFIELDERS (7):

• Aaronson, Brenden
• Bedoya, Alejandro
• Creavalle, Warren
• de Vries, Jack
• Fontana, Anthony
• Martinez, Jose Andres
• Turner, Cole

DEFENDERS (6):

• Elliott, Jack
• Gaddis, Raymon
• Mbaizo, Olivier
• McKenzie, Mark
• Real, Matt
• Wagner, Kai

GOALKEEPERS (3):

• Bendik, Joe
• Blake, Andre
• Freese, Matt

My US men's national team best XI of the decade | Greg Seltzer

The book has closed on another decade of international soccer, a passing marker that has compelled us to cobble together the finest possible US men's national team side out of the pool of players from the last 10 years.

Let's set parameters for the exercise, with the idea that there's one monumental do-or-die game to be played against a worthy foe and we need a fully functional lineup for tackling the challenge. There is no minimum requirement for games played or any such statistical marker to meet for inclusion. Performance in high-pressure competitive matches tends to hold more weight in judging, but it's not the only consideration (as you'll see soon enough).

Finally, rather than use the totality of achievement metric, we're going to use the peak powers rule. That means we're taking each of these players in their prime form of the decade. And as such, we believe the team assembled would be capable of testing, if not besting, any opponent on its day.

Before we roll out the XI, let's introduce our very versatile, very useful bench. Brad Guzan is the capable back-up netminder. John Anthony Brooks offers modern center back play, while Geoff Cameron can ably cover three different positions. Maurice Edu is our designated relief gatekeeper, with Alejandro Bedoya and Jermaine Jones the all-action midfield options off the pine. Fabian Johnson can operate up or down either flank. To torment tiring defenses, we've brought along Jordan Morris and Bobby Wood.

And now, your starters...

Tim Howard

Of course, the USMNT shot-stopping legend will forever be remembered for his heroic, record-setting, meme flood-inspiring stand in the team's World Cup 2014 knockout loss to Belgium. His long lead throw to start the winning play against Algeria at the 2010 tourney should live on as long. In all, Howard posted 23 wins and 17 clean sheets in competitive matches during the decade.

Steve Cherundolo

This was a tough call, but in the end, Cherundolo's cool defensive presence and possession support took the spot. He was a solid performer at World Cup 2010, and I often wonder how the 2011 Gold Cup final might have turned out had he not departed early with an injury.

Omar Gonzalez

Oh, there will be some jeers about his nightmare in Couva, but that doesn't change the fact that no US center back put in more strong shifts than Gonzo over the past 10 years. The dedicated air marshal went the distance in 14 competitive shutouts (tops among all US back liners for the decade) and was excellent in slim losses to scary foes Germany and Belgium at World Cup 2014.

Matt Besler

The Sporting KC mainstay also enjoyed a solid World Cup 2014 (at least up until Romelu Lukaku steamrolled him wide in the round-of-16 extras). The calming, well-rounded Besler also was the only USMNT player to start both of the team's victorious Gold Cup finals, and finished second among center backs with 11 competitive clean-sheet participations.

DaMarcus Beasley

Run DMB had already transitioned to left back for the Nats by the time the decade started, but he spent the first few years out on the edge of the frame. He rose from the near-dead in 2013 to help notch big World Cup qualifying shutouts against Costa Rica and at Mexico before captaining the team to Gold Cup glory that summer. Beasley then continued his surprising rebirth as a shut-down defender with a splendid World Cup 2014 showing.

Tyler Adams

This is the only guy in the lineup who didn't actually play a competitive match during the decade, so some might consider this a wild swing. I'll live with any such scrutiny, because at his fit best Adams is the perfect guy to man our No. 6 role. He breaks up rushes for breakfast and then morphs central park turnovers into offense.

Michael Bradley

I'm in the crowd that thinks Bradley spent far too much time over the last 10 years playing either too high or too deep in midfield. When properly used as a No. 8, he was a gut-busting, traffic-directing force to be reckoned with for several years. He topped all with six Futbol de Primera Award top-three finishes and shined at two World Cups. He even pitched in with a few of the biggest US goals of the decade.

Landon Donovan

Thanks to a certain infamous selection decision, the Nats' all-time joint top scorer actually played less than four years worth of US matches. Nevertheless, Donovan remained a vital play-driving cog until the end. He scored three goals at World Cup 2010, including the last-gasp shot heard 'round the world against Algeria, and added another half-dozen on his Golden Ball way to the 2013 Gold Cup crown.  

