TAFC: The start of a PSG dynasty, MLS clubs mix with the big boys, and a Neymar nightmare

New York Times

2 days ago

Hello! Paris Saint-Germain are champions of Europe. Was it simply their night — or is this the start of something bigger?
On the way:
Two thoughts occurred as Paris Saint-Germain went 2-0 up after 20 minutes of Saturday's Champions League final.
Number one was that it felt like we had the most savage result incoming from this fixture since Milan dismembered Johan Cruyff's Barcelona in 1994. European Cups aren't won like this — and we've never seen a defeat as wide as Inter's eventual 5-0 thrashing in Munich.
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Number two was that PSG were fresh as wet paint, in comparison to Inter's deadweight legs, as if the Italians were going to the well once too often. You'd be forgiven for thinking PSG had been on the beach for weeks — and to a certain extent, they had.
Earlier in the tournament, Luis Enrique, the PSG head coach, joked about Ligue 1 being 'the league of farmers', a slur used to criticise the perceived lack of competition in France (where, it should be said, his club have been insanely dominant for years). Beating the best that Europe had to offer in the Champions League was a neat riposte.
But at the same time, PSG wrapped up their latest Ligue 1 championship two months ago. That allowed them to tailor everything for Europe, while Inter toiled on numerous fronts, including a Serie A title race which went to the wire. What transpired was a total mismatch. Inter's fabled defence was vaporised.
PSG's domestic environment works for them. They've also created a phenomenally talented team, whose third goal against Inter was a coup de grace and a masterpiece. Not everybody will rejoice in their breakthrough year. There's no getting away from the nature of the Qatari money which is fuelling them. But you have to ask: is this the start of a dynasty? Because their first European Cup won't be their last, surely.
For Luis Enrique, Saturday was deeply personal. The death of his daughter, Xana, in 2019 formed a large part of the narrative in the build-up to the final. He wore a T-shirt in tribute to her after full time, and PSG's ultras unveiled a huge tifo flag honouring them both (above).
In purely coaching terms, he's made PSG make sense. Finally crossing the Champions League rubicon is a demonstration of how a quality collective team can be greater than the sum of expensive individual parts. It's incredibly telling that Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe haven't been missed. And there'll be no temptation whatsoever for PSG to return to that superstar-led model.
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Inter's outlook from here is more sobering. They're an older unit than PSG, and less sustainable. They might also lose head coach Simone Inzaghi, who is perfect for them but has Al Hilal trying to tempt him to Saudi Arabia. How much does he have left after a second Champions League final defeat in three years, this one so much more brutal than the 1-0 loss to Manchester City in 2023?
Sadly, full time in Germany was the catalyst for widespread civil disorder in France, with celebrations in Paris descending into violence. Police reported two deaths, close to 200 injuries and 500 arrests during intense rioting. Water cannon and tear gas were deployed. France's interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, was choice with his language, saying: 'Barbarians have taken to the streets of Paris.'
Tom Williams was in France for The Athletic and covered two nights of trouble on the streets. It cut a depressing denouement to an occasion PSG craved for so long — and thought might never come.
Ticket sales for the Club World Cup are more pedestrian than FIFA would like — hence why it keeps dropping prices — but Saturday night's play-in between Los Angeles FC and Club America sold out at a canter. Perhaps an actual ante helped.
It was win-at-all-costs and LAFC did, despite the game looking lost. An equaliser in the penultimate minute and an extra-time decider from Denis Bouanga mean FIFA's 32-team mash-up is complete, with LAFC nicking the final place. They'll be a minimum of $10m richer for it.
Three Major League Soccer sides have qualified (cough, cough) for the Club World Cup: LAFC, Seattle Sounders and FIFA charity case, Inter Miami. I've been thinking about which of those sides has the best chance of progressing beyond the group stage — to which the answer can only be Miami, from a section featuring Brazil's Palmeiras, Portugal's Porto and Egypt's Al Ahly.
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The variable in the United States is going to be squad strength, and how heavily the favourites commit at the end of hard seasons. Judging by Real Madrid paying £8.3m to get Trent Alexander-Arnold there, commitment levels will be high. But LAFC are in before the lock and they've landed on their feet in Group D. Not a doddle, but not beyond them.
Rubbing shoulders with the great, the good and those who are neither isn't going to dent LAFC's status — or their value. Forbes published its football rich list over the weekend, and LAFC popped up in 15th place, with a tasty $1.25bn price tag.
MLS franchises en masse are going well. Inter Miami ($1.2bn) and LA Galaxy ($1bn) also made the top 20, and a further five teams — Atlanta United, New York City FC, Austin FC, the Sounders and D.C. United — are in a top 30 which features only two clubs from Germany and one from France (you know who).
It's a little counter-intuitive because revenues and TV earnings in MLS are nowhere near European levels — but the competition has the appeal of salary caps, the absence of relegation and less red tape around the building of stadiