Belated congratulations to the Western New York Flash who won the 2016 NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) title on Sunday, Oct. 9 at Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium. While it happened on an NFL Sunday, those that tuned in to the live coverage on Fox Sports 1 were treated to a thriller as the Flash tied it at two in the 124th minute (stoppage time of overtime) on Lynn Williams’ goal. The club captured their first crown thanks to a 3-2 shootout victory, goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo only allowed two goals in the shootout out of five total shots. The Washington Spirit had nothing to be ashamed of, especially striker Crystal Dunn who scored both of their goals (1 in the first half and the other in the first half of overtime). Major League Soccer Settles in for the Last Week of the Regular Season
After a crazy Sunday with all 20 teams in MLS in action, everyone is down to one last match left in the 2016 regular season. Six out of the 10 teams in each conference (Eastern and Western) reach the postseason so while that isn’t a particularly lofty accomplishment, at least there is still some intrigue heading into next weekend. To prevent any shenanigans, all 20 teams once again will kick off on Sunday (with 4 pm EST start times for each game). Five of the six spots in the East are locked up with either Philadelphia (11-13-9) or New England (10-14-9) getting the last seed while only three bids in the West are sealed with Real Salt Lake (12-11-10), Seattle (13-14-6), Sporting KC (12-13-8) and Portland (12-13-8) all battling for the No. 4-6 seeds with one unlucky club getting left out of the fun. Chandler Notches an Assist in Frankfurt’s Draw with Bayern Munich
German-American Timmy Chandler is still only 26-years-old and while he hasn’t yet become the stalwart on the U.S. men’s national team that we had hoped for, Saturday’s performance against Bayern Munich (5-2-0)-the top team in the Bundesliga (Germany)-was further proof of his still untapped potential. Chandler logged all 90+ minutes for his club Eintracht Frankfurt (3-2-2) at right back and notched a beautiful assist on Marco Fabian’s tying goal in the 78th minute. Donald Trump might not have enjoyed it but there is something ironic about that sequence since it marked the first time ever in the Bundesliga that an American assisted on a goal by a Mexican. Those two will be on opposite sides of a bitter rivalry when their countries meet in an important World Cup qualifier on November 11 in Columbus, Ohio at MAPFRE Stadium. Leicester City Struggling to Find the Magic of Last Season in the EPL
Perhaps predictably, it has been a rough first couple months for the defending champions in England, Leicester City (2-2-4). The Foxes were blasted 3-0 by Chelsea (5-1-2) on Saturday at Stamford Bridge in London, dropping them to 13th out of 20 teams in the English Premier League. Amazingly, that loss gives them more than they had in the entire dream campaign of 2015/16 (23-12-3). There are still 32 matches left in the season but at least for now, Leicester should be more worried about staying out of the relegation zone (18-20) than trying to chase the Top-5 clubs (Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea) who are all at least eight points ahead of them. Follow Richard Slate on Twitter: @RichSlate
Slate on soccer: On Eintracht Frankfurt, Timmy Chandler, Leicester City
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