Clint Dempsey

The first of three players in our side to take home two US Soccer Player of the Year prizes during the decade, Deuce brought a blend of fire and verve to attack on a scale we may not see for a while. Dempsey scored 40 goals during the decade, with 30 of those coming in competitive matches. While wearing the armband in 2014, he became the first USMNT player to score in three World Cups.

Christian Pulisic

We're not going to run a conventional No. 10 with wingers setup in attacking midfield. I figured we'd just let the reigning US Soccer Player of the Year interchange at will with Dempsey and Donovan. It sure would be fun to see what the Chelsea attack engine could accomplish with running mates of this caliber to share the attention of defenders. His elusiveness on and off the ball would only multiply.

Jozy Altidore

The Toronto FC ace was the team's top scorer during the decade, with 24 of his 42 strikes coming in competitive matches. Altidore is also arguably the most complete striker the US has ever had. In particular, his passing game when facing goal is a highly underrated boost to the offense. It's just a shame that an untimely injury and the monster World Cup qualifying letdown of two years ago limited him to just 23 World Cup minutes during his prime years.

GIRLS BEACH- BRAZIL

Sassuolo vs Napoli Prediction & Match Preview

Sassuolo vs Napoli
Italy – Serie A
Date: Sunday, 22 December 2019
Kick-off at 19:45 UK / 20:45 CET
Venue: MAPEI Stadium (Reggio Emilia)

The Neroverdi will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to five matches when they take on underachieving Napoli side, winless in 8 games.

Sassuolo vs Napoli: Head-to-head (h2h)

• Overall Stats (13 games): Sassuolo 1 win, Napoli 7 wins, 5 Draws.
• Three of the six matches played at Sassuolo’s ground failed to produce a winner.
• The Azzurri won three of the last five H2H matches against Sassuolo.
• Both teams have scored in four of their last six meetings.
• Napoli scored two or more in four of the last six outings vs Neroverdi.

Sassuolo vs Napoli: Prediction

After sharing the spoils with Juventus (2-2), Cagliari (2-2) and AC Milan (0-0), the Neroverdi finally claimed three points by beating Brescia 2-0 in a rescheduled game.

Roberto De Zerbi’s boys were clinical in front of goal as they converted two of their three goalscoring chances. With the win-draw-lose record of 5-4-7, Sassuolo are now 11th in the standings, tied with Bologna and Hellas Verona.

The Neroverdi have recorded three wins, one draw and four losses at MAPEI Stadium, scoring 2.25 goals per match and coneding two in return.

Chiriches, Defrel are on the sidelines, Consigli is a doubt with a muscle injury, Toljan is banned.

New coach, same old story. The Parthenopeans stretched their winless streak in the league to eight games following an upsetting 1-2 defeat to Parma on Gennaro Gattuso’s debut. As usual, Napoli had more possesion (67%), shots (22) and goalscoring chances (8), but they ended up empty-handed in the stoppages. The Azzurri are now occupying the 8th place on the ladder, seven points behind Atalanta.

Napoli have mediocre record on the road – two wins, four draws and two defeats, averaging 1.88 goals scored per bout, whilst conceding 1.63. They shared the spoils with Udinese in their latest away fixture.

Azzurri’s defence will be shorthanded as Coulibaly and Maksimovic are out with injuries, Malcuit is a long-term absentee and Toneli and Mertens will be evaluated before the match.

I have zero intentions of backing Napoli against team on the rise. Sassuolo have upped their game considerably and I’m positive this will be quite an interesting affair.

The hosts are scoring for fun at this venue, but they’re also conceding plenty. At least three goals have been scored in all of their home games this season (including the Coppa match) and 8 of their 9 bouts at MAPEI stadium had BTTS – Yes.

Therefore, I’m going with goals despite Napoli’s dreadfut shots-to-goal ratio. They literally need 9 shots to score a goal this season – in comparison, clinical Cagliari need 4.41 shots to net one.

With a 2-2 hunch, I’m picking BTTS – Yes as my main bet and Over 3 with decent odds.

Sassuolo vs Napoli: Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score – Yes @ 1.58

• Over 3 Goals (Asian Total) @ 1.87.

