The second week of the group stages are officially over as some pretty big clubs took to the pitch on the world’s biggest stage. Perhaps the biggest headline in today’s match-ups was that of Real Madrid and the-one -and-only Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese international stole all recognition as he knocked in his second hat trick in two matches. Real Madrid played CL rivals Ajax once again in the Group of Death, beating them 4-1. Ajax’s only goal came from Niklas Moisander in the 56′.

The king of hat trick Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 42′, 79′ and the 81′ but it was the Frenchman Karim Benzema who scored the Goal of the Match (and I’ll say the day too,) after a stunning chilean, or bicycle kick, just after the second half kick-off assisted by Kaka.

Los Blancos sit atop their group with 6 points and will face league rivals FC Barcelona Sunday at Camp Nou for the first El Clásico of the season. Hopefully this CL match will light the fire under the boys so they can come on top of Barça once again.

http://youtu.be/CBMy7rWUeQA

Looks like Arsenal are one step closer to securing their spot in the knockout stage after winning 3-1 against Olympiakos. After a defeat by Chelsea in the Premier League last weekend, the Gunners looked refreshed on the pitch.

The goal scorers were Gervinho, Lukas Podolski and Aaron Ramsey while Kostas Mitroglou scored the lone goal for his side. The second half was fast-paced as many opportunities arose for the Gunners.

I have to give a Flop of the Match award to Olivier Giroud who has not yet been the key player for Arsenal as others expected. Only time will tell with him and perhaps on Saturday when Arsenal face West Ham, could we see something more from him.

Dynamo Kiev 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb

FC Porto 1-0 PSG

Schalke 04 2-2 Montpellier

Anderlecht 0-3 Málaga

Manchester City 1-1 Borussia Dortmund

Photo courtesy of Real Madrid C.F.

We’re in the middle of a great El Clasico match, footy fans. As of right now, at the beginning of the second half, it’s Real Madrid 2 – Barcelona 1, 4-4 on aggregate of the Super Copa.

Is it any surprise that one of those goals is by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo? Probably not. But you’ve gotta watch the sick little back heel move he makes to set himself up for the goal. I’ve watched it five times. I’m sure Pique will too.

http://youtu.be/n-CC2GyJdxk

Controversy! Scandal! Accusations! We just love digging up some saucy headlines for you and today’s have their fair share. From Fernando Torres’s controversial game-winning goal against Reading to Juventus coach Antonio Conte’s suspension, and an accusation of San Jose playing dirty, we’ve got a wide range of hot topics today.

Serie A

Juventus coach Antonio Conte tried to appeal his 10-month ban by the Italian Football Federation for match-fixing, but yesterday the ban was upheld by an Italian soccer court:

Conte’s implication in the scandal involved match-fixing charges in two Serie B matches that took place in the 2010-11 season.

“It was decided to acquit Conte for his role in the Novara-Siena game, but the 10-month disqualification stands as a disciplinary commission sanction concerning Albinoleffe-Siena,” the statement said.

Ever wonder what music pumps your favorite players up before a game? AS Roma’s digital business division has extended its relationship with Apple by launching iTunes playlists curated by the club’s players:

Pablo Osvaldo is the first to let the world know his music tastes, as Roma update the music page on a weekly basis. Osvaldo’s musical tastes include everything from Leonard Cohen up to Metallica. Music has always been a huge part of the beautiful game - with terrace chants and anthems ever popular. Furthermore, in recent years the image of footballers equipped with headphones as part of their pre-match ritual has become standard.

English Premier League 

Chelsea didn’t have an easy time of it today against Reading, but managed to pull out a 4-2 win after trailing at the half, thanks to late heroics from – you guessed it, Fernando Torres. But should Torres’s 81st minute game-winner have counted? Reading head coach Brian McDermott was livid after the play, in which he thought Torres was clearly offside.

Chelsea now sits atop the EPL table with six points but are they good enough to challenge the Manchester duo?

Manchester United may have added a key veteran up top in Robin van Persie, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t relying on the team’s home-grown youth going forward. Young striker Danny Welbeck, a lifelong Red Devils fan, just signed new contract to keep him with the club through 2016, and Sir Alex Ferguson has high hopes for his future with the club:

“He has become an important player at international level as well, as the maturity of his performances at the European Championships showed.

“This year is another important one for him. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

Good news for Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, who suffered a knee injury last weekend against Southampton. ESPN is reporting that Aguero could be back within a month, after an initial fear that the injury could be much worse and sideline him for a greater part of the season.

La Liga

The first clash of the La Liga titans will be upon us this weekend, and ESPN’s Graham Hunter reflects on the recent history, the magic and the importance of the Clasico, matches he described as “the most explosive, most technically brilliant, most consistently entertaining and most rewarding anywhere in the world.”

Major League Soccer

San Jose has impressed this season with late comebacks and a rise to the top of the MLS standings, but are they playing dirty to get there? Quakes coach Frank Yallop embraces their physical style of play, but was “mystified” by the red card on Steven Lenhart in last Saturday’s match against Montreal.

“Does [Lenhart] get into people’s heads? Sure,” Yallop said. “Is he a nightmare to play against? Yes. But he’s not elbowed, punched or head butted anybody. And he got that all Saturday night, and he got red-carded as well.”

There’s no question with Lenhart and Alan Gordon as a pair of target men to use up top, San Jose plays a physical brand of soccer. To Yallop, however, there’s an important difference between being hard-nosed and crossing the line into dirty.

Wayne Rooney introduces his palm to his face after Manchester United blew a 4-2 lead against Everton on Sunday.

One of the first posts I ever wrote for Aerys was an homage to a baseball blog I love, You Can’t Predict Baseball. Every day, YCPB runs through the craziness that happens in baseball, which, judging by the success of the blog, is plentiful.

Unpredictability is one of the aspects of sports that makes it so exciting to watch, and soccer is not immune. From El Clasico to Old Trafford, and throughout MLS, this weekend has been a clinic in unpredictable and crazy moments throughout the soccer world. So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I give you today’s Daily Kick Around: You Can’t Predict Soccer Edition.

 La Liga

Let’s start with El Clasico. Yes, yes, our own Tamara Rinehart actually predicted the final score of the heavyweight Real Madrid-Barcelona matchup. But most didn’t. Real Madrid had not defeated Barca since May 7, 2008 — nearly four years! Since then, Barcelona had outscored them 20-4. I repeat: TWENTY TO FOUR. Not to mention, it was Barcelona’s first loss at home this season. So how did the inevitable Liga champs do it? Tamara has the full recap.

English Premier League

Manchester United had a chance to seal the Premier League title today at Old Trafford with a defeat over Everton, and it looked to be a pretty predictable outcome when they went up 4-2 in the 67th minute. Everton hadn’t won at Manchester United in 20 years, and their last draw came 6 years ago. In 18 matches before today, Everton’s record against MUFC was 0-15-3. Then Everton scored two goals in the final 7 minutes to force a draw, and keep Manchester City within striking distance – only 6 points behind United. Everton are only the third team to score 4 or more at Old Trafford.

Major League Soccer

Eastern Conference leaders, Sporting KC, were riding a perfect record coming into Saturday’s match against the woeful Portland Timbers. Portland was on a four game losing streak. Kansas City was on a seven game winning streak. So how did Portland hand KC their first loss of the season, and hold them scoreless? Well, KC did it to themselves – with an own goal. Ouch.

Two MLS matches yesterday saw a team handed two red cards, left to finish the match with nine men. Real Salt Lake nearly hung on, as their match against the San Jose Earthquakes was still 1-1 at 90 minutes, but RSL allowed two goals in stoppage time to hand the Quakes the Western Conference lead. Simon Dawkins scored the go-ahead goal for San Jose, his first goal of the season. RSL held an 8-0 scoring advantage over the Quakes in their last 4 meetings prior to this match.

Chivas USA, however, couldn’t take advantage of their 2-man advantage over the Philadelphia Union, falling 1-0. This was their fourth consecutive 1-0 defeat at home.

Chicago Fire won a game! Then again, it was over Toronto FC, who managed two goals but remain winless on the season. Now with two wins this season, the Fire may soon have more wins than the Cubs.

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter and check back here throughout the day for more commentary around this crazy soccer weekend. 

Guys. Let me be honest for a moment.

I’m in tears right now. Why? Because, today proves why Madrid is one of the best clubs in the world.

Today, Real Madrid finally proved themselves to fans, haters and the inbetweeners. Madrid defeated FC Barcelona 2-1 at home. AT HOME.

Now before I get to the details, Friday I wrote a preview for today’s epic clash between the Spanish giants. I gave two predictions for the final minutes. 2-1 Real Madrid or a 2-2 Draw. For the first time in 3 years, my prediction came true.

The match started off on fire, both sides clashing on the pitch, looking for that first goal. Real Madrid fixed all their gaps on the pitch, including their shaky defense. Fabio Coentrao played a fantastic match, considering his poor form in Madrid’s Champions League match against Bayern Tuesday.

Sami Khedira lifted the spirits for Madridistas after scoring their first goal after an error from Barcelona keeper, Victor Valdes. Barcelona had two chances when both Xavi and Cristian Tello almost scored for the Catalans who finally equalized when Alexis Sanchez was subbed on and scored in the 70′.

Real Madrid sealed their first El Clasico victory since May 7, 2008, after Mesut Ozil assisted Cristiano Ronaldo who at high-speed, shot the ball pass Valdes and his defenders.

As for Lionel Messi, the Argentiean was absent on the pitch, not making any “wow!” appearances.

Finally we witnessed an El Clasico that wasn’t hard to watch, no fights, no useless fouls, just futbol.

Of course now, Real Madrid is 7 points clear of Barcelona in the race for the title. If they win 2 of their 4 matches left in Liga, they will lift the trophy at the end of the season.

Since I promised in my preview that I’d save the stats, well today is a different day because a lot of records have been broke.

• Madrid are now ahead of Barcelona in most Clasicos won at 87-86
• Cristiano Ronaldo has 54 goals for the season, a career high
• Today was Barcelona’s first home loss all season, perfectly dealt by rivals, Real Madrid
• If Cristiano scores against Malaga, he’ll be the first player in history to score a goal against EVERY club in La Liga

We still have a lot of La Liga left to play, 4 matches left to be exact, so anything is possible. Next week, Barca & Madrid turn their focus to the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals. Until then, Madridistas – celebrate, you deserve it. Here’s some lovely picture spam!

From Sergio Ramos’ twitter 

Don’t they look so happy? Well deserved!

It’s okay guys, I got this.

Finally, the goal that moved Real Madrid into glory!

I’ll see you guys tomorrow for another edition of Late Night Liga!

Photos courtest of twitter & Real Madrid C.F.

Gif courtesy of Tumblr

Happy Friday y’all! I bet you’re as excited for the weekend as I am. We’ve got plenty of MLS and EPL matches, and of course the big one: El Clasico. Aside from all the upcoming games this weekend, there was a bit of a shakeup in the Pacific North West today, plus bad news for Arsenal as the season comes to a close. All that and more, here’s your Daily Kick Around!

Major League Soccer

Two big announcements out of Portland today. First, former Seattle Sounder–and Timbers rival–Mike Fucito was traded to the Timbers from his current side, Montreal Impact. Depending on Fucito’s performance, the Impact will receive either the Timbers’ highest second-round 2013 SuperDraft pick or a 2013 international roster slot.

But that wasn’t the end of the news out of Portland for the day. It was just announced that Timbers forward Eddie Johnson will be retiring. Johnson has been out since February after suffering his third concussion. At just 27, Johnson’s 10 year professional career is coming to an end. Best of luck to Eddie in his future endeavors!

It’s no secret that Sporting Kansas City are absolutely on fire to start the season. They are now 7-0-0, and look unstoppable at the moment. There is so much joy every time they play, you can’t help but love watching them. Well, it seems the team is also having a blast off the field. Check out the latest quirky video out of SKC, featuring Bobby Convey in a bathrobe with his dog. No, I’m not kidding.

La Liga

Tomorrow morning La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona will face off in an epic clash. Our own Tamara Rinehart previews the El Clasico here.

English Premier League

Bad news for Arsenal fans. etAs the season is quickly coming to an end, it was announced today that Mikel Arta will have to be sidelined for the last four games. He does not need ankle surgery, but it is a sprain, so the Gunners won’t be able to use him to maintain their position in the league table.

Apparently fans aren’t the only ones sick of Manchester United’s Ashley Young diving all over the pitch, trying to get penalty kick calls. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned Young against these antics, saying he goes down too quickly when challenged. “I’ve had a word with Ashley and he understands where we’re coming from. Hopefully it makes a difference.’‘ Even this United fan hopes to see Young stay on his feet–goals from penalty kicks after a dive just aren’t satisfying.

Welcome back fútbol fans! This past week of La Liga has been a crazy one with matches Monday-Thursday!

Current standings for the 2-12-2013 campaign are as follows:

On Monday, Málaga beat Racing Santander 3-nil with goals from Santi Cazorla, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Isco. Málaga, who were almost relegated last season, has improved tremendous amounts and will begin the weekend sitting at 4th.

Barca faced Getafe, a club who they lost to earlier in the season, came up on top as they scored 4-nil at the Nou camp with Alexis Sánchez rounding out with two goals. Barcelona are still within a 4-point reach of current leaders Real Madrid, with only 6 matches left of the season and a huge El Clasico coming up next Saturday.

Espanyol lost 2-nil to Osasuna while Real Sociedad and Real Betis drew at 1-1.

Wednesday was a whole different ballgame as all four matches were very entertaining to watch. First on the list was Atlético Madrid – Real Madrid in El Derbi Madrileño. It was a do or die match for Real, who could have seen their title hopes fall out of place. Falcao scored the lone goal for Atléti off a header from Adrian Lopez in the 55′, but it was Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo who made headlines with his 7th hattrick of the season. José Callejón scored their 4th goal minutes after Ronnie’s penalty kick.

Valencia proved why they’re sitting in 3rd after a 4-1 victory against Rayo Vallecano at the Mestalla. After a couple rough weeks, plagued with bad form, Valencia opened up the scoring in the 41′ by Jonas. Jordi Alba, Pablo and another goal by Jonas gave Valencia their win. Diego Costa fired low into the corner giving Rayo their only goal.

Granada drew with Athletic Bilbao 2-2 and Sporting Gijon beat Levante 3-2.

Thursday was another high-scoring day of fútbol as Sevilla sank Zaragoza at home with 3 goals, two from Álvaro Negredo and one from Federico Fazio. Santander lost to Mallorca 3-nil while Villarreal beat Málaga 2-1.

This weekend is another busy one for the players. Real Madrid face Sporting Gijon at the Bernabéu, hoping to pull off a victory. The whites can’t afford to be down ANY points. If Madrid grasp a victory but lose during El Clasico, they’ll still be Liga leaders, even if it’s by one point.

Levante play Barcelona Saturday as well and that match will be broadcasted on ESPN3.com at 4 p.m. ET. Levante have had a fantastic season so they’ll give Barca a little difficulty at the Ciudad de Valencia.

On Sunday, all the other clubs face off with the televised matches being Espanyol – Valencia on ESPN Deportes at 6 a.m. ET and Rayo Vallecano playing Athletic Bilbao on ESPN Deportes at 3:30 p.m. ET.

On Monday Getafe will play Sevilla at the Coliseum Afonso Perez which is a must-watch match as Getafe’s defense are a perfect match for Sevilla’s fast offense.

Ever wondered how Messi & Ronaldo match up? Just check out this video for some interesting statistics!

http://youtu.be/2SiOoiPc03Y

In other news around Liga, Villarreal took a huge blow today as Giuseppe Rossi tore his ACL in training. Rossi, who was on his way back to a good form after suffering an injury in October, will miss Euro 2012 for Italy who were to face Spain in the tournament opener.

We have an update on Barca defender Eric Abidal, who underwent a liver transplant Tuesday. Barca manager, Pep Guardiola (King of the Skinny Ties) stated that the French international was recovering well and that everything is going as planned. It’s unlikely he will return this season, let alone represent France in Euro, but we all wish his a fast recovery!

Twitter is a pretty interesting place to find weird news. Today I noticed a hashtag called #footballermovies. Some of my favorite La Liga inspired ones are ‘Guti & The Beast,’ ‘Lionel King,’ ‘Cesc & The City,’ ‘One Flew Over the Kaka’s Nest,’ ‘Xavitar,’ and ‘Don’t Messi With The Zlatan.’

We have a busy week of football coming up with matches on almost everyday of the week which means we have a lot of news to cover! Today we have some El Clasico scheduling issues, Shaun Derry’s red card appeal and Samir Nasri’s cocky bet with Piers Morgan. All in a days work and all in today’s DKA!

UEFA Champions League

Originally scheduled for April 22nd, El Clasico was moved to April 21st by RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation.) The reason? So Barcelona has a day to recover for their semi-final clash against Chelsea FC on April 24th for the second leg. Unfortunate for Chelsea, the FA refuses to give the Blues the same treatment, after asking to switch the date of the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham the day before their first-leg match against Barca on April 18th. And here I thought that I might get to watch El Clasico, looks like I’ll be sneaking my laptop to work!

La Liga

Wednesday is the Madrid Derby (or El Derbi de Madrileño) between Atletico Madrid & Real Madrid. This match has a lot riding on the outcome. Atletico midfielder Juanfran claims that the match could be decisive for their city rival’s title hopes, should they fail to gain two points. With Real only 4 points ahead Barca (22 days ago they had a lovely 10-point lead,) every match is critical.

Everyone loves Spain, especially Carlos Vela. The Arsenal striker is currently on a loan to Real Sociedad which expires at the end of the season, but he’d rather stay then depart back to Emirates. Turns out, Vela loves the Spanish league more than the English:

“From my point of view, from a footballing and lifestyle standpoint it is better to stay in this league. I have a contract with an English team and if I have to return there I will adapt, but if I could stay here I would be happier.”

Here at Aerys Soccer, we’ve adapted a new platform for our La Liga coverage. It’s called  ’Late Night Liga’ where I share recaps, rumors, previews of the upcoming La Liga matches in case you couldn’t follow the matches. To read the first edition of LNL, click here!

English Premier League

Too bad for QPR’s Shaun Derry, whose appeal against his red card on Sunday was rejected by the FA. Derry was sent off at Old Trafford when he apparently fouled Ashley Young. In reality, Young tumbled dramatically when Derry barely made contact with the winger. Derry will miss this Wednesday’s match at home against Swansea.

Anybody remember Samir Nasri? Remember when he ditched Arsenal to go to Manchester City then publicly bashed Arsenal supporters? Well, looks like $amir Na$ri is up to something again. The frenchman made a £10,000 bet with a loyal & famous Gunners supporter via Twitter who just happens to be Piers Morgan. Of course, whoever loses has to donate the money to charity but it was this statement that started the whole thing:

“I’m aware what I said about titles,” Nasri said on Twitter. “I’m sure I will lift a trophy with Man City before AFC. And to all the Arsenal fans, move on. City are 10 points ahead of you. Just support your team and forget about me.”

Well, sorry Nasri, but it’s hard to forget someone when they move a club for loads of $ then trash talk the supporters, the people who adored you. Maybe you should be the one to ‘move on.’ Let’s hope for AFC fans that Piers wins this bet.

Our headlines today include the latest ruling on the WPS 2012 season, Justin Bieber taking on Fernando Torres and Frank Lampard, and Darren Fletcher’s extended leave from football to deal with a chronic illness. Here’s today’s Daily Kick Around.

Women’s Professional Soccer

After a lot of talk and discussion that the league wouldn’t exist next season, WPS has received “conditional sanctioning to operate” for the 2012 season. Not sure what this means for the league? Our own Dana Wagner explains it all here.

La Liga

On Saturday, the whole world watched as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid in El Clasico. It was a fast-paced, back and forth match, but this cool video shows the key moments in slow motion. Bad ass is the best way to describe it.

Aside from the game itself, the focus was also on Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, who just cannot figure out how to take down footy giants Barcelona, no matter what tactics he deploys or how good his team is. He disgraced himself with his actions in last year’s El Clasico, but things were different this time around. Graham Ruthven takes a look into the mind of the Special One, and how he’s improved his attitude since the two teams met just four months ago.

English Premier League

For Manchester United, the hits just keep coming. Midfielder Darren Fletcher announced today that he will be taking an extended break from soccer to deal with a chronic bowel disease that has been plaguing him for months. He has ulcerative colitis, a chronic condition for which there is no known cure. As a United fan, I hope Fletcher is back in action soon!

Since I’m not a teenage girl, I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest Justin Bieber fan. But when the teen sensation visited Chelsea FC to kick around with Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres, he gained a few points in my book for a jab he took at Torres. About 30 seconds into this video, Lampard says to Bieber, “You’re left-footed then, eh?” Bieber responds, “Yeah,” and Torres makes a comment, to which the Biebs replies, “You’re neither foot, right?” Well played, Justin.

Major League Soccer

Defending MLS Cup Champions LA Galaxy aren’t wasting any time this off-season in preparation for the 2012 season. In yesterday’s Re-Entry Draft, the Galaxy picked up four veteran players, along with pulling defenders Frankie Hedjuk and Dasan Robinson back in.

LA also officially announced the signing of Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Sarvas. It had been rumored that the Galaxy had signed the Alajuelense veteran for a couple of weeks, but the club made it official late yesterday. No rest for the Champions this off-season!

Major League Soccer

Things were not looking up for the Vancouver Whitecaps yesterday as the CEO of the team Paul Barber stepped down, effective February 2012. Even though the team finished dead last, there seemed to be no ill will between anyone. Here’s hoping the Whitecaps bounce back next season.

One of the biggest supporters of soccer in the states right now? None other than basketball star Steve Nash. The Ottawa Citizen has a great interview here with Nash about his love of the beautiful game.

The Montreal Impact have already picked up former L.A. Galaxy keeper Donovan Ricketts and signed on its 2011 NASL goalkeeper Evan Bush, but the team announced yesterday they will also sign a former Impact legend, Greg Sutton. 

English Premier League

What would EPL be without the drama, huh? Now Tony Pulis and Harry Redknapp have joined Kenny Dalglish, who has lodged a complaint against FA. The EPL bosses believe there is a “double-standard” in how the association handles match bans and appeals. The complaint comes after the FA reduced Wayne Rooney’s red-card ban he picked up in Euro 2012 qualifying from three matches to one.

Former Manchester United player Gary Neville might not play anymore, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going after Chelsea. Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has lashed back at Neville – who is a commentator for SkySports – after a scathing criticism from Neville about Chelsea players.

La Liga

Let’s just face it kids; it’s Dec. 10 match day in La Liga and the only thing anyone is talking about is El Clasico. The epic battle between Barcelona and Real Madrid will kick off at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com, GolTV or ESPN Deportes. YouTube will also be streaming the match live. Need a run down on the 101 of El Clasico? Our own Tamara Rinehart has a great piece to get you in the know with highly-anticipated match.

Serie A

Roma fans have been waiting to hear what Daniele De Rossi’s deal is – whether he’ll stay or leave the Italian club. After speculation that he would leave for England, De Rossi finally stated that while he loves EPL, he will remain in the capital for the “foreseeable future.”