With the major European league champions now decided in the Bundesliga (Bayer Leverkusen), LaLiga (Real Madrid), Ligue 1 (PSG), Serie A (Inter Milan), and Primeira Liga (Sporting CP), the English Premier League champs at this point are still undetermined.
Because Man City have a game in hand over Arsenal, their fourth consecutive title-win hopes are completely in their hands. Not easily though. Their remaining three games against Fulham, Tottenham, both away fixtures, and West Ham at the Etihad won’t be walks in the park despite the lack luster form the Cottagers, Spurs, and Hammers currently find themselves. All three opponents would love to knock City off their perch and in the recent past the Spurs have caused the sky blue Citizens plenty of problems with their often devastating counter-attacks. Pep Guardiola’s boys cannot slip up, not even with a draw or two draws, either at Craven Cottage, Spurs Stadium, or at home against West Ham.
How can the Gunners take the Premier League title? They must win their remaining two matches against Man United at Old Trafford, and Everton at home, and hope that Man City slips up once or twice in their three fixtures. Arsenal does have the better goal differential (+6) over the Citizens. Therefore, if Man City draws one or more of their three games or loses even one, the Premier League trophy goes to north London. But how likely will Pep Guardiola’s squad falter? Is it really a possibility with the current form City are playing their last seven games?
As much as I would love my Gunners/Gooners to take the Premier League title—their last one was in 2004—I don’t see the chances as very good. Man City are just too good, everyone is healthy, and they are in a great run of games to finish out the 2023-24 season. For now I am a Cottagers, Spurs, and Hammers fan these next thirteen days.
What are your thoughts/predictions? Will Arsenal take the title when City falters, or will Man City prevail and take home their fourth consecutive Premier League title?
“Football-Soccer: The language the world speaks fluently.”
These last four days have been a let down and quite painful for me on a footballing scale. On a scale of 1 out of 10—1 being the most intolerable and 10 being the most euphoric—I’m at a 2 1/2. 😞
Images via Reuters
Why am I so down-trodden? My two favorite football clubs for decades, Arsenaland Barcelona are in a slump at the moment. Arsenal lost a league game this past Sunday to Aston Villa, and their Champions League game today against Bayern Munich. Barcelona was eliminated yesterday from the Champions League by Kylian Mbappé and Paris Saint-Germane.
Declan Rice dejected after Aston Villa result Sunday, April 14, 2024 — Action Images via Reuters
And if that heartbreaking defeat wasn’t enough for my fragile heart, then came the 2nd leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-final today against Bayern, in Munich. As I watched the match, I became acutely aware of my Gunners’ young inexperience in huge pressure-filled games in one of the most elite, acclaimed tournaments in the world, certainly in Europe. Arsenal just did not have the savvy or the savage predatory hunger to take it to Bayern Munich. Credit Bayern for being well-disciplined in defense along with their pedigreed experience in big Champions League fixtures.
Kylian Mbappé scores sending PSG thru to the Semi-finals — Getty images
And my beloved FC Barcelona were eliminated by PSG, Dembélé, Vitinha, and the phenomenal magic of Kylian Mbappé. Despite the disappointing losses of my two clubs, the level of football played, the offensive creativity exhibited by the top clubs in the world, and the exquisite number of goals scored, made this weekend and mid-week truly a footballing experience to last a long, long time! Below is my #1 pick for Best Goal of these CL Quarter-finals, Frederico Valverde’s smasher in the 79′ minute to tie the aggregate. Watch the highlights and be amazed…
Now it is on to the Premier League title race against Man City and Liverpool, and on to the LaLiga title race for Barcelona against Real Madrid and maybe Girona if they gain momentum in these remaining weeks of league play.
“Football-Soccer: The language the world speaks fluently.”
It will be a busy summer for me come June and July. Why you ask? I am going to get obese with world class football and I am not ashamed of it!
Well, unless our Yanks perform dismally like our 1990 boys who embarrassed us just by being in the tournament. In FIFA Italia ’90 we didn’t win or draw any of our Group A matches and conceded 8 goals, the worst defeat was against Czechoslovakia 1–5. The Czechs made us look like little lost farm boys chasing and chasing and chasing… rabbits, chickens, and piglets. Oh it was so bad and it hurt, bad.
