Games to Watch: Barcelona-Santos, Arsenal-Napoli, MLS, NWSL
Including details of the return of MLS Breakaway to the NBC Sports Network.
Santos at Barcelona
3:00 p.m. Friday (beIN Sport)
Brazilian star Neymar was the biggest transfer of the summer worldwide, joining Barcelona from Santos for a nearly $76 million fee. His new team will face his old team in the Joan Gamper Trophy game at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium.
Sheffield Wednesday at Queens Park Rangers
9:55 a.m. Saturday (beIN Sport)
The English second division doesn't have the same glitz and hype as the Premier League. But the Football League Championship, as it's known, is among the most competitive leagues in the world. The new season kicks off this weekend with this matchup between two teams that will be candidates for promotion to the big show.
QPR was relegated from the Premier League last year, but still has former Manchester United winger Park Ji-Sung and French international Loïc Rémy on its roster. They'll aim to score on Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Chris Kirkland, a former England national team prospect.
Napoli at Arsenal
11:15 a.m. Saturday (ESPN3.com)
Last month, Napoli beat Arsenal to signing star forward Gonzalo Higuaín from Real Madrid. Unfortunately for the Gunners, Higuaín could make his Napoli debut at Arsenal's home stadium in the Emirates Cup preseason tournament.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bordeaux
2:40 p.m. Saturday (beIN Sport)
Last season's French league and cup winners face off in the preseason Trophée des Champions game. PSG will hope that its newest big-money signing, Edinson Cavani, can play alongside Zlatan Ibrahimović. Both forwards are big talents, but they also have big egos. Imagine Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens on the same NFL team in their primes.
New York Red Bulls at Sporting Kansas City
6:30 p.m. Saturday (NBC Sports Network)
The top teams in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference lock horns in the heartland. New York's Thierry Henry will have his hands full with Kansas City's Aurélien Collin, one of the league's toughest and most charismatic defenders.
After the game ends, NBCSN will air another edition of the MLS Breakway show, with live cut-ins to all of the games going on across the league. You'll see parts of Montréal at D.C., (7:30 p.m. kickoff), Chicago at Philadelphia (8:00 p.m.), Real Salt Lake at Colorado (8:30 p.m.) and San Jose at Chivas (10:00 p.m.). The show will run until 10:30 p.m.
FC Kansas City at Portland Thorns
8:30 p.m. Sunday (Fox Soccer Channel)
The National Women's Soccer League two best teams face off in a nationally-televised showcase. Portland is led by American star Alex Morgan and Canada's Christine Sinclair. Kansas City features Lauren Holiday (née Cheney), newly married to former 76ers star Jrue.