Following a stunning 4-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil in the Women's World Cup semifinals, the U.S. team will look to recompose itself in an effort to claim third place Sunday in a battle with Norway. The Scandinavians, longtime rivals of the Americans, fell to Germany in the other semifinal this week. The championship match is also set for Sunday.
Brazil's red-hot offense, which tore through the U.S. to score four goals, will look for a way to break through the seemingly impenetrable German defense, which has not allowed a goal in five 2007 Women's World Cup matches, setting a new record.
Following the start of League Cup play in England during the week, the Premier League will continue on over the weekend. Chelsea, who are facing charges from the English Football Association surrounding the team's vociferous reaction to a red card shown to John Obi Mikel in last week's loss to Manchester United, will look to right the ship against Fulham in a London derby. The American-laden side has its own problems to worry about, having fallen to Bolton 2-1 in midweek Cup play.
EPL leaders Arsenal head to Birmingham to take on Aston Villa on Saturday, while a top-five battle between City (third place) and Newcastle (fifth) is set for action in Manchester. More bad news for Michael Owen, who has torn a thigh muscle, means that the visitors will be without one of England's top offensive threats. Manchester United, currently in second place just a point behind Arsenal, will do battle with Birmingham, and fourth-place Liverpool visits Wigan Athletic.
Perhaps the weekend's best club matchup is set to take place in Italy, where Roma and Inter Milan, even atop Serie A with 11 points, will square off at the Stadio Olimpico in the nation's capital. Midweek action saw the Milan side close the gap on their Roman rivals, with Inter topping Sampdoria 3-0 Wednesday as Roma were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw with Fiorentina. Juventus, Napoli and Palermo are each just a point behind the two leaders, and they will face Torino, Genoa and Empoli, respectively, in Sunday's play.
Napoli vs. Genoa will take place in an empty stadium as the Naples club is being punished for its fans' behavior in Wednesday's game vs. Livorno, during which a bottle thrown onto the field struck a referee's assistant. Also, defending UEFA Champions League winners AC Milan have continued to fall down the table, dropping to ninth after a 2-1 loss to Palermo Wednesday. They take on Catania Calcio Sunday.
Through five rounds of play, Real Madrid and Barcelona are the only two remaining undefeated teams in Spain's La Liga, and Barca's offense, buoyed by Argentinean wunderkind Leonel Messi, seems to have finally come alive. The 20-year-old scored two more goals Wednesday to help his squad to a convincing 4-1 trouncing of Real Zaragosa on Wednesday. However, it's still Madrid at the top of the table with 13 points, two more than Messi and company. The Catalan club can change that Saturday with a win over Levante on the road.
The defending champions kept their cushion intact by topping Real Betis 2-0 on Thursday thanks to second-half goals from Raul (penalty kick) and Julio Baptista. Madrid will take the field again Sunday, traveling to Getafe. Villareal and Valencia sit between Madrid and Barcelona with 12 points, and they will look to keep pace in games against Athletic Bilbao and Recreativo Huelva, also Sunday.
In neighboring Portugal, former D.C. United and Real Salt Lake starlet Freddy Adu will once again look to make his league debut for Benfica (fourth place with nine points) on Saturday when that club faces Sporting Lisbon (third place with 10). The young U.S. international scored his first goal for his new club in Portuguese Cup action this week, connecting from the penalty spot vs. Estrela Amadora to tie the match at 1-1. The Ghana-born playmaker hit again from the spot in the penalty kick shootout that ensued, as Benfica advanced 5-4. Leaders FC Porto take on Boavista, also on Saturday.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