But today’s USMNT is by far and away superior to those nightmare squads of the 80’s early 90’s. We really hit the CONCACAF and world stage in Korea-Japan 2002, our best tournament to date advancing to the quarter-finals. There is much chatter around football analysts—at least here in the states—that this current U.S. national team is on track to matching or surpassing our heroic 2002 team. But first we must show we belong in FIFA’s top 10-15 world rankings in this summer’s Copa America. Let’s take a look.
Copa America 2024 Groups
Starting June 20 at 20:00 (GMT -4h) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, the CONMEBOL Copa America kicks off with Argentina playing Canada. Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas will host matches with Dallas hosting two Group fixtures—Peru vs Chili and USA vs Bolivia—and one Quarter-final fixture.
Copa America 2024 host cities
Naturally, my two squads will be the USA and Brasil. My Canarinhos are seeded #2 in the tournament with champions Argentina seeded #1. Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid will have to fill the shoes of injured Neymar. After defeats last year to Uruguay, Colombia, and Argentina, Brasil was dipping from their decades long juggernaut perch. But this past March 23rd, Brasil showed against England they still belong in the top 5 of the world. Hopefully they can continue this momentum into Copa America and World Cup 2026. And England is no slouch! The 3-Lions were fantastic in the first 30-45 minutes.
Brasil National Team 2021 – Front (L to R) Neymar, Gabriel Barbosa, Fred, Everton, Alex Sandro – Back (L to R) Fabinho, Thiago Silva, Eder Militao, Gabriel Jesus, Danilo, Ederson (GK)
Surprisingly the USMNT broke into the Copa America’s top five seeds at #4! The Yanks were drawn into Group C and will be highly tested in their last group fixture against Uruguay and should advance to the quarters in the next round. But they will face either Brasil or Colombia, not an easy task by any stretch. And it will be a baptism on hot coals for such a talented, but young squad who won’t see much ball-possession against either South American team. Thank the footballing gods the Yanks performed brilliantly against Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League Final. They can carry hope from that three-peat championship title.
Now to the 2026 World Cup preview.
Image courtesy of CONCACAF
FIFA World Cup 2026
Yes, I am over the moon thrilled that my hometown Dallas, Texas will be hosting FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in June and July. Houston, Texas will also host some matches. The two major cities are 239 miles apart and approximately a 4-hour drive via I-45 barring heavy traffic or wrecks. In Canada, Toronto and Vancouver host. In Mexico, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey host. And in the United States, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas of course, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle all host.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington (left) and the Dallas skyline (right)
NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
But wait, there’s more great news! Dallas will host 5 Group fixtures, 2 Round of 32 fixtures, 1 Round of 16 fixture, and 1 of the Semi-final fixtures. Dallas is hosting the most WC 2026 games of all host cities in all three countries. I am beyond euphoric!
Let me just quote from the FIFA World Cup 2026 website what they say about Dallas’ and North Texas’ footballing development over the last two decades:
FOCUS ON EMERGING TALENT
With an impressively large youth football system, an incredible stadium, and experience hosting Super Bowls and numerous men’s and women’s national team matches over the past few years, Dallas is prepared for the FIFA World Cup™.
North Texas became home to the Dallas Burn in 1995, and played in its first game in front of 27,779 fans. In 2004, the team was renamed to FC Dallas. Today, the North Texas football community is one of the largest in the United States, with nearly 176,000 registered players.
The Dallas Cup, the largest international youth football event in the country [possibly the world], annually brings the world’s finest young players and more than 150,000 spectators to Dallas. Of special significance in the Dallas and North Texas’ history is the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA™, when six games were hosted, and FIFA placed its tournament headquarters and the IBC in Dallas.
— fifa world cup 2026 website, accessed 3/24/2024.
I attended the Quarter-final between Holland versus Brasil in the Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas on July 9th, 1994. My girlfriend (at the time) and I sat smack in the middle of all the Brazilian fans dancing the samba, singing, and playing all their instruments. As we exited the stadium she was grinning ear-to-ear and simply said, “I have never had so much fun at a sporting event like I just experienced. And I’ve been to all major American sports,” meaning football, baseball, and basketball, “and none of them were in the same ballpark to that game!” I just laughed and said, I told you so. It truly is the Most Beautiful Game on the planet, especially when Brasil plays.
On that note, I have all ten fingers crossed and all ten toes semi-crossed 😉 that back in Dallas I will get to see my darlings, the USMNT Yanks and my yellow, blue, and green Canarinhos… Brasil. Lifetime memories right there. Can’t wait.
“Football-Soccer: The language the world speaks fluently.”
World's Most Beautiful Game 