Last week, I complicated it. Over-complicated? Depends on how you look at this Golden Shoe, league modifier business. Regardless, I’m keeping it simple this week.
With the help of the folks at World Soccer, here’s where things stand after this weekend’s action. With two goals at Osasuna, Cristiano Ronaldo has taken a two-point, one-goal lead on Lionel Messi. After that, there’s a gap you’d need one of those Indiana Jones rope bridges to cross, and everybody knows those always snap (it even snapped on South Park).
Remember the rules? Goals are multiplied by two for players in Europe’s “top five” leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France).1 Players from the next 15 leagues get their goals multiplied by 1.5.
The other half of UEFA? Tough luck, minnows! Your goals only count one!
Rank
Player
Team
League
Goals
Points
1
Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid
Spain
37
74
2
Lionel Messi
Barcelona
Spain
36
72
3
Robin van Persie
Arsenal
England
26
52
4
Burak Yilmaz
Trabzonspor
Turkey
32
48
5
Aleksandrs Cekulajevs
Trans Narva
Estonia
46
46
5
Mario Gomez
Bayern Munich
Germany
23
46
5
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Schalke
Germany
23
46
8
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Milan
Italy
22
44
9
Seydou Doumbia
CSKA
Russia
27
40.5
10
Radamel Falcao
Atlético Madrid
Spain
20
40
10
Gonzalo Higuain
Real Madrid
Spain
20
40
10
Wayne Rooney
Manchester United
England
20
40
Who is Aleksandrs Cekulajevs? A Latvian striker, Cekulajevs struggled at his one venture into mid-level Europe, eventually leaving the Czech Republic’s Nachod-Destne for Iceland after spending the first part of his career in Riga. Last year, he moved to Estonia where he has posted these acceptable results.
1 – Portugal is set to pass France for fifth in next year’s coefficient. Will their players get 2x? Will France’s players be knocked down to 1.5x? It’s really one of the biggest controversies in world soccer history. Stay tuned.
U20 World Cup schedule: How to watch live, groups, calendar, dates, times, fixtures
The U20 World Cup takes place in Argentina from May 20 until June 11 as 24 teams full of the best young players on the planet go head-to-head to be crowned World champs.
The USA have plenty of talented youngsters and Mikey Varas’ talented squad made a run to the quarterfinals before bowing out to Uruguay. That’s the same stage they exited their previous four U20 tournaments (2015, 2017, 2019 and once again in 2023).
The USA won Group B with three wins from three and hammered New Zealand in the last 16. The Baby Yanks fell to Uruguay on Sunday at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero.
England and hosts Argentina were among the favorites to win the tournament but were knocked out, with Brazil and Italy both impressing and in the last eight, plus Nigeria and Uruguay have also looked very good.
Argentina stood in at the last minute to host the event after the tournament was moved from Indonesia.
Below is everything you need for the U20 World Cup.
Match 46: Saturday, June 3: Israel 3-2 Brazil
Match 47: Saturday, June 3: Colombia 1-3 Italy
Match 48: Sunday, June 4: South Korea 1-0 Nigeria
Match 45: Sunday, June 4: USA 0-2 Uruguay
Semifinals
Match 49: Thursday, June 8: Uruguay vs Israel – 1:30pm
Match 50: Thursday, June 8: Italy vs South Korea – 5pm
Third-place game
Match 51: Sunday, June 11: Loser Match 49 vs Loser match 50 – 1:30pm
Final
Match 52: Sunday, June 11: Winner Match 49 vs Winner mtahc 50 – 5pm
Round of 16 results
Match 38: Tuesday, May 30: USA 4-0 New Zealand
Match 37: Tuesday, May 30: Uzbekistan 0-1 Israel
Match 40: Wednesday, May 31: Brazil 4-1 Tunisia
Match 42: Wednesday, May 31: Colombia 5-1 Slovakia
Match 39: Wednesday, May 31: England 1-2 Italy
Match 41: Wednesday, May 31: Argentina 0-2 Nigeria
Match 44: Thursday, June 1: Gambia 0-1 Uruguay
Match 43: Thursday, June 1: Ecuador 2-3 South Korea
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 20, 2023
Saturday, May 20: Guatemala 0-1 New Zealand – 2pm
Saturday, May 20: Argentina 2-1 Uzbekistan – 5pm
Tuesday, May 23: Uzbekistan 2-2 New Zealand – 2pm
Tuesday, May 23: Argentina 3-0 Guatemala – 5pm
Friday, May 26: New Zealand 0-5 Argentina – 5pm
Friday, May 26: Uzbekistan 2-0 Guatemala – 5pm
Group B
The breakthrough! @diegoluna1511 makes his mark off the bench
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 20, 2023
Saturday, May 20: USA 1-0 Ecuador – 2pm (92nd minute winner from Jonathan Gomez)
Saturday, May 20: Fiji 0-4 Slovakia – 5pm
Tuesday, May 23: USA 3-0 Fiji – 2pm
Tuesday, May 23: Ecuador 2-1 Slovakia – 5pm
Friday, May 26: Slovakia 0-2 USA – 2pm
Friday, May 26: Ecuador 9-0 Fiji – 2pm
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 24, 2023
Sunday, May 21: Israel 1-2 Colombia – 2pm
Sunday, May 21: Senegal 0-1 Japan – 5pm
Wednesday, May 24: Senegal 1-1 Israel – 2pm
Wednesday, May 24: Japan 1-2 Colombia – 5pm
Saturday, May 27: Japan 1-2 Israel – 5pm
Saturday, May 27: Colombia 1-1 Senegal – 5pm
Group D
¡No se cansan de anotar👏!
