Well, as I sit here at 10:06 pm, players are still moving around the world, teams are still solidifying their squads for the 2023-24 season. This year is a little different than most, as we have seen some new financial muscle come in the form of Saudi Arabia. They've taken the world by storm (or at least 5 of their clubs), and while it looks to make things extremely difficult from an American viewership perspective, the competition and the money invested back into the European game can only be good for the game. They aren't signing the players of tomorrow nearly as much as they're signing stars looking for one last paycheck. We're still going to have the Erling Haalands, the Jamal Musialas and the Kylian Mbappes. I think. As of writing, Mbappe is still rostered with PSG, but with 21 days to go until the transfer window closes, anything can happen.
This year, I'm going to do things a little different. Usually I have a write up on the top 5 European leagues, and I finish with players to watch and the 11 that I think will have the most impact. But since I spend 95% of my watching on the EPL and Bundesliga, I'm going to dive into those a little bit more, but I'll still post the predictions of the other (now 4, because of Aiden and his affinity for FC Porto) leagues across Europe.
Serie A:
Nate - AC Milan
Aiden - Napoli
Logan - Inter Milan
Lucas - Juventus
Liga Nos:
Nate - FC Porto
Aiden - FC Porto
Logan - FC Porto
Lucas - Benfica
Ligue 1:
Everybody - PSG
La Liga:
Nate - Barcelona
Aiden - Real Madrid
Logan - Real Madrid
Lucas - Real Madrid
Champions League:
Everybody - Real Madrid (assuming Mbappe gets signed. If not all 3 kids pick Man City, dad picks Bayern Munich)
Europa League:
Everybody - Sevilla, because why wouldn't they?
Bundesliga:
Nate - Bayern Munich
Aiden - Bayern Munich
Logan - Bayern Munich
Lucas - BVB (Bless his innocent little heart)
After Harry Kane puts pen to paper, this league should be pretty straight forward. Bayern have won the last 11 titles; bringing in Kane, Raphael Guerreiro, KIM Jin Mae and Konrad Laimer probably isn't going to make things easier for anyone else. BVB, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen all had interesting summers, but nothing to make you think that they're going to push Bayern for the title.
Bayern Munich - A tiny rebuild. They shouldn't have won it last year, but did. Now with the four new signings and a deep rotation with Ryan Gravenberch and Leon Goretzka on for another year, I can't imagine anything other than a 12th consecutive Bundesliga title. The back 4 looks strong with Guerreiro, KIM, Matthias De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. Manuel Neuer has another year in him, and with Kane up top receiving from Musiala, Coman, Mueller and Sane, it may take you back to the treble days of 2013.
Borussia Dortmund (BVB in my house) - They tried to replace Jude Bellingham, but it doesn't come off as a team that can challenge for a title this year. Marco Reus and Mats Hummels are a year older, and Marcel Sabitzer, Felix Nmecha are decent enough players, but not players that can push Dortmund on to another level. Nico Schlotterbeck is a fantastic CB, but everyone around him lacks that little extra. 2nd seems to be the place they are most comfortable.
Bayer Leverkusen - I was sad to see them sell Moussa Diaby who I think was the most electrifying winger outside of Kingsley Coman, but 55 million Euros is nothing to scoff at. It let Leverkusen balance out the side a little more, and now they have my favorite back 4 in Alejandro Grimaldo, Jeremie Frimpong, Edmond Tapsoba and Piero Hincapie. If Tapsoba stays through the window, this team has the depth to challenge for 2nd.
FC Union Berlin - Great team, with one of the smallest budgets in 1st division European football. And the style of play is great too, as they sit on this ridiculously low block, and then counter the crap out of you. Now they've added Brendan Aaronson and David Fofana on loans and they're only going to get faster. Battling on domestic and Champions League fronts will be tough, but they have the team spirit and drive to do well in both.
RB Leipzig - From a sales perspective, they probably had the best summer in Europe. Getting over 220 million Euros for Dominik Szoboszlai, Christoph Nkunku and Josko Gvardiol is fantastic business, and it's hard to be upset about it. But Champions League and better clubs around you? I think they end up 5th this year.
Eintracht Frankfurt - As long as they are able to hang onto Randal Kolo Muani, one of the most exciting strikers in the world right now, they have a shot at pushing top 4. I think they'll settle around 6th.
