While weβre already through two jam-packed MLS Saturdays in 2019, itβs still far too early to make any sweeping judgments about this or that, so weβre prepared to ride the fence a little longer as we observe and discuss a few major talking pointsβ¦
If you spent more than 15 minutes watching Minnesota United at any point during their first two seasons in MLS, youβre probably convinced that the above image is a cheeky photoshop. Not the case, because the Loons won their second straight game to start the 2019 season on Saturday, 3-0 away to the hapless San Jose Earthquakes, and were briefly the only team in the league with six points (more on the team that later joined them in a moment).
Given the fact theyβve played perhaps the two worst teams in the Western Conference β if not the entire league β itβs tough to say just how much better Minnesota are than they were in the last two years, but the fact remains: theyβve beaten a pair of worst-in-the-conference/league candidates, so itβs no longer them. Head coach Adrian Heath is convinced the roster is lightyears ahead of where it was, and that point is nigh impossible to argue.
After winning two straight, I asked Heath whatβs different this year than years prior. He didnβt hold back, #MNUFC: pic.twitter.com/Jde6GZhko9
The Seattle Sounders leapfrogged Minnesota before the night was over, and Brian Schmetzerβs side looked downright terrifying in doing so β for the first 15 minutes, at least. After racing out to a 2-0 advantage in the 8th minute, Seattle never really got out of second gear the rest of the way, mostly because they didnβt have to.
It almost feels like, after going to MLS Cup in back-to-back seasons and having very little of an offseason as a result, Seattle looks fully rested and re-energized after bowing out a full month earlier than they had recently done. Starting quick has never been a strength of the Sounders, but theyβre already flying out of the gate to start 2019.
Speaking of sides that have impressed on this very young season, the Houston Dynamo have looked more than solid while juggling CONCACAF Champions League and start of the MLS regular season, reaching the quarterfinals of CCL and picking up a very deserved and hard-fought first league victory on Saturday.
The three points didnβt come easily for Wilmer Cabreraβs side, as they fell behind in the 34th minute β on the Montreal Impactβs only shot on target for the entire game β before responding almost immediately, courtesy of Memo Rodriguez just two minutes later.
Cabrera opted to rotate half of his potent attacking quartet, dropping Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto to the bench while leaving Mauro Manotas and Tomas Martinez in the lineup. The gamble paid off, as it was Quioto who set up Manotasβ 86th-minute winner.
Manotas has to be the least heralded 19-goal scorer (last season) in league history, and heβs got two in two games to begin the current campaign. If youβre looking for an under-the-radar pick for the Golden Boot, or throwing out darkhorse candidates for best most complete forward in the league, you could do a lot worse than the 23-year-old Colombian.
Full MLS scoreboard
Chicago Fire 1-1 Orlando City SC
New England Revolution 0-2 Columbus Crew SC
FC Dallas 2-0 LA Galaxy
Houston Dynamo 2-1 Montreal Impact
Real Salt Lake 1-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
San Jose Earthquakes 0-3 Minnesota United
Seattle Sounders 2-0 Colorado Rapids
Premier League injury news: Itβs time to take a look at which players might be unavailable for matchweek 29 of the 2022-23 Premier League season, due to injury.
Prior to every matchweek this season, weβll update this Premier League injuries page with the latest news and update, so make sure to check back regularly to see how your favorite β or least-favorite β club is getting on.
Letβs check out the latest Premier League injury news, below.
Arsenal injuries
OUT: William Saliba (back), Eddie Nketiah (ankle), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Mohamed Elneny (knock) | QUESTIONABLE: Thomas Partey (undisclosed), Kieran Tierney (calf)
OUT: Miguel Almiron (thigh), Emil Krafth (knee), Ryan Fraser (undisclosed) | QUESTIONABLE: Allan Saint-Maximin (thigh), Sven Botman (illness), Anthony Gordon (ankle), Nick Pope (knock)
Nottingham Forest injuries
OUT: Taiwo Awoniyi (groin), Scott McKenna (thigh), Willy Boly (thigh), Dean Henderson (thigh), Giulian Biancone (knee), Omar Richards (calf) | QUESTIONABLE: Brennan Johnson (groin), Chris Wood (thigh), Cheickou Kouyate (thigh), Andre Ayew (knee), Serge Aurier (knock), Wayne Hennessey (knee), Ryan Yates (shoulder)
Southampton injuries
OUT: Armel Bella-Kotchap (shoulder), Valentino Livramento (knee), Juan Larios (adductor) | QUESTIONABLE: Che Adams (calf)
Tottenham Hotspur injuries
OUT: Rodrigo Bentancur (torn ACL β out for season), Yves Bissouma (foot), Emerson Royal (knee), Ben Davies (hamstring) | QUESTIONABLE: Richarlison (undisclosed), Hugo Lloris (knee), Ivan Perisic (calf), Ryan Sessegnon (thigh)
With nine teams currently separated by four points, from 20th to 12th places, the 2022-23 Premier League relegation scrap is not only set to last until the final day, but the final two months of the season are sure to be one of the wildest roller-coaster rides of all time.
