Part 131: Appendix: The Year in Football/Futbol/Fußball/Calcio/Soccer, 2021-2022

Appendix: The Year in Football/Futbol/Fußball/Calcio/Soccer, 2021-2022
June 9, 2022

We're once again one of the surprises in the world of club football, has anyone else managed to upset the applecart even more than we have?



Second place is the first loser. We win or die trying next year.



Oh Tackleford. How it must gall you to know that you had the greatest manager in a generation and fired him. Meanwhile BPL regulars West Ham and Leeds return, while Sheffield United make the top division for the first time since 2007.



It's a good thing I didn't turn off League One, we'll need to be able to keep an eye on Tackleford next year. I'm thinking we need a feeder team for our 18-20 year old players, perhaps they'd suffice?



The first time I played through it was actually a 2-1 extra time win for Manchester City, but then I had to revert back a week because of the hash I made of Justin Bailey's stats. So this time around Manchester City got rid of all the suspense and tonked United 5-1.



Chelsea's Victor Romanchuk managed to pip Arsenal for the final Champion's League spot and won one of the domestic trophies. That plus the Europa League title is decent work and earns him a repreive from the executioners axe.



Real Madrid blew away everyone this year. No wonder we got crushed at the Bernabeu. Aged Barcelona are forced into the playoffs prior to making the group stage of the 2022-2023 Champions League.



Wolfsburg, not Bayern, breaks the Dortmund stranglehold over the Bundesliga. Poor Frankfurt gets relegated.



Serie A has overtaken the Bundesliga in reputation. A big part of that is thanks to having half dozen quality teams, they might be even deeper than La Liga at this point and second only to the Premiership for number of good to great sides. Juventus finished out of the Champions League places, so the only way they make it back next year is if they won their final against Barcelona. If that happens, Roma gets screwed and sent to the Europa League despite finishing third.



This counts as an earthquake. It's the first time in close to a decade that someone other than PSG has won the French title. PSG were closer to not qualifying for the Champions League than first place.



PSV made an exceptionally deep run in the Champions League, reaching the semifinals. It took a toll on their league performance, giving Ajax all the opportunity they needed to win the league for the first time in four years.



If the French Ligue 1 result was an earthquake, this is a sharknado. Lowly Braga beat out all three of the big clubs for their first ever title, despite wages that are at best 1/3rd of the big boys. Braga play in one of the most gorgeous stadiums in all of soccer, and now have a title worthy of it.



Celtic retake the Scottish Premier League by storm, but there's now a question whether they'll resume their prior run of dominance or whether Rangers have returned to give them fits.



Chelsea strolled to the Europa League title, as they ought to have considering the quality of the competition.



Mighty Juventus wins another European honor, (stars are Juve, right?). This ensures that they'll be in the Champions League again next year, despite finishing fourth in Serie A. Next time around, I want to see us make the semifinal or better.



Real Salt Lake is such an awful team name, but they're MLS champions.




Atlas, meanwhile, win in both the Apertura and Clausura in the Mexican league.



It's the Seattle Sounders who take home the CONCACAF Champions League title, though. USA! USA! USA!



Down south Gremio finishes third, behind Palmeiras and Flamengo.



While continuing to crush Internacional on the state level.



Velez Sarsfield has the best record in the Primera, thanks in part to a brilliant right back that I've been waiting to become work permit eligible for two years now.



Alas, last year's underdogs from Colombia didn't even make it to the finals of the Libertadores, with Flamengo adding yet another jewel to their crown.



But this year's Libertadores features up and coming Atlas. ¡Viva Mexico! ¡Viva Atlas!

The 2022 World Cup is about to begin in Qatar. I look forward to seeing how the game simulates 120 degree farhenheit/50 degree celsius weather during games. I also look forward to the US bowing out early because they're too stupid to hire me as a manager.