SOCCER INTERNATIONAL ARTICLES

The top half of the Champions League draw in 2017-18 didn’t really provide us with much in the way of intrigue. Most of the groups featured two teams that were clearly superior and two teams that were clearly inferior, and the results mostly held form two weeks ago to start the competition. If the same thing happens on Wednesday, the rest of these matches in the group stage will ultimately be elementary, though you never know when placing first or second in a group can be the deciding factor in your fate in the Round of 16.These Champions League duels will go down Wednesday, September 27, with all of the kickoffs taking place at 2:45 p.m. ET. The CSKA Moscow/Manchester United match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1, while the Sporting/Barcelona affair can be seen on FOX Sports 2.... 

The time for messing around in the group stage of the Champions League is already over with. Most of the big boys came out of the blocks two weeks ago and took care of business. But for the teams that didn’t, it’s business time on Match Day 2 this week. A second straight less than superior result will surely have inferior teams believing in themselves that they can pull off upsets and get into the knockout rounds of this competition themselves.These Champions League duels will go down Tuesday, September 26, with all of the kickoffs taking place at 2:45 p.m. ET. The Borussia Dortmund/Real Madrid match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1, while the Spartak Moscow/Liverpool affair can be seen on FOX Sports 2.... 

After a full round of eight Champions League matches on Tuesday, there will be eight more to be played on Wednesday night all across Europe. It's going to be a great night across the continent with a slew of little guys having their shots against the big boys on the biggest stage in club soccer.... 

The first round of Champions League matches in the group stage are always interesting. Teams love to feel each other out and see what they can bring to the table in the biggest competition of the year. That said, this is also a fixture list that is coming fresh off of an international break, and that could bring fitness into the equation as well, particularly for some of the bigger teams going against some of the minnows of the bunch.... 

Over the course of the last four decades, the winner of Europe's two top championships from the year before square off in the UEFA Super Cup. This match isn't met with nearly as much fanfare as the Europa League or the Champions League, but it's one last chance for two really good teams to get a nice tune-up in to kick off the season. Real Madrid, the defending champion of the Super Cup, will get a shot to defend its title as the Champions League winner against Europa League holder, Manchester United.Don't miss the UEFA Super Cup Final from Philip II Arena at 2:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 8, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX Sports 1.... 

The championship match of the Confederations Cup promises to be one of the all-time greats in the history of this tournament. We've already seen Germany and Chile play one great match against each other. Now, we get the pleasure of seeing the second act of this play in Saint Petersburg, with the World Cup champs and the two-time defending Copa America champs facing off with silverware to bring back to their nations on the line.... 

Portugal and Mexico will end up being disappointed with their results in the Confederations Cup. They're both going to get an opportunity to play one last match in Russia against the other, but finishing third place in this tournament isn't going to be anything that either nation will revel in.... 

The United States Men's National Soccer Team has given itself one last prep for the Gold Cup to be played on American soil starting on July 7. The Yanks will take on Ghana in what should be a fair tune-up against a side comparable to a lot of what will be seen against the middling teams in CONCACAF's premier event.This soccer duel will go down Saturday, July 1, 2017, at 4:45 p.m. ET at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. The match will be televised live on ESPN.... 

When the Confederations Cup draw was first made, most looked forward to the prospect of a match somewhere along the way between Portugal and Chile. The European and South American champions were both upset winners of their respective tournaments to get to this point, and now, one will take a huge step towards winning the Confederations Cup in the semifinals on Wednesday.... 

Joachim Low knew that he took a tremendous chance by bringing a ridiculously young team with him to the Confederations Cup. That said, Germany has answered the call, logging seven points in the group stage to win Group B. Now, the Germans have two more matches they'll get to play in Russia, the first of which will be in the semifinals of this tourney against Mexico.... 

Cameroon has made its own life horrible. The Indomitable Lions are in a position where they have to win to reach the knockout rounds of the Confederations Cup. That said, at least they're still breathing with 90 minutes left to play. That said, Germany doesn't figure to be backing off in a match where it knows a point will send it into the semifinals of this tournament.At 11 a.m. ET, tune into FOX for live television coverage of this Confederations Cup match on Sunday, June 25, 2017, at Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.... 

