Three Disappointments

Tauson Biggs ‘24, Staff Writer

The 2022-2023 sports season in Philadelphia was filled with highs and lows. Unfortunately for fans of the Philadelphia Union, Phillies, and Eagles, it ended in heartbreak as all three teams fell short in their respective championship games.

Starting with the Philadelphia Union, the team had a remarkable season, finishing as rank one in the Eastern Conference and earning a spot in the MLS Cup final. The Union had a difficult path through the playoff bracket, but after a bumpy start against Cincinnati, they got their act together. The Union advanced to the Cup Final match to face off against LAFC, the number one seed from the West, who were also hungry for a win.

Despite the Union’s impressive regular season and admirable playoff performances, they were unable to overcome the LAFC’s expensive foreign talent in players like Gareth Bale who scored LAFC’s 3rd goal of the game. The Union lost the championship game by a score of 3-0 in penalty shootouts in a 3-3 tied game. The team’s defense, which had been a strength all season, struggled to contain LAFC’s attack after the first half of the game, and the Union was unable to convert on their penalty shots to have a chance at winning the title. The loss was

Ronaldo’s Move to Saudi Arabia: Who are the True Fans?

Guiliana DiPrinzio ‘26, Staff Writer

Cristiano Ronaldo’s career has changed drastically from the Premier League to the Saudi Pro League. During the 2022 World Cup, Manchester United announced that Christiano Ronaldo would be leaving the club. This shocked the world. Many were left with questions such as, where will CR7 go next?

When Professor Saldaña, upper school Spanish teacher at Wilmington Friends, heard about Ronaldo heading to the Saudi Pro League he had many emotions. “I mainly felt disappointment, I think he should still be competing at the highest level in Europe.” Ronaldo did not have enough time to showcase himself in Europe.

The main question for the world was how many of Ronaldo’s fans would continue to support him while he played in Saudi Arabia. The long-awaited Messi vs. Ronaldo game took place when Paris Saint-Germain took on Al Nassar on Thursday, January 19th, 2023. According to StreamCharts this friendly had “over 1.9 Million a bitter pill to swallow for the Union and their fans, who had high hopes for the team heading into the championship game. Eddie Gallagher, the Assistant Head of School for Academics and self-proclaimed 5 for 5 Philly sports fan, said he was “disappointed about the Union’s loss after they had been so dominant all season.” However, Mr. Gallagher’s opinion on the end of the Phillies season is a little more positive. viewers”. With this huge matchup came many viewers; however, it will be interesting to see the viewer count during Al Nassr’s league games.

Speaking of the Philadelphia Phillies let’s take a closer look at their 2022 season. The team had a strong regular season, finishing third in the NL East and earning a spot in the playoffs. The team’s offense, led by Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins, was one of the best in the league, and their pitching staff had improved from the previous season.

The Phillies’ playoff run was fairly straightforward, with the team handily defeating the Braves and Padres by series scores of 3-1 and 4-1 respectively. After that, however, the Phillies found themselves facing down a more formidable opponent in the Houston Astros. The Phillies narrowly managed to clinch the first game with a score of 6-5. In the second game of the series, the Astros answered right back with a win of their own. In the 3rd game, the Phillies blew out the Astros to the tune of 7-0 scoreline and Phillies fans could see victory on the horizon. Unfortunately, the Phillies’ scoring frenzie would end after that 3rd game as they went on to lose the next 3 games and the 2022 World Series.

One of Ronaldo’s fans, Noah Gibbons ‘25 says “I will most likely not be watching him play in Saudi Arabia, I also have no idea what channels they even play on.” For many of CR7’s fans, watching him perform will be a challenge due to the channels that actually broadcast the Saudi League.

Ronaldo is inarguably one of the greatest soccer players of all time; although, his attitude a mentality are a concern to many. In the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo was benched in the knockout stage due to making faces about being subbed off the game before.

When asked about the Phillies’ end to the season, Daniel Selekman ‘24 said, “Although we didn’t win the world series, we still made it which was an upset in itself given the fact that we had the worst record going into the playoffs. We really came together at the end of the season and I think we’re looking good for next year.” The loss was a bitter disappointment for the Phillies and their fans, who had hoped to see the team get their first world series win since 2008 and 3rd world series win in the franchise’s history. However, the team’s success during the regular season and the progress they made in 2022 should give them confidence heading into the future. And now let’s talk about the big event, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles entered the 2022-2023 season with high expectations after making the playoffs as a wildcard team the previous year. The team’s offense had improved, with quarterback Jalen Hurts showing promise, and their defense was one of the best in the league. The Eagles got off to a strong start in the regular season, winning their first eight games and establishing themselves as one of the top teams in the league. Their offense, led by Jalen Hurts and a talented group of receivers, was firing on all cylinders and putting up big numbers, and averaging almost 30 points a game. Continuedonpage12

Many believed that this is due to his poor attitude; however, Sara Clothier ‘26 says “ I believe that his mentality is the reason he is so good, he has so much confidence in himself.”

“Ronaldo went to Al Nassr because of the money, I do believe that he could still be playing at a much higher level,” says Clothier ‘26. The money clearly played a huge role in Ronaldo’s moving to the Saudi League. CR7 is making 173 million euros a year, 514 thousand euros a day, and 357 euros a minute; however, his love for the game is more important than all the money in the world.

Many of Christiano Ronaldo’s fans are concerned that this will be the end of CR7. Professor Saldaña says, “I do not believe that Ronaldo should end his career with Al Nassr. I think he should retire on a Portuguese team.” It is unsure if Ronaldo will ever play in a World Cup again, due to his age; however, ending his career on a club team in Portugal would be the perfect ending.

Although the future of Christiano Ronaldo is full of questions and concerns, CR7 will look to make his mark in the Saudi League. He will continue to work hard and prove why he is one of the greatest of all time.