Mainz 05 - A surprisingly good end to the season last year (win over Bayern, draw against BVB), Mainz has really become a mainstay in the Bundesliga division. No sensational new signings this year, but an interesting midfield of Tom Krauss (another Leipzig sale), and Anton Stach makes Mainz one to watch in the push for Thursday night football (Europa League)
SC Freiburg - Last year was probably the year. They were so close to qualifying for Champions League. Now I think they're have to rely on a great home atmosphere and one of the best managers in Christian Streich. Probably not another top 5 finish, but consolidation in the 8th spot.
VFL Wolfsburg - Another club that sold a little bit more than necessary. Koen Casteels is one of the more underrated GK's around Europe and Maxence Lacroix is slowly becoming a top CB that should get interest from big clubs, but I think VFL will be a little short in pushing for Europe. 9th for me.
BMG (Gladbach is as short as I'll go) - More fun to say than type, BMG had an interesting off-season as well. Yann Sommer and Marcus Thuram were the face of the club for a long time, but now both are gone. They still have some interesting players like Alassane Plea, Luca Netz and Joe Scally, but they're probably a year away. If Julian Weigl can reach the levels of his game at Dortmund and they find a new GK, then maybe they'll push for a European place.
Werder Bremen - I always have a soft spot for this club. I'm not sure why, as I never made it to Bremen, and I didn't really know any Werder fans when I lived in Germany. But that green wall is immense, and their fan support is some of the best in Europe. Niclas Fuellkrug and Naby Keita are some of the main headliners, but they're probably a few players away from top half. Should do enough to steer clear from relegation though.
FC Koln - Another interesting club. They had a great run last season, where they almost included themselves in the conversation of European nights. But they also had a disasterous run that almost put them in the relegation battle at the end of the year. 12th should be comfortable, but the ride will be worth watching.
FC Augsburg - Was last year worst case scenario? Not safe until the final weeks of the season, Augsburg usually has the quality to finish around mid-table. A lot of players still to like in this group like Ruben Vargas and Niklas Dorsch, but Americans will be disappointed to know that Ricardo Pepi is no longer around.
Vfb Stuttgart - 14th will be a relief from the near disaster of last season. They probably should've been right there with FC Schalke near the relegation scrap heap, but then they snuck some results like the 3-3 draw vs Dortmund and a 6-1 aggregate win against Hamburger SV to stay in the Bundesliga. So far they've had a great pre-season, and besides Bayern and Union, maybe the best transfer window (Deniz Undav from Brighton was sneaky). It should be enough to keep them safe.
Hoffenheim - Ugh. I don't like seeing these guys as they always give the BVB boys a difficult match. For years they were super entertaining, and high flying at the highest levels of the Bundesliga with their super attacking 3-4-3. Now they've settled into a team that just tries to stay safe every year, and I think they'll be able to do it again. One spot above the playoff place.
Vfl Bochum - Oh no! The little brothers! I've always liked Bochum, especially because it's one of my favorite German cities. Their team is scrappy, but they always have a surprise result in them like the 4-1 smashing of Bayern Munich last year. They had to dump a couple of players this summer, but I still hope they have enough to beat whatever 2nd division team they'd run into in the relegation playoff.
Darmstadt FC - I think they were the big surprise of the 2nd Bundesliga. I know a lot of people expected HSV (Hamburg) to overtake them at the end, but it never happened. I didn't get to see them much last year, but it looks like they're solid defensively, and difficult to break down. Never easy to survive in the wide open Bundesliga.
.1 FC Heidenheim - Brand spanking new to the Bundesliga, and its pretty exciting. I tried to learn as much about the game as I could when I lived in Germany 23 years ago, and I don't have any memory of this club at the time. (They were competing in the 5th division). The Bundesliga will probably be too big, but I'm excited to see what this little town from Baden-Wurttemberg can do.
Champions League: Bayern, BVB, Leverkusen, Union Berlin
Europa League: RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt
DFB Pokal winner: Leverkusen
Player of the year: Jamal Musiala
Young Player of the year: Florian Wirtz
English Premier League:
Everyone - Manchester City (Go away, Pep)
With another 3 weeks to go until the transfer window closes, I can not sleep. I'm worried Pep is going to go out and replace Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan in one fell swoop. Whether that's Lucas Paqueta or someone else, I just don't think this is the squad he'll go into this season with. Everyone around him has really spent this year to get closer, and with City going for an unprecedented quadruple, I've got to think he's not done shopping yet. The real race should be top 4, especially with Aston Villa entering the fray. Any of Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, Liverpool, Villa and Chelsea could be battling for those top 4 places. Sorry Spurs but if Harry goes, it's over.
