INDIANAPOLIS – Long-time Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach sponsor King Taco will grow their relationship with Harding Steinbrenner Racing this weekend.

The Mexican fast food company will serve as primary sponsor of Colton Herta’s No. 88 Honda-powered Indy car on the 1.968-mile temporary street course around the Long Beach Convention Center. King Taco is a current season-long associate sponsor of the Harding Steinbrenner No. 88.

“Super happy to have king taco on board for Long Beach as a primary sponsor for the #88 Indy car,” said Herta. “King Taco has always supported the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and IndyCar as a whole. Their tacos are amazing, and being from Los Angeles…I know what a street taco should taste like.”

“It is very exciting to welcome another sponsor to the Harding Steinbrenner team for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach,” said team co-owner Mike Harding. “Let’s bring the #88 King Taco car to victory lane so we can celebrate with victory tacos.”

“Delighted to have King Taco as the team’s primary sponsor for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach,” said team co-owner George Michael Steinbrenner. “They are a Long Beach staple and I feel so proud to have them on board. Hoping to bring home a good result on Sunday.”

A Herta family tradition is to enjoy victory tacos after a race win, but King Taco is taking the victory taco celebration further. If Herta wins the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, anyone who attended the race can enjoy a free taco. Fans can bring their ticket stub into any participating King Taco location in Southern California and present it at the time of ordering to receive a free victory taco until April 30 if Herta wins.

The post King Taco Steps Up To Support Colton Herta appeared first on SPEED SPORT.

HOUSTON – Risi Competizione has finalized its driver lineup for the No. 89 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE-Pro entry in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Joining Pipo Derani, who joined the team for Le Mans last week, in the No. 89 will be Frenchman Jules Gounon and England’s Oliver Jarvis.

The Houston, Texas-based Risi Competizione entry is the 15th entry over 10 years at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, having competed for the first time in 1998. The Ferrari team’s record includes three victories, in 1998 with the Ferrari 333 SP, and 2008 and 2009 in the Ferrari 430 GT, and an additional five podiums.

“Jean and I are excited about our driver line-up for this year, with Pipo, Oliver, and Jules as our Le Mans drivers,” said Team Principal Giuseppe Risi. “Pipo is a fast young driver and has driven the 488 before at Le Mans. Oliver has driven at Le Mans many times over the past decade and Jules comes from a French racing family and has raced in plenty of endurance races including an overall win at Spa 24 Hours in 2017. We expect good results from our trio. I’m looking forward to the race and wish to thank Jean for his support in our combined effort.”

“The 24 Heures du Mans is a very special race, and especially for the French people,” said Jean Guikas, principal of Guikas GTC. “We are pleased to be part of the Risi Competizione entry with the Ferrari 488 GTE-Pro. Of course, the team have a French driver, with Jules Gounon, as well as two other excellent drivers in Pipo and Oliver. It will be a very special year and I await race week with pleasure.”

“I am delighted to be returning to Le Mans with Risi Competizione, after winning the LMP2 class in 2017 and leading the race outright,” said Jarvis,. “Having raced at Le Mans in LMP1 and LMP2 it will be a new challenge for me in GTE Pro, but I am confident with such a strong team behind me that I will be able to get up to speed quickly.  I can’t wait to start working with my new team and team mates and return to a race I absolutely love!”

Jarvis, a current DPi factory driver who recently broke the Daytona Int’l Speedway track record, will be competing in his seventh Le Mans twice-around-the-clock enduro. Having started off with fastest rookie honors in his first Le Mans in 2010, Jarvis added three third-place finishes (2012, 2013 and 2016, all with AudiSport) and one second place (with Jackie Chan in LMP2) on his racing resume.

“For me, it’s a big dream come true,” said Gounon. “It’s been a dream since I was a child to race for a French affiliated team at Le Mans. To be able to do it with Risi Competizione, who’s already won three times in its own class, is something really special for me. I’d really like to thank Giuseppe Risi and Jean Guikas regarding this project and for the trust they are putting in me for this race. I really believe we have a strong package with the Risi team, the car and the drivers to make a good result there. Thanks a lot for that and I’m looking forward to Le Mans.”

Gounon, who will be making his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut, already has a number of endurance races under his belt and a 24 Hours of Spa victory. Additionally, he was the 2017 winner of the ADAC GT Masters Championship.

The post Risi Competizione Finalizes Le Mans Driver Roster appeared first on SPEED SPORT.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Southeastern Mills, Madison Int’l Speedway and the Automobile Racing Club of America have announced Shore Lunch will sponsor the ARCA Menards Series’ annual stop at Madison Int’l Speedway.

