The world's top five soccer clubs as of Oct. 23, 2017

Here it is, the second edition of this season's top five club ranking, reflecting the full slate of weekend games. Check out last week's iteration here. There were some important results with the teams in the #top5 (yes that's going viral) so let's see how that affected things. This list was updated to add a non-European team and "honorable mention" roll of other clubs warranting consideration. Scroll to the bottom to read that section or click here:

5. Tottenham Hotspur

Last week's spot: None, this is Spurs' first appearance pretty much ever since we've been doing these lists.
Record in all competition: 9-1-3 (nine wins, one loss, three draws)
Notable results: Lost to Chelsea at home (2-1, on Aug. 20), beat Borussia Dortmund at home (3-1, Sept. 13), drew at Real Madrid (1-1, Oct. 17), beat Liverpool 4-1 at home yesterday.
Discussion: It was a superb week for Spurs, starting with the impressive performance at the Bernabeu. Then there was the beat-down of Liverpool yesterday. The 4-1 scoreline actually flattered Liverpool, who were a complete mess defensively and don't look to be making any appearances on this list anytime soon, if ever. But at least they still have Jurgen Klopp. Oh wait, Klopp's record is actually worse than both of his predecessors' after the same number of games played. But this isn't about Klopp or Liverpool -- it's about Tottenham and the fact is Mauricio Pochettino's men belong here in a list of the best teams on the planet. They've been tested against the best (Real Madrid, away) and didn't blink. They've beaten every other quality side they faced except for Chelsea (their one loss) and that was in August. Games played in August are deeply discounted in our model, and not because Harry Kane isn't able to score any goals during that month. Tottenham ooze quality. Their goalkeeper is one of the best shot-stoppers in the game, their three centerbacks match up with any on the planet and then there's Harry Kane. English players are often usually almost always overhyped, often to the point of hyperbole, but with Kane the superlatives simply fit -- and that's according to people like Thierry Henry, a proven hater. Keep in mind that Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen have not really found their form, that Moussa Dembele and Danny Rose have been injured and that Kyle Walker left during the close season. This team is not just good, it can still get a lot better. Man City and Europe should take notice. These are giddy times for us Spurs supporters.
The road ahead: After a challenging week things don't get any easier. A League Cup match against West Ham is Wednesday, followed by a trip to Old Trafford on Saturday. Man United have seen better days and there are indications Jose Mourinho has lost the dressing room already and the team is on for a repeat performance of 2016/17. Still a visit to the Old Trafford is never easy and Spurs have lost or drawn 73 percent of the time these teams have played historically (136 of 186 games, according to our friends at 11v11.com. The recent record is more in Tottenham's favor though, with the North London side losing just three of the last 10 matchups). The return leg against Real is Nov. 1. The North London derby Nov. 19 followed by the return leg against Borussia Dortmund two days later. Man City, if you're curious, is on the docket for Dec. 16. It's feasible that match could go a long way toward deciding the Premiership title.

4. Real Madrid

Last week: Fifth
Record in all competition: 8-1-3 (8 wins, 1 loss, 3 ties)
Notable results: Won at Dortmund (by 3-1, on Sept. 26), drew Tottenham Hotspur at home (1-1, Oct. 17)
Discussion: Real Madrid move up a spot by virtue of Man United dropping out. Real held serve this weekend, beating SD Eibar by the impressive-sounding score of 3-nil. While Real are just third in La Liga, it is due to points dropped in August (when two of their draws took place) and in their solitary loss to Real Betis on Sept. 20. None of those results speak to any real weakness with this team, though it will be very interesting indeed to see how they do at Wembley in the return leg against Spurs.
The road ahead: The return leg at Tottenham is Nov. 1. The Madrid derby is Nov. 28. A trip to Bilbao looms Dec. 12. The superclasico clash against Barcelona is on Dec. 20.

3. Paris Saint Germain

Last week: Second
Record in all competition: 11-0-2
Notable results: Beat Bayern Munich (3-0, Sept. 27), drew Olympique Marseille (2-2, Oct. 22)
Discussion: PSG came back to draw Olympique Marseille yesterday in thrilling fashion. The highlights are worth watching. Here, check them out:

Thrilling though the game was, it still exposed some weaknesses in PSG's game, particularly its defense. The ranking committee has taken notice and docked PSG one spot in the #top5. PSG should still win Ligue Un with ease. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess. They likely won't be truly tested until the elimination round of the Champions League, depending on who they draw.
The road ahead: The return leg at Bayern Munich which wraps up the UCL group stage is worth watching. Probably won't matter in the standings but could be a good test as Bayern look resurgent under Jupp Heynckes. That game is Dec. 5. Also visit Monaco (currently second in Ligue Un), Nov. 25.

2. FC Barcelona

Last week: Third
Record in all competition: 11-0-1
Notable results: Beat Juventus (3-0, Sept. 12). Drew at Atletico Madrid (1-1, Oct. 14)
Discussion: Barca move up a spot by virtue of a 2-nil victory over Malaga on Saturday. Their record is now quite simply better than PSG's and they look the better side so far, albeit by a narrow margin.
The road ahead: Visit Athletic Bilbao Saturday. The return leg against Juventus is Nov. 22, though that may not matter at that point.
The clash with Real Madrid is on Wednesday, Dec. 20. At the Bernabeu. Midweek. Should be fun.

1. Manchester City

Last week: First
Record in all competition: 12-0-1
Notable results: Won at Chelsea (1-0, Sept. 30), beat Napoli (2-1, Oct. 17)
Discussion: Man City continue to boss England and Europe alike. Last week they saw off Napoli with ease and had a nice stroll at Burnley yesterday. Their goal difference in the Premiership is 32 for, four against and in the Champions League it's been a similar story: eight scored, one conceded. Their Champions League group may not be a veritable group of death, but it does include a tough visit to Shakhtar Donetsk (already passed, City won 2-nil) and the aforementioned Napoli who currently lead Serie with an unbeaten record (it was unbeaten and untied but Napoli drew Inter Milan on Saturday). It's hard to see exactly where and whether Man City have any weaknesses. Surely the defense is untested and may begin to show signs of rust as the season wears on. But for now, this is the top team in the world, hands down. Oh yeah that one draw was against Everton on the second matchday of the season. Like we said, August. It's hard to imagine City not putting 10 past Everton if that match were played now.
The road ahead: An easy week with Wolverhampton Wanderers in League Cup action on Wednesday, followed by West Bromwich Albion on the weekend. The return leg against Napoli is the following Tuesday. The Manchester derby is the second weekend in December, though with the way things are going Man U don't look like they'll be able to offer up much in the way of competition.

Non European Team of Note: River Plate

Unbeaten so far, with a record of six wins, no losses and three draws in all competition (the Soccer Source ranking system counts matches played over two legs as one result). Sit second in the Argentine Superliga, six points behind ancient rivals Boca Juniors who have a perfect start through six games but are not in any continental competition. River Plate is in the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores. The first leg of kicks off tonight against Lanus, who are currently fifth in the Argentine top flight.

Also receiving consideration for top five: Napoli (first place in Serie A, but just third in their Champions League group), Chelsea (first in their CL group where they won at Atletico Madrid, fourth in Premiership), Besiktas (first in their Champions League group after defeats of Monaco, RB Leipzig and FC Porto, but just third in domestic competition).

Buenos Aires 'superclasico' on for March 21

It's on, baby. The next incarnation of the Buenos Aires 'superclasico' between River Plate and Boca Juniors will be held at La Bombonera on March 21 (links to pdf document from the Asociacion del Futbol Argentino). The match is nothing short of the top sporting event to witness in person before you die, according to The Observer. While the piece does not differentiate between attending the event at the Bombonera (Boca's home ground) or the Monumental across town (River's stadium), if you're going to pick between the two, the Bombonera should probably be your choice. This despite the fact it's ranked one spot lower (ninth) as a 'soccer mecca' than the Monumental. The Bombonera is smaller, more crowded and louder. And yes, more dangerous. Which, let's face it, is part of the allure when attending soccer matches in South America (though there have not been any serious incidents in quite some time, at least not any resulting in fatalities). The ground's curious shape that gives it its name and raucous atmosphere make it the most intimidating place to play anywhere, according to some estimates. For the serious soccer fan and world traveler, attending this event is not a choice but a requirement. Which is why, this year, Soccer Source is going to make a serious attempt at making the trip. Are you with me?

Ranking the world's soccer meccas: No. 8, El Monumental, Buenos Aires

For ranking methodology and other information about the series, see the original post. To read the about the No. 9-rated stadium, the Bombonera in Buenos Aires click here. To see all "soccer mecca" entries click here.

8. Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti (El Monumental), Buenos Aires
Open since: 1938 (renovated 1978)
Capacity: 66,000
Tenant(s): River Plate, Argentine national team
World Cup hosts: 1978
Closest U.S. stadium comparison: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.

