After a software malfunction rendered the hugely anticipated Champions League Round of 16 draw void (as well as a clash between Lionel Messi's PSG and Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United), we finally know the last-16 matchups and can make our terrible Champions League predictions after a redraw was held nearly two hours after the event started.
Paris St Germain will face Real Madrid in a titanic clash in the last 16 of the Champions League while Manchester United take on Atletico Madrid after UEFA declared the original draw void due to a technical error in the process on Monday.
Earlier, United were mistakenly drawn with Villarreal, even though both teams had already faced each other in the group stage while the Premier League side's ball was not added to the bowl as a potential opponent for Atletico Madrid.
Round of 16 draw ✔️
Tuesday was a remarkable day for U.S. Soccer abroad as six different Americans started for their respective club team in the UEFA Champions League.
For the first time in history, Americans will play in all three of UEFA’s European tournaments. This season is also the first time there have been three tournaments, but minor details. There are tons of Americans playing in Europe, but only 22 have made it to the group stages across the three competitions.
Here are the numbers for Americans playing in European tournaments.
First, let’s look at the 11 in the Champions League.
It was a big day for Americans in Europe on Tuesday as Brenden Aaronson’s RB Salzburg took on Brøndby in the first leg of their Champions League playoff, while over in Germany Gio Reyna’s Borussia Dortmund welcomed Bayern Munich to the Westfalenstadion for the DFL-Supercup.
Brøndby had taken a surprise 1-0 halftime lead at Red Bull Arena, prompting 33-year-old manager Matthias Jaissle (who used to be an assistant at Brøndby) to turn to Aaronson for the second 45.
That change brought good things for Salzburg.
Last week it was Matthew Hoppe; now it’s Brenden Aaronson. Young Americans are popping up all over Europe, scoring goals at an impressive rate.