THE WEEKEND IS HERE and as always, we are here with a preview. In a bit of a break from the past format, this weekend we will look at what ASN considers to be the top five games of the weekend and explains them in detail.

There are always enticing matchups to watch, but here is a breakdown of the best.

AFC Bournemouth – Barnsley

The English Championship

Saturday, March 13: 10:00am EST

The promotional race in the English Championship is often incredibly intense as the rewards are high for joining the Premier League. For both Bournemouth and Barnsley, promotion dreams are alive and well but it will have to go through the playoffs – reserved for the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth teams in the league. Right now, Barnsley holds the sixth-place spot and two points behind them is Bournemouth. So this game has huge implications in terms of qualifying for the playoffs.

In this game, Bournemouth will likely start Cameron Carter-Vickers in central defense and Barnsley is sure to start Daryl Dike at forward. Both players who are known for their physical but effective play will be matched directly against each other.

Dike, 20, has three goals since arriving in England on loan from Orlando. Transfer speculation has run rampant this past week with reports surfacing that Orlando has turned down a $10 million bid for him from a top six Premier League team. If Dike continues to score and lead Barnsley to promotion, there will probably be more bids. Barnsley has acquired 22 out of a possible 24 points since the Oklahoma native joined.

For Carter-Vickers, 23, he is on his sixth different loan from Tottenham within the English Championship. This time it is far different as he now gets to play in a promotional race. Combined with his successful loan last season to Luton Town where he helped the team achieve unexpected survival, now he gets to play for promotion. With his contract set to expire, he will now finally get a chance to impress and find a club (which might in fact be AFC Bournemouth) where he can settle down and sign a permanent deal.

For the English-born Carter Vickers, he also gets a chance to build up a case for the U.S. national team. In recent years he has been passed over by John Brooks, Matt Miazga, Aaron Long, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie. Playing well in a promotional hunt can help in that regard as well.

Werder Bremen - Bayern Munich

The Bundesliga

Saturday, March 13: 9:30am EST

This game will be a big test for Josh Sargent, who finds himself playing his best soccer of the season with goals in each of his past three games. It’s not just the goals, however, it’s his overall game. He is passing is solid, he’s moving well off the ball, he’s contributing on defense, and he’s solid in winning duels and aerials.

Sargent, 21, and Werder Bremen are coasting in midtable which is far better than last season’s relegation battle. The team still doesn’t play an attractive style but it is improving. But as it is playing well, now it will get a chance to play against the reigning champions – who are now in a title fight with its lead over RB Leipzig just two points.

The last time the two teams met in the Bundesliga, Sargent had one of his best games of the season and assisted in a 1-1 draw. With the way he’s been playing, he has the opportunity to affect the title race if he can help Werder to a result and see Bayern drop points in the process.

ADO Den Haag – Heracles

The Eredivisie

Saturday, March 13: 12:45pm EST

Luca de la Torre is one of the breakout American players in Europe this season and it has been a long-time coming. A veteran of the 2015 U-17 World Cup and the 2017 U-20 World Cup, de la Torre struggled for playing time at Fulham. Last summer, de la Torre made the move to Heracles Almelo in the Eredivisie on a free transfer.

De la Torre, 22, is in his first season as a starter and he’s doing very well. At first he was playing on the left side of the midfield but in January he moved to his preferred central midfield positions where he has been playing the best soccer of his career. Last week he was the MOTM in a 2-1 win over PEC Zwolle where he scored a stoppage time winner, completed over 85% of his passes, and had 101 touches across the midfield.

Heracles is in midtable and isn’t contending for Europe and isn’t a threat to be relegated. It’s opponent on Saturday is in the relegation zone.

This game is important for de la Torre to continue to his momentum as this is a huge stretch personally. The San Diego native wants to return to the U.S. national team set-up in what could be a massively busy year for the program. A call-up to the March friendlies would help set the stage for him to perhaps be involved in either the Gold Cup, or the Nations League, or the Olympics (if they qualify) this summer. Another solid outing could force Berhalter’s hand for a call-up.

He has one cap his career – in 2018 for a friendly against Ireland. He has not played for the U.S. since. This would be a big time to change that as World Cup qualifying looms.

RB Leipzig - Eintracht Frankfurt

The Bundesliga

Sunday, March 14: 10:30am EST

Now out of the Champions League, RB Leipzig can focus on the Bundesliga title and it trails Bayern Munich by just two points. The pressure is on Tyler Adams and his teammates to continue winning if it wants to remain a real threat to dethrone Bayern Munich. Coming into this game, Leipzig has won its last six Bundesliga games (while losing to Liverpool during that stretch in the Champions League).

For Adams, 22, he is playing a lot but is still not regularly playing in the central midfield. The last time he did that was two weeks ago in a thrilling 3-2 win over Borussia Monchengladbach. Most of the time he’s been on the right side of the midfield or at right back.

This will be a huge test for Leipzig as it continues its title race. Eintracht Frankfurt sits in fourth place and has a three-point lead on Bayer Leverkusen for the league’s final Champions League spot.

Both teams have a lot on the line in this game and it should be an entertaining one in Leipzig.

Red Bull Salzburg - Admira Moedling

The Austrian Bundesliga

Saturday, March 13: 11:00am EST

It will be a Philadelphia reUnion on Saturday when Austrian Bundesliga leaders Red Bull Salzburg host last place Admira Moedling. Two members of the 2020 Philadelphia Union Supporters Shield winning team will face each other and both are playing well. Brenden Aaronson has two goals and two assists since transferring to Salzburg and he looks poised to both win more silverware to go along with his Supporters Shield.

Managed by Wisconsin native Jesse Marsch, Salzburg is in the Cup final and is poised for another Bundesliga title but cannot afford a loss on Saturday. For Aaronson, 20, he is continuing to play well which should put him in a strong position with the national team – and possibly the Olympic team this summer if qualification is successful.

For Admira, it needs to find wins if it wants to avoid relegation. Andrew Wooten is now the team’s starting forward and the German-born American will have to play well and deliver goals if the club wants to remain in the Austrian Bundesliga.


Thus far, he has helped since his January arrival as he has three goals and one assist in his eight games. This is a tough task for him against Salzburg but Wooten is still a dangerous player who could make it complicated for Salzburg if he is able to strike first.