The ARCA Menards Series Shore Lunch 200 is scheduled for June 14 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. ARCA practice and General Tire Pole Qualifying will precede the 200-lap feature event, which is scheduled for live coverage on MAVTV.

“When we first learned that ARCA and Menards were going to bring Shore Lunch to Madison Int’l Speedway to be the ARCA race event sponsor, we were quite excited,” said Gregg McKarns, who along with his wife Angie own and promote the high-banked paper-clip shaped oval in Oregon, Wisconsin, just south of the state’s capitol city of Madison. “A lot of our fans are outdoors people and sportsman. People who go fishing. And trust me, they know what Shore Lunch is.”

Plans call for fans to have a chance to try some of Shore Lunch’s product offerings the track on race day, via a sampling program featuring Shore Lunch fish breading and Shore Lunch Soups. Gregg and Angie McKarns are looking to promote the sampling event as “Wisconsin’s Fastest Fish Fry.”

Shore Lunch soups, breadings and batters first partnered with ARCA series sponsor Menards in 2016 as a team sponsor with then-rookie driver Myatt Snider. Snider, now a driver in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, won in his ARCA Menards Series debut at Toledo Speedway, and Shore Lunch has been a part of the series ever since. The business-to-business relationship between Menards, the country’s third-largest home improvement retail chain, and Southeastern Mills, a leading food company with brands such as Better Than Bouillon, The Original Louisiana Hot Sauce and Southeastern Mills Gravy and Baking Mixes, brings opportunities for Southeastern Mills to promote its Shore Lunch Brand products to the Menards customer base.

“We continue to be excited about our association with the ARCA Menards Series, and our retail partnership with Menards,” said Ralph Byers, Vice President of Sales for Southeastern Mills. “They are top-notch organizations whose culture and values mirror those of our own company. The ARCA Menards Series platform provides an excellent means for us to reach and connect with our own consumers and provide exciting in-store sales building opportunities for Menards.”

The Shore Lunch 200 will mark the only appearance in Wisconsin, Menards’ home state, for the ARCA Menards Series in 2019. It will mark the series’ eighth appearance in the last nine years at Madison, and the eleventh overall stop by the national tour. Past winners include current NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series regulars Chris Buescher and Alex Bowman, as well as current ARCA Bounty Rookie sensation Chandler Smith, the race winner in 2018.

“We are excited to partner with Southeastern Mills and the Shore Lunch Brand to bring the ARCA Menards Series back to Madison Int’l Speedway,” said Jeff Abbott, Promotions Manager and Spokesperson for Menards. “What better way to kick off Father’s Day Weekend than to offer Dad a night at the races?”

The post Shore Lunch Backing Madison ARCA Event appeared first on SPEED SPORT.

For many years, the annual migration to Tulsa, Okla., for the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals has triggered a near-mass delusion.

Seeing a record number of midgets under one roof and a huge crowd on hand suggested this unique racing discipline was enjoying a level of popularity only exceeded by those heady days in the immediate aftermath of World War II.

Then reality would set in. Car counts across the country would suffer by the time the frost had departed for good and this would be quickly followed by reports of the near demise of some of the oldest, and proudest, midget racing clubs in the land.

From a historical perspective, the rise and fall of midget racing has been a constant storyline for seven decades running, with the trend, unfortunately, generally pointing south.

This past January, once again, folks flocked to the Oil Capital for some indoor fun and left exhausted after six days of action, and a thrilling duel between Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson in the finale.

The post Midget Racing Revolution appeared first on SPEED SPORT.

BARCELONA, Spain -- Josep Maria Bartomeu has told ESPN FC that Barcelona could not afford to compete with Manchester United to sign Paul Pogba when he left Juventus in 2016.

Pogba and United face Barcelona in the Champions League at Old Trafford on Wednesday, but the France international could have been playing for the La Liga leaders had things worked out differently.

Barca held meetings with Juventus and Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, in 2015, reaching an agreement that allowed them to match any offer Juve accepted.

But when United agreed to pay £90 million for Pogba a year later, they dropped out of the race.

"In the summer of 2015, Paul Pogba was playing in Turin and we simply told Juve that, if one day they decide to sell the player, we would be interested," Barca president Bartomeu said.

"When they sold the player, they told us what the offer would have to be and we couldn't afford that amount of money at the time.

"So he went to United, and he's making them better as a team because he's one of the stars of the world of football right now."

Real Madrid and Barca have been touted as possible destinations should Pogba leave United in the future, but Bartomeu said: "I prefer not to talk about players from other teams because I am sure there are also players at Barca that can make other teams better.

"What I have to recognise is that United, in the last few years, have created a very good group, good players that are coming through. I am sure next season they will be candidates for the Premier League, and this year for the Champions League."