Buscamos el último triunfo del 2019(Atleti)

Nuestro equipo visita el Benito Villamarín para medirse al Real Betis Balompié en el último compromiso del año.

Nuesto equipo cierra el año 2019 visitando al Real Betis Balompié en el Benito Villamarín. Los rojiblancos se desplazarán hasta Sevilla para disputar la decimoctava jornada de LaLiga que tendrá lugar este domingo a las 16:00 horas.

Los de Simeone llegan a la cita tras encadenar dos victorias consecutivas en la última semana, ambas en el Wanda Metropolitano. En el primer duelo, disputado el pasado miércoles, los nuestros se impusieron al Lokomotiv de Moscú por dos goles a cero para sellar el pase a los octavos de final de la Liga de Campeones y certificar su presencia entre los dieciséis mejores equipos de Europa. En el segundo, que tuvo lugar el pasado sábado, los rojiblancos lograron idéntico resultado, esta vez ante Osasuna, para sumar tres puntos vitales en LaLiga gracias a los tantos de Morata y de Saúl, ambos de bella factura.

En frente estará un Real Betis al alza que ha sumado trece de los últimos quince puntos en juego. Los verdiblancos llegan tras empatar a domicilio ante el Espanyol, lo que colocó su punto número 23 en su casillero. El Betis, además, encadena dos victorias consecutivas en el Benito Villamarín, donde doblegó al Valencia y al Athletic por 2-1 y 3-2, respectivamente.

El encuentro estará dirigido por el colegiado catalán Estrada Fernández.

Mbappe double keeps leaders PSG's cushion over Marseille

Dean Mouhtaropoulos, getty

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain maintained their seven-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 with a 4-1 victory over Amiens on Saturday.

World Cup winner Mbappe, who celebrated his 21st birthday on Friday, netted either side of Neymar's effort before Mauro Icardi added a late fourth at the Parc de Princes.

Steven Mendoza claimed a consolation effort for the visitors who dropped into the relegation zone.

"Kylian and Neymar are really good together, they've gained confidence. Neymar pushes Kylian and Kylian pushes Ney," PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said.

"We played like a team. Now the challenge is to keep this attitude," he added.

Second-placed Marseille remain behind their bitter rivals going into the two-week winter break with a 3-1 win over Nimes.

Tuchel recalled Neymar, the world's most expensive player, to the squad after resting him for the midweek League Cup victory over second-tier Le Mans.

Amiens boss Luka Elsner chose against giving striker Alexis Blin a start despite his injury time match-winner in Wednesday's cup success over Angers.

Mbappe opened the scoring after 12 minutes to claim his 40th goal of the calender year, chipping over goalkeeper Regis Gurtner after a sweeping counter-attack move.

Neymar scored a second, his fourth in as many league matches, two minutes into the second half before captain Thiago Silva left the field with an ankle injury after 58 minutes.

Mbappe clinched his double on 65 minutes firing past Gurtner's near-post.

Colombia winger Mendoza netted his fifth of the season with 20 minutes to play before Icardi made sure of the rout after 84 minutes.

Elsewhere, captain Dmitri Payet starred in Marseille's convincing victory over Nimes.

The 38-time France international was inches away from claiming the opener before Sofiane Alakouch turned a cross into his own net.

He was involved in the build-up to Dario Benedetto's second effort before celebrating his second goal in four matches by donning a Santa Claus hat.

"We'll make the most of the holidays because we've deserved them. We will rest well before attacking January and February which will be tough," Payet told Canal+.

Rennes rose to third edging Bordeaux 1-0 thanks to Mbaye Niang's effort as Lille dropped to fourth after a 5-1 hammering at Monaco.

Metz moved out of the bottom three with a 2-2 draw at 16th-placed Dijon due to Habib Maiga's injury time equaliser.

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction & Match Preview

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao
Spain – LaLiga
Date: Sunday, 22 December 2019
Kick-off at 20:00 UK/ 21:00 CET
Venue: Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid).

Real Madrid easily dealt with practically their toughest match of the season in the La Liga the last match-day. After outperforming Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Zinedine Zidane’s men are now the frontrunners for the league title, and they will want to keep the momentum going with a win this Sunday. As such, Bilbao’s impressive run at the moment is under severe threat.

