Handicapping the Final Four of Premier League March Madness

By Nicholas MendolaApr 8, 2020, 7:33 PM EDT

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Our Premier League March Madness results have been as topsy-turvy as the 2019/20 on-field campaign before coronavirus halted it last month.

Yes, the runaway No. 1 seed is alive, but the second, third, fourth, and fifth seeds have been expelled from the tournament within the first two rounds.

Voting in the semifinal round begins Thursday.

[ RESULTS: March Madness Round of 16 ]

Before we go any further, if you’re unfamiliar: To make sure you’re not missing out on either March Madness or the business end of the PL season, we’ve gone ahead and merged the two competitions. The March Madness Final Four and Championship game were due to take place this weekend in Atlanta but now you will be voting on Tottenham v. Arsenal instead of Duke v. Kansas.

Teams are seeded from 1-16 based on their current spot in the table, with Aston Villa winning the relegation playoffs on Monday to remain in the Premier League.

[ LIVE: March Madness PL hub ]

Before we handicap the semifinal matches, let’s take a look at where the field sits after your Wednesday voting.

No. 1 Liverpool v. No. 12 Everton
No. 6 Wolves v. No. 7 Sheffield United

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]

Look, all bets are off for the derby. The Everton faithful has shown up in a big way during voting, dispatching Manchester United and Chelsea.

That’s big time stuff, though Liverpool ended the dreams of our presumptive sleeping giant favorite Arsenal after beating West Ham in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Reds are going to have to not just been upstart Everton but overcome the legions of rival supporters who would happily click the Toffees’ box rather than see Liverpool gain the crown.

The other side of the bracket sees No. 7 Sheffield United looking to continue its surprising run in both the PL season and our voting.

The Blades knocked off Man City, potentially aided by the same phenomenon Everton hopes to see on Thursday.

Now they meet Wolves, who may be riding a crest of North American momentum in the form of affinity for El Tri hero Raul Jimenez.

Our prediction: Everton and Wolves in the Final.

Follow @NicholasMendola

Premier League preseason schedule: Dates, calendar, summer tours

By Joe Prince-WrightMay 30, 2023, 5:32 AM EDT

The Premier League preseason schedule ahead of the 2023-24 season looks very tasty as there are some intriguing summer tours lined up.

[ LIVE: Watch Premier League Summer Series in the USA ]

Of course, the first-ever Premier League Summer Series is coming to the USA with six teams playing nine games in five cities, and you can watch all of that action across our platforms here at NBC Sports by clicking on the link above.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]

Plenty of PL giants are heading to play elsewhere in the USA, Asia and Australia as the Premier League preseason schedule has now turned into a truly global celebration.

Below is the full Premier League preseason schedule, with details via the Premier League, as you can see where teams will be heading off to all over the globe this summer.

Arsenal

19 July v MLS All-Stars (Washington DC)
22 July v Man Utd (New York)
26 July v Barcelona (Los Angeles)

Aston Villa

Premier League Summer Series in USA
23 July v Newcastle (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
26 July v Fulham (Exploria Stadium, Orlando)
30 July v Brentford (FedExField, Landover, Maryland)

Brentford

Premier League Summer Series in USA
23 July v Fulham (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
26 July v Brighton (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta)
30 July v Aston Villa (FedExField, Landover, Maryland)

Brighton

Premier League Summer Series in USA
22 July v Chelsea (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
26 July v Brentford (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta)
28 July v Newcastle (Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey)

Chelsea

19 July v Wrexham (North Carolina)
2 August v Dortmund (Chicago)

Premier League Summer Series in USA
22 July v Brighton (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
26 July v Newcastle (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta)
30 July v Fulham (FedExField, Landover, Maryland)

Crystal Palace

26 July v Millonarios (Chicago)
30 July v Sevilla (Detroit)

Fulham

Premier League Summer Series in USA
23 July v Brentford (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
26 July v Aston Villa (Exploria Stadium, Orlando)
30 July v Chelsea (FedExField, Landover, Maryland)

Leicester City

23 July v Spurs (Bangkok)
30 July v Liverpool (Singapore)

Liverpool

30 July v Leicester (Singapore)
2 August v Bayern Munich (Singapore)

Manchester City

23 July v Yokohama F Marinos (Tokyo)
26 July v Bayern Munich (Tokyo)
30 July v Atletico Madrid (Seoul)

Manchester United

12 July v Leeds (Oslo)
19 July v Lyon (Edinburgh)
22 July v Arsenal (New York)
25 July v Wrexham (San Diego)
26 July v Real Madrid (Houston)
30 July v Dortmund (Las Vegas)