United faced Barca in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals, losing both, but this is only the second time they have reached the quarterfinals since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Although they have also failed to win the Premier League since Ferguson's departure, they remain one of the game's richest clubs, and Bartomeu said Barca had learned from their commercial success.

"I joined Barca in 2003 with [Joan] Laporta and, at that time, the revenue was very low," he said. "One of the models we were looking at was United: how they were marketing, how they were signing sponsorship [deals] with other companies and, of course, when you learn from the best...

"The gap we had before with United, we don't have this gap right now. Now we are on similar levels.

"So, United, for us, have always been a reference in terms of finance and revenue, but they have also been a reference in terms of performance.

"It's true that United's performance isn't now what it was before but we have to take care [against them] because in the Premier League there are six, seven very strong clubs. The Premier League is not an easy competition. It's the strongest football competition as a league in the world -- well, second to La Liga.

"That's why in this competition, sometimes you are up, sometimes you are down. I know that United are working on coming up again.

"We haven't played at Old Trafford since 2008, so to go back is an honour. We have a lot of respect for United as one of the biggest clubs in Europe."

LONDON -- Raheem Sterling has said he believes it is better to score and win when faced with racism than it is for a team to walk off the pitch.

Manchester City and England forward Sterling has become a key figure in the fight against racism, speaking out following incidents at Chelsea and Montenegro and criticising some media coverage of black players.

Some senior football figures, including City boss Pep Guardiola and Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, have said they would be prepared to take players off in response to racism, but Sterling said he believed winning a game was a more effective response.

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion," he told a news conference. "My mum has taught me how to love myself, how to love my skin colour and how to be comfortable in my skin colour.

"I wouldn't personally agree with it [walking off]. I would rather go and win the game because that would hurt them even more.

"They're trying to get you down. If you do walk off the pitch as a group, then that makes them win. If you score a goal to win the match, then that's even a better feeling which beats them."

The 24-year-old faces England teammate Danny Rose in a Champions League quarterfinal first leg at Spurs on Tuesday, days after Rose said he could not wait to retire from football because of the game's failure to clamp down on racism.

"I think it's something he's come across quite a number of times and it probably is getting a bit much for him," Sterling said.

"I respect his comments and it's a shame to hear that, really. Not everyone's the same, not everyone takes it the same way -- to hear that, it's not really a nice thing to hear."

Asked about his role in the fight against racism, Sterling said: "I don't really think I can make a difference, this is something that has been happening since before I was born, before my parents were born, so I can only speak up about events that happen to me and the people around me and that's as much as I can do to raise awareness.

"I'm not trying to be someone that leads or something like that. I can just raise awareness, and it's for people in higher places to do their job."

City boss Guardiola said: "Unfortunately it is not a problem with football or one specific area, it is a social problem. It's always difficult to understand, in the 21st century, why we are debating this kind of situation.

"All I can say is what Danny Rose has done, well done. We have to fight every day to eradicate it and make a better society."

Juventus' France midfielder Blaise Matuidi hit out at the increase in racist incidents after he was one of three Juve players racially abused by fans at Cagliari last week.

"It's sad," he said. "It happened to me last year in this stadium and we cannot tolerate it.

"You can tell me: 'Maybe it's not racist, they just want to unsettle you.' No. These are things you do not say, and they must be punished.

"I could not calm down. I did not want to ignore it. You have to fight it. We can't allow this any more. We must have the courage to end it.

"These are stupid people. They should never be allowed to come to the stadium again."

MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told ESPN FC he wants to build a Manchester United team in the mould of his fellow 1999 Treble winners while adding he is not worried that Manchester City could surpass their achievement by winning the Quadruple.

Solskjaer is two weeks into his spell as permanent manager after penning a three-year deal to replace Jose Mourinho on a full-time basis.

The Norwegian has pressing short-term aims including finishing in the top four and Barcelona's visit to Old Trafford in the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday -- but is already looking further ahead and, 20 years on from United's most successful season, the 46-year-old said he is aiming to build a team with the same fight and spirit.

"We challenged each other every day in training," Solskjaer told ESPN FC. "There were fights and there was an inner justice that I've not seen in too many teams.

"We never, ever accepted anyone being below par in training. We kicked each other and we had to win every single day. That moved over into games and we never gave in. There was an unbelievable team spirit.

"I want my players to really push each other and demand 100 percent attitude from each other every single day. That's the only way you can improve and it's the only way you can win. We had something special.

"It's a different group now and the challenge is: 'How can I make these players winners as we were?'"

Solskjaer has signed up to play in a Treble reunion game with the entire cast of 1999 against Champions League opponents Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on May 26 -- exactly 20 years on from his winner in the Camp Nou.