Manchester City - After watching soccer for 25+ years now, I've always seen things the same way I believe that Sir Alex Ferguson saw things. GK and a strong back 4 is key, depth is a blessing but unnecessary. Midfield needs rotation; 6-7 strong midfielders is the right number to chase multiple trophies. 4 forwards is the right number, as form takes precedent over all, but injuries will happen and players need to be ready. Pep also comes from this school of thought, I believe. Haaland, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez are so good, that he hasn't even been linked to another attacker. It reminds me of the Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar era. Everyone offers something different, but when everyone is getting opportunities and goals, it's a tough machine to stop. All four players played big roles on the way to the treble last year. Now with more midfield depth (John Stones, anyone), and a back 4 to rival the Evra, Rio and Vidic era, Manchester City are here to stay. I hate it.
Arsenal FC - Gross. All that spending, and they're going to finish 8-10 points behind City for the second year in a row. I love the big 3 signings - Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber. I wanted all three on Manchester United at one point or another (I wish BVB wasn't priced out on Havertz, he is the ideal player for the Marco Reus role). Even improving the GK situation was spot on. But Arsenal is still missing a major component and that's the 9 spot. Gabriel Jesus is a luxury, and a nice player. But can any of you die hard football fans really think that Jesus will score 30 and lead his club to a domestic title? Or Europe? Take a look. It's Haaland, it's Mbappe, it's Lautaro Martinez, it's Robert Lewandowski. Bayern got so scared winning the league by a point, that they're spending 100 million on Harry Kane (in his 30s). Take a good look, Arsenal. And then go buy an elite CF.
Liverpool - Great off-season. The end.
Manchester United - ETH is really in a new spot. He's never had this kind of budget before, but I think he thinks the squad needs more refreshing than it does. Which is fine. I think the best summer is Raya from Brentford, Kane from Spurs, and maybe Mount but I would've preferred Conor Gallagher. For everything that United is, they're similar to Arsenal, but without the ball. Last year, ETH had always set up really nice, and when we got our attackers (Bruno and Rashford, especially) into space, United was super dangerous. So go sign a ball winning mid, a prolific striker, and a ball playing GK, and it should've been done. We'll see what Andre Onana can do. He's a great shot stopper, can send any ball 50 yards, but he is erratic. Mason Mount is a great supportive midfielder, but in a tight 1-1 match when we need him winning and distributing? We'll see. And when Rasmus Hojlund has a glorious chance in a Champions League QF, but he's only got 7 goals on the season so the whole crowd takes a collective, deep breath? He better pass the ball to Alejandro Garnacho.
Newcastle United - Great summer as well. Sandro Tonali is probably my favorite deep playmaker in the world. He can pick a pass, win a ball and go for goal. Not too many of those around. Harvey Barnes is tenacious, and also has an eye for the goal. Tino Livramento is a 20 year old Kieran Trippier. Add that to a team that qualified for Champions League football? They're going to push for top 4 all the way to the final day.
Aston Villa - The ascension from 11 months ago is inexpressible. They should be in the championship right now with a slipping... smiling Steven Gerrard. And now with (for the last time) Good Ebening Unai Emery running the ship, they make me just as nervous as Liverpool and Newcastle do. The summer was almost perfect. Youri Tielemans will do a job. Pau Torres will be one of the best Premier League CB's by the end of the year. Moussa Diaby will be the most exciting of the three. Add that to a team with a very strong self-belief, and a feeling of unfinished busines, and I think Europe will be their destiny by next May.
Chelsea - Congrats. You finally got the right manager. But, they've had the strangest summer I can ever remember (the only one that comes close is when Leverkusen said "fuck it", and sold half their team to Bayern Munich), and I don't think I can predict what matchday 1 will look like for this club. All we know is that their first game will be a 0-0 draw with Liverpool. But after that? I think they have enough quality and a manager that will go into the league confident and get them back to the European places.
Brighton - I'm devastated that they have to sell Moises Caicedo to Liverpool this weekend. He is one of the best midfielders in the world, don't @ me. Liverpool went from an exciting team that will probably beat you 5-3, to a team with a base that they can build around. More 2-0, 3-1 results. The same thing happened last year at Brighton. This team with Leandro Trossard, Caicedo and Alexis McAllister was so good. And I'm sure they'll figure it out and finish top half again. But imagine if everyone had stayed?
