Games to Watch: NCAA College Cup, EPL, Liga MX playoffs
UMBC vs. Virginia
5:30 p.m. Friday (ESPNU)
UMBC's Cinderella run to the NCAA men's soccer tournament semifinals has seen the Retrievers knock off national powers Creighton, Louisville and Maryland. Now they face their toughest test yet. Cavaliers forward Darius Madison is a Philadelphia native and Union academy product who has a real chance to play at PPL Park in the years to come.
The winner will face the winner of the other semifinal between Providence and UCLA (7:30 p.m. Friday, ESPNU) in Sunday's title game (12:00 p.m., ESPNU).
You'll want to pay attention to the Bruins. Their roster is stacked with prospects for next month's MLS SuperDraft, which will be held here in Philadelphia. Three players - forward Abu Danladi, midfielder Leo Stolz and defender Michael Amick - are in the top 15 of TopDrawerSoccer.com's big board.
Newcastle United at Arsenal
12:30 p.m. Saturday (NBC10, mun2)
Last weekend, Newcastle pulled off a shocking upset in the Premier League when it dealt Chelsea its first loss of the season. Papiss Cissé and the Magpies will look to keep the momentum going as they head to London to face an Arsenal squad enjoying a three-game unbeaten streak. Gunners winger Alexis Sánchez might be the Premier League's best signing of the year.
Liverpool at Manchester United
8:30 a.m. Sunday (NBCSN, Telemundo)
English soccer's signature rivalry features two teams headed in different directions. Robin van Persie and third-place Manchester United have moved on from a rough start to the season, and now are riding a five-game win streak. Raheem Sterling and Liverpool, meanwhile, were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday and sit ninth in the standings.
Villarreal at Atlético Madrid
12:55 p.m. Sunday (beIN Sports, beIN Sports Español)
Despite another offseason fire sale, Atlético are once again giving Barcelona and Real Madrid all they can handle in Spain's La Liga. They're in third place, thanks to a stern defense and the goal-scoring prowess of veteran striker Mario Mandžukić. Villarreal, coached by former Manchester United and Everton manager David Moyes, aren't far behind in sixth place.
Napoli at AC Milan
2:55 p.m. Sunday (beIN Sports)
Once upon a time, José Callejon was a young phenom at Real Madrid. Now he's a leader for Napoli, and is tied for second in the Serie A goal-scoring charts with eight. His strike partner Gonzalo Higuaín, another former Madrileño, has seven. So does Milan's Jérémy Menez, who is trying to haul the seventh-place rossoneri back into the UEFA Champions League.
Tigres UANL at Club América
6:55 p.m. Sunday, Univision
The Mexican league crowns its Torneo Apertura champion this weekend, and the Estadio Azteca is a fitting venue for the occasion. Club América comes home to Mexico City from Nuevo León after a 1-0 loss to Tigres in the first leg. Both teams hold American players in high regard: Tigres have national team veterans José Francisco Torres and Hérculez Gómez, while América has 22-year-old central defender Ventura Alvarado.