If the Bombonera is Argentina's version of Fenway Park--an odd-shaped, quirky, loud grounds in a residential neighborhood--then El Monumental is Yankee Stadium: big, grandiose, corporate, of "the establishment." Some of that of course stems from the identity of the stadium's main tenent; River Plate is very much the "establishment" club of Argentina (one of the club's nicknames is los millionarios, or the millionaires), and of the posh Nunez neighborhood where El Monumental was built. Just like the Yankees...if Yankee Stadium weren't in the Bronx, that is.

The Monumental is the national grounds of Argentina, where its storied albicelestes play (nearly all) their home games. Imagine if Wembley Stadium also hosted, say, Chelsea, or the Stade de France held Paris Saint Germain games, and you get a a bit of the idea.

Wait, so if the Bombonera was already featured, what is the Monumental doing here? Are there really two stadiums from one city in the list of top 10 soccer meccas? Yes there are. However, both are relatively far back in the rankings (at eight and nine there are seven stadia still ahead of them). Each is distinct and famous in its own right (and for different reasons at that). It would have been an injustice to leave out one or the other. So there you have it.

El Monumental was Argentina's first industrial, steel and concrete soccer stadium and consists of two tiers in the shape of a horse shoe. During its early years it contained a school and medical practice.

The Monumental edges the Bombonera in the standings for one simple reason: it hosted a World Cup. Not only that, but it was the scene of both the 1978 final and third-placed games (won by Argentina and Brazil, respectively).

That World Cup tournament is historically significant, but sadly for all the wrong reasons. It was a propaganda coup for the military junta that ruled Argentina at the time (indeed 1978 may have very well been the peak of its power--no coincidence there). In this respect, many have compared it to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. An LA Times article from last year deals with this theme at greater length.

In the three decades since the tournament, other nefarious allegations have surfaced. Did the Colombian mafia bribe the Peruvian national team to throw its second round game with the host nation, as this Daily Mail piece points out? Were the Argentine players doped for the final? (A urine sample that was supposed to have been taken from an Argentine player showed the individual in question to be pregnant, a strong indication that the samples were at least tampered with, if not doctored outright).

As for the Monumental, it hosted Argentina's first round games but not the infamous win over Peru (or the violent scoreless draw against Brazil; those matches were held in Rosario). It did host a preview of the 1982 final, between Italy and West Germany (the game ended scoreless) as well as Italy's first round upset of the hosts (a 1-nil game where a certain Paolo Rossi assisted on the winning goal) that kept Argentina from playing its second round games at El Monumental. It was also where Argentina narrowly defeated France (with a young Michel Platini) in its opener.

And of course the final, an overtime thriller the hosts won through a brace by their hero Mario Kempes, was held here. That match, undoubtedly the most famous in the stadium's history, and probably one of the most exciting World Cup finals of all time, was not without controversy either. The home side didn't like the Israeli referee assigned to the match so it lobbied (successfully) for an Italian one. Argentine players delayed the kickoff protesting a cast on the arm of a Dutch player. Once it finally started, the home side (through Kempes, natch) took a first half lead before Holland's Dick Nanninga equalized eight minutes from time. The Netherlands apparently had Argentina on the ropes at this point and were robbed of a clear penalty moments after the equalizer by the Italian referee. In stoppage time they came an inch or two from winning their only World Cup when Robbie Rensinbrink fired a shot off the post from point blank range. The Oranje have not come close since. The Argentines scored twice in overtime to clinch the victory.

Did the most famous Argentine player of all time ever play at El Monumental? Not in that World Cup he didn't. The then-17-year old Diego Armando Maradona was left off of Cesar Luis Menotti's squad. But there were many other appearances, including several for the Argentine national team. He scored several goals as well, both for the albicelestes and for club side Boca Juniors. His first appearance at the Monumental may have been as early as 1973 when his Argentinos Juniors' Cebollitas youth club beat River's juniors 5-4 in a city final, according to the Leandro Zannoni book Vivir en los medios: Maradona off the record (page 21). It appears Maradona played his last match as a professional at the Monumental, in a 1997 SuperClasico won by Boca Juniors to whom he had returned in 1995. Maradona also coached his first game for the Argentina national team here, a 4-0 victory over Venezuela this March.

Other than the '78 tournament, the stadium may unfortunately be best known for the Puerta 12 tragedy of June 23, 1968 (a decade and two days before the Holland-Argentina final). 71 fans were killed in a crush at the Monumental's Gate 12. There are various explanations of what happened in what was one of the worst incidents with soccer fans in the history of the sport (and the worst on Argentine territory, ever).

Of course there are happier memories as well. Many from the annual SuperClasico between Boca Juniors and River Plate. In October, 1972 the home side went up two-nil, was scored on four straight times, rallied to win 5-4 in the highest-scoring SuperClasico of all time. Another famous River comeback was in 1997, when the home side was down three goals but managed to eke out a 3-3 draw. Boca Juniors had their moments as well, the biggest (by score at least, not necessarily magnitude) in a 5-1 blowout victory in March 1982. More recently, in 2004 Boca won the return leg of a Copa Libertadores semifinal on penalties after the two sides traded goals in the final minutes (Carlos Tevez supplied one of the goals for Boca Juniors).

In 1986, River won their first Copa Libertadores final, winning the return leg at the Monumental over America of Colombia by 1-0 (they won the first leg 2-1). This event was repeated, with identical protagonists, in the 1996 version of the final, though this time River lost the first leg at Cali before coming through in the return at the Monumental.

The Argentine national team has played several historic matches here (beyond 1978 of course) and a few they'd rather forget. The biggest of the latter may be a 5-0 loss to Colombia in a 1993 World Cup qualifier, a scoreline made even more incredible by the fact that Argentina had a 33-game unbeaten run coming into the game. (Was this what caused Pele to famously predict Colombia would win the World Cup in 1994? Who knows). The albiceleste were forced to play a qualifier with Australia as a result.

Another bitter memory (from an Argentine point of view) came in the semifinals of the 1987 Copa America games, where Uruguay upset the hosts 1-0. Uruguay went on to win the tournament over Chile (also at the Monumental). Argentina didn't even win the game for third place, succumbing to Colombia.

More pleasant albiceleste memories are the 1946 South American championship. Argentina played several times at the Monumental, winning all games including the final against Brazil in another famous encounter marked by fighting on the pitch with police. In the 1959 iteration of the tourney, Argentina beat Brazil (with a 19-year old Pele) again in the final--again at the Monumental.

Speaking of Pele, he did quite well at the Monumental. In the aforementioned 1959 tourney, he scored an astonishing eight times in six games. Amazingly, those appear to have been the only times Pele ever played in Argentina as a member of the selecao (not sure about his appearances with his club side. Somebody else can research that).

Now is where all the Boca fans can cry about the injustice of putting the Monumental ahead of their beloved Bombonera. Have at it, Xeneizes!

Photo taken from 100x100millonario.blogspot.com

Ranking the world's soccer meccas: No. 9, Estadio Alberto J. Armando (La Bombonera), Buenos Aires

For ranking methodology and other information about the series, see the original post. To read the about the No. 10-rated stadium, the San Siro in Milan, go here. To see all "soccer mecca" entries click here or on the "topics covered here" link below right.

9. Estadio Alberto J. Armando (La Bombonera), Buenos Aires
Open since: 1940 (renovated 1995-96)
Capacity: 57,395
Tenant(s): Boca Juniors
World Cup hosts: Never
Closest U.S. stadium comparison: Fenway Park, Boston.

Okay, so how can a place make this list if it never even hosted a single World Cup match? Because it's the Bombonera, that's why. The Estadio Alberto J. Armando (it's official name since 2000) is preceded by its quasi-mystical reputation. It is said to be the most intimidating place to play, anywhere. The curious shape that gives the grounds its name (a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands around the rest resembles a candy box, or bombonera in Spanish) only adds to its mystique and contributes to the raucous acoustics. The place quite literally sways back and forth when its crazed fans are in full frenzy. Attending a match at the Bombonera, preferably for a Boca Juniors vs. River Plate superclasico, is arguably a requirement for anybody wishing to call themselves a true fan of the beautiful game.

If this makes the stadium sound like a veritable temple to the sport, that's because it is. So why then isn't it higher up in these rankings? Indeed, why isn't it No. 1? Simple. For all its (numerous) charms, the Bombonera has hosted few matches of historical significance. Perhaps because one of the times it did, in 1969, the home side (in this case the Argentine national team) managed just a 2-2 draw with Peru in a vital World Cup qualifier that kept the albiceleste out of the 1970 World Cup. It was not used in the 1978 World Cup. Unfortunately, this dearth of historic activity keeps the grounds from becoming the mecca of the sport.

