I thought I was the only Chelsea supporter who cared about winning the Club World Cup, but I've been pleasantly surprised by how many supporters are genuinely happy about our victory. It could also serve as a nice mid-season boost after we've struggled over the last 3 months...
I love the idea of a March Madness-style competition for this event! And great point about the women, Grant. Also enjoyed your recent post about the scandals in the women's game and your call for change. Keep up the great work!
I disagree with you about the future of the Club World Cup. Partly for the reason Brian Strauss raised on your old SI podcast -- club soccer runs on an annual calendar, not a quadrennial one. And partly because I dislike the real reason FIFA wants this -- FIFA knows it can get bigger ratings and money if the final features two big European teams, so it's planning to include eight! teams from Europe out of the 24, including the past four Europa League champions (reminder: the Europa League crowns the 17th-best team in Europe). The format up to now is the best for the game; the format going forward is best for TV ratings. And we know which wins.
I thought I was the only Chelsea supporter who cared about winning the Club World Cup, but I've been pleasantly surprised by how many supporters are genuinely happy about our victory. It could also serve as a nice mid-season boost after we've struggled over the last 3 months...
I love the idea of a March Madness-style competition for this event! And great point about the women, Grant. Also enjoyed your recent post about the scandals in the women's game and your call for change. Keep up the great work!
I disagree with you about the future of the Club World Cup. Partly for the reason Brian Strauss raised on your old SI podcast -- club soccer runs on an annual calendar, not a quadrennial one. And partly because I dislike the real reason FIFA wants this -- FIFA knows it can get bigger ratings and money if the final features two big European teams, so it's planning to include eight! teams from Europe out of the 24, including the past four Europa League champions (reminder: the Europa League crowns the 17th-best team in Europe). The format up to now is the best for the game; the format going forward is best for TV ratings. And we know which wins.