Newcastle

18 July v Rangers (Ibrox Stadium)

Premier League Summer Series in USA
23 July v Aston Villa (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
26 July v Chelsea (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta)
28 July v Brighton (Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey)

Tottenham

18 July v West Ham (Perth)
23 July v Leicester (Bangkok)
26 July v Roma (Singapore)

West Ham

15 July v Perth Glory (Perth)
18 July v Spurs (Perth)

Wolves

26 July v Celtic (Suwon)
29 July v Roma (Incheon)

Follow @JPW_NBCSports

10 things we learned in the Premier League – Week 38

By Nicholas MendolaMay 30, 2023, 5:30 AM EDT

The relegation picture took center stage in terms of headlines going into the final week of the Premier League season, but several clubs took their last game of the season to show fans what might be possible in the future.

Arsenal showed that there’s desire left in their tank despite a sad stretch run, Manchester United showed a seriousness to their comeback bid, and Southampton hollered down to the Championship to look out for Saints.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]

But, yes, all focus is on Goodison Park, where Everton did what it needed to claim another season in the Premier League and fans made sure the club knew that one day of success doesn’t make amends for two seasons of big struggles.

Here’s where our writers are living, as Joe Prince-Wright (JPW), Andy Edwards (AE), and Nicholas Mendola (NM) share their observations from across the most recent PL games.

10 things we learned in the Premier League – Week 38

1. Toffees shake off slow start, save Premier League status (Everton 1-0 AFC Bournemouth): Everton was set up with five at the back from the start and it was too negative. Sean Dyche got it right though. All they needed was one loose ball to drop to the right on-rushing central midfielder and it did in the second half as Abdoulaye Doucoure hammered home. It was a brilliant finish in what wasn’t a brilliant game (Dyche called it “hideous”). But Everton and Dyche don’t care. With loads of injuries they found a way to get it done and the history books show that Everton have still never been relegated from the Premier League and only Arsenal have a longer active top-flight streak as they will be playing at England’s top table next season, their 70th consecutive at the top level. Off the pitch there are financial issues to solve which could impact them next season but Dyche has done his job and if Everton are smart they should give him the tools to rip things up and rebuild the squad. Just staying up like this can’t happen again to Everton. They said that last season but look what happened. This time they have to make sure they are never in the relegation scrap again. A club of Everton’s size should never be in this situation. (JPW)

2. Too little, too late for Foxes as win not enough (Leicester 2-1 West Ham): “Too little, too late” may go down as the story of the Foxes season. Leicester did not get its recruitment plans correct — somewhat forced by Financial Fair Play — and then put too much faith in Brendan Rodgers to make things work. Dean Smith got some performances out of this men, few better than Sunday, but this ultimately feels like a fait accompli: Sometimes, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Despite big seasons from Harvey Barnes and James Maddison, this was that. There’s also the question of playing for a draw against Newcastle on Monday, but let’s not heap criticism on Dean Smith for taking a calculated risk. He deserves better. (NM)

3. Leeds final game of relegation campaign too familiar (Leeds 1-3 Spurs): It was a nightmare start for Leeds, who needed not only a victory of their own but also points to be dropped by both Everton and Leicester above them. Tottenham’s first foray into Leeds’ penalty area ended with Kane hammering the ball past Joel Robles. The second frame was a new half but same story for Leeds, who conceded once again barely a minute into the second half. Kane turned provider this time, as he lofted a blind ball into the channel for the overlapping Pedro Porro, who barely had a sight of goal with Robles smothering the near post. But, Porro placed a pinpoint strike just inside the far post from a tight angle. Big Sam couldn’t fix the defense and maybe it was unfixable. Leeds didn’t keep a clean sheet after February 25. At least they gave their fans a goal in nearly every game during that run to relegation. (AE).