Which is not to say La Bombonera hasn't hosted some important, if not groundbreaking events in world soccer. It was here that a certain Diego Armando Maradona received his first cap for the Argentine national team, entering as a second-half substitute in a 1977 friendly against Hungary. (Maradona did not play his first professional game here, as is often assumed because of his affiliation with Boca Juniors, a club he did not actually join until 1981, when he was 21 years old. Previously he played with Argentinos Juniors). Juan Riquelme got his full international debut at La Bombonera in a 1997 World Cup qualifier against Colombia (which ended in a 1-1 draw). In 1968, Manchester United played here (and lost, to Estudiantes) in the first leg of the Intercontinental Cup. In 1977, Boca Juniors hosted Borussia Moenchengladbach of Germany (after Liverpool passed on the invite) in the same tournament. England played a friendly here in 1977 (and drew, 1-1. Hard to believe there were once "friendly" matches between England and Argentina).

Then there are the Superclasico matches, between River Plate and Boca Juniors, about which an entire book can be (and probably has been) written. The U.K.'s Observer famously listed attending one of these matches as the very first of 50 "sporting events you must do before you die." About 220 such matches have been played, not including friendlies. Many of these have been held at La Bombonera, including several epic encounters: In 1962, Boca beat River 1-0 to move into first place (they captured the title in the next round). In 1974, Carlos Garcia Cambon scored four goals in his Boca Juniors debut as the home side won 5-2 (Gambon remains the only player of either team to have scored four times in the Superclasico). In 1996, Claudio Caniggia scored three as Boca defeated River 4-1. In 2000, Boca won the return leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinal by 3-0 to advance to the semis 4-2 on aggregate. They would eventually win the tournament. Of course, River had their share of triumphs at La Bombonera as well, perhaps most famously in 1977 when they scored a last minute winner on their way to the Metropolitano championship.

Photo taken from stadiumguide.com.

The world's top 25 soccer clubs, Feb. 23, 2009

Barcelona's place at the top of this list has been a constant for nearly the entire season. The Soccer Source Ranking Committee has been so impressed with Barca's play this season, we previously said it would take more than one loss to knock them from the top of this list. Did we keep our promise? Read on to find out.

1 (1). FC Barcelona
Yes, we're sticking with Barca. In so doing we are taking the entire season's "body of work" into account. Saturday's loss to Espanyol was just the team's second in all Spanish competition this season (including cup games), a run of 29 games. They did lose one other game this season but that was in a completely meaningless Champions League encounter with Shakhtar Donetsk. Man. United and Inter, the only two realistic alternatives for the No. 1 slot at this time, both suffered their second domestic league loss some time ago. Inter lost two Champions League games and didn't even win their group. Man United did win their's, but did not impress (ties with Celtic, Villareal and Aalborg). But now that Barca did take their second league loss, there is no margin for error left. Their next loss will likely cost them this spot (depending on what the teams behind them do, of course).
Next Up: Visit Lyon in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Host Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Against Top 25 (when they were Top 25): Beat Atletico Madrid at home (6-1, Oct. 4), beat Sporting Lisbon at home (3-1, Sept. 16), beat Sporting Lisbon away (5-2, Nov. 26), beat Sevilla away (3-0, Nov. 29), beat Valencia at home (4-0, Dec. 6), beat Real Madrid at home (2-0, Dec. 13), won at Villareal (2-1, Dec. 21), beat Atletico Madrid over two legs (5-2 aggregate) in the Copa del Rey.

2 (3). Manchester United
Man U. take back the second spot from Inter because they played (and won) two games last week, against Fulham and Blackburn, while Inter played (and won) just one. But the two sides will have a chance to decide this battle for themselves soon...
Next Up: It's off to Inter Milan for the Champions League tomorrow. Also host Pompey, Sunday.
Against Top 25: Lost to Zenit St. Petersburg (2-1), lost at Liverpool (2-1, Sept. 13), tied Villareal at home (0-0, Sept. 17) and away (0-0, Nov. 25), tied at Chelsea (1-1, Sept. 21), beat Celtic at home (3-0, Oct. 22) and tied at Celtic Park (1-1, Nov. 6), lost at Arsenal (2-1, Nov. 8), beat Chelsea at home (3-0, Jan. 11).

3 (2). Inter Milan
Inter drop a spot by no fault of their own, but because they only played (and won) one game, while Man U. did two (the roles were reversed in last week's Top 25 so it's only fair). Inter struggled a bit won at Bologna.
Next Up: The CL grudge match with Man United. Also host Roma, Sunday.
Against Top 25: Lost to AC Milan (1-0, Sept. 28), won at Panathinaikos (2-0, Sept. 16), tied at Fiorentina (0-0, Oct. 29), beat Udinese (1-0, Nov. 9), beat Juventus (1-0, Nov. 22), beat AS Roma in Coppa Italia (2-1, Jan. 21), beat AC Milan (2-1, Feb. 15).

4 (4). Real Madrid
Another blowout for Real, who really appear to have found their form since losing to Barca back on Dec. 13. This weekend it was Real Betis' turn to take the beating, by a 6-1 score. Their ninth straight victory.
Next Up: Host Liverpool in the first leg of their CL Round of 16 tie Wednesday. Then visit Barca-beaters Espanyol on Saturday.
Against Top 25: Beat Zenit St. Petersburg twice (2-1 on the road, Sept. 30 and 3-0 at home, Dec. 9), beat Atletico Madrid (2-1, Oct. 18), lost to Juventus (2-1 on the road, Oct. 22 and 2-0 at home, Nov. 5), lost at Barca (2-0, Dec. 14), beat Valencia at home (1-0, Dec. 20), beat Villareal at home (1-0, Jan. 4).

5 (6). Juventus
Juve beat Palermo, 2-0, to move up a spot.
Next Up: It's off to Stamford Bridge for the Champions League tie with Chelsea.
Against Top 25: Beat Zenit St. Petersburg at home (1-0, Sept. 17) and tied on the road (0-0, Nov. 25), tied at Fiorentina (1-1, Aug. 31), tied at BATE Borisov (2-2, Sept. 30), beat Real Madrid (2-1 at home, Oct. 22 and 2-0 at the Bernabeu, Nov. 5), lost at Inter Milan (1-0, Nov. 22), beat AC Milan at home (4-2, Dec. 14)

6 (5). Liverpool
Reds were not able to beat Man. City yesterday, settling for a 1-1 tie that does them absolutely no favors in the Premiership title race. If there is even a Premiership title race left at this point...
Next Up: Visit No. 4 Real Madrid Wednesday. Play at Middlesbrough, Saturday.
Against Top 25: Beat Manchester United (2-1, Sept. 13), beat Olympique Marseille on the road (2-1, Sept. 16), tied Atletico Madrid (1-1 at Madrid, Oct. 22 and 1-1 at Anfield, Nov. 6), won at Chelsea (1-0, Oct. 26), tied at Arsenal (1-1, Dec. 21), beat Chelsea at home (2-0, Feb. 1).

7. (7). Chelsea
Blues are back. Probably not in the Premiership title race, but as a factor in the Top 10. Guus Hiddink's men beat Aston Villa at Villa Park Saturday, their most impressive victory in, well, all season pretty much...
Next Up: Host Juve inthe first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 Wednesday. Wigin visit Stamford Bridge Saturday.
Against Top 25 clubs: Tied Man U at home (1-1, Sept. 21), lost to Liverpool (1-0, Oct. 25), lost to Arsenal at home (2-1, Nov. 30), lost at Man United (3-0, Jan. 11), lost at Liverpool (2-0, Feb. 1), won at Aston Villa (1-0, Feb. 21).

8 (8). Olympique Lyon
Won at Nancy, 2-0 (that's the actual name of a town in France, not some attempt at a backhanded slight of their masculinity). Lyon's lead in France is back to six points.
Next Up: Host No. 1 Barca, tomorrow! Be there. Also host Stade Rennes, Sunday.
Against Top 25: Tied Fiorentina at home (2-2, Sept. 17) and Bayern Munich on the road (1-1, Sept. 30), won at Fiorentina (2-1, Nov. 25), lost to Bayern at home (3-2, Dec. 10).

9 (11). Porto
Won at Pacos de Ferreira to expand their Liga Sagres lead to four points (second-placed Benfica lost the Lisbon derby to Sporting Saturday).
Next Up: The first leg of their Champs League knockout tie with Atletico Madrid tomorrow. That one will be at Madrid. Then they host Sporting Lisbon, Sunday. A tough week, that should demonstrate if they are deserving of a top 10 spot.
Against Top 25: Lost at Arsenal (4-0, Sept. 30), won at Sporting Lisbon (2-1, Oct. 5), lost at home to Dynamo Kiev (1-0, Oct. 21), won at Kiev (2-1, Nov. 5), beat Arsenal at home (2-0, Dec. 10).