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Head-to-head (h2h)

• The last time these two met, Madrid won 3-0.
• Bilbao have scored a total of two goals from the prior four fixtures.
• 24 of the former 26 wins went to the Los Blancos.
• In the last 20 years, Bilbao have recorded a win at this stadium just once, and it had come back in 2005.
• 20 of the last 22 meetings at this venue ended in wins for the mighty Royal Whites.

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Match Preview

After the impressive manner in which Madrid dealt with the Clasico at the Nou Camp, they have really begun hoping for the elusive league title.

Even in the absence of Eden Hazard, Marcelo etc, in midst of political unrest, and severe animosity from the crowd, Zidane’s men were the moral winners over Lionel Messi and co. And this just means one thing.

Barcelona’s reign as the favorites for Spanish Liga crown just might be over.

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction

As mentioned earlier, Real Madrid had taken a trip to Barca’s home, and though the match ended in a goalless draw, the Los Blancos had dominated all through the ninety minutes. In particular, Federico Valverde’s performance was highly praised, and just maybe, Zidane might have found a gem for the next decade at the Bernabeu.

Meanwhile, Bilbao were at home, but could not make good use of it, as they had to share the spoils at the end of the ninety minutes with a 0-0 scoreline against Eibar.

As things stand, Real Madrid are heavy favorites this Sunday. The first and foremost reason would be the stature the team holds in Spanish football, and in world football. They are widely acknowledged to be the greatest team in the world (Barca fans, please cover your eyes).

On top of that, the last several match-days, the team just has been on fire. They are unbeaten in their previous 12 games, and have lost just twice from their previous 26 fixtures. To further enhance their chances, the team has been awarded the home advantage too this weekend.

At this venue, Real Madrid have been unbeaten this whole season, and have scored a total of 29 goals from their prior ten appearances here.

Most importantly, the Madrid outfit have been merciless in their prior h2h encounters against Bilbao. In fact, in the last nine years, only once have Athletic won against this opponent, and at this venue, in the past two decades, only once have Madrid lost.

To further make it clear, Real Madrid registered 24 of the last 26 h2h wins, and at home, they managed to win 20 of the previous 22 meetings here at the Bernabeu.

In addition, the Royal Whites have scored twice or more against this team in 19 of the prior 21 clashes here, while they have conceded twice or more just thrice since 1999 in front of the home crowd.

Moreover, while Bilbao may be going through a good stretch of games at the moment, keep note that their stats on the road are worrying.

In fact, they have a total of two wins on the road this season, and just one away win in the La Liga  – one against the newly-promoted Osasuna (league), and the other against minnows CF Intercity (CDR).

Taking into account these observations, count on the hosts, Real Madrid, to record a comfortable, yet dominating win this Sunday.

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips

• Over 1.5 Team Goals by Real Madrid @ 1.44 (4/9)

• Real Madrid -0.5, -1 Asian Handicap @ 1.40 (2/5).

Denizlispor vs Alanyaspor Prediction & Match Preview

Denizlispor vs Alanyaspor
Turkey – Super Lig
Date: Monday, 23 December 2019
Kick-off at 17:00 UK/ 18:00 CET
Venue: Denizli Ataturk Stadyumu (Denizli).

The struggles that Alanyaspor have shown in the recent match-days could really have an impact on how this game would turn out to be. On top of that, Denizlispor are just five points away from a spot in the European zone, and this could drive them to go hard for a win.

Denizlispor vs Alanyaspor  Head-to-head (h2h)

• The last time these two met, Alanyaspor won on the road 0-2, in a friendly.
• The latest official encounter had come back in 2016, and then Denizlispor lost on the road 6-0.
• In the last decade, only once have a game have had goals from both teams.
• At this venue, in official fixtures, Alanyaspor have only win, and a single goal to show for, from the last ten years.

Denizlispor vs Alanyaspor  Prediction

Denizlispor had locked horns with tough customer Trabzonspor the last match-day, and the former were on the road as well. Still, Denizlispor managed to record a 1-2 comeback win.

In the meantime, Alanyaspor were held to a goalless draw at home by Antalyaspor in their latest league encounter.

This Monday, first of all take into account the form of Alanyaspor on the road. They are winless in their previous five Super Lig games away from home, and could record a total of just one goal from the prior four such fixtures.