It is possible that by then City will be preparing for the last leg of an unprecedented Quadruple ahead of the Champions League final in Madrid on June 1.

United are still in the competition and face Barcelona in the quarterfinals but Solskjaer, who was at Camp Nou on Saturday night to watch the 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, said preserving the status of his Treble is the last thing on his mind.

"United fans want us to win it because they want to win it," Solskjaer said. "I think we should look at what we can achieve and not what we can stop others achieving."

Solskjaer is aware of the challenge he faces at Old Trafford after being named permanent boss. Over the summer, talk will turn from fourth-place finishes and Champions League quarterfinals to titles and finals but, even this early into his spell as manager, it is not something he wants to shy away from.

"You've got to aim high," he said. "You cannot aim too low at this club. You've got to aim to win titles.

"When I came back here as the manager I thought a lot about what makes a winning team. What does it really take to win on the biggest stage? I'm not one to sit back, rest on my laurels and think: 'That was a great time' -- it's more thinking about what did we do to get there.

"What did the manager tell us? What kind of master team talks did he have? When did he speak to us? All these little things."

As a player, Solskjaer was renowned for the way he prepared when he was a substitute and it is no coincidence that the 29 goals he scored from the bench -- including his Champions League winner -- is a club record.

He has put the same work into becoming a manager and now he is in his "dream job" his forward-thinking is paying off -- especially when it comes to Sir Alex Ferguson.

"I'm quite lucky because I did write a few diaries," he said. "I did think a lot about football so I do have vivid memories of things that happened and I've written some things down.

"Towards the end of my career I was more focused on what the manager said. You learn that there was a pattern to what he was saying. There's a pattern to how he builds his team up to believe: 'We are going to make this.'

"I've used some of his team talks. You've got to plan; you can't just act on emotion. As I got to know him, I realised it's not just emotion. When he went on one of his hairdryers or when he was hammering people, there was a reason behind what he did. He was maybe pointing at one player so that the 10 others would help him out.

"He would put his arm around someone or really go hard on someone to really get the best out of them. That's what I learned from him the most -- how he managed to get the best out of every single player."

Solskjaer said his players have already seen his own version of Ferguson's hairdryer. "Sometimes you've got to go strong," he said. "You do it when you're disappointed, definitely.

"If your kids disappoint you, you have to tell them off. If you can see they're trying their utmost, they're trying their best, I don't think there's any reason why you should scream and shout. Sometimes you talk sensibly and sometimes you have to raise your voice."

He will hope it's not needed in the home dressing room on Wednesday night when Old Trafford hosts its first Champions League quarterfinal since 2014.

"We're playing against a good team but there is something special about this group of players," Solskjaer said. "It will be fantastic."

*Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be appearing in the Treble reunion match against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on May 26. Tickets are available to all supporters here.

It took just six weeks for a consensus top team to emerge from the pack in the 2019 MLS season. Though several teams can claim to be among the league's elite, just one is undefeated and has a double-digit goal differential. Bob Bradley's LAFC is playing attractive, attacking soccer while showing a ruthlessness that should scare everyone else in the league.

LAFC deserves to crow a bit. Or maybe it "deserves to shriek," because that's what falcons do?

It doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but oh well. Go on and shriek, LAFC.

Previous rankings: Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1

1. LAFC (5 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses)

Previous ranking: 1

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, vs. FC Cincinnati (10.30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

If "Vela & Rossi" sounds like a fancy aperitif or the makers of bespoke suits to you, good, because it's that sort of class that the pair of attackers provides whenever they step on the field for LAFC. Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi combined early and often for the visitors in a massive, statement-making win in D.C.

2. Seattle Sounders (4-1-0)

Previous ranking: 2

Next MLS match: Wednesday, April 10, at Colorado (9 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

The Sounders aren't in first, but they are just three points back of LAFC with one fewer game played and remain one of four unbeaten teams across MLS. Holding onto a win over Real Salt Lake proved to be tougher than it looked on paper and Seattle's high-flying attack has slowed down dramatically over the last two weeks.

3. LA Galaxy (4-0-1)

Previous ranking: 4

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, vs. Philadelphia (10:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic really did play on turf and the Galaxy parlayed his presence into a win over the Whitecaps on the road in Vancouver. That's three consecutive wins for the Galaxy, a run they managed just once in 2018. If Ibrahimovic is committed to playing whenever healthy, regardless of surface, the Galaxy will be in much better shape to improve on that total.

4. Columbus Crew (4-1-1)

Previous ranking: 5

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, at Montreal (1 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

There's a ticking clock on the Crew season, counting down to the day goalkeeper Zack Steffen leaves the club to make his European move. Every game Columbus has Steffen on the field is precious because he can help turn a single goal into three points. With the Crew's finishing wanting at the moment, Steffen is saving the Crew.

