11 minute read
NYCFC REIGNS! THE CHAMPS
EUROPEAN SPOTLIGHT
BALLON D'OR OR BALLON D'OH?
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The Ballon d’Or has once again been decided and once again not everyone agrees with the decision. In what has become an annual event of second-guessing, the Ballon d’Or is once again mired in controversy over who is the top player in the world on the men’s side with Lionel Messi defeating Robert Lewandowski. On the women’s side,
Alexia Putellas won top honors with Jennifer Hermoso placing second. Of the two awards, the controversy seems to be coming from the men’s side. While Messi did lead Argentina to a Copa America title, his T club work wasn’t at its best. Despite scoring 30 goals for Barcelona, the side finished third in La Liga and didn’t make it out of the Round of 16. Lewandowski scored 41 goals for Bayern Munich helping the side win the Bundesliga. With Poland, he scored 11 goals in 12 matches, including three goals in the EURO 2020 competition. The point of contention as to why Lewandowski should finish ahead of Messi partially comes from their season statistics, but it also seems to have its roots in the previous
ABOVE (MAIN): Lionel Messi with his seventh Ballon d'Or
ABOVE LEFT TOP: For years, it was Ronaldo, Messi and a third, in the title race.
ABOVE LEFT, SECOND FROM THE TOP: After winning the Euro, and the Champions League, there was no surprise that Jorginho was third
LEFT: Ronaldo did not finish in the top three of the Ballon D'or race
BALLON D'OR PAST WINNERS
2021 L. MESSI Lewandowski
2019 L. MESSI Virgil van Dijk
2018 L. MODRIC C. Ronaldo
2017 C. RONALDO L. Messi
2016 C. RONALDO L. Messi
2015 L. MESSI C. Ronaldo
2014 C. Ronaldo L. Messi
2013 C. RONALDO L. Messi
2012 L. MESSI c. Ronaldo
2011 L. MESSI C. Ronaldo
ABOVE: Lewandowski celebrates while scoring a goal for Bayern Munich
BELOW: Lewandowski scored 11 goals in 12 matches with Poland this year, adding to the confusion of why Lewandowski didn't win the Ballon d'Or
LEFT: Modric was the first player to win the Ballon d'Or other than Messi or Ronaldo since 2007
TOP RIGHT: Alexia Putellas with her 2021 Ballon d'Or
BOTTOM RIGHT: Putellas playing for Barcelona season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the French Football Association opted to not run the Ballon d’Or award. Given that Munich had won both the Bundesliga and Champions League that season, Lewandowski seemed prime to win the award. There’s also a bit of malaise within soccer supporter circles about Messi winning the award. Since becoming a professional, Messi has won the award seven times. On the women’s side, there was a bit less controversy with Putellas, FC Barcelona’s star striker, winning top honors. The veteran attacking midfielder scored the second goal in Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Women’s Champions League Final. She was also instrumental in the side winning the La Liga final and the Copa de la Reina, becoming the first side to win a continental treble. Putellas’ attacking partner, Jennifer Hermoso, placed second a strong sign of the development that Spanish football has made in recent years.
PUTELLAS THINGS TO KNOW
Putellas Things To Know Putellas grew up a Barcelona fan and spent a year at their youth academy when she was 11.
However, the midfield maestro then moved to Espanyol where she stayed until 2011.
The Ballon d’Or winner made her debut for the club when she was just 16-yearsold and was part of the team that won the 2010 Copa de la Reina.
Putellas then moved to Levante aged 17, before securing a move back to Barcelona in the summer of 2012.
As well as securing the Ballon d’Or, Putellas was named the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year.
The Spaniard held o competition from teammates Hermoso and Lieke Martens. Putellas was also named midfielder of the season –– beating teammate Aitana Bonmati and Chelsea’s Ji So-Yun.
Despite being just 27-years-old, Putellas has been a vital figure in Barcelona’s first team since 2012 and has made more than 370 appearances for the club.
This puts her fourth on the all-time list, behind Melanie Serrano, Marta Unzue and Manchester City’s Vicky Losada.
Having scored more than 150 goals, Putellas is also the club’s second top goalscorer, trailing only to Hermoso.
Putellas is not just a star for Barcelona but also holds the record for most international appearances for Spain with 92.
So far, she has featured in three major competitions and was named Spain’s Player of the Year in 2021.
MLS & LIGA MX NEW YORK REIGNS
MARCO D’ONOFRIO RECAPS THE MAGICAL SEASON NEW YORK CITY FC HAD AND HOW THEY MANAGED TO CAPTURE THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS PRIZE IN MLS.
They thought it was all over…it wasn’t. New York City FC were seconds away from their first ever MLS Cup triumph when Felipe Mora buried the ball in the back of the net to put the Portland Timbers level at 1-1 in the 94th minute of the game. Providence Park was T roaring, while NYCFC players looked dejected.
Surely, the home team would go on to capture the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy now, with all the momentum behind them and the crowd buzzing. However, for the second time in the 2021 playo s, New York City demonstrated their strength of character in responding to a lastminute equalizer by going on to win on penalties.
