This weekend marked the start of a game-changing week in the wide world of soccer.
More Top Picks Kitchenaid Siphon
From the United States, to England, Spain, and, very soon, the highest levels of Europe, new eras began, other may begin to end, and title races tightened.
Recap and preview it all in this weekend edition of 90 Minutes’ Top Five.
1. Dawn of a new era
Months and months of debating, campaigning, and questioning post-Trinidad fiasco yielded the name of the new head of the sport in the United States: Carlos Cordeiro.
Saturday marked the long-awaited election for the new president of the US Soccer Federation to succeed the outgoing Sunil Gulati, in the first contested election since 1998 after Gulati announced he would not seek a fourth term back on December 7.
Cordeiro, born in India to a Colombian mother and a Portuguese father, leaves the vice-president post to preside during, arguably, the most tumultuous time in US Soccer history, coming off the heels of a disappointing elimination from the 2018 FIFA World Cup that sparked outrage across the soccer community, most of it calling for substantial changes at the federation.
The reconstruction of the men’s national team will be at the forefront of his nascent tenure, but it is far from the only issue at stake. The women’s side of the game remains plagued with issues, such as pay inequality, playing field conditions, stability of the National Women’s Soccer League, among others. Youth development is another hot button issue, with fans, players, and other soccer-ites calling for reform of a system that remains the most expensive in the world, excluding millions of young, talented kids, marginalized due to lack of money, just to mention some of the work the 62-year-old will have on his agenda in the next four years.
Cordeiro has the great advantage of having plenty of experience in US Soccer. He now has the historic opportunity to use an all-time disaster to move American soccer forward, and to a place of prominence in the global scene.
2. Collision course
And speaking of long-awaited, one of the most pivotal encounters in the soccer calendar is finally upon us.
This upcoming Tuesday, the wide world of soccer will come to a standstill as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain will face off in the first leg of a Champions League Round of 16 tie with gigantic stakes.
The clubs enter this clash with very different realities. Real Madrid’s troubles are well-documented. The Merengues are virtually out of the race for La Liga, got prematurely bounced out of the Copa del Rey by Leganes, and have had the worst home form in many, many years. They did manage a confidence-boosting victory on Saturday, crushing Real Sociedad to the tune of 5-2, led by a hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo.
PSG’s season has been as expected thus far, but it is about to heat up very quickly, starting on Tuesday. They lead Ligue 1 comfortably, and have steamrolled through all the cups, led by their three-headed money monster of Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar.
What’s at stake is the, perhaps, the very future of these two clubs as we now them now.
PSG made a monster investment in Neymar and Mbappe to finally obtain the elusive Champions League trophy, a chase that has cost the Qatari-owned club hundreds of millions in player transfers. Hope lies on the three stars, while the guillotine hovers over the head of manager Unai Emery. It is championship or bust in Paris, and with the financial fair play cloud hovering as well, and early exit could mean a significant financial blow in addition to the competitive failure.
The same can be said about Real Madrid, although for different reasons. The Spaniards are two-time defending champions, but their recent run of form make this a do-or-die situation, as the Champions League represents the last hope for glory in an otherwise lost season. The spotlight will be on Zinedine Zidane, with the impression that his future as manager is on the line, despite his amazing record in just two years at the helm. The future of the current squad could change dramatically with an early exit, as the core group of recent years continues to age. Stars like Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, and Marcelo are hitting age 30 or higher.
Whatever the result, this Tuesday is the beginning of a clash that could have major implications across the European scene.
3. Definition derby
Saturday at Wembley not only marked a second consecutive home win by Tottenham over their bitter rivals, but could also be definitive in the chase for a top four spot.
Harry Kane once again haunted the club that let him go during his childhood years, as Spurs upended an Arsenal side showered in praise after last weekend’s performance over Everton. The win earns Tottenham bragging rights in this hot rivalry, but also an important leg-up in the hot race for Champions League places.
For Spurs, the three points allow them to keep the slumping fifth-place Chelsea away temporarily, though the gap in only two points and the Blues still have a game in hand. More significantly, the win widens the gap between them and Arsenal to seven points, a gap that could prove insurmountable at this stage of the season.
With all the talk about Arsene Wenger’s roster moves paying off right off the bat, the reality remains that their goal of returning to the Champions League continues to fade away. Bolstering the offense can prove in sufficient when the defensive backbone remains very prone to breaking down.
4. Hold your horses
Don’t look now, but the race for first place in La Liga could get closer than expected very soon.
For the second consecutive week, season-long leaders Barcelona have dropped points, as Getafe managed to hold them to a goalless draw at Camp Nou on Sunday.
More Top Picks Best Mens Watches For The Money
This result, combined with Atletico Madrid’s tight victory over Malaga, has closed the gap to seven points, making the race the closest in months.
With all the talk about Real Madrid’s epic drop-off, Atletico’s slow climb to the current gap has gotten very little attention. Barcelona had already been seen by many as the projected winners after December’s El Clasico. But as of February 11, that notion is not as certain anymore.
Take into account how Barcelona has looked in the last couple of weeks. Ernesto Valverde himself described as lacking “a bit of spark,” which, translated, means this team is starting to show some wear. How could they not? Their run to the Copa del Rey final has stuffed their schedule, forcing them to play 12 times in almost six weeks. The Cules have played twice a week since the winter break, and depending on how it goes in the Champions League, it will continue to be that way.
That may prove detrimental for Valverde, who has chosen to feature its best players almost every game during this run, and it is starting to cost them in the standings.
5. Aguero again, and again, and again, and again
Sergio Aguero grabbed all the headlines after Manchester City’s destruction of Leicester City on Saturday, putting forth another riveting performance by scoring four of the team’s five goals.
With so much scoring, one of these goals had to stand out among the rest, and so it did, as he produced the best goal of the weekend, his fourth and final score, a rocket over Kasper Schmeichel and off the crossbar,