10. (9) AC Milan
The rossoneri tied Werder Bremen 1-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Cup Round of 32 match-up. They lead most of the game before taking a late equalizer but should still be in a good position to advance, seeing as the return leg is at San Siro. Also beat Cagliari Saturday.
Next Up: The return leg with Werder at San Siro, Thursday and a visit to Sampdoria, Sunday.
Against Top 25: Beat Inter Milan (1-0, Sept. 28), beat Lazio (4-1, Sept. 21), lost at Juventus (4-2, Dec. 14), tied at AS Roma (2-2, Jan. 11), lost to Inter Milan (2-1, Feb. 15).

11 (17). Panathinaikos
Beat Panionios, 2-1, Saturday. With Olympiakos losing, the gap is now "only" 11 points. Panathinaikos are in this space mainly by virtue of winning their Champions League group. Do they deserve it? We'll have to wait and see.
Next Up: Visit Villareal in the Champions League and visit Olympiakos, Sunday.
Against Top 25: Lost to Inter Milan at home (2-0, Sept. 16), beat Inter Milan (1-0 away on Nov. 25)

12 (19). Sporting Lisbon
Beat crosstown rivals Benfica, 3-2, to move into a tie for second place (with Benfica), four points behind the leaders, No. 9 Porto.
Next Up: The first leg of their Champions League knockout rounder with Bayern Munich (at Lisbon) on Wednesday. Then visit the aforementioned Porto, Sunday.
Against Top 25: Lost to Barcelona (3-1 away, Sept. 19 and 5-2 home, Nov. 25).

13 (12). Aston Villa
It was a bad week for Martin O'Neill's men. First they managed just a 1-1 tie with CSKA Moscow at Villa Park in the first leg of their UEFA Cup tie, then lost 1-0 at home to No. 7 Chelsea. They still have a six point lead over fifth-placed Arsenal in the Premiership, but Villa's star may be fading...
Next Up: The return leg of the UEFA Cup Thursday. Host Stoke City Sunday.
Against Top 25: Tied Liverpool at home (0-0, Aug. 31), lost at Chelsea (2-0, Oct. 5), beat Arsenal away (2-0, Nov. 15) tied Man United at home (0-0, Nov. 22), lost to Chelsea (1-0, Feb. 21).

14 (15). AS Roma
Rebounded from an embarrassing 3-0 loss at Bergamo to beat Siena 1-0 on Saturday.
Next Up: It's off to Emirates (the stadium, not the country) tomorrow for the next stage of the Champions League. Then another huge game at Inter Milan, Sunday.
Against Top 25: Lost at home to Inter (4-0, Oct. 19), lost at Chelsea (1-0, Oct. 22), lost at Udinese (3-1, Oct. 26), lost at Juventus (2-0, Nov. 1), beat Chelsea (3-1, Nov. 4), beat Fiorentina (1-0, Nov. 29), tied AC Milan at home (2-2, Jan. 11), lost at Inter (2-1, Jan. 21) in Coppa Italia.

15 (13). Arsenal
Had no problems with Cardiff City in their F.A. Cup replay, winning 4-0. But were not able to get past a scoreless draw with Sunderland Saturday.
Next Up: Host No. 14 Roma, tomorrow and Fulham, Saturday.
Against Top 25: Tied Dynamo Kiev away (1-1, Sept. 17) won at home (1-0, Nov. 25), beat Man United at home (2-1, Nov. 8), beat Chelsea away (2-1, Nov. 30), tied Liverpool at home (1-1, Dec. 21).

16 (14). FC Sao Paulo
Managed only a 1-1 tie with Independiente Medellin in their first Copa Libertadores game last week. Had better luck in their Paulista match, winning 3-1 at Barueri Saturday. They're third in the Paulista.
Next Up: More Paulista action. Host Oeste, Friday and visit Santos Sunday.

17 (-). Hamburg SV
HSV return to the list with their highest ranking yet, thanks to two impressive road wins last week. The first was in the UEFA Cup at NEC Nijmegen, where they won 3-0 all but assuring advancement to the round of 16. The second was a 2-1 victory at Bayer Leverkusen yesterday. Martin Jol's side is now first in the German Bundesliga for the first time since Kevin Keegan played for the club (not really, but it's been awhile). Their last appearance in this space was in the Feb. 2 edition.
Next Up: The return leg with Nijmegen Thursday and Wolfsburg, also at home, Sunday.
Against Top 25: Tied at Bayern Munich (2-2, Aug. 15), beat Bayern at home (1-0, Jan. 30).

18 (10). Bayern Munich
Juergen Klinsmann's side lost again, this time at home to Cologne. Not good. They slip to fourth in the Bundesliga, but are still within four points of HSV. The way the Bundesliga's been going this season, that's nothing.
Next Up: The first leg of their Champions League tie with Sporting Lisbon takes place in Portugal, Wednesday. Also visit Werder Bremen Sunday.
Against Top 25: Tied Olympique Lyon at home (1-1, Sept. 30), won at Steaua Bucharest (1-0, Sept. 17), beat Fiorentina at home (3-0, Oct. 22), tied at Fiorentina (1-1, Nov. 6), beat Hoffenheim (2-1, Dec. 5), beat Olympique Lyon on the road (3-2, Dec. 10).

19 (-). River Plate
Los Millonarios return to the Top 25 for the first time since Jan. 28, 2008. That's more than a year. River had a forgettable Apertura season, finishing 20th (and dead last), but have turned it on in '09. After a 2-2 tie with Colon de Santa Fe in the Clausura opener, they have won three in a row, including a 1-0 decision over Paraguay's Nacional Asuncion in the Copa Libertadores.
Next Up: Visit San Lorenzo, Sunday. Their next Copa Lib game is March 6 at Peru's Deportivo San Martin.

20 (22). Sevilla
Beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 Saturday.
Next Up: A pair of games with Atletic Bilbao, the first in La Liga at Seville Saturday. The second is at Bilbao a week from Wednesday and is actually the first leg in their Copa del Rey tie. So they'll actually play Bilbao three times in three weeks. Got all that?
Against Top 25: Won at Atletico Madrid (1-0, Sept. 28), won at Real Madrid (4-3, Dec. 7), lost to Barcelona at home (3-0, Nov. 29), beat Villareal at home (1-0, Dec. 13), beat Valencia over two legs in the Copa del Rey.

21 (-). Villareal
Beat Sporting Gijon, 2-1 and return to the Top 25 for the first time since Feb. 9. Okay, so that's only a two week absence.
Next Up: Host. No. 11 Panathinaikos, Wednesday. Visit Real Betis, Sunday.
Against Top 25: Tied Man U twice (0-0 at Old Trafford, Sept. 18 and 0-0 at home Nov. 25), beat Celtic at home (1-0, Sept. 29), tied Atletico Madrid at home (4-4, Oct. 26), lost at Sevilla (1-0, Dec. 14), lost to Barcelona at home (2-1, Dec. 21), lost at Real Madrid (1-0, Jan. 4), tied Valencia on the road (3-3, Jan. 10).

22 (-). LDU Quito
The defending Copa Libertadores champs return to the Top 25 after being the first club in 2009 to beat Brazil's Palmeiras (they did so last Tuesday in the Copa Libertadores, winning 3-2). The Ecuadorian side are off to an unbeaten start in their country's Serie A Apertura, winning two and drawing two.
Next Up: Host Sociedad Deportivo Quito, Friday. Their next Libertadores match is March 5 at Brazil's Sport Recife.
Against Top 25: Beat Palmeiras (3-2, Feb. 17)

23 (-). Nacional
Uruguay's Apertura champs become the first ever club from the country to appear in the Top 25. They are unbeaten so far in 2009 and won their first two Copa Libertadores matches, against Peru's Deportivo San Martin and Paraguay's Nacional Asuncion. Okay, so maybe that's not all that impressive, but we were hard-pressed to fill out the Top 25 this week, with so many teams from last week's Top 25 losing.
Next Up: Visit Villa Espanola in Clausura action Friday.

24 (18). Palmeiras
Palmeiras lost their Copa Libertadores opener at LDU Quito, who, it should be noted, are the tournament's defending champions. Also tied Portuguesa in their Paulista game Saturday. They still lead the Paulista league but only by one point over Corinthians and two over Sao Paolo.
Next Up: A pair of Paulista games, at Sao Caetano Thursday and at home to Guarani, Saturday. Their next Libertadores game is March 3, when they host Chile's Colo Colo.

25 (-). Deportivo Toluca
The Diablos Rojos make their debut appearance on this list, replacing Chivas de Guadelajara as the CONCACAF representative (one club from CONCACAF is required according to our bylaws. Don't go looking for the bylaws online. They're top secret and only known by the Soccer Source Ranking Committee's inner circle. Maybe we'll divulge them in the interests of transparency at some point. But Toluca are unbeaten in seven Mexican Clausura games this season (four wins and one draw). Unfortunately they aren't in the Copa Libertadores.
Next Up: Visit Monterrey Sunday.
Against Top 25: Won at Chivas (2-1, Feb. 19)

Dropping Out:
Standard Liege (16), Boca Juniors (20), Hertha Berlin (21), Chivas (23) Olympiakos (24), Newell's Old Boys (25).