5. D.C. United (3-1-1)

Previous ranking: 3

Next MLS match: Tuesday, April 9, vs. Montreal (8 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

LAFC are good enough to beat you on their own, but when you make a habit of turning the ball over in midfield, it's practically like putting the ball in the net for them. The Black & Red's rough home showing against LAFC was made even rougher by Wayne Rooney's red card.

6. Houston Dynamo (3-1-0)

Previous ranking: 6

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, vs. San Jose

The Dynamo fell to fourth in the West while sitting idle thanks to wins from the Seattle Sounders and the LA Galaxy. Next week they'll welcome in a San Jose team fresh off its first win of the season.

7. Sporting Kansas City (2-2-1)

Previous ranking: 7

Next MLS match: Sunday, April 14, vs. New York Red Bulls

Peter Vermes rotated his lineup for a visit to Cincinnati and left with a point. That's a fine result considering the youth on the field for Sporting -- youth that garnered a confidence boost with the draw. Sporting's goal scorer, Gianluca Busio, became the youngest player in league history to score in back-to-back games.

8. Toronto FC (3-1-0)

Previous ranking: 8

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, at Seattle (4 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

The bad news is that the Reds needed a goal from Jonathan Osorio in the final 15 minutes of the match to secure a point at home against Chicago. The good news is that Alejandro Pozuelo and Jozy Altidore connected for a goal for the first time, launching a relationship TFC hopes will prove productive all year long.

9. Philadelphia Union (3-1-2)

Previous ranking: 14

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, at LA Galaxy (10:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

The Union climbed into a tie for second on points in the East with a comeback win against FC Dallas. Credit to Cory Burke for following up Marco Fabian's penalty kick, but it's worth pointing out that Fabian now has two penalty kick misses on the season. Should the obvious choice for penalty taker in Philly be replaced?

10. FC Dallas (3-1-2)

Previous ranking: 10

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, vs. Portland (8 p.m., live on ESPN+)

Short-handed and playing another gaggle of youngsters, FC Dallas was a bit unlucky not to grab at least a point on the road in Philadelphia. It's hard to blame the inexperience for the failure to see out at least a draw because it was Matt Hedges who committed the penalty that gave the Union a goal, but youth does sometimes have its drawbacks.

11. Minnesota United (3-0-2)

Previous ranking: 12

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, vs. NYCFC (5 p.m., live on ESPN2)

What a way to finish out the long season-opening road trip ahead of next weekend's debut of Allianz Field. The Loons had no interest in backing their way into the first game in their permanent home, tripping up the Red Bulls in the usually tough environs of Red Bulls Arena. And they did it without Darwin Quintero.

12. New York Red Bulls (1-1-3)

Previous ranking: 9

Next MLS match: Sunday, April 14, at Sporting Kansas City

Red Bull Arena has officially been downgraded from "fortress" to "that spaceship-looking thing you can see from I-95" after yet another Red Bulls defeat at home. They lost just twice at home in all of 2018 and didn't lose the second game until July. Whatever confidence the Red Bulls had in themselves and their system has gone missing.

13. Montreal Impact (2-1-2)

Previous ranking: 13

Next MLS match: Tuesday, April 9, at D.C. United (8 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

Call it a bounce-back draw if you like, because anything short of another six-goal thrashing would have been an improvement for Remi Garde's team. Navigating another road date without Ignacio Piatti in the lineup, the Impact face a quick turnaround to Tuesday's match in D.C. before finally opening up the home schedule next weekend.

14. FC Cincinnati (2-2-2)

Previous ranking: 15

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, at LAFC (10:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

Cincy can still be positive with a home draw against Sporting Kansas City, though the obvious problems with depth up front were on stark display. FCC just didn't finish well enough to win and can't count on a Fanendo Adi return anytime in the near future. Nevertheless, eight points through six games is overachieving for Cincinnati.

15. Orlando City (2-2-2)

Previous ranking: 17

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, at Real Salt Lake (9 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

The Lions only play wild games. Saturday's 4-3 double-comeback win over Colorado might not be the ideal way to go about getting the first home win over the year, but the journey sure was fun. Orlando City should market itself as the most entertaining product in Central Florida. What in the area could possibly be better?

16. New York City FC (0-4-1)

Previous ranking: 16

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, at Minnesota (5 p.m. ET, live on ESPN2)

Dome Torrent did himself no favors with a fruitless, goalless home draw against Montreal on Saturday. Failing to win at home again -- NYCFC now has draws in all three games at Yankee Stadium this season -- would have been bad enough. Drawing at home against a team without its best player that just got walloped 7-1 last week? Like the Yankee Stadium turf, it's a disaster.