So you're saying there's a chance?Lloyd Christmas probably didn't have quite as good of a shot in Dumb or Dumber as Australia does of advancing in the Confederations Cup. The point is that the Aussies can advance if they beat Chile by two goals or more or get a little bit of help. But the likelihood of that happening isn't exactly stellar.At 11 a.m. ET, tune into FOX Sports 1 for live television coverage of this Confederations Cup match on Sunday, June 25, 2017, at Otkrytiye Arena in Moscow.... 

Even though Portugal hasn't technically wrapped up its spot in the knockout rounds of the Confederations Cup, it would take multiple acts of the football gods to prevent it from getting there. A Seleccao haven't been great in Russia, but assuming they finish the job against New Zealand, they'll have gotten out of a stingy group with seven of a possible nine points.... 

Russia has a chance. That's about all it could have asked for in the Confederations Cup. The odds are still long for the host nation in the tune-up event for the World Cup next year, but if Russia can find a way to secure three points against Mexico, it will have pulled off a shocker and be on to the Confederations Cup semifinals.... 

Australia and Cameroon are both in a lot of trouble in Group B of the Confederations Cup. They’ve both been beaten in their first match here in Russia, and a second loss for either one would almost certainly be the end of the dream for either to sneak out of a very top-heavy group. A point for these teams probably won't do any good either, so both teams are going to have to go for broke.... 

There was never a doubt that Germany and Chile were always going to be the two best teams in Group B of the Confederations Cup. They did the job they were tasked to do on the first match day of the tournament, and now, they're both shooting for a guaranteed spot in the semifinal of this tourney on Thursday in the second match day.... 

Give this much to New Zealand: At least it's having fun at the Confederations Cup. The Kiwis always knew they would be limited to just three matches here in Russia, and they'll probably formally be eliminated on Wednesday night when they take on Mexico in their second fixture in Group A.... 

Russia couldn't had asked for a dreamier start to its Confederations Cup at home. The team picked up three points against New Zealand, while both Mexico and Portugal held each other to a draw. It's going to be an uphill battle from here to get into the knockout rounds of the tournament, but with any result against Portugal, the Russians will suddenly be favored to ultimately advance. Three points, and they're through to safety.... 

The host nation always has a lot of pressure on its shoulders in any tournament. For Russia, the Confederations Cup could end up proving to be a tremendous boost to a club that is going to desperately seek success in the World Cup next year. Or, it could end up being the beginning of the end for a team that doesn't look like it has the form to get out of the group stage in 2018. The Confederations Cup should theoretically kick off with three points against New Zealand, but nothing is a given at this point.... 

Portugal and Mexico are clearly the class of Group A in the Confederations Cup. They're expected to finish first and second respectively in this group, though this match between the two to start their respective tournaments could go a long way towards either affirming that thought or completely blowing it to smithereens.... 

The decisive match of Group B could end up being its very first affair. Chile and Cameroon are considered to be the bubble teams of the bunch in Group B, as one should get into the knockout rounds, while the other may or may not ultimately get the job done. If there's a winner in this one, that team will have a huge leg up on the other the rest of the way in the Confederations Cup.... 

You probably wouldn't think that Germany would have the youngest team in the Confederations Cup. Alas, Joachim Low, even with so many of the brightest stars in the game that he could have called up to bring to Russia, has elected to essentially use a slightly modified U-23 team in the Confederations Cup, and that might come back to bite him in the backside when his team takes on Australia in its first fixture of the tourney.... 

France and England aren't going to get the luxury of playing in the Confederations Cup, and neither one should be tested all that much in World Cup qualifying the rest of the way. The way that both of these teams are going to prepare for their inevitable descent to the World Cup in Russia next year is by playing teams like each other in friendly matches. The newest edition in the France/England rivalry will take place on Tuesday night at the Stade de France.... 

The United States Women's National Team has been relatively quiet over the course of the last several months since failing in the Olympics. Jill Ellis will bring her squad will leave American soil for the first time since leaving Brazil this week, and the first foe is going to be a big one. First up? This Sweden team that removed the Americans from the 2016 Summer Olympics.At 1:30 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this soccer match on Thursday, June 8, 2017, at Gamla Ullevi Stadium.... 

The final match of the European club season should be one of its best. Juventus and Real Madrid have fought for from September all the way to June to capture the biggest prize in club soccer. The Champions League trophy awaits for either the Italian champions or the Spanish champions, and the spoils will be awarded on Saturday night in Cardiff....