Fulham - My surprise pick for the year. Why, you ask? Because Aleksandar Mitrovic is pissed as heck. He wants that Saudi cash, and who can blame him. When he was in the 2nd division of English football, he bullied everyone. But it wasn't quite so easy at the highest level. He still had good stats, but not record breaking numbers. So imagine the goals in Saudi Arabia? And the money... He's still only 28 so I see the Fulham perspective, but they still have a great team. Carlos Vinicius is probably ready for the role. I guess I don't know, but I did draft him onto my Premier League fantasy team. Andreas Pereira is a EPL quality midfielder.. Raul Jimenez can always score a couple. So either they keep an angry Mitrovic who goes and scores 20 goals, or they make a ton of cash, purchase a few players, and find themselves in a very comfortable place in the Prem.
Brentford - Sneaky good signings, but strictly from Freiburg. Kevin Schade will be one of the most exciting players in the league. Mark Flekken will be just as good as Raya, if not better. But I don't think Brentford will sneak up on teams like their signings this year. 10th is still good for the club that won't have Ivan Toney for some time.
Tottenham Hotspur - Unless Ted Lasso takes over, I think it's going to be a long year. Losing Harry Kane will be a blow that they won't be able to come back from. For as good of a player as he is, it's the other stuff that will hurt the most. Who loves the club as much as he does? Who will drag Spurs from difficult matches and offer a match winner when they need it the most? I know who most of you are thinking, and I love Heung-Min, but without his partner in crime, he's going to be asked to do more than I think he can handle. They still have 3 weeks, but for now I think they're bottom half.
Burnley - Vincent Kompany is a gem. James Trafford will be a househould name by the end of the season. Sander Berge was a wonderful, shocking signing. Josh Brownhill busts his nuts for the jersey. And Anass Zaroury will be on the lips of many announcers when Burnley shock City in tomorrow's match. (Okay, not the last one. But he's an intriguing little winger).
West Ham - What a strange summer. Huge, phenomenal money for a DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER (Oh, he's English, got it), and then for 6 weeks they sat on the cash. Now they quickly bring in Edson Alvarez, Harry Maguire and James Ward Prowse. I mean, sure? I think they'll crash out of Europa League early, but the team will come around and finish in a non-threatening place to either end of the table.
Nottingham Forest - So many signings in the last 24 months. I have no idea who their best players are, or even what their best eleven would be. I don't think they're done shopping either, and the results will be a slow and steady build to another year in the Premier League.
Everton - They're back! It's the Everton that we remember from our youth. Threatening to the big clubs, but never challenging them. More comfortable around the minnows, but never swimming with them. I think they're start well, and then get safety with a few weeks to go. They'll probably beat Fulham this weekend.
Crystal Palace - It's tough to lose a talisman. I like this team a lot, but I thought Patrick Vieira was doing some great things. They just had the fixture list from death for a couple of weeks last year, and he couldn't get a result. Roy Hodgson is fine, but he won't inspire a Zaha-less side to top half. They'll survive, but I bet they have a scare.
Wolverhampton - Woof. Let your manager go right when the season starts. Bad juju. Ruben Neves and Jimenez are gone, they still haven't replaced Diogo Jota, and they sold their best defender (Nathan Collins) to Brentford. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and not put them in a relegation place, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if they're playing in the championship by August of 2024.
Bournemouth - They had an amazing 3 weeks, got 9 points and survived the crazy relegation scrap of last season. They've added Justin Kluivert, who I thought would be further along in his career at this time. Unfortunately, that's about it, and in the Gauntlet that is the English Premier League, it won't be enough.
Sheffield United - They sold Sander Berge to a relegation rival. Do you need any more information?
Luton Town - Luton was able to add some nice pieces to their squad and have a really good blend of youth and experience. Ryan Giles, Thomas Kaminski and Tahith Chong are all fascinating signings and could give the club enough competitive spirit to do battle in the league. I know every neutral will be rooting for them, myself included. But in every scenario, I just can't see them get to safety.
Champions League: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United
Europa League: Newcastle, Aston Villa
FA Cup Winner: Chelsea
Carabao Cup Winner: Man United
Player of the Year: Erling Haaland
Young Player of the Year: Moises Caicedo
Nate's 11:
GK: David De Gea (My parting gift, he just doesn't have it anymore)
LB: Luke Shaw
CB: Ruben Dias (He's so good)
CB: Nico Schlotterbeck
RB: Reece James
CDM: Declan Rice (The price was wrong, but the player is damn good)
CM: Jude Bellingham (Almost the best player in the world, and he's 20!)