Conclusion/Commentary:
A very South America-heavy Top 25 this week. We just couldn't find any European teams worthy of inclusion. Standard Liege, who we (foolishly, it turns out) had as high as 16th, lost 3-0 to Sporting Braga in the first leg of their UEFA Cup tie and will in all likelihood exit said tournament next week. AZ Alkmaar are first in the Netherlands and have by all accounts been impressive there. But it is the Eredivisie, which is having a curious off year. And Alkmaar have not played in any European competition. None at all. Zilch. Zero. Zip. Okay so what about a club like Everton, who are sixth in the Premiership? They were beaten by Standard over two legs in the UEFA Cup. The same Standard we were so high on before last week. For fans of Genoa or Hoffenheim, who think their clubs warrant inclusion based on their domestic performances, we simply point to Alkmaar as another club who is better placed in their domestic league but are still not in the Top 25. Say what you want about the South American clubs, they definitely play each other regularly in intra-continental competition, while a club like Everton will be lucky to do so once a season (and before you ask, the same applies to the first-placed club in Turkey, Sivasspor). Having said that, however, we are a little nervous about putting River Plate as high as we did. But what's the worst that can happen? They end up being terrible? We'll just do what politicians do and deny we put them there!

The Wednesday Wrap: River Rules In Day Of Draws

Even though there were no Champions League or UEFA Cup matches today was a busy day in the world of soccer/football--and not just in Europe either. In fact, the biggest games outside of the San Siro were probably played in South America, where the Copa Libertadores group stages have begun to take shape. Interestingly enough, of all the important games that were played today, only one--River Plate's 2-1 victory over Club America--had a winner. The rest were draws. Look at these scores:

Inter Milan 1, AS Roma 1
Barcelona 1, Valencia 1
AC Milan 1, Catania 1
Atletico Nacional Medellin 1, Sao Paulo 1

Actually there were two more games that ended tied after 90 minutes but as these were the German cup quarterfinals and only played over one leg, they went to overtime. Wolfsburg beat Hamburg 2-1 after extra time while Bayern beat cross-town rivals 1860 Munich (who are a second division side these days) 1-0 on a Franck Ribery penalty in the 122nd (and I imagine last) minute of the game. This means Borussia Dortmund and Carl Zeiss Jena--who won yesterday--join Bayern and Wolfsburg in the semis. I don't think those matches have been drawn yet.

In the Libertadores. Group Five, with River, America, Universidad Catolica and Universidad San Martin, is living up to its Group of Death billing, as all four clubs are now tied with three points each after two games. The River-America match was obviously the main event so far--probably among all Copa Lib matches. What a great game. I invite anybody who thinks the only good club soccer is in Europe to check out a tape of this game. Highly entertaining stuff. In the end River probably deserved to win, but America played well also. I can't wait for the return leg in Mexico City, on April 2.

Back in Europe, Serie A clubs put in a full midweek matchday. Inter got an 88th minute goal from Javier Zanetti to escape with a point--and perhaps the league title--from their game with second-placed AS Roma. Inter's lead remains at nine points. There are still 13 games to play but the two teams won't face each other again. You can pretty much rule out the third- through fifth-placed teams (that would be Juventus, Fiorentina and AC Milan) of the title equation. Juve is 13 points in arrears and yesterday only managed a scoreless draw against their cross-town rivals. Fiorentina and Milan are 17 and 19 points behind Inter, respectively.

Wednesday Wrap: Libertadores Pain Continues For Argies; No Real Upsets In UEFA Cup

It's three games and three losses for Argentine clubs in the 2008 Copa Libertadores, as River Plate went down to Peru's Universidad San Martin this afternoon. River Plate lost to a college team? Nah, they're just called that. The Lima side are full-on professionals. Yesterday, Estudiantes and San Lorenzo came up short in their opening games in the group stage and today River were put to the sword, 2-0, with the second goal scored by a 33 year-old Argentine journeyman named Jose Luis Diaz (the same thing happened yesterday). I'm not sure where today's upset ranks, but San Martin were probably the weakest team in what some have called the Group of Death of this tournament (the other teams are Mexico City's Club America and Santiago's Universidad Catolica). The Argies have plenty of chances to get it right though; Arsenal, Boca Juniors and Lanus are all in the group stage as well, with the latter playing tomorrow (they host Uruguay's Danubio).

So upsets galore in Latin America, but what about Europe? In the "old continent" things went pretty much as expected. I'm not going to regurgitate the results because you can do that yourself. The closest thing to a surprise was Zenit St. Petersburg's 1-0 victory over Villareal, but the Spanish side can make that up in the return leg, which they host. Another Russian team, Spartak Moscow, on the other hand went down harder than I would have anticipated, losing 3-0 to Champions League rejects Olympique Marseille. L'OM are fifth in Ligue Un, but the Muscovites are in the middle of their off-season, having not played a competitive game in months (which may explain the magnitude of their loss today, but what about St. Petersburg then?). I was not shocked to see Rangers play Panathinaikos to a scoreless tie at Ibrox; the Athens club lead the Greek Super League, which I have long said is under-rated (unlike the SPL, which has two decent teams and a bunch of crap ones).

Finally, in Serie A play AC Milan came back to earn a tie against Livorno. If the two squandered points aren't pain enough, there was also a gruesome injury to Ronaldo that may end the Brazilian's career once and for all. He's fallen a long way but this may be all she wrote.

Cry For Me Argentina! Copa Lib Groups Kick Off With Upsets

And they're off. The 2008 Copa Libertadores group stage got underway today, with Argentine sides San Lorenzo and Estudiantes both losing road games to Caracas and Ecuador's Deportivo Cuenca, respectively. It was not the first time the Venezuelan side upset a favored team from Argentina; los rojos eliminated River Plate from the 2007 version of the "Champions League of Latin America."

Ronald Vargas and Rafeal Castellin scored for the hosts, one of two Venezuelan teams in the group stage (Union Atletico Maracaibo is the other. A third, Mineros de Guayana, was eliminated in qualifying). San Lorenzo had two players sent off with direct red cards. I didn't see the match and can't pretend to know anything about Caracas' players (only one of them even has a Wikipedia page). Six San Lorenzo players, on the other hand, have played in Europe: Diego Placente (Leverkusen and Celta de Vigo), Aureliano Torres (Real Murcia), Bernardo Romeo (Hamburg SV, Mallorca and Osasuna), Andres D'Alessandro (Wolfsburg, Portsmouth and Zaragoza), Sebastian Mendez (Celta de Vigo) and Daniel Bilos (St. Etienne).

Estudiantes are not as experienced, but in Juan Sebastian Veron have arguably the second-best player in all of South America (Riquelme would be #1, I would think). And Los Pincharratas did dominate the early stages of the game but were unable to capitalize on any of their chances. Mauricio Ferradas (ironically an Argentine national) punished them on the stroke of half time. Both teams had chances for goals in the second half but the 1-0 score was final.

Caracas face Bolivian side Real Potosi next (Feb. 26). San Lorenzo host Brazil's Cruzeiro (who open tomorrow as heavy favorites against Potosi) for their next game, Feb 21. In Group 2, Estudiantes play their countrymen Lanus Feb. 26 (Lanus open Thursday against Uruguay's Danubio). Cuenca host the Uruguayans Feb. 21 in their next match. The other action this week is in Group 4, where Peru's Cienciano (doesn't that mean one hundred something?) host Uruguay's Nacional and in Group 5 (the Group of Death) where River travel to Universidad San Martin. Oh wait, I liked! There's one more, in Group 6, where Colombia's Cucuta host Brazil's Santos.

Photo taken from mediotiempo.com without permission.

D.C. United Poised To Take On The Continent

There is still a good month left before the MLS season kicks off, but D.C. United are fast emerging as the big winner in the winter transfer market. MLS' best regular season team the past two years has upgraded several key positions, while adding international experience and Latin flair--the key ingredients, perhaps, to challenging for the newly-hatched CONCACAF Champions League.

It's true that D.C. has also lost some players (and is due to lose one more, Christian Gomez, before the season kicks off) but these departures are nowhere near as significant as losses suffered by the defending champion Houston Dynamo or runners-up New England Revolution, to name two of D.C.'s chief competitors for the Supporters Shield this year. And let's look at who the black-and-red have brought on in their place:

• Argentine midfielder Marcelo Gallardo, who joins from Paris Saint Germain, has one of the most impressive resumes of any player ever signed by the team: 44 caps (and two world cups) for the albiceleste, Argentine league titles and a Copa Libertadores trophy with River Plate and a French league title with Monaco.
• Colombian defender Gonzalo Martinez will more than fill the shoes of the Houston-bound Bobby Boswell. Martinez has been capped 36 times and was part of Colombia's 2001 Copa America-winning squad.
  
