Soccer Watch

The U.S. Soccer Federation holds its presidential election this Saturday, Feb. 10, with more than 500 members of the National Council expected to cast ballots, for an intriguing cast of eight candidates: USSF vice president Carlos Cordeiro, Soccer United Marketing president Kathy Carter, former pro players and current broadcasters Kyle Martino and Eric Wynalda, former player and college coach Paul Caligiuri, attorneys Mike Winograd and Steven Gans, and wild-card goalkeeper Hope Solo. Solo is basing her campaign on equality for the women's game, but her candidacy is also distinguished by the separate complaints against the USSF she has currently pending with both the U.S. Olympic Commit­tee and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Council, alleging wage discrimination and a variety of other malfeasance.

European Champions League knockout round of 16 begins this Tue.-Wed., Feb. 13-14, with three of England's five entries in action on the road. Tue.: Tottenham at Juventus, Manchester City at Basel; Wed.: Liverpool at Porto, PSG at Real Madrid, all at 1:45pm on Fox Sports 1 & 2, and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes & Fox Deportes... Europa League knockout round starts the same week, with a smattering of TV games including, oddly, both legs of the CSKA Moscow-Red Star Belgrade match on FS2, and Arsenal at Östersunds FK (Sweden), at noon Thu., Feb. 15 on FS2.

The Colorado Rapids will be the first U.S. team in action as the CONCACAF Champions League starts its knockout round the next week, Tue., Feb. 20. More on that, umm, next week.