17. Atlanta United (0-2-2)

Previous ranking: 11

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, at New England (7:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

We're all waiting to see if Atlanta United spent the bye week working on Frank de Boer's as-of-yet ineffective system, or if it was back to the lab for the Dutch boss. A trip to New England awaits.

18. Real Salt Lake (1-1-4)

Previous ranking: 19

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, vs. Orlando City (9 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

Mike Petke's team fought and clawed and scrapped and nearly scored, but it wasn't to be in Seattle. At least RSL finished the game with the full complement of 11 players -- something they weren't able do in the three games prior to the visit to CenturyLink Field. Sam Johnson's first start was promising but ultimately goalless.

19. Chicago Fire (1-2-2)

Previous ranking: 20

Next MLS match: Friday, April 12, vs. Vancouver (8:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

The Fire got themselves a fighter in forward C.J. Sapong. He might not be the flashiest player in the league and there was some doubt as to how he would fit in alongside former Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolic, but Sapong's determination -- combined with confident finishing -- will earn the Fire some extra points in 2019.

20. New England Revolution (1-1-4)

Previous ranking: 21

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, vs. Atlanta (7:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

The Revs were a marginal offside call away from grabbing a point on the road in Columbus. Any improvement is worth celebrating for New England and it's interesting to note the change in tone from head coach Brad Friedel in recent weeks. Time will tell if the Revs are on the right track, but at least the boss is saying nice things.

21. Vancouver Whitecaps (0-1-4)

Previous ranking: 21

Next MLS match: Friday, April 12, at Chicago (8:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

The Caps can really only blame themselves for not getting at least a point against the Galaxy. Ali Adnan's nightmares are going to be booked for a while after he scuffed his penalty chance early in a match. Taking a panenka is always risky -- to do it on turf in your second game with a new club is eye-watering.

22. San Jose Earthquakes (1-0-4)

Previous ranking: 24

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, at Houston

Maybe it was the supporters' protest that shook up the Quakes and pushed them to their first points of any kind in 2019. Maybe Portland is just that bad and we shouldn't draw any conclusions from San Jose's win. Maybe Matias Almeyda's message is finally getting through. Maybe we should wait to see what happens next week.

23. Colorado Rapids (0-2-4)

Previous ranking: 23

Next MLS match: Wednesday, April 10, vs. Seattle (9 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

The Rapids have conceded four goals two weeks in a row, hardly the type of defensive record that leads to points. This week's loss has to be especially galling for Anthony Hudson considering his team was up on Orlando with under 20 minutes to go. With both Seattle and D.C. United coming to town this week, shoring up that back line will have to be the focus.

24. Portland Timbers (0-1-4)

Previous ranking: 18

Next MLS match: Saturday, April 13, at FC Dallas (8 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+)

The Timbers allowed more goals to San Jose in one half (three) than the Quakes had scored in their previous four games combined (two). The loss drops Portland to the bottom of the Western Conference standings and to the bottom of the Power Rankings. No worries, just seven games left until the Timbers get their first home game of the season.

After another action-packed weekend in soccer, Gab Marcotti reflects on the big talking points in his latest edition of Monday Musings.

Jump to: Bayern rout Dortmund | Man City's Quadruple | Milan-Juve fallout | Arsenal woe | Bravo, Benzema | Rabiot drama at PSG | Watford, Wolves dazzle

Barcelona bring Atletico's season to an end

It was the last roll of the dice in terms of La Liga's title race and there were no surprises. Or, rather, the surprise was how, playing with 10 men for more than an hour, Atletico Madrid showed that their "Cholismo" style of play is alive and well, at least well enough to rattle Barcelona on auto-pilot. But then they succumbed to the inevitable -- a fine Luis Suarez finish and the usual Lionel Messi clock-in -- and, for the eighth time in the past 11 seasons, the title is all but headed to the Camp Nou.

Atletico would need to make up 12 points (Barca have the head-to-head tiebreaker) in the remaining seven matches, and that simply won't happen. You wonder what might have been had Diego Costa not shared his views about the referee's mother, earning himself that early red card, but you're left with the sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't have mattered.

Barca would have found a way through just as, broadly speaking, they've found their way through this season, navigating the various hurdles and hiccups Ernesto Valverde has had to deal with. From Ousmane Dembele's absences (some forced, some less so) to the shakiness at the back, from slow starts for Suarez and Ivan Rakitic to the non-start that has been Philippe Coutinho's Camp Nou career thus far, Barca have maintained their forward momentum.