• Gonzalo Peralta, another Argentine and another Gonzalo, will further shore up the defense.
• Franco Niell, yet another Argentine, joins on loan from Argentinos Juniors. Goal.com describes Niell as a "highly-rated striker", whom I can see wreaking havoc with MLS defenders, who--let's face it--are not very good.
• Peruvian goalkeeper Jose Carvallo has played both Copa Sudamericana and Libertadores and been capped for various junior national teams (and once by Peru's senior nats). Carvallo is only 21 and has a Green Card so he won't even count as an international player. I think he'll fill Troy Perkins' shoes just fine, but if not...
• Zach Wells, who was acquired in the Boswell trade, has proven he can be a good, even very good goalkeeper in MLS.
  

While many D.C. fans are understandably upset about losing Gomez, we should remember that they won't get nothing in return; Gomez will demand value, maybe even substantial value, in a trade.

The World's Top 25 Soccer Clubs, Jan. 28, 2008

Things just got very interesting in the Top 25, with many top-ranked teams playing down to their competition or worse. Would it be enough to affect major changes? Let's take a look:

1. (2) Manchester United. It has come to this. Sir Alex' men become the fifth #1 team of record (the others were, in chronological order Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Inter) thanks to a win over a pesky Spurs side yesterday. This development should be no big surprise, as Red Devils have been very impressive lately, winning their last five games by a combined score of 14-1 and have a perfect record on the 2008 calendar. Will this be United's year? I wouldn't bet against it. Up next: Pompey visit Old Trafford Wednesday, followed by a return trip to White Hart Lane (in Premiership play this time) Saturday.

2. (1) Inter Milan. It was quite a run for Zlatan and the gang, who had held the top slot since Nov. 7. The nerazurri drop from their perch due to two ties in crucial games (at home to Juventus in the Coppa Italia and at Udinese in Serie A). All season, Inter has seemed nearly invincible. Now, in the matter of one week they appear to have been rendered vulnerable. The first game was a 2-2 game at home that could lead to its exit from the Coppa; the second cost it what may end up being two crucial points in the Serie A race (second-placed Roma won Saturday and are now only five points in arrears). Time will tell how crucial this week was; but if Inter don't win any hardware by season's end, this will probably have been the turning point. Up next: the return leg at Juventus Wednesday and Empoli at home Sunday.

3. (4) Real Madrid. Pulled out victory over Villareal yesterday to pad their lead in the Primera to nine points over second-placed Barcelona. Yes they're out of the Copa del Rey, but has the liga now been wrapped up? Perhaps. Their remaining league games against top competition are all at home: Espanyol (March 9), Valencia (March 23), Sevilla (March 30) and Barcelona (May 7). Next up: at Almeira Saturday.

4. (3) Arsenal. Exiting the league cup is certainly a forgivable offense on many levels, especially if it is to a resurgent side that has staked its season on success in the tournament, while you are showing up with reserves. Except, that's not exactly what happened, as Gunners showed up with A-listers at White Hart Lane last week (two of whom got into a little tiff, but that's another story for another day). And the loss was not by a close margin, but by a 5-1 score. And did I mention this was to the team's biggest rivals, whom they had not lost to in four years? Yes, Gunners rebounded Saturday against Newcastle, but the embarrassing loss to Spurs left its mark. Up next: Newcastle again tomorrow (this time in Premiership play) and a trip to Manchester City Saturday, followed by a brief two days off and another Premiership game versus Blackburn a week from today.

5. (5) Chelsea. Topped Everton in the return leg of a League Cup at midweek, then saw off Wigan in the FA Cup Saturday. Reading visit the Bridge Wednesday, before a potentially tough trip to Fratton Park.

6. (6) Roma. Played Sampdoria to a 1-1 tie in the first leg of Coppa match-up, then beat Palermo in Saturday's Serie A game to pull within five points of first-placed Inter. The home leg of the Sampdoria series is Wednesday, followed by a trip to Siena Sunday. A trio of potentially crucial games loom next month: at Juventus (Feb. 16), versus Fiorentina (Feb, 24) and at Inter in a midweek clash Wednesday Feb. 27. Of course if Roma lose the first two, the third might be the final nail in the coffin containing their hopes for a championship. But a lot can happen between now and then.

7. (7) Barcelona. Tied both games last week. The first, a scoreless tie at Villareal in the first leg of the Copa del Rey round potentially far less fatal than the second, at Bilbao yesterday, which now has Barca nine points behind league-leading Real. Despite the potentially fatal nature of that second result, Barca do not move down the rankings because the team right behind them (#8 Porto) lost yesterday. More on them in a bit. As for Barca, the return leg versus Villareal goes down Wednesday followed by Osasuna paying a visit to Camp Nou. A trip to Sevilla looms a week from Sunday.

8. (9) Olympiakos. Beat Aris Saloniki in the Greek Super League yesterday. Play twice this week, at Apollon Kalamaria, whoever that is, and Panionios Athens.

9. (11) Fenerbahce. Beat first place Silvasspor Sunday to move up to second (Galatasaray took over the top spot). According to my records Fener do not play again until Feb. 10. Can that be? This team is also still alive in the Champions League, where they will face Sevilla in the first knockout round.

10. (12) Juventus. Tied Inter 2-2 at San Siro, which might as well be a victory considering it puts Juve in the driver's seat for advancement in their two-game Coppa Italiano series. Also beat Livorno yesterday. This is a tough team to figure out; do not face any European competition and every time they play a top Italian team it's to a tie (last week being the most recent example, though again that was as good as a victory). After the return leg versus Inter, face Cagliari at home Sunday. A tough trip to Udinese looms a week after that.

11. (13) Villareal. Another solid week for the Yellow Submarine, who trounced Valencia 3-0 at midweek before playing a scoreless game against mighty Barca yesterday. The return leg takes place Wednesday, followed by Mallorca on the weekend.

12. (8) FC Porto. Lost at Sporting Lisbon yesterday and saw their bwinLIGA lead shrink to seven points over Benfica and 10 over third-placed Sporting. Host some Portuguese minnow team Sunday (that's the nice thing about a league like the bwin, if you don't play Benfica or Sporting you get to relax). Speaking of Freddy Adu's employer, they don't visit the Dragon's lair until April 20. It may not matter by then.

13. (10) AC Milan. Lost makeup game at Atalanta di Bergamo then beat FC Genoa to move up to seventh in Serie A. Still have two games in hand, but it's a long road ahead, as the rossoneri are six points behind Udinese, 10 behind Fiorentina and 13 behind Juventus. Play at Reggina Wednesday followed by a very interesting match at Fiorentina Sunday. I hope that game is on Fox Soccer Channel? Can anybody confirm?

14. (14) Bayern Munich. Their lengthy period of idle-ness comes to a close this week with a German cup game against some minnow Wednesday. The Bundesliga returns this weekend with Hansa Rostock on the docket. A top-of-the-table cracker with Werder Bremen looms Feb. 10. Set your calendars for that one.

15. (16) Fiorentina. Lost Coppa game at Lazio but only by a 2-1 score that can easily be made up in the return leg Wednesday. Beat Empoli in their second game of the week. Travel to AC Milan Sunday for one of the most anticipated match-ups of the week.

16. (17) Olympique Lyonnais. Beat Lorient Wednesday and tied at St. Etienne yesterday in league games. Their lead over second-placed Bordeaux is up to four points (was three last week) as the Girondins lost their game yesterday. L'OL visits some French minnow in a cup game Sunday. Bordeaux visits March 8, potentially to settle matters in Ligue Un, though a lot can of course happen between now and then...

17. (19) Lanus. Have not played since they clinched the Apertura crown. Clausura season kicks off Feb. 10 with a tough game against Independiente (that tidbit comes courtesy of our friends at Hasta El Gol Siempre). Will play in the Copa Libertadores where they will face Ecuadorian side Olmedo in a play-in series with the first leg coming up Friday (the return follows Feb. 5). If they win, they're in to the group stage where they will face Estudiantes, Uruguay's Danubio and Deportivo Cuenca from Ecuador.

18. (15) Atletico Madrid. Lost both games last week, at Valencia in the Copa del Rey and Mallorca in the Primera. Can make up the one goal difference from the Valencia game Wednesday. Murcia visit Sunday.

19. (20) Sao Paulo. Tied both Torneo Paulista games, against Ituano and Corinthians, and now sit fourth in that competition with eight points. AA Ponte Preta, whom I cannot for one second pretend to have ever heard of, top the table and play Sao Paulo Saturday. The Brazilian champs also play fifth-placed Rio Claro Wednesday.

20. (18) Espanyol Barcelona. Another bad week for the Periquitos, who lost to Real Betis at home yesterday. Face Getafe Sunday.

21. (21) Arsenal de Sarandi. The Copa Sudamericana champs will face Venezuelan side Mineros de Guyana in a home-and-home play-in for the Copa Libertadores with the first leg taking place tomorrow! Is it on TV in the U.S.? Anybody know? Assuming they advance from that (how could they not? Well, strange things happen in the Copa Lib) they will be in Group 8 with Fluminense, Paraguay's Libertad and Liga de Quito (even I know that's Ecuador).

