Association Football 2023/2024 Discussion Thread

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New Zealand crushed the Solomon Islands 5-0 to lock up a playoff spot in June. Barring a miracle tonight in the USA/Costa Rica game they'll be facing Costa Rica.

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Those of you who like Dutch Football may have something interesting to watch next season. Rudd Van Nistelrooy, a former legend at Manchester United and Real Madrid will return to PSV, where he once played before heading to Manchester United, to serve as manager starting next season.

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Despite losing to Costa Rica 2-0 tonight, the United States is officially heading to Qatar!

We'll be in Pot 2 for the World Cup draw on Friday.

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I feel like we should be rooting for Scotland in the June playoff.

We could have an England/Scotland match in Group B, which would be amazing...plus England/USA.

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LOL American media are saying USA is similar in quality as England. Some have specifically singled out Harry Maguire as a weak link.

While yes, Maguire sucks and is a weak link, but this is f**king fantasy based off a very lucky result for the US in 2010.

Unless Scotland manages to beat both Wales and Ukraine, the U.S should finish in a comfortable second in Group B (lose to England, defeat both Iran and the June Playoff winner). That would be enough to advance to the knockout round.

[NewYorkExpress]

LOL American media are saying USA is similar in quality as England. Some have specifically singled out Harry Maguire as a weak link.

While yes, Maguire sucks and is a weak link, but this is f**king fantasy based off a very lucky result for the US in 2010.

Unless Scotland manages to beat both Wales and Ukraine, the U.S should finish in a comfortable second in Group B (lose to England, defeat both Iran and the June Playoff winner). That would be enough to advance to the knockout round.

What happened the last time the USMNT faced Iran in the World Cup?

That was in 1998, and the U.S lost 2-1, however, we've come a long way as a football nation since. The U.S in 1998 really only qualified because CONCACAF had more than one qualifying spot (same with Jamaica), as Mexico was the only good team in CONCACAF at the time.

[NewYorkExpress]

LOL American media are saying USA is similar in quality as England. Some have specifically singled out Harry Maguire as a weak link.

While yes, Maguire sucks and is a weak link, but this is f**king fantasy based off a very lucky result for the US in 2010.

Unless Scotland manages to beat both Wales and Ukraine, the U.S should finish in a comfortable second in Group B (lose to England, defeat both Iran and the June Playoff winner). That would be enough to advance to the knockout round.

Scotland is the weakest team of the 3 lol.

I'd disagree and say it's Wales, actually. I highly doubt Gareth Bale will be available for the World Cup, and Wales doesn't really have anyone else.

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Ajax Manager Erik Ten Hag to take over at Manchester United.

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What is going on with Villarreal? After knocking out Juventus in the Round of Sixteen, the Yellow Submarine won their home leg of UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal against Bayern Munich today, 1-0.

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Once again, teams in Big Five leagues simply refuse to take the Europa Conference League seriously, as Bodo/Glimt defeated Roma 2-1 today.

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Just wow. With their 1-1 draw in Munich today and 2-1 aggregate victory, Villarreal has now knocked out two European superpowers in a row, in Juventus and Bayern Munich.

They will face either Liverpool or Benfica, with Liverpool leading that match 3-1 after one leg.

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With Eintracht Frankfurt's 3-2 win today at Camp Nou, Die Adler have defeated Barcelona 4-3 on aggregate in the Europa League Quarterfinals, their second straight knockout of a Spanish side, after taking out Real Betis in the Round of Sixteen.

They'll face West Ham United in the Semifinals.

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So, Barcelona lost to Cadiz 1-0 yesterday, which is really embarrassing for Barcelona.

Today we have two very exciting derby matches. We have the Northwest Derby between Manchester United and Liverpool at Anfield, and the Derby Della Madonnina between Inter and AC Milan, which as usual, will be at the San Siro. The latter match should be especially tension filled as AC Milan and Inter are the top two sides in Serie A.

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Liverpool wins the Northwest Derby in a 4-0 rout.

Meanwhile, Inter advances to the Coppa Italia final with their 3-0 Derby Della Madonnina win today. They'll face either Fiorentina or Juventus, who play the second leg of their match in several hours.

In addition to the aforementioned Fiorentina/Juventus game, Wednesday gives us a very important Chelsea/Arsenal match, with a potential Champions League place on the line.