It would be wrong to say Messi has carried them through the tough times. But with 43 goals in 40 matches this season, and 10 in his last six, he's peaking when it counts. And with Jordi Alba regaining his form, Arthur emerging in midfield and Marc-Andre ter Stegen hitting new heights, he's not the only one to have been solid throughout this peculiar campaign.

The Treble remains a possibility -- Barca are in the Spanish Cup final (vs. Valencia, May 25) and take on Manchester United this week in the Champions League quarterfinal, first leg -- and it's safe to say few would have expected it early in the season. That's a credit to Valverde: not everyone's cup of tea and not a managerial genius, but a guy who evidently gets things done and, crucially, manages to keep a lid on controversy.

This job wore down Tata Martino and Luis Enrique and spat them out at the end; Valverde seems unfazed.

Bayern thump Dortmund with title on the line

Just when you thought the tide had turned, Bayern sent Borussia Dortmund an emphatic reminder of why they've won six straight Bundesliga titles. This was an epic beatdown -- Bayern were 4-0 up at half-time and 5-0 at the final whistle, possibly because they were bored of scoring -- and it had as much to do with the Bavarians' merits as it did with Dortmund's errors.

Let's start with the former. Javi Martinez and Thiago Alcantara may have blown hot and cold this season, but they dominated the middle of the park on Saturday with a combination of quality and steel. The oft-criticized Mats Hummels notched the opener and showed the sort of leadership and intelligence that made him one of the most coveted center-backs around, at least back in the day. The wingers stretched and harried and forward Thomas Muller, back in a central position, did what he does behind the ever-clinical Robert Lewandowski.

Equally though, some of this must be on Lucien Favre. Already without key players Paco Alcacer, Raphael Guerreiro and Achraf Hakimi, his Dortmund set-up was undone by a string of individual errors. Many blamed him for his decision to keep Mario Gotze on the bench and play Marco Reus as a false nine: to me, that's less of an issue than his other big guns wilting under pressure and making silly mistakes.

Don't crown Bayern just yet, mind you: they only lead Dortmund by one point with six games remaining. Not to mention that after Dortmund's superb first half of the season, it would be unacceptable for them to raise the white flag just yet.

Man City's Quadruple chase is on

An early Gabriel Jesus goal sent Manchester City past Brighton, 1-0, and on their way to the FA Cup final, where they can complete another leg of the potential Quadruple. It was one of those games you often get when a smaller side concedes early.

It felt as if Brighton boss Chris Hughton was so concerned with giving up a second goal that they left much of the attacking until the second half, which suited City just fine.

Guardiola called the Quadruple "almost impossible" but, in fact, he's being a little disingenuous. A Quadruple is just the Treble plus the League Cup, which City have already won. And while Trebles used to be a staggeringly difficult and infrequent achievement, in the past 11 years we've seen it done four times (including by Guardiola himself, while at Barcelona in 2008-09).

City are among the favourites in each of the three competitions they're contesting. It would be a huge achievement, but at this stage it's not quite "almost impossible."

Milan furious after Juve defeat

Milan were furious at referee Michael Fabbri following their 2-1 defeat at Juventus, and you can see why. It was a horrendous officiating display and the Rossoneri recriminated for a couple of missed bookings (Leonardo Bonucci and Rodrigo Bentancur), Mario Mandzukic kicking out at Alessio Romagnoli (though, to be fair, VAR failed to flag it) and a penalty not given when Hakan Calhanoglou's cross hit Alex Sandro's outstretched arm (Fabbri didn't give it even after the VAR review, judging it to be "natural").

Milan were frustrated because this was one of their better displays in recent weeks, but the old "Juve helped by the referee" narrative doesn't quite hold here. Moise Kean had a perfectly good goal disallowed for a phantom Bonucci foul and Mandzukic was wrongly stopped in a good position (he was offside, but it was Calhanoglou's backpass). This was a referee having a nightmare and nothing more.

As for Juventus, Kean has now scored in five consecutive games, including internationals, but it has to be frustrating how Max Allegri's squad players (Daniele Rugani and Bentancur, to name just two) do little to stand out when given a shot. Roll on Ajax in midweek.

Arsenal fail at Everton

Arsenal's 1-0 defeat away to Everton was a throwback to the past, and not in a good way: in fact, they seemed to display all the traits that ruined Arsene Wenger's teams in his later years. They defended poorly, lacked steel in midfield and took too many touches in attack. Everton could easily have scored a couple more, as Unai Emery admitted afterward. Incredibly, Arsenal remain one of only two teams in England's top four divisions to have conceded in every single league game away from home.

Emery has been hard to decipher this season but you're tempted to give him a pass for Arsenal's inconsistency, if only because so much of the personnel -- which he inherited -- seems so flaky or ill-assorted. The fact that they are still conceding for a top-four spot and are in the Europa League quarterfinals is largely down to how he has figured out to jury-rig this side.