22. (-) Boca Juniors. The boys from the Bombonera make their return to the list after an impressive superclasico victory in the Torneo de Verano Saturday. I know the torneo is just a preseason scrimmage, but this game was hard-fought (I caught the first half on Fox Soccer Channel). The two sides meet again Saturday in the Copa Revancha. Is that still part of the Torneo de Verano?

23. (-) PSV Eindhoven. Return to the Top 25 after a long absence (Dec. 3, if you care about these things) by virtue of winning both Eredivisie games they played last week. Lead the Dutch league by five points over Ajax Amsterdam, whom they face at the ArenA Wednesday. Also travel to AZ Alkmaar on Sunday.

24. (-) AEK Athens. The Greek Super League table-toppers won both games last week. Face intercity rivals Panionios Wednesday and Larisa Sunday. I figure if Olympiakos are as high as they are in the Top 25, then the team that is one point better than them in their domestic league should be here as well. AEK are still alive in the UEFA Cup as well, where they face Getafe in the first knockout round.

25. (-) Atlante. Mexico's Apertura champs make their return to the list after an impressive victory over UNAM Pumas at Mexico City's Estadio Olympico yesterday (a rematch of the finals from last year). The Cancun side now lead their group with four points from two games (they tied Chiapas back on Jan. 19). Face Tecos Saturday.

Dropping out: Everton (22), Liverpool (23), Club America (24), Werder Bremen (25).

Also receiving consideration (in rough order of consideration received): Galatasaray, Rangers, Ajax, Independiente, Udinese, Celtic.

Commentary
We are entering a crucial stretch of the European calendar, especially in Italy and England. Leagues in Spain and Portugal appear settled but can of course become undone with an upset or two and/or injuries to key players. Teams will be looking to hit their peak form for the spring when UEFA and Champions League play returns. In Latin America, Copa Libertadores qualifiers are about to kick off, as is the Clausura season in Argentina. So more is about to be revealed. Stay tuned...

Blogger Q n' A: Hasta El Gol Siempre

With the Argentine Clausura league championship and the Copa Libertadores getting ready to kick off, I sought out the preeminent expert on Argentina to share his thoughts. Both tournaments represent what is in my opinion the best club soccer outside of Europe's big three leagues, but most people outside Latin America (myself included) are pretty ignorant on both topics. Sam's task then, was to educate and enlighten us. I can happily say he met both objectives--and then some. After reading this, be sure to check out Sam's website, Hasta El Gol Siempre, where you can follow the Clausura and Copa Lib in great detail.

Soccer Source: First of all, does Lanus have any chance at defending their Apertura title?

Sam: It'll be difficult, but they've got as good a chance as any. It's normal for Argentine sides to suffer a dip in form after winning the title - especially sides other than River Plate and Boca Juniors, because it's that much harder for the 'smaller' clubs to hang onto their key players. Estudiantes, after winning the 2006 Apertura, challenged admirably in last year's Clausura, but San Lorenzo (who won that Clausura) didn't fare so well in the recent campaign.

Lanús, however, have kept hold of both manager Ramón Cabrero, who's like a father-figure for many of the squad, and their most important player, playmaker Diego Valeri. Valeri has been linked with a move to Italian champions Internazionale, but insists he wants to play in the Copa Libertadores with Lanús (they qualified after an impressive campaign in the 2006-2007 season; their championship win ensures they'll be in next year's Copa) before moving to Europe at the end of the European season. With that kind of dedication, who knows what can happen? My own prediction is that they'll do well and continue to challenge, but won't have quite enough to claim a second title just yet.

Who were the biggest winners and losers on the transfer market?

It's still going on as we speak - it being only mid-January. It's easy to suggest Lanús have been big winners, purely for keeping hold of nearly all of their championship-winning squad, including Valeri and top scorer José Sand. So far the really big story on the face of it from outside Argentina has, of course, been Juan Román Riquelme's move from Villarreal back home to Boca Juniors. It's not every day a player who's perhaps the best in the world in his position, and still at the peak of his powers, moves away from Europe, and quite how Boca sorted out the finances is anyone's guess. That deal can work both ways, though - the pressure will be cranked right up on them to win at least one trophy in the next six months, if not both (Copa Libertadores and domestic league).

Thus far, the most 'polemical' move has been Leandro Lázzaro's switch from Tigre to Estudiantes de La Plata, on Wednesday 16th January. There are two big winners in this deal: Estudiantes, who've got one of the most impressive performers of the Apertura for only US$300,000, and Lázzaro himself, who will turn 34 in March and has got one last chance to compete for the Copa Libertadores before his legs start giving way. Tigre, however, probably fall into the 'biggest losers' category. Not only has Lázzaro's exit unsettled some at the club a little - there was a public spat with manager Diego Cagna on the day of the transfer - but the side, who were only promoted last August and managed a second-place finish in the Apertura (their previous best-ever having been sixth back in 1953), have lost perhaps their most important player. How Tigre and their brilliant fans react to this will be very interesting.

What can we expect from Boca and River? River are pretty much done, aren't they?

Don't bet on it. 2007 could most charitably be described as an 'interesting' year in the history of River Plate, and it certainly won't be one they'll want to remember for long, what with the trophy drought continuing (unless one counts the pre-season Torneo de Verano, which no-one does), the various stadium bans, the murder of a prominent barra brava and the allegations of corruption aimed at the board of directors. At the end of it, though, the fans got one thing they wanted - Daniel Passarella quit as manager. In his place comes Diego Simeone, who will if nothing else put the fear of God into his new charges. He's got the players he asked for in the transfer market so far, with the exception of Andrés D'Alessandro (Rodrigo Archubi has just come in in his place), and if River can be a little less unlucky with injuries this term, something could happen. If nothing else, they can't get a lot worse than they were in the Apertura, when despite demolishing all visitors to the Monumental in the first half of the season, they only managed one win away from home and finished way down in 14th. The end of the Clausura will mark four years since their last major trophy, but there's cautious optimism that it could be the end of the drought.

As for Boca, you can expect them to challenge in the league and, of course, the Copa Libertadores, which they'll start as hot favourites to defend, having won it thanks to Señor Riquelme (and a bit of fog at La Bombonera in the semi-final second leg) last year. If they do manage to claim another Libertadores title, they'll draw level with Independiente on seven wins, and thus be the joint most successful side in the competition's history. There's one note of caution here, though: many fans are unconvinced by new manager Carlos Ischia, brought in after Miguel Angel Russo (reluctantly and after being pushed by the board) fulfilled his promise to step down after failing to win the Club World Championship in Japan in December. None of the fans' choices got the job, and Ischia is seen as very much the choice of new club president Pedro Pompilio. The problem here is that Pompilio's presidency may be disputed after former president (now mayor of Buenos Aires) Mauricio Macri handed it over to him without a members' vote. Ischia needs to do well, not only for himself, but also for his boss.

Arsenal shocked people by winning the Copa Sudamericana. What Argentine sides can mirror their success in the Libertadores? Or will people be more on their toes against the "lesser" Argentine teams after Arsenal's triumph?

In all honesty, a Riquelme-driven Boca are going to be favourites for the Libertadores. Should Arsenal win their qualifier they'll go into Group 8, alongside Brazilian giants Fluminense, back in the tournament after a little while away, and Libertad of Paraguay, who have knocked out River in each of the last two editions of the tournament and seem to get just a bit better every year. Qualifying from that group is going to be a very tall order for a side who rode their luck slightly on their way to the Sudamericana final, and who some feel were the beneficiaries of some dodgy refereeing in the first leg of that final.

Group 2 looks like being the most fertile for Argentina, assuming Lanús win their qualifier against Ecuadorian side Olmedo. Estudiantes are already in that group, and with Lanús's championship win giving them some momentum, both Argentine sides will be expected to finish ahead of Ecuadorian champs Deportivo Cuenca. Uruguay's Danubio will pose a tougher challenge, but Argentina will expect two sides in the second round from this group.

Whether any of these 'smaller' sides can go all the way is another matter. I suspect Lanús are going to surprise a few more people on a wider audience in this competition, but the luck of the draw in the knockout rounds will really come into play - the Libertadores, far more so than the UEFA Champions League, is a competition where anyone can slip up if they're not on their guard, as Colombian minnows Cúcuta showed last year on an insanely entertaining run to the semi-final that might even have seen them dump Boca out, had main striker Blas Pérez not had to miss the semi-final second leg having been called up by Panama for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Cúcuta had already thrashed the other eventual finalists, Brazilian side Gremio, twice in the group stages, and will themselves be part of the competition again this year. Their display last season, if nothing else, should ensure that the big sides are on their guard against all the 'smaller' sides, whether those be Argentine or from elsewhere.

The preliminary Libertadores groups have been drawn. Which Argentine club(s) is/are most at risk of being eliminated in the first round?