4. Ten Hag’s men finish strong to reset standards (Manchester United 2-1 Fulham): It’s difficult not to talk big picture after a Championship Sunday like this where the top four was sorted before the matchday began in England. Manchester United is in as good shape as it’s been in some time because it had success this season while building upward from its foundation. Yes, the club still has some older key pieces in Casemiro and Raphael Varane, but Erik ten Hag’s system looks ready for finer ingredients and the boss will now have a great idea of what pieces work and what pieces are for someone else’s project. This was a successful year for Manchester United, the type that will make sure that success at Manchester United is measured in a relatively new but still very familiar way: by bigger ambition. (NM)

5. Gunners show glimpse that hunger for more remains (Arsenal 5-0 Wolves): It would have been easy for Arsenal to mail this one in given their poor finish to the season which stopped them from winning the Premier League title. But the young Gunners dug in and impressed as they finished with a flourish and proved they are hungry to close the gap on Man City next season. They can do it and with smart recruitment in midfield and defense this summer, Arsenal can acquire the extra squad depth they need to have more staying power next season. This was more than a 5-0 win. It was about showing they are here to stay. And they are. (JPW)

6. Saints show talent to come straight back up (Southampton 4-4 Liverpool): It was a sad day for Saints but in James Ward-Prowse, Carlos Alcaraz, and Kamaldeen Sulemana they showed they have talented players who can lead their Championship playoff push next season. But will those star players still be around? Saints now need to cut the deadwood, start again with a new manager, and try their best to keep the six or so players they have in their current squad who will be starters in the Championship. Saints need to follow the way Fulham and Bournemouth rebounded as they hit the reset this summer. There are stars at Saints but they needed defensive solidity, a clear playing style and more experience if they’re going to get the best out of their undoubted talents. (JPW).

7. Blues get taught familiar lesson in draw (Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle): At home against a Newcastle team down its top goalkeeper and starting several second-choice players including youngsters Anthony Gordon and Elliot Anderson, Chelsea should’ve been able to finish this season with a win. But the team without finishers again failed to finish and left the stadium with a 1-1 draw and their bottom half status still baffling their talent level. Mauricio Pochettino, should he arrive as expected, needs to get a clinical finisher, although let’s be honest: Chelsea’s probably going to get significantly better just by getting a manager of Pochettino’s renown in the club over Frank Lampard’s entirely forgettable tenure as interim boss .Is it August yet? (NM)

8. Bees finish with win over much-changed champions’ (Brentford 1-0 Man City): It was a long wait for the game’s only goal, but the Brentford fans got to celebrate once more as they closed out a brilliant second season in the top flight. Bryan Mbeumo laid the ball back to Ethan Pinnock, who came streaking into the penalty area completely unmarked. Pinnock guided a low strike out of Ederson’s reach to secure victory no. 15 on the Bees’ season. City started Rico Lewis, Kalvin Phillips, Cole Palmer, and Sergio Gomez, and its only sub was 19-year-old newcomer Shea Charles. They still out-attempted the hosts 17-11 while keeping 66 percent of the ball. (AE)

9. Cooper, Hodgson finish unexpected jobs well done (Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest): Neither Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper nor Palace counterpart Roy Hodgson would’ve seen themselves in this exact position earlier this season. Yes, Cooper might’ve thought his team would take time to adjust to the Premier League but did he expect a final few safe weekends without real repercussions? Probably not, but he did very well to navigate what became a dragged-out process and Forest did well to stick with the man who got them to the PL. Hodgson was retired at the start of the season and it surprised many that Palace cut ties with Patrick Vieira only to bring Hodgson back. The club legend did well right away, though, and he’Il only be more beloved should he decide to retire (again). (NM)

10. Emery gets Villa back into Europe (Aston Villa 2-1 Brighton): Aston Villa finished Unai Emery’s first (partial) season in charge by qualifying for the Europa Conference League with a 2-1 victory over Brighton at Villa Park on Sunday. Brighton (62 points – 6th place) entered the final day of the 2022-23 season having already qualified for next season’s Europa League, which will be the Seagulls’ first time in European competition in club history, and Villa was keen to join them. (AE)

Follow @NicholasMendola

Tigres stun Chivas with wild comeback in five-goal thriller to win Liga MX Clausura

By Joe Prince-WrightMay 30, 2023, 5:30 AM EDT

Tigres fought back from 2-0 down to beat Chivas 3-2 after extra time in a crazy second leg of Liga MX’s Clausura final, as Tigres were crowned Clausura champs.

WATCH FULL REPLAY

Tied at 0-0 from the first leg of the final in San Nicolas on Thursday, Chivas roared into an early 2-0 lead at Akron Stadium as Roberto Alvarado and Victor Guzman both scored inside the opening 20 minutes.

But then Tigres roared back in the second half with Andre-Pierre Gignac scoring a penalty kick with 25 minutes to go, then six minutes later Sebastian Cordova made it 2-2 to force extra time.

When the game looked destined for penalty kicks Guido Pizarro then scored a deflected winner in the 110th minute for Tigres, as two late red cards saw Cordova sent off for Tigres and Gilberto Sepulveda sent off for Chivas.