Benzema shows he's the answer up front for Madrid

We must be nearing the point where Real Madrid look at their squad and figure that maybe they don't need a top-drawer center-forward. For all the grief Karim Benzema has received over the years, he's had a steadfast ally in Florentino Perez. And this season, with Cristiano Ronaldo gone, Gareth Bale flickering, Vinicius Junior injured and three different managers on the bench, the veteran France striker is pulling his weight and is on pace for his second-most prolific season at the Bernabeu.

Benzema was again one of the few bright spots and bagged both goals in the 2-1 win over Eibar. Real Madrid looked laboured in a first half that saw them go a goal down and Benzema get little help from Marco Asensio and Bale. Business picked up after the break, which is what you expect against an opponent with little to play for but pride, but the lack of urgency (Benzema and a few others excepted) remains a concern.

Rabiot drama overshadows PSG

A home win against Strasbourg meant Paris Saint-Germain could have wrapped up yet another Ligue 1 crown on Sunday night, but PSG found themselves a goal down until the final minutes before grabbing a 2-2 draw. Thomas Tuchel once again only named five substitutes -- it's now almost a weekly statement about the limits to his squad and the rash of injuries -- and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's bizarre miss went viral, but otherwise there's not much to report: when the league is in hand (a draw next week will suffice), it's hard to keep your edge week in and week out.

Meanwhile, the Adrien Rabiot saga rumbles on. He's now been fined and suspended in part for "liking" a video in which Patrice Evra threatens former PSG winger Jerome Rothen in the aftermath of the club's defeat to Manchester United. Rabiot is a talent and will have no shortage of suitors in the summer, even with all this baggage. It's a shame it's going to end like this.

Watford and Wolves wow at Wembley

Sunday's FA Cup semifinal between Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers offered edge-of-the-seat excitement and moments of real skill, from Diogo Jota's runs to Gerard Deloufeu's absurdly exquisite golf chip. We had a two-goal comeback, an injury time penalty, a guy putting on a luchador mask (and then being trolled for it afterward) and a lovely redemption story from Troy Deeney in their 3-2 win after extra time.

Let it be evidence for what most already know: You don't need big brand super clubs to have an entertaining, high-quality match with plenty of drama. If you have two raucous sets of fans, a high-stakes game and the right setting, the spectacle can be as good as anything you can imagine.

Derbyshire 197 (Hosein 78, Raine 3-48) and 334 (Hosein 62, Lace 61, Critchley 51) beat Durham 171 (Reece 5-47) and 235 (Harte 69, Lees 59, Critchley 3-54) by 125 runs

Matt Critchley and Logan van Beek inspired Derbyshire to a 125-run victory after Durham looked set to save the Division Two match at Derby.

Alex Lees and Gareth Harte scored half centuries but Durham, set an improbable 361 to win the game, collapsed from 177 for 4 to 235 all out. Critchley took 3 for 54, including two wickets in two balls, and van Beek followed a stunning catch to remove Jack Burnham for 32 by bowling Harte for 69 and then removing Stuart Poynter in his next over.

Ravi Rampaul also took two wickets and after the second new ball sealed Durham's fate, there were just over 18 overs remaining when Luis Reece clinched a 19-point victory.

Durham's chances of saving the match looked good after Lees and Harte batted through most of a sunny morning before Critchley struck twice in consecutive balls. There had been few alarms for the openers on a pitch which had flattened out but after Lees swung Critchley's first ball for six, he edged the third to short leg and the next had Will Smith taken at slip.

Alex Hughes just failed to take what would have been a brilliant one-handed catch at second slip when Michael Richardson edged a drive at Critchley before he had scored.

Richardson could do nothing with one from Rampaul that kept low and bowled him five overs after lunch but Harte and Jack Burnham played with increasing authority to suggest Durham might be in with a chance of chasing down the 361 target. But the game turned back towards Derbyshire as both were dismissed in the space of six balls after adding 57 in 17 overs.

Burnham tried to whip Wayne Madsen through midwicket but van Beek plunged to his left to take a breathtaking catch and in the next over the New Zealander brought one back to end Harte's 258-minute occupation.

Poynter was caught behind in van Beek's next over and the rest of the innings fell away rapidly with the lower order offering little resistance. Ben Raine drove back a return catch to Critchley, James Weighell was run out by a direct hit from mid off and Matt Salisbury edged Rampaul to first slip.

Liam Trevaskis and Chris Rushworth delayed Derbyshire's celebrations but the inevitable was confirmed when Reece swung what was the last ball before the delayed tea interval in to trap Rushworth lbw.