To pile on, the team was winless in ten of their last sixteen overall games as well.

On the other hand, Denizlispor are on a run of six unbeaten fixtures, and were so in eight of their former ten match-ups. Keep note that they had also won six of these ten battles.

In fact, their sole two losses in this period had come against Sivasspor – the topper of the table, and Besiktas – one of the best teams in Turkey.

Finally, note that Alanyaspor have scored the second-least number of goals on the road this season, and they have a single goal at this venue in h2h clashes since 2009.

Considering all these observations, expect the hosts Denizlispor to emerge victorious this Monday in the Super Lig. However, to improve our chances of returns, we will go for the Double Chance, and the Asian Handicap.

Denizlispor vs Alanyaspor  Betting Tips

• Double Chance: Denizlispor or Draw @ 1.67 (2/3)

• Denizlispor +0.5, +1 Asian Handicap @ 1.50 (1/2).

Le PSG déroule face à Amiens, ses stars font le show

Offensif et appliqué, le Paris Saint-Germain a dicté sa loi à Amiens pour valider son titre honorifique de champion d'automne. Une victoire 4-1 grâce à des buts de Mbappé (x2), Neymar et Icardi.

La leçon : Fête de fin d'année

Sans forcer ni trembler, le Paris Saint-Germain s'est imposé. Amiens n'avait rien d'une terreur mais, en cette soirée finale de la Ligue 1 version 2019, Tuchel et ses quatre fantastiques, alignés ensemble sur la pelouse du Parc des Princes, ont cousu les derniers fils de la première place de Ligue 1. Paris est champion d'automne. Idéal avant de partir en vacances. La maîtrise, quasi totale sauf sur cette réduction du score signée Stiven Mendoza (70e) et cette parade sur la barre de Keylor Navas (53e), a ainsi permis à la bande parisienne de s'imposer quatre buts à un. Les hostilités ont débuté par un but de Kylian Mbappé (10e), lancé par Neymar dans la profondeur puis auteur d'un subtil piqué. Grand classique.

L'ensemble des quatre offensifs réalisant les courses nécessaires

Elles ont ensuite continué grâce à Neymar himself, après un mouvement collectif de classe. Pour résumer : Leandro Paredes, étincelant ce samedi, qui trouve une solution verticale et claque la passe, Angel Di Maria qui lance Mauro Icardi, dribbles dans la surface, passe, Neymar termine (46e). Une nouvelle réalisation avant que Kylian Mbappé ne conclut la démo. Transversale de Neymar, appel tranchant du Français puis finition clinique sur un cadeau d'Angel Di Maria (65e). Pour terminer, fin de match tranquille et collectif discipliné malgré le but picard, l'ensemble des quatre offensifs réalisant les courses nécessaires avant un nouveau but... pour Mauro Icardi celui-ci (84e). En une touche, dans la surface de réparation. La routine, sa routine.

Le gagnant : Neymar, soirée idoine

On l'a vu passer, on l'a vu marquer, on l'a vu organiser et on l'a vu distribuer, présent à l'avant-dernière passe par deux fois. Mais, mieux, on l'a surtout vu courir, presser, se replacer, tacler, intercepter - 6 ballons récupérés. Dans ce 4-4-2 à plat sans ballon, il a trouvé sa place. Discipliné sans ballon, très libre lorsque les siens regoûtent au cuir. Un rôle qui lui sied parfaitement, pour l'instant. Et ça se voit. Puisqu'on l'a même vu haranguer les foules du Parc des Princes.

Zouggi@zouggi75

Neymar a été magnifique ce soir. Passeur buteur et que dire de ses replis défensifs ? Je suis bluffé non pas par son talent qu’on connait tous mais par son implication je m’y attendais plus

221

6:31 PM - Dec 21, 2019

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Le perdant : Amiens mode spectateur

Face à la tribu fuoriclasse chez laquelle Amiens se déplaçait, il y avait des raisons de croire que la soirée allait être compliquée. Et, comme prévu, elle l'aura été. Plus haut, on parlait des classiques parisiens. Le classique de ses adversaires reste celui du mode spectateur, et les Picards n'y ont pas échappé. On ne leur reprochera pas de s'être projeté dans le camp adverse. On dira cependant que la défense a subi. Bien trop pour espérer quelque chose. - A.B.