At the final whistle it was Tigres’ players who celebrated one of the most incredible comebacks in Liga MX final history, as they secured an eight Liga MX trophy and their first since winning the Clausura in 2019.

How to watch Chivas vs Tigres live, stream link and start time

Kick off: Sunday, May 28 – 9:25pm ET
TV Channel: Telemundo, Universo
Online: Stream via Peacock

Second leg Chivas vs Tigres video highlights – 2-3

First leg Tigres vs Chivas video highlights – 0-0

Follow @JPW_NBCSports

U20 World Cup schedule: How to watch live, groups, calendar, dates, times, fixtures

By Joe Prince-WrightMay 30, 2023, 5:30 AM EDT

The U20 World Cup takes place in Argentina from May 20 until June 11 as 24 teams full of the best young players on the planet go head-to-head to be crowned World champs.

[ LIVE: Watch the U20 World Cup en Espanol ]

And of course, the USA have plenty of talented youngsters so all eyes will be on Mikey Varas and his squad as they aim to go better than the quarterfinal spot they’ve reached in each of their last three U20 tournaments (2015, 2017, 2019) and they won Group B with three wins from three to reach the knockout rounds.

England, Brazil and hosts Argentina are among the favorites to win the tournament as Argentina stood in at the last minute to host the event after the tournament was moved from Indonesia.

Below is everything you need for the U20 World Cup.

2023 U20 World Cup schedule, start time, dates, how to watch live

When: May 20 to June 11
Group stage kick-off times: 2pm ET, 5pm ET
Location: Argentina
TV channels en Español: Telemundo, Universo
Streaming en Español: Telemundo, Online via NBC.com

2023 U20 World Cup schedule

All kicks off times ET

Round of 16

Match 38: Tuesday, May 30: USA vs New Zealand – 1:30pm
Match 37: Tuesday, May 30: Uzbekistan vs Israel – 5pm
Match 40: Wednesday, May 31: Brazil vs Tunisia – 1:30pm
Match 42: Wednesday, May 31: Colombia vs Slovakia – 1:30pm
Match 39: Wednesday, May 31: England vs Italy – 5pm
Match 41: Wednesday, May 31: Argentina vs Nigeria – 5pm
Match 44: Thursday, June 1: Gambia vs Uruguay – 1:30pm
Match 43: Thursday, June 1: Ecuador vs South Korea – 5pm

Quarterfinals

Match 46: Saturday, June 3: Winner Match 37 vs Winner Match 40 – 1:30pm
Match 47: Saturday, June 3: Winner Match 42 vs Winner Match 39 – 5pm
Match 48: Sunday, June 4: Winner Match 43 vs Winner Match 32 – 1:30pm
Match 45: Sunday, June 4: Winner Match 38 vs Winner Match 44 – 5pm

Semifinals

Match 49: Thursday, June 8: Winner Match 45 vs Winner Match 46 – 1:30pm
Match 50: Thursday, June 8: Winner Match 47 vs Winner Match 48 – 5pm

Third-place game

Match 51: Sunday, June 11: Loser Match 49 vs Loser match 50 – 1:30pm

Final

Match 52: Sunday, June 11: Winner Match 49 vs Winner mtahc 50 – 5pm

Group stage results

Group A

💣 ¡GOLAZO DE CARBONI!

⚽️ Valentin se tomó confianza, regateó y tiró con fuerza para lograr la remontada de la Albiceleste.

🇦🇷 Argentina 2-1 Uzbekistán 🇺🇿

EN VIVO por 📺 @Telemundo y 📱 Telemundo APP ➡️ https://t.co/plamwHAzbT #U20TD #U20WC #MundialTelemundo pic.twitter.com/gD8kWMZb2L

— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 20, 2023

Saturday, May 20: Guatemala 0-1 New Zealand – 2pm
Saturday, May 20: Argentina 2-1 Uzbekistan – 5pm
Tuesday, May 23: Uzbekistan 2-2 New Zealand – 2pm
Tuesday, May 23: Argentina 3-0 Guatemala – 5pm
Friday, May 26: New Zealand 0-5 Argentina – 5pm
Friday, May 26: Uzbekistan 2-0 Guatemala – 5pm

Group B

The breakthrough! @diegoluna1511 makes his mark off the bench

🎥 » @FOXSoccer

pic.twitter.com/NgQQyLFHSd

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) May 23, 2023

Curve it like Cade ⤴️ @Cc4Official

🎥 » @FOXSoccer pic.twitter.com/j6RMH7LJq3

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) May 23, 2023

TAP, TAP, TAP IN for Caleb Wiley

🎥 » @FOXSoccer

pic.twitter.com/0tXeADhbf2

— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) May 23, 2023

✨ ¡¡¡GOLAAAAZOOOOOOO!!!