River and Boca both have groups that should be easily negotiable, although after River's spectacular failure in last year's group stage, and their aforementioned appalling display during the Apertura, they'll be under pressure. Boca will qualify, simple as that, and as already stated, I'd expect both Estudiantes and (assuming they make it to the competition proper) Lanús to go through from Group 2. San Lorenzo may well find the altitude of their visit to Real Potosí of Bolivia tricky, as may the other sides in their group, and if Caracas can repeat their feat of last season, when they became the first ever Venezuelan club to beat an Argentine side in Argentina (River, of course), and qualified for the knockout stages to boot, Ramón Díaz's boys might find it tricky. Arsenal, if they qualify, will have the toughest group of the Argentine sides, relative to their abilities, but I think we'll see at least four Argentine representatives in the last 16.

What can you tell us about Superclasico games? Have you ever been to one? They're basically impossible to get tickets to, right?

I've not had the good fortune to have attended a super, sadly. Only two have taken place actually during my visits to the country, both last January in the pre-season Torneo de Verano (Summer Tournament) and Copa Revancha ('Revenge Cup'), and neither of those were in Buenos Aires. Tickets are gettable at a price - and we're talking expensive prices by the standards of European football matches, never mind the average Argentine wage. There were tickets on TuRemate, the Argentine answer to eBay, for the Apertura superclásico in the Monumental, which eventually sold for figures into the thousands - of American dollars. Bear in mind that the average Argentine wage is in the region of perhaps US$6,000 per year, and you start to get some idea of the power this fixture holds over the popular imagination.

Broadly speaking, about one-third of Argentines support River Plate, and about another third support Boca Juniors. The exact figures make Boca the more popular by around 1%. The two sides are the most successful in Argentine league history (River have the most league titles, with 32, whilst Boca are ten behind on 22), and of course Boca also have those six Copas Libertadores, as well as enough other international honours to make them the second most successful club on the planet in terms of international trophies (AC Milan are one ahead - December's Club World Championship final was a decider in more ways than one, at least for now). The super dominates so much that many fans claim not to care whether their side win the league title, just as long as they win the derby - and unlike in other countries where such a statement gets bandied about from time to time, Argentines actually seem to mean it.

It's been called 'a championship within a championship', and at the moment Boca have won marginally more than River down the fixture's history - 65 wins to 61 out of 180 meetings - but River, despite that four-year trophy drought, haven't lost a super in any of the sides' last six meetings, and in each of the last two meetings in their own Monumental have not just beaten Boca, but played them off the pitch. It's mark of the game's importance that should one of the new managers get one of the titles the fans of each club so badly want, they might still be under pressure if they don't perform in La Bombonera on the first weekend in May...

Copa Libertadores 2008: The (Nearly Complete) Draw

The draw for this year's rendition of the Copa Libertadores (the "Champions League of the Americas," for lack of a better comparison) was made earlier today. Not the entire thing, mind you, because not all participants are known yet. This is thanks to different countries having different ways of determining the qualifiers. Why they would draw out not only the qualifying games but the tournament's group stage without having a complete list of either does not make all that much sense to me, but what do I know?

Anyway, here are the qualifiers:
1) Olmedo (Ecuador) vs. Lanús (Argentina)
2) Cruzeiro (Brazil) vs. Cerro Porteño (Paraguay)
3) Arsenal de Sarandí (Argentina) vs. Mineros de Guyana (Venezuela)
4) 3rd Mexican qualifier vs. 3rd Bolivian qualifier
5) Cienciano (Peru) vs. Montevideo Wanderers (Uruguay)
6) 3rd Colombian qualifier vs. Audax Italiano (Chile)

Group 1
San Lorenzo de Almagro (Argentina)
Real Potosí (Bolivia)
Caracas (Venezuela)
Qualifier 2 (Cruzeiro or Cerro Porteño)

Group 2
Estudiantes de La Plata (Argentina)
Danubio (Uruguay)
Deportivo Cuenca (Ecuador)
Qualifier 1 (Olmedo or Lanús)

Group 3
Boca Juniors (Argentina)
Colo Colo (Chile)
Maracaibo (Venezuela)
Qualifier 4 (3rd qualifier from either Mexico or Colombia)

Group 4
Flamengo (Brazil)
Nacional (Uruguay)
Coronel Bolognesi (Peru)
Qualifier 5 (Cienciano or Montevideo Wanderers)

Group 5
River Plate (Argentina)
2nd Chilean qualifier
San Martín (Peru)
2nd Mexican qualifier

Group 6
Santos (Brazil)
San José (Bolivia)
2nd Colombian qualifier
Chivas de Guadalajara (Mexico)

Group 7
Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Sportivo Luqueño (Paraguay)
Atlético Nacional (Colombia)
Qualifier 6 (3rd Colombian qualifier or Audax Italiano)

Group 8
Fluminense (Brazil)
Libertad (Paraguay)
Liga de Quito (Ecuador)
Qualifier 3 (Arsenal or Mineros de Guyana)

I'm assuming the top two teams advance in every group? The qualifiers begin Jan. 30. I can't really pretend to know about every team here because I really just started following the South American leagues this year and even then I'm mostly limited to Mexico and Argentina. But it looks like River Plate's group may shape up as one of the easier ones--depending on who they get from Mexico. By the same token, Boca's group could be very tough if they draw a Mexican club. Either way, it should be exciting.

Buenos Aires Superclasico Set For May 4 At Bombonera

If you were thinking of a spring time trip to Buenos Aires, you're going to want to book the weekend of May 4, which coincides with the 13th round of the Torneo Clausura and the superclásico between Boca Juniors and River Plate. The event in question was listed as one of the Guardian's 50 sporting events to attend before you die. And that's sports in general. For soccer fans, it's probably in the top 10--top five if the game is played at the Bombonera, which can realistically be viewed as one of the world's foremost soccer meccas. It's not for novices though. Passions run very high, there is occasional violence (though only once, in 1968, were there fatalities) and tickets are extremely tough to come by. SI.com sent a writer last year; here is his report.

Friday Footie Link Feature, Nov. 23, 2007

USsoccerplayers.com is reducing its coverage of MLS next year due to "several incidences concerning access and basic media relations at the local and league level." They lay out their reasons in some detail in an entry on their Web site. It's a shame, because they really do a great job and have poured a lot of resources into covering MLS. Unfortunately, the league didn't reciprocate. You'd think it might be in the league's interest to do what they can to attract media coverage in all its forms, but maybe not. I certainly hope they try to extend an olive branch, but I'm not holding my breath for that either.

Some of you may remember a piece I did a few weeks ago on Indian football. If not, I'll summarize: Basically, Indian soccer sucks so badly it makes the U.S. look like Brazil. I'm not even exaggerating, either. But SoccerBlog.com tells us about the country's football association (the All India Football Federation, or AIFF) is starting a new professional league that is modeled in part on Japan's J-League. As you might imagine, there have already been a few issues.

Speaking of issues, arguably the biggest one this week has been England's failure to qualify for next summer's European championships. The Footie Fool has an interesting factoid on the British singer who performed Croatia's national anthem before that game, apparently butchering one of the lines so badly it literally came out obscene. I thought only Americans pulled stuff like that!

On the subject of Euro 2008, Pitch Invasion's Thomas Dunmore (an England supporter) asks his readers what country to support now that the Three Lions have fallen short of qualifying. He manages to find reasons not to support all 16 teams. My only suggestion to him is to forget about Euro 2008 and tune in to MLS next summer! He gets to watch his countrymen play (Beckham) and coach (Paul Mariner, who may even be a head coach by then) and catch up on some players he may even see in the Premiership soon (Michael Parkhurst, Jozy Altidore, and others).

England's failure holds a cautionary tale for MLS. So says USA Soccer Spot in this missive about the dangers of overexpanding and importing foreign talent. I'm not sure I agree with this conclusion, partly because I'm not sure the influx of foreigners has in fact hurt English football. It has been going downhill for some time (like, since 1966?) nor is this the first time England has failed to qualify for a major tournament. But the arguments are worth looking at and may hold some water. I'm just not convinced yet. More on this at some later date (maybe).

Finally, The Offside Rules (again, don't confuse them with The Offside or Caught Offside) has a piece on Diego Gutierrez' wife that caught my interest, because I had just met her at MLS Cup over the weekend (I walked up to her table in the VIP room--which I later learned I did not have access to--and introduced myself. We spoke for about 20 minutes maybe?). TOR rants and raves about how hot Ms. Gutierrez is--and he's right--but I can also say that she's very cool and well-spoken as well. One thing she isn't, however, is Latina (told me so herself) which is what TOR identifies her as (I'm pretty sure they also spell Gutierrez with two r's, but whatever). But the Gutierrezes are pining for a good cause: NothingButNets.net, which is dedicated to fighting malaria in Africa. Gutierrez himself even has a blog on there. Check it out.