Association Football 2023/2024 Discussion Thread

[NewYorkExpress]

Bayern Munich might have just lost the Bundesliga this weekend. They lost 3-1 to Red Bull Leipzig, meaning Borussia Dortmund has a chance to pass them if they can defeat Augsburg.

Regardless of the result, the race will come down to next week's schedule, with Borussia Dortmund at home against Mainz, and Bayern Munich on the road against Cologne.

[Santander]

The door flies open for Dortmund...

[Mike88]

Portuguese Primeira Liga enters in the home stretch:

- Porto defeated Famalicão (2-4) this Saturday evening in a game that had 4 penalty kicks!! out of the 6 goals scored;

- Tomorrow, Benfica could win the Championship if they are able to defeat Sporting CP. If they win against Sporting, it will be the first time since 1975 that Benfica celebrates a Championship win in Sporting's home stadium;

The current League table of 4-top teams:

SLBenfica 83 points (minus one game)
FCPorto 82
SCBraga 75
SportingCP 70 (minus one game)

[Benjamin Frank]

The 30th Major League Soccer team has been awarded to San Diego.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37676377/mls-names-san-diego-30th-team-debut-2025

[NewYorkExpress]

The 30th Major League Soccer team has been awarded to San Diego.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37676377/mls-names-san-diego-30th-team-debut-2025

Good Choice.

If they go to 32, as Don Garber has hinted they'd like to do, I personally recommend Baltimore (great potential natural rivalry with D.C United) and Detroit.

[Benjamin Frank]

The 30th Major League Soccer team has been awarded to San Diego.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37676377/mls-names-san-diego-30th-team-debut-2025

Good Choice.

If they go to 32, as Don Garber has hinted they'd like to do, I personally recommend Baltimore (great potential natural rivalry with D.C United) and Detroit.

Those are both in the east, though I suppose they could move Chicago (or somehow Nashville to the west.)

I'd like to see Indianapolis and Albuquerque.

[JGibson]

The 30th Major League Soccer team has been awarded to San Diego.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37676377/mls-names-san-diego-30th-team-debut-2025

Good Choice.

If they go to 32, as Don Garber has hinted they'd like to do, I personally recommend Baltimore (great potential natural rivalry with D.C United) and Detroit.

Those are both in the east, though I suppose they could move Chicago (or somehow Nashville to the west.)

I'd like to see Indianapolis and Albuquerque.

I'd want to see Chicago, SKC, and STL City SC all together in a division/conference if we go to 32, depending on where the next two teams go.

[Santander]

The door flies open for Dortmund...

... and they put one hand on the trophy.

Who would've thought, at the beginning of the season, that Serie A would've been a foregone conclusion for months now, and Bayern would be chasing going into the last week of the Bundeslgia.

[JGibson]

With Brighton beating Southampton 3-1, they have qualified for European football for the first time in their history. They will likely be in the UEL.

[Mike88]

- Tomorrow, Benfica could win the Championship if they are able to defeat Sporting CP. If they win against Sporting, it will be the first time since 1975 that Benfica celebrates a Championship win in Sporting's home stadium;

Nothing. Benfica and Sporting tied 2-2 and everything is postponed until next weekend. Benfica just needs 1 point.

SLBenfica 84 points
FCPorto 82
SCBraga 75
SportingCP 71

[buritobr]

Vinicius Junior Set To Leave Real Madrid Over Racist Abuse

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomsanderson/2023/05/21/vinicius-junior-set-to-leave-real-madrid-over-racist-abuse/?sh=468505d0b6ee

[NewYorkExpress]

Vinicius Junior Set To Leave Real Madrid Over Racist Abuse

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomsanderson/2023/05/21/vinicius-junior-set-to-leave-real-madrid-over-racist-abuse/?sh=468505d0b6ee

Where is he going to go that racial abuse isn't going to happen. As long as there are white people, he's going to get the same kind of treatment on a regular basis.

[Santander]

Vinicius Junior Set To Leave Real Madrid Over Racist Abuse

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomsanderson/2023/05/21/vinicius-junior-set-to-leave-real-madrid-over-racist-abuse/?sh=468505d0b6ee

He is not considering leaving the club.

Spain and Italy are pretty bad, but it's not like England or Germany have covered themselves in glory either in recent years.

[NewYorkExpress]

Juventus has been hit with a fresh ten point deduction in their ongoing false accounting case.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37708563/juventus-champions-league-spots-10-point-deduction

[NewYorkExpress]

By steamrolling Chelsea 4-1, Manchester United has locked up their spot in the Champions League.

Newcastle United also clinched their spot this past week, meaning Liverpool and Brighton Hove Albion are heading to the Europa League and could be joined by West Ham United if they beat Fiorentina on June 7, and one of Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur or Brentford will be going to the Europa Conference League.