Goalkeeper Sean Johnson came up big when called upon, making two massive saves in the shootout to help provide his team with a victory that will go down in history. New York City had shocked the world by winning the MLS Cup.
Prior to 2021, the perennial underachievers had only won one playo game in their history – despite qualifying for the postseason in five consecutive years. It was a sore spot for supporters who were tired of seeing their team perform well during the regular season only to fail when it mattered most. So, what exactly changed in 2021? To discover the truth, one merely must go back and re-visit the club’s major paradigm shift. The same team that kicked o their inaugural season in MLS in 2015 by signing three of the most high-profile
Designated Players in league history – Andrea
Pirlo, David Villa and Frank Lampard – realized that just throwing money around wasn’t going to get the job done in a league that had a salary cap and various protocols in place to ensure that every franchise can compete. The team had committed a total of $17.2m in guaranteed wages per season on three players and couldn’t even earn a playo spot in their first season. A change was needed.
The club opted to focus on youth and the development of their younger talent, which was quite evident in the 2021 MLS Cup Final that saw the victors start five players under the age of
ABOVE: New York City FC celebrates winning the 2021 MLS Cup
RIGHT: Alexander Callens celebrates after winning the Eastern Conference Championship match
FAR RIGHT: Maxi Morales was a key part in NYCFC's Championship run
ABOVE: Veteran goalkeeper Sean Johnson was named New York City FC captain for this season and came up big when most required
RIGHT: 21-year-old James Sands was NYCFC’s first homegrown signing and started in the 2021 MLS Cup Final
TOP RIGHT: Toronto FC have put all their eggs in Bob Bradley’s basket, naming him coach and sporting director
BOTTOM RIGHT: Rumours have been running rampant that the Napoli captain could be headed to Toronto FC 25, including the team’s first ever homegrown product to make the first team roster, 21-yearold James Sands. The defensive midfielder was brilliant during the game and finished the contest with the most tackles. The team also started 19-year-old academy graduate Tayvon Gray. “It is such a special feeling,” said Sands moments after his team won the MLS Cup. “The fans supported all the homegrowns, not just myself, this whole time. Good moments and bad moments this season, they’ve been there and to win it for them and for all the fans that travelled here, it’s an amazing feeling and I’ll have it for the rest of my life.” It wasn’t just the development of their own local talent though as they also decided to forego bringing in big household names as Designated Players, instead focusing on younger lesserknown prospects from South America that could make a massive impact in the league. In 2018, NYCFC acquired Paraguayan Jesus Medina, who was only 21 at the time, from Club Libertad. Medina started in the MLS Cup Final and played 95 minutes before ultimately being subbed o for another young South American Designated Player – the 19-year-old Talles Magno. Talles Magno was signed during the o season from his former club Vasco da Gama for a reported $12m transfer fee and while he didn’t get the opportunity to start the game, he played a pivotal role by burying a penalty kick past Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark when called upon. The winger should only continue to grow and get better during his time in New York. NYCFC didn’t just rely on Designated Player spots to sign high-end young talent either, as they also went out and nabbed the 2021 MLS Golden Boot winner Valentin Castellanos in 2018 when he was just 20-years-old. Castellanos isn’t a Designated Player, but he led the league with 19 goals and eight assists. He also came up big in the MLS Cup Final by scoring a goal and converting the first penalty for his team in the shootout. The team did bring in an experienced head coach from abroad in 2020, to help guide the team of veterans and youngsters. Norwegian Ronny Deila, who previously had coached Celtic and Valerenga in Europe, was chosen to guide the team prior to the 2020 season and less than two years later he has taken them to the pinnacle. “You have to celebrate victories and that one today was a big victory,” the tactician said following his team’s triumph. “I said maybe too much when I got hired here, but I don't regret that. It was a big moment. I will do that again if we keep winning trophies.” When Deila first
THE MAN TO SAVE TFC?
Marco D’Onofrio discusses Toronto FC’s new head coach and sporting director Bob Bradley and asks if he will be the saviour the Reds need…
After an abysmal season that saw Toronto FC miss out on the playo s for just the second time in the past seven years, the club knew they needed a reset. The team cleared house with both head coach Javier Perez and general manager Ali Curtis leaving the organization. They have been replaced with Bob Bradley, who has coached well over 350 games in the league since his start in 1997. Bradley is also the father of team captain Michael Bradley who has been with the Reds since 2014, helping them win an MLS Cup in 2017. Now Bob is tasked with getting them back to the glory days, when silverware just kept piling up. Along with the front o ce, personnel changes on the pitch need to be made and Bradley will have the power to shape the squad how he sees fit. The team’s longest-serving Designated Player Jozy Altidore is on his way out of Toronto, freeing up a spot for someone who Bradley would prefer instead. Rumours have been running rampant that the Reds have made multiple o ers to Napoli and Italy star Lorenzo Insigne, but that seems more like a pipe dream than anything else. Still, it shows the intention and ambition of the club who is looking to make another major impact signing like they did when they landed Sebastian Giovinco in 2015. It remains to be seen exactly what Bradley has planned for TFC, but fans have to be excited about the appointment of a man who has won three MLS Coach of the Year awards during his time in the league.
