Part 235: Interlude: The Year in Football/Futbol/Fußball/Calcio/Soccer, 2028-2029.

Interlude: The Year in Football/Futbol/Fußball/Calcio/Soccer, 2028-2029
June 8, 2029

Well, lets see how the world did in my absence. With fewer leagues being simulated there's less to talk about, but there were some surprises.

United States


One year after winning the MLS Cup, the New England Revolution fail to even make the playoffs. DC United, which barely sneaked into the playoffs last season wins the whole thing.

England


The big story is that Manchester City, after missing out on the Champions League every year since 2023, vaulted from an astonishingly poor 9th place finish to 2nd.



If I remember correctly, it's been a while, Norwich is Wrexham's feeder team. Which means that Wrexham's feeder team is now in the Premier League with them. Tottenham and Newcastle also rejoin the EPL, while Tackleford can't seem to get over the final hump to reach Premier League joy.



I'm ashamed with how quickly Wrexham was knocked out of the FA Cup.



And the League Cup as well. It's a good thing that they won the double or Paul's position might have been immediately precarious.

Europe


Nothing interesting here.



Or here.



But Juventus will not be playing for a third straight European Cup, because they won't even make the coming season's field.

Continental


Flamengo wins the Libertadores for the first time since 2023, and are currently in the 2029 semi-final against Sporting Recife. If they make the final they'll face either rank outsiders Atlas of Mexico or 9 time Argentine champs Racing Club.



4-peat!



Hey, a smaller league club won a major trophy! Congratulations to Benfica.

International


I still can't believe it was a Scotland v. Wales final. Scotland will not be easy to beat in the rapidly approaching Confederations Cup.



We should have won gold. I hate coming up just short.



Finally, Senegal booked their appearance in the Confederations Cup with a wild win over Algeria that saw them storm out to a 3-1 lead and then hang on grimly for dear life as the final 30 minutes ticked down.

USMNT
With fewer games there's less of a chance to get to know our guys, so along with an update on the foot-to-ball world, here's a rundown of the players in contention for the upcoming World Cup squad. You'll notice that we're stocked at a few positions and incredibly shallow at others.



Goalkeeper:

We've got a surfeit of mediocre options here, none of these guys are particularly good but at the same time none are likely to kill us. Rubio de la Fuente has been the worst of the quartet in high pressure situations, but I'm likely to go with whoever is in the best form come next summer. Our youth program has one potential stud for the future, Paul Peachey, but the 19-year-old is nowhere near ready for a starting job at even the MLS level.






Left Fullback:

With longtime Internacional defender Bruno retiring, we're extremely shallow at left back. Erik Jimenez has regularly outperformed his mediocre attribute scores, but he's made of tissue paper and constantly hurt. That leaves me forced to either use a mediocrity like Allen Bower or play one of our centerbacks out of position.




Centerback:

Centerback would be a bright spot if only the players could stay healthy. Chris Ramirez has somehow turned into a decent defender, while the aging Latham and Needham haven't seen their stats drop off so much that they're no longer capable. Bartlett and Stevens are competent backups, while Andy Klaas and Alex Clavijo could make the team if they continue to improve over the coming year.









Right Fullback:

And now we shall pray for the health of Isaac Parsons, who is definitely one of the five best American players right now, but who we have no replacement for. Our best hope would be that Matt Quinn improves dramatically before the World Cup, because otherwise 33-year-old Darren Latham will be our backup.




Defensive Midfielder:

What I wouldn't give for a real midfield destroyer. Christopher Hyndman and Peter Romaneiro are the best of a bad bunch, and neither of them are particularly good at the job. Youngster Taylor McClellan might make the team, but seeing as he doesn't even have a club right now that seems like a forlorn hope.





Central Midfielder:

Finally, back to our strengths. Bobby Padilla has been far better for the national team ever since I stopped putting him in a defensive midfielder role, while Michael Enriquez, Xavier Hughes, and Paul Barrett are all solid creative forces in the middle of the pitch. These four are being pressed by Casey Medina and Matt Brown, two younger players who each have silky smooth passing skills and near world-class creativity.








Right Winger:

Our bounty continues on the right wing, where Captain Hunter Fisher has reached his full potential, and where our best player, Wrexham's own Rodrigo Moctezuma, is most comfortable. Add to that the rapidly improving Andrew Paredes, and we have a situation where solid players like Osvaldo Vazquez and Eric Meza can't even crack the squad.







Attacking Central Midfielder:

Keith Coleman is fragile and an asshole, but he seems to have finally made good on some of his once limitless potential. He'll share time with the central midfielders like Hughes and Barrett. Fred Spence might also make the team, despite his age he's regularly played well in big matches.




Left Winger:

Sinan Ulusal needs to hold off father time for one more year, because otherwise our best option on the left wing might be playing Moctezuma out of position. David Rusling is nothing special, and Matt Orozco would have to take a big step forward in just a year to justify a spot on the team.


[IMG]http://lpix.org/2033838/Dave Rusling_ Overview Profile.png[/IMG


Striker:

Rodrigo Moctezuma can also play as a striker, but his sub-par finishing and composure makes him a worse choice than the decent and well rounded Joey Garcia. It's a real shame that David Hunt's career was ruined before it had a chance to even start, because a good young striker would be great to have as a backup. Instead we're stuck with Jesse Clavijo and Craig Williams, both limited players with significant flaws.






We're going to need a miracle to win the World Cup next year, but the first step in that process is acquitting ourselves well in the Confederations and Gold Cups.