🤯 ¡Increíble! Jonathan Gómez marca en los últimos minutos y le dará la victoria a Estados Unidos 👏

⚽️ @USYNT 🇺🇸 1-0 @LaTri 🇪🇨

🔴 EN VIVO por @Telemundo y Telemundo APP ➡️ https://t.co/tZFDaCZEZE #U20TD #U20WC #MundialTelemundo pic.twitter.com/S2ijTh1yja

— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 20, 2023

Saturday, May 20: USA 1-0 Ecuador – 2pm (92nd minute winner from Jonathan Gomez)
Saturday, May 20: Fiji 0-4 Slovakia – 5pm
Tuesday, May 23: USA 3-0 Fiji – 2pm
Tuesday, May 23: Ecuador 2-1 Slovakia – 5pm
Friday, May 26: Slovakia 0-2 USA – 2pm
Friday, May 26: Ecuador 9-0 Fiji – 2pm

The #U20WC's youngest-ever goalscorer! 👏

🇪🇨 Kendry Paez pic.twitter.com/UGRWK99bfE

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) May 29, 2023

Group C

¡Ya le dieron la vuelta😎!

Tomas Angel aprovecha el rechace y @FCFSeleccionCol le da la vuelta al marcador

Japón 🇯🇵 1-2 Colombia 🇨🇴

📱 Telemundo APP ➡️ https://t.co/zfHCjgEAFX #U20TD #U20WC #MundialTelemundo pic.twitter.com/c6ST98ji6C

— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 24, 2023

¡Se salvó Colombia😱!

El capitán Kuryu Matsuki estrelló su disparo en el travesaño.

Japón 🇯🇵 1-2 Colombia 🇨🇴

📱 Telemundo APP ➡️ https://t.co/zfHCjgEAFX #U20TD #U20WC #MundialTelemundo pic.twitter.com/nTBTF9Wass

— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 24, 2023

Sunday, May 21: Israel 1-2 Colombia – 2pm
Sunday, May 21: Senegal 0-1 Japan – 5pm
Wednesday, May 24: Senegal 1-1 Israel – 2pm
Wednesday, May 24: Japan 1-2 Colombia – 5pm
Saturday, May 27: Japan 1-2 Israel – 5pm
Saturday, May 27: Colombia 1-1 Senegal – 5pm

Group D

¡No se cansan de anotar👏!

Matheus Martins dispara con potencia y ya cae el sexto de @CBF_Futebol.

Brasil 🇧🇷 6-0 Rep. Dominicana 🇩🇴

📱 Telemundo APP ➡️ https://t.co/ay9gikWoXg #U20TD #U20WC #MundialTelemundo pic.twitter.com/ce7CR4zSLB

— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 24, 2023

Sunday, May 21: Nigeria 2-1 Dominican Republic – 2pm
Sunday, May 21: Italy 3-2 Brazil – 5pm
Wednesday, May 24: Italy 0-2 Nigeria – 2pm
Wednesday, May 24: Brazil 6-0 Dominican Republic – 5pm
Saturday, May 27: Brazil 2-0 Nigeria – 2pm
Saturday, May 27: Dominican Republic 0-3 Italy – 2pm

Group E

Monday, May 22: England 1-0 Tunisia – 2pm
Monday, May 22: Uruguay 4-0 Iraq – 5pm
Thursday, May 25: Uruguay 2-3 England – 2pm
Thursday, May 25: Iraq 0-3 Tunisia – 5pm
Sunday, May 28: Iraq 0-0 England – 2pm
Sunday, May 28: Tunisia 0-1 Uruguay – 2pm

Group F

Monday, May 22: France 1-2 South Korea – 2pm
Monday, May 22: Gambia 2-1 Honduras – 5pm
Thursday, May 25: France 1-2 Gambia – 2pm
Thursday, May 25: South Korea 2-2 Honduras – 5pm
Sunday, May 28: South Korea 0-0 Gambia – 5pm
Sunday, May 28: Honduras 1-3 France – 5pm

F ollow @JPW_NBCSports

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10 things we learned in the Premier League – Week 38

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Second leg Chivas vs Tigres video highlights – 2-3

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