Three clubs will be relegated from the Premier League (and replaced by three teams from the EFL Championship, of course) at seasonβs end. Never before have this many clubs been this close to the bottom-three, and the bottom of the table, at this point of a season.
How many games remaining between relegation candidates?
There are 23 remaining head-to-head matchups between the nine teams currently in the relegation battle.
Crystal Palace: 8 games (1 against every other team)
Wolves: 4 games
Leeds: 5 games
Everton: 4 games
Nottingham Forest: 4 games
Leicester: 6 games
West Ham: 5 games
Bournemouth: 6 games
Southampton: 4 games
GENEVA β Indonesia was stripped of hosting the menβs U20 World Cup on Wednesday only eight weeks before the start of the tournament amid political turmoil regarding Israelβs participation.
FIFA said Indonesia was removed from staging the 24-team tournament scheduled to start on May 20 βdue to the current circumstancesβ without specifying details.
The decision came after a meeting in Doha between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Indonesian soccer federation president Erick Thohir.
Israel qualified last June for its first U20 World Cup. But the countryβs participation in Fridayβs scheduled draw in Bali provoked political opposition this month.
Indonesia is the worldβs most populous Muslim-majority nation and does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, while publicly supporting the Palestinian cause.
Indonesiaβs hosting was cast into doubt on Sunday when FIFA postponed the draw.
It is unclear who could now host the tournament, which was scheduled to be played in six stadiums in Indonesia. Argentina, which did not qualify for the tournament, is reportedly interested in hosting.
βA new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged,β FIFA said.
The Indonesian soccer federation could be further disciplined by FIFA. A suspension could remove Indonesia from Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, which starts in October.
FIFA seemed to remove all blame Wednesday from Thohir, the former president of Italian club Inter Milan β the team Infantino supports β and a former co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers.
FIFA staff will continue to work in Indonesia in the months ahead, the governing body said, βunder the leadership of President Thohir.β
Soccer and public authorities in Indonesia agreed to FIFAβs hosting requirements in 2019 before being selected to stage the 2021 edition of the U20 World Cup. The coronavirus pandemic forced the tournament to be postponed for two years.
But Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Tuesday evening that his administration objected to Israelβs participation. He told citizens that the country agreed to host before knowing Israel would qualify.
Israel qualified by reaching the semifinals of the U19 European Championship. The team went on to lose to England in that final.
Israel plays in Europe as a member of UEFA after leaving the Asian Football Confederation in the 1970s for political and security reasons.
FIFA bills the menβs U20 World Cup as βthe tournament of tomorrowβs superstars.β
Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba are previous winners of the official player of the tournament award, and Erling Haaland was the top scorer at the 2019 edition.
Premier League fixtures for 2022-23 season: How to watch, TV schedule, live stream links, Peacock, channel
Remember: you can watch all 380 Premier League games across NBC, USA Network, NBCSports.com and Peacock. Weβve got you covered.
Will Manchester City win yet another Premier League title? Can Arsenal push them all the way? Will Chelsea and Liverpool recover to finish in the top four? Can Manchester Unitedβs new-look side surge into the title race? What about Tottenham? How will the new boys get on? Who will be the surprise package?
Those questions will be answered from August 2022 to May 2023, with the full list of Premier League fixtures.
While below are the answers to all of the questions you have around the Premier League fixtures and everything else you need to know for the upcoming season, with full details on the Premier League TV schedule across the NBC family of channels and more.
The Premier League fixtures for the 2022-23 season were announced on Thursday June 16, 2022 at 4am ET. Below is the full schedule, as you can watch all 380 games across our NBC platforms.
The Premier League fixture computer decides who plays who and when, as teams located close to one another are usually playing at home on opposite weekends to help with policing, crowd control and transport congestion in those areas.
When will the Premier League take a break for the 2022 World Cup?
When will the 2022-23 Premier League season finish?
The final day of the season will be on Sunday, May 28, 2023.
Which teams will compete in the 2022-23 Premier League?