Matheus Martins dispara con potencia y ya cae el sexto de @CBF_Futebol.
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) May 24, 2023
Sunday, May 21: Nigeria 2-1 Dominican Republic – 2pm
Sunday, May 21: Italy 3-2 Brazil – 5pm
Wednesday, May 24: Italy 0-2 Nigeria – 2pm
Wednesday, May 24: Brazil 6-0 Dominican Republic – 5pm
Saturday, May 27: Brazil 2-0 Nigeria – 2pm
Saturday, May 27: Dominican Republic 0-3 Italy – 2pm
Group E
Monday, May 22: England 1-0 Tunisia – 2pm
Monday, May 22: Uruguay 4-0 Iraq – 5pm
Thursday, May 25: Uruguay 2-3 England – 2pm
Thursday, May 25: Iraq 0-3 Tunisia – 5pm
Sunday, May 28: Iraq 0-0 England – 2pm
Sunday, May 28: Tunisia 0-1 Uruguay – 2pm
Group F
Monday, May 22: France 1-2 South Korea – 2pm
Monday, May 22: Gambia 2-1 Honduras – 5pm
Thursday, May 25: France 1-2 Gambia – 2pm
Thursday, May 25: South Korea 2-2 Honduras – 5pm
Sunday, May 28: South Korea 0-0 Gambia – 5pm
Sunday, May 28: Honduras 1-3 France – 5pm
27 games from the The Soccer Tournament (TST) will be aired across NBC Sports’ platforms in the summer of 2023 as some of the biggest clubs in the world will be represented as teams square off to try and win the $1 million grand prize.
Games will be aired on Peacock and CNBC, as the inaugural 7-a-side tournament takes place in Cary, North Carolina and the likes of West Ham United, Wolves, Borussia Dortmund, Wrexham and various teams from around the world including former USMNT and USWNT players will compete.
“On June 4th, two teams will face off in our championship game for a million dollars. The second place team will get nothing. We are excited to showcase the drama of that moment and 26 additional high-stakes matches through this partnership with NBC Sports, home of the Premier League in the United States,” said TST founder and CEO Jon Mugar.
Here are more details on what to expect from The Soccer Tournament this summer:
“A first-of-its-kind soccer event, TST will feature 32 teams from eight different countries competing in a World Cup-like group stage. Sixteen teams will advance to the knockout stage, where they will compete in single elimination games for a $1 million grand prize.
“Teams competing in the event include 7-a-side teams from notable European clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wrexham, Como 1907, Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv, MLS club Charlotte FC, Liga MX’s Club Necaxa, Clint Dempsey’s Team Dempsey, and US Women, a team of former US women’s national team players organized by Heather O’Reilly and coached by Mia Hamm.
“Notable players include legendary Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas (Como 1907), NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (Nati SC), social media influencer and former MLS Academy product Noah Beck (Borussia Dortmund), among others. TST’s field will also include 23 former U.S. senior national team players on both the men’s and women’s side with nearly 1,400 matches of experience combined.”
Manchester City is on the chase for a historic treble and standing in the way is Inter Milan, one of Europe’s precious few clubs to claim such an honor.
The Premier League winners three times running have an FA Cup under their belt after beating Manchester United on June 3 and the final jewel in their treble crown awaits with a win in Istanbul on June 10.
Pep Guardiola could lead a second club to a treble after he did it with Barcelona in 2008-09, and they would give heated rivals United domestic company on the treble stage right down the road.
Guardiola says it’s now okay to talk about the treble. We agree, and we’ve laid out why the achievement is so special after the jump.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Manchester City vs Inter Milan.
Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in 1998-99.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils are the lone Premier League club to win it.
That’s it. For now.
How many times has the treble been won?
Nine times in history has a team won its domestic league, top domestic cup, and the European Cup.
Bayern Munich and Barcelona have each done it twice, with Bayern doing it in 2012-13 and 2019-20 and Barca pulling it off in 2008-09 and 2014-15.
Celtic was the first to win a treble, doing it in 1966-67, while Ajax was the next in 1971-72.
PSV Eindhoven then won it in 1987-88 before Man United made it happen 11 years later. Inter Milan is the only Italian team to pull it off, winning in 2009-10.
