The second leg of the European Champions League Round of 16 is next week, March 6-7. ESPN2 has two good games of the week: Liverpool hosts Barcelona on Tuesday, having taken a shock 2-1 lead over the defending champs last week in Spain. Wednesday it’s Lille at Manchester United (both games at 1:30pm on ESPN2).

Londoners Arsenal host an ECL game Wednesday as well, and they’ll need to reverse a 1-0 first-leg loss at PSV Eindhoven to avoid elimination from three cup competitions in 10 days. First came a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the League Cup final on Sunday. Just three days later, they were knocked out of the FA Cup, 1-0, by Brad Friedel’s Blackburn. With their English Cup campaigns over early, the Champs League is suddenly the Gunners last chance to salvage something out of the season.

The Houston Dynamo is fighting for their cup life as well; as we go to press, they’re in College Station, trying to reverse a first-leg loss to Costa Rica’s Puntarenas in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Results are on austinchronicle.com/soccer by the time you read this.

A new U.S. women’s pro soccer league will begin play in 2008, with help from MLS, organizers announced Tuesday. There will be six teams to start with, including one in Dallas.

This article appears in March 2 • 2007.

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