[NewYorkExpress]

Marco Asensio seems likely to head from Real Madrid to Paris Saint Germain when his contract expires this summer.

On the one hand, he's a downgrade from the departing Lionel Messi, but on the other hand, I don't think PSG expects Asensio to be a regular starter, not when they might theoretically have the transfer budget for someone else anyways, and the wage budget to do so, especially with Messi coming off the books (maybe they bring in Roberto Firminio or Harry Kane?)

[NewYorkExpress]

The Under-20 World Cup is in progress and the United States has reached the knockout rounds, sweeping all of their matches in Group B, against Ecuador, Slovakia and Fiji.

They'll next face a to be determined third place team in the Round Sixteen. Their likely next opponent, as of this evening will be the third place team in either Groups A or D, meaning they will face one of New Zealand, Brazil or Italy.

[Lechasseur]

Inter Milan won the Italian Cup earlier this week by beating Fiorentina 2-1 in the final.

[JGibson]

With Dortmund drawing Mainz 2-2 and Bayern's 2-1 win over Köln, the Bundesliga title will stay parked at the Allianz for the 11th year in a row. Dortmund pulled an Arsenal in choking the title.

[JGibson]

The final Premier League place for next season is now booked, as Luton Town won the EFL Championship Promotion Playoff Final 1-1 [6-5] on penalties over Coventry City.

[Mike88]

Benfica wins the Championship after defeating Azorean Santa Clara by 3-0. Porto also won against Guimarães 3-0. Benfica finishes with 87 points, Porto with 85.

Next Sunday, it will be the Cup of Portugal final between Porto and Braga.

[Santander]

With Dortmund drawing Mainz 2-2 and Bayern's 2-1 win over Köln, the Bundesliga title will stay parked at the Allianz for the 11th year in a row. Dortmund pulled an Arsenal in choking the title.

Musiala wrote himself into Bayern history with that winning goal. If he stayed at Chelsea, he'd be just another loan army player with no chance of getting into the first team while Todd Boehly buys a bunch of players to sit on the bench and Frank Lampard pretends to be a football manager.

[NewYorkExpress]

With their 1-1 draw at Strasbourg, PSG has clinched their 11th Ligue 1 title, which is now the record.

[NewYorkExpress]

So, with the only games left in Europe to be played (for the most part) being the three continential cup finals (and the FA Cup final), the Summer Transfer window is rapidly approaching.

There already are a couple of notable moves that will come into effect at the beginning of the window.

First, Moise Kean is heading from Everton to Juventus, after The Old Lady picked up their option to buy.

I think Kean's permanent arrival means Dusan Vlahovic likely will be leaving in this window, as he's been drawing attention from clubs across Europe, especially Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Next is Pedro Porro, who has officially moved from Sporting CP to Tottenham Hotspur thanks an obligation to buy in his loan contract. I'm not sure bringing in Porro, a former top Manchester City prospect is going to be enough to convince Harry Kane to stay at Tottenham. In order to that, Tottenham needs to be a lot more aggressive this summer, maybe by targeting Vlahovic, Declan Rice or Mason Mount (or possibly all three).

Next we have the duo of Nicolas Seiwald and Benjamin Sesko going from Red Bull Salzburg to Red Bull Leipzig. Both are great young stars who should immediately improve a Leipzig side that already was a top-three side in the Bundesliga. In a couple of years, both might be playing for Bayern Munich or another even bigger side elsewhere in Europe.

Giacomo Raspadori is going from Sassuolo to Napoli due to an obligation to purchase clause in a loan agreement. Radpadori was a key contributor for Napoli this year, and getting this deal to be permanent is good for them.

Finally, Francisco Trincao will go from Barcelona to Sporting CP after the Lions exercised their option to buy in a loan deal. Apparently Barcelona only got seven million Euros from this deal. Given the financial hole they are in, they need to be getting a lot more money when selling players than that.

[JGibson]

The Premier League season has wrapped up for 2022/23. 



The Top 4 are Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Newcastle, who will be in the UCL. The UEL participants will be Liverpool and Brighton.

Aston Villa clinches the UECL spot, sending Tottenham home without a European trip.



As for the relegation race, Everton blanked Bournemouth 1=0 to stay up. Leicester City beat West Ham 2-1, but fell short. Leeds got spanked by Tottenham 4-1 to join Leicester in being relegated with Southampton. 



Over in Germany, Heidenheim got promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time ever with two stoppage time goals by coming back from a 2-nil deficit against Jahn Regensburg in the 2. Bundesliga to win 3-2. Darmstadt also got promoted. Hamburg will have to settle for a playoff game against Stuttgart for the right to be in the Bundesliga.