CM: Eduardo Camavinga
LW: Alejandro Garnacho (Get ready)
ST: Marcus Rashford (My guy, never gave up on him.)
RW: Karim Adeyemi
World 11:
GK: Uh... it was Thibault Courtois. I guess I owe it to him.
LB: Alphonso Davies
CB: Ruben Dias
CB: Maxence Lacroix (Big move next summer)
RB: Jules Kounde (He's a CB for G** Sakes, Xavi!)
CDM/6: Joshua Kimmich
CM/8: Kevin De Bruyne (Last time?)
CM/10: Nicolo Barella (If you know, you know.)
LW: Vini (The level I want Garnacho to get to)
ST: Kylian Mbappe/Erling Haaland (Can you separate them?)
RW: Bukayo Saka (Sorry Mo. This kid has taken over)
Confer storyline:
I want to shout out all 3 of my boys for their soccer journey and the state of MN as well. First, the state.
Lately, I've been chatting with some soccer personalities and coaches, and all of them share the same belief that MN soccer is going to a level it's never been too before. Back when I did my thesis paper for my college program, my research had shown that MN soccer was waaaaaaaaaayyyyy behind the rest of the country. We didn't have the right programs, we couldn't get the right coaches, and we couldn't get anyone to care enough to invest (winter facilities, good fields just to name a few). Now we have a professional team (on the boys side) with 5 tiers of soccer (1st team, 2nd team, U19, U17, U15), and coaches and systems that get the best out of a really strong youth group. We have a professional women's team that gets amazing crowds to every game. There's great kids all around. I think we can continue to push and get these boys and girls more collegiate and professional opportunities. I absolutely love doing my share.
If anyone wants to play along, the next time you see your kids' coach, or your club's director, or anyone involved in the game, just thank them for what they're doing. I see more and more A/B/C/D licenses in the state and I'm super proud of the direction we're going. I'm hoping to get more licensing in the next year or two myself.
Once upon a time, I believed everything I heard. And I heard that my kids development would stagnate because their dad never played soccer growing up. It really hurt me at the time; I wish I could've played the game, but it didn't work out that way. I've doubled down on the sport and because of my lack of experience, I really take care as to the stuff that we work on when the boys let me train them on the game. Every time I don't want to go outside and kick with the boys, or I just want to sit on the couch and watch a show, I use that information as fuel. Now I love our journey, and I've taught them not to listen to the outside noise.
Speaking of a crazy journey, Aiden! What a year! From the disappointment of making a new club's 2nd team, when we really thought he had the skill set to make a top team, we've come a long way. The 2nd team placement ended up being best case scenario, as Aiden started to put in even more work. He was surrounded with coaches that believed in him and set him up with great situations to succeed and achieve personal and team goals (although we just missed the ultimate team goal), and he ended up with double the friendships as he played almost 80 games with the two teams! It was a long year, but we wouldn't have traded it for anything. And the sequel will be even better as he's supported by the same coach on the Minneapolis United top team! Hard work pays, believe it!
Logan and Lucas had a difficult decision to make as they were offered top spots on two different teams. From where I was sitting, it was a win-win situation. Rush offered great families, great teammates, growth with a team that was entering the U13 competitions at the highest level, and a coach that I've personally always wanted to work with. I was ready to get back on the sideline and really push on, the way Aiden and I had for the past 12 months. The other option was to join the Minneapolis United U12 academy team with friends from indoor and Hispanic leagues with a coach that I think is the best in the state at both development and getting results at the highest level. It was really hard for them, but after a few nights they decided to join Aiden at Minneapolis United! Sara and I are super excited for them, and they deserve everything that's gone their way. My favorite part of the journey is the behind the scenes stuff. Kicking in the back yard, Every. Single. Day. Getting to practice first. Leaving practice once the sun has gone down, and our car is the only car left in the parking lot. We want to see all MN clubs continue to do well abroad whether it's TFE or Manitou in EA league, MTA and St. Croix in ECNL or Blackhawks and MU in the USYS league. I'm hoping it's infectious, and we can continue the brand of making Minnesota soccer something to reckon with!
Enjoy the season(s)! Comment your winners if you dare!
