Part 229: Appendix: The Year in Football/Futbol/Fußball/Calcio/Soccer, 2027-2028

Appendix: The Year in Football/Futbol/Fußball/Calcio/Soccer, 2027-2028
June 1, 2028

Wrexham

What a season.




Stringel stepped in and took right over for an aging Thiago as best striker in the world. He's 25, he'll be doing this for another five years. Our youth also performed, with Rickard, Moctezuma, and Bouzid all having double digit goal and assist totals.



We had a wage budget of about £12m in our first Premier League campaign. That would be enough to pay for Koji. We have 11 players earning over £100k/wk. We are well and truly a megabastard.



Despite the aging of some of our players we still remain a very young team. Bale, Moctezuma, Zouaghi, and Lundbye all played significant time for us. Our players are also on average the most valuable in the game, even if we still trail Manchester United on wages.



Our technical skills are silky smooth, and because our core has been together for half a decade now they play incredibly well alongside each other.



Our keepers are the best in the game. Minami is still near his peak, and Kocsis could be starting for most other teams.



Our defenders are good at marking and tackling but not great. Instead I've focused on focus on speed and recovery ability, Wrexham played a high line and I needed defenders who could get back and stop counter attacks if they were initially beaten on a ball over the top. Given the results, it clearly worked.



Our midfield does everything well and nothing great. That will likely change in coming years as Bale and Zouaghi develop into their potential.



Great heading and no jumping ability, just think of how many goals String would score if he weren't 5'9" with no vertical. We still scored an even 200 goals on the season, so I don't think anyone can talk smack about us.



Our U21 team is mainly being used as a Partizan Project holding ground as of the time of my departure, and none of the prospects are very good. The best player is probably Andrew Paredes, who's an American teenager and Partizan Project member.



Our U18 squad, though, is still loaded for bear. Even better, it's started producing kids that have a future on the senior team. Kristian Bale was the first of these, and he's being followed by Damien Campbell. Both will be superstars.

England



I was really hoping that Southampton would beat out Chelsea for the final Champions League spot, but I guess I'll have to settle for Manchester City turning into a midtable mediocrity.



Tottenham would have come back up if only they'd ditched Noel Tosh sooner. And Tackleford's going to be playing in Europe!



Colwyn Bay's hockey players are still getting used to the much bigger rink size and the referees who keep whistling them for every last poke check.



I love this game.



I love trophies.

Europe



All is back as it ought to be in Spain, with Barca atop the two Madrid clubs, and the two Madrid clubs atop everyone else.



Juventus will have to console themselves with just one of the finest seasons seen in Italy over the past several decades. They won their league by 28 points. 28! That's more than 9 wins! They clinched sometime in February!



Wolfsburg are excellent these days, winning for the second year in a row by the slimmest of margins over Bayern.



If you were wondering what TheMcD's boon was, it was loading up Eintracht Frankfurt with darts players. Even with the changes the club still couldn't gain promotion, and they've already sold off one of the wonderkids I created. Sorry, TheMcD.






Once is a fluke. Twice is impressive. Three times is the sign a new power has been born. Between their finishes and making the group stage of the Champions League in the last two years Braga now have enough money to match Porto, Sporting, and Benfica for the near future and could make the big three in Portugal into the big four.



Ajax finished in 8th despite a +20 goal differential and missed out on Europe for the first time in goodness knows how long.



Genk and Standard Liege are going to the Champions League, while Anderlecht is left out.



Galatasary wins in Turkey, while even in a down year Fener is able to gain European qualification through winning the Turkish Cup.



Celtic aren't looking too good, while 16 years after their reconstitution Rangers are back to their old selves.



I have to admit I didn't expect to win the Champions League final using the Pyramid.



Inter Milan upholds Italian honor, at least, winning the Europa League.

Asia & Australia



Perth either has a great home field advantage or a terrible one given how far everyone else has to travel to play them.



Suwon won the AFC Champions League, but couldn't quite pull off the double.



I'm not sure who I'm to pull for in a semifinal between a Qatari club and the hyper-racist Urawa Reds.

North America



Glory glory Revolution!



It's not surprising to see Chivas win a title, but the White Roosters of Queretaro can be proud in claiming their first championship in their 78 year history.



USA! USA! USA!

South America



Flamengo ran away with the Brasileiro, they've been dominant for over a decade now.



Boca wins both stages, while poor Banfield gets relegated in what must be an uncommonly high finish for a relegated club.



At least Flamengo didn't win.

International



The USA should have been in this tournament, but Paul Williams let us down. Hopefully he does better with the reins of Wrexham.



Winning the Gold Cup qualified the United States for the 2029 Confederations Cup. In 2025 we made it to the final before falling to England. I want to win.



America will have to get past Argentina, though, as they topped a feisty and surprising Peru in the Copa America.