These are the 20 teams which will compete in the Premier League for the upcoming season:
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Leeds United, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Predictions for 2022-23 Premier League season
We made a few bold predictions ahead of the Premier League campaign, which you can read in full here. And weβve also predicted how we think the Premier League table will look at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. Iβm sure you agree wholeheartedly with these predictionsβ¦
2022-23 Premier League TV schedule
Below are the Premier League fixtures in full, with all kick offs listed at 10am ET unless otherwise stated:
2:45pm: AFC Bournemouth v Brighton
2:45pm: Leeds v Nottingham Forest
2:45pm: Leicester vs Aston Villa
3pm: Chelsea vs Liverpool
Wednesday 5 April
3pm: Man United v Brentford
3pm: West Ham v Newcastle
Matchweek 30
Saturday 8 April
7:30am: Man Utd v Everton
Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest
Brentford v Newcastle
Fulham v West Ham
Leicester v AFC Bournemouth
Spurs v Brighton
Wolves v Chelsea
12:30pm: Southampton v Man City
Sunday 9 April
9am: Leeds v Crystal Palace
11:30am: Liverpool v Arsenal
Matchweek 31
Saturday 15 April
7:30am: Aston Villa v Newcastle
Chelsea v Brighton
Everton v Fulham
Southampton v Crystal Palace
Spurs v AFC Bournemouth
Wolves v Brentford
12:30pm: Man City v Leicester
Sunday 16 April
9am: West Ham v Arsenal
11:30am: Nottingham Forest v Man Utd
Monday 17 April
3pm: Leeds v Liverpool
Matchweek 32
Friday 21 April
3pm: Arsenal v Southampton
Saturday 22 April
7:30am: Fulham v Leeds
Brentford v Aston Villa
Crystal Palace v Everton
Leicester v Wolves
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest
Sunday 23 April
9am: AFC Bournemouth v West Ham
9am: Newcastle v Spurs
Postponed due to European action
Man Utd v Chelsea
Brighton v Man City
Matchweek 33
Tuesday 25 April
2:30pm: Wolves v Crystal Palace
2:45pm: Aston Villa v Fulham
2:45pm: Leeds v Leicester
Wednesday 26 April
2:30pm: Nottingham Forest v Brighton
2:45pm: Chelsea v Brentford
2:45pm: West Ham v Liverpool
3pm: Man City v Arsenal
Thursday 27 April
2:45pm: Everton v Newcastle
2:45pm: Southampton v AFC Bournemouth
3:15pm: Spurs v Man Utd
Matchweek 34
Saturday 29 April
7:30am: Crystal Palace v West Ham
Brentford v Nottingham Forest
Brighton v Wolves
12:30pm: Arsenal v Chelsea
Sunday 30 April
9am: AFC Bournemouth v Leeds
9am: Fulham v Man City
9am: Man Utd v Aston Villa
9am: Newcastle v Southampton
11:30am: Liverpool v Spurs
Monday 1 May
3pm: Leicester v Everton
Rearranged games
Wednesday 3 May
3pm: Liverpool v Fulham
3pm: Man City v West Ham
Thursday 4 May
3pm: Brighton v Man Utd
Matchweek 35
Saturday 6 May
AFC Bournemouth v Chelsea
Spurs v Crystal Palace
Wolves v Aston Villa
12:30pm: Liverpool v Brentford
Sunday 7 May
9am: Man City v Leeds* subject to possible Champions League schedule
11:30am: Newcastle v Arsenal
2pm: West Ham v Man Utd
Monday 8 May
10am: Fulham v Leicester
12:30pm: Brighton v Everton
3pm: Nottingham Forest v Southampton
Saturday 13 May
Arsenal v Brighton
Aston Villa v Spurs
Brentford v West Ham
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest
Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth
Everton v Man City
Leeds v Newcastle
Leicester v Liverpool
Man Utd v Wolves
Southampton v Fulham
Saturday 20 May
AFC Bournemouth v Man Utd
Brighton v Southampton
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Liverpool v Aston Villa
Man City v Chelsea
Newcastle v Leicester
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Spurs v Brentford
West Ham v Leeds
Wolves v Everton
Sunday 28 May
16:00 Arsenal v Wolves
16:00 Aston Villa v Brighton
16:00 Brentford v Man City
16:00 Chelsea v Newcastle
16:00 Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest
16:00 Everton v AFC Bournemouth
16:00 Leeds v Spurs
16:00 Leicester v West Ham
16:00 Man Utd v Fulham
16:00 Southampton v Liverpool