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Big win for Arsenal today, as they defeat Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal is now level with Tottenham Hotspur at 57 points for the fourth and final Champions League spot in England, trailing Tottenham by goal differential. Tottenham travels to Brentford on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Coppa Italia will have a Derby D'Italia match for the final, as Juventus will face Inter on May 11.

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Tomorrow gives a couple of really important or exciting matches.

We have Arsenal vs Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium with a Champions League spot on the line, as both teams are within striking distance of Tottenham Hotspur for the fourth and final spot in the UEFA Champions League. Tottenham will travel to Brentford on Saturday.

Also on the docket is what will likely be Erling Haaland's final Der Klassiker derby, as Borussia Dortmund heads to Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich, and AS Roma traveling to Inter with their Europa League qualification hopes hanging by a thread, as Roma sits in fifth place in Serie A, two points ahead of Lazio (who is at home against AC Milan on Sunday) and Fiorentina (who travels to Salernitana on Sunday).

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Following the failure to qualify for the World Cup, Reinaldo Rueda has been sacked as manager of Colombia.

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So, in addition to the wins by Bayern Munich and Arsenal, and PSG clinching Ligue 1 with their draw against Lens, Inter Milan defeated Roma 3-1, and Real Betis claimed Spain's Copa Del Rey, defeating Valencia on penalties.

Later today, we have Lazio/AC Milan, which is very important for both sides, as AC Milan needs the win if they want to win Serie A, and Lazio needs the win if they want a Europa League berth. Because Inter won yesterday, AC Milan cannot clinch today, regardless of the result.

In the Premier League, West Ham heads to Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea, in a derby game that is a must win for both teams. Chelsea needs the win to maintain their Champions League place, as they remain two points ahead of Arsenal for fourth, and four points ahead Tottenham Hotspur for fifth. West Ham needs to win, earn a place in Europe altogether, as they currently are in seventh, two points behind Manchester United for a guaranteed spot in Europe.

Meanwhile, the Merseyside Derby is also taking place today, with Everton traveling to Liverpool, and for Liverpool, four points behind Manchester City, a win is needed to keep pace. Everton, sitting just a point away from being relegated, and with relegation rivals Burnley playing at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers today as well, needs to avoid dropping points, and needs a win if at all possible.

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Chelsea with a massive 1-0 victory over West Ham United at Stamford Bridge today thanks to a late goal by Captain America himself, Christian Pulisic.

Next up, a massive trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on Thursday.

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Not a lot going on today, but tomorrow we have Manchester City/Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Semifinals.

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Next summer's transfer window begins in earnest, as Real Madrid agrees to terms with Chelsea Center-Back Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer when his contract expires this summer.

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Lots of scoring and no defense in the Manchester City/Real Madrid game in the Champions League semifinal's first leg ,with Manchester City winning 4-3.

Tomorrow, Villarreal looks to go 3-3 against the top sides in Europe as they head to Anfield to take on Liverpool in leg one of their semifinal.

In addition, the CONCACAF Champions League finals begin tomorrow with the first leg between Pumas U.N.A.M (Liga MX) and the Seattle Sounders (MLS) taking place in Mexico City.

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Villarreal's fairy tale Champions League ride looks to be at an end, as the Yellow Submarine lost 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield today.

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First off, the CONCACAF Champions League Finals are all square after one leg between Pumas U.N.A.M and the Seattle Sounders, following their 2-2 draw in Mexico City last night.

Next, Jurgen Klopp has signed a contract extension with Liverpool that will keep him at Anfield until 2026.

Today we have the first legs of the Europa League Semifinals (RB Leipzig/Rangers and West Ham United/Eintracht Frankfurt) and Europa Conference League Semifinals (Feyernood Rotterdam/Marseille and Leicester City/AS Roma), as well as a massive English Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea, which is a must-win match for Manchester United if they wish to be playing in Europe next year.

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In the Europa League Semifinals, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt lead after one leg, with victories over Rangers (1-0) and West Ham United (2-1).

In the Europa Conference League Semifinals, Feyernood Rotterdam holds a 3-2 lead against Marseilles after one leg, while Roma and Leicester City are even at 1-1 after one leg.

Meanwhile in the English Premier League, Manchester United's chances at playing in Europe at all, are hanging by a thread following a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Old Trafford. Manchester United is currently in sixth, three points ahead of West Ham, which plays Arsenal this weekend. Manchester United meanwhile, has a much easier matchup against Brentford, but the way they have been playing, no match is easy.