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Man City (-250) vs Inter Milan (+625) | Draw over 120 mins (+380)
Over 2.5 goals (-160). Under 2.5 goals (+110)
Champions League Final predictions
Joe Prince-Wright: Man City 2-1 Inter Milan
Andy Edwards: Man City 3-1 Inter Milan
Nick Mendola: Man City 2-0 Inter Milan
Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup options
Manchester City won its seventh FA Cup and moved with a Champions League win of the very rare treble with a 2-1 win over Manchester United on Saturday at Wembley Stadium.
Ilkay Gundogan scored a goal after just 13 seconds — an FA Cup Final record — and volleyed home off a corner kick in the second half after a Bruno Fernandes penalty had drawn United level before halftime.
The Manchester derby nature of this FA Cup Final, the first final match-up between the heated rivals in tournament history, will make City’s win even sweeter, and the cherry on top is that United was unable to stop City’s quest to match its 1998-99 team.
That’s the only time in English history we’ve seen a treble that included the European Cup. Man City meets Inter Milan next week in the Champions League Final. A win means the treble.
Erik ten Hag is denied a domestic cup double in his first season as United boss. The FA Cup has been played since 1871, and Man United’s 12 tournament wins trail only Arsenal’s 12. United last won in 2016.
Treble-chasing Man City didn’t need its best, shows rivals distance to climb
This could’ve been a clean sheet win for City on another day, who had to deal with a 1-1 deadlock because of a legal but unsavory handball call against Jack Grealish that sent Bruno Fernandes to the spot.
Yes, United will point to the fact that it had to rebound from Ilkay Gundogan’s super quick opener, but City’s train barely left the station in this game and it was still a comfortable-enough win.
City let United hang around but there was always a feeling of inevitability: A moment of class was coming from one of the best teams ever assembled in world football.
Erling Haaland didn’t score and City misfired on a number of opportunities that it generally puts home. Is that a bad sign for next week’s Champions League Final?
That remains to be seen and debated, but there’s no question that City showed United how much more there is to be done to catch up to the champs. Why? Because City’s B-game was more than enough to collect another trophy.
Manchester City vs Manchester United player ratings: Stars of the Show
Ilkay Gundogan
Kevin De Bruyne
Bruno Fernandes
Kyle Walker
Manchester City vs Manchester United as it happened
First half
THE FASTEST GOOOOOAAAALLL IN FA CUP FINAL HISTORY! It’s Man City taking the lead as a long ball is headed down by Erling Haaland and Ilkay Gundogan’s first touch is a stunning strike from outside the box. Man City, 1-0!
That’s certainly put the game on its head, and City has another chance go very close before United can get their hands anywhere near the game.
City’s had three of the match’s four shot attempts and about 67 percent of the ball at the quarter-hour mark but United’s press is keeping things interesting and there’s been a little drama in the United third.
Fine margins… could’ve been 2-0! Erling Haaland is an absolute full stretch to poke a Bernardo Silva pass toward goal, but he can barely get to it and De Gea corrals the ball with ease. 17′
CLOSE! Kevin De Bruyne drills a left-footed shot that spins just wide of the post as City is starting to collect near-misses. That’s both asserting control but keeping the Red Devils in the match. 29′
VAR CHECK. Could there be a penalty for Man United? Aaron Wan-Bissaka heads a cross off Jack Grealish’s arm, and the video review is putting Man United on the spot! PENALTY…
GOAL! Bruno Fernandes bests Stefan Ortega with a stuttering run-up, rolling the ball the other way to make it 1-1.
Looks like this one’s going to the break at 1-1, and Erik ten Hag has to be thrilled about that. Neutrals will be happy, too, as we’ve got a tense derby finale in the balance. City’s taken six of the 10 shots in this one and had 60 percent of the ball but United’s got the xG lead 1.00-0.61.
Second half
GOAL! City on the front foot again, with no changes to start the second half, and a 51st-minute corner free kick sees Ilkay Gundogan etching his name further in Man City lore when he waits out De Bruyne’s lofted free kick and grounds the ball inside the near post. Man City, 2-1.
SAVE! David De Gea reacts to make an in-tight leg save on De Bruyne.
OFFSIDE GOAL: Gundogan is point blank to tap in a loose ball but is offside. It would’ve been a hat trick.
CLOSE! At the other end, United sub Alejandro Garnacho drags a shot just wide of the far post. Those fine margins remain part of this one!
It’s desperation time for Manchester United, who only had seven minutes and stoppage to get in the way of City’s second jewel in its treble crown.
Gundogan’s close to his hat trick again but this time Luke Shaw intervenes to force a corner kick.
WOAH! Very close to a stoppage-time equalizer as Scott McTominay makes chaos in Stefan Ortega’s box, leading to a corner kick. Cleared by Kyle Walker for the moment. Less than two minutes left now…
🤯 Absolutely incredible! Ilkay Gundogan scores the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history, as Manchester City lead Manchester United after just 13 seconds at Wembley! #MCFC#MUFC#FACupFinal
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Man City (-200) vs Manchester United (+525) | Draw over 120 mins (+375)
Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: None.
City's FA Cup final line-up 💪
XI | Ortega Moreno, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Gundogan (C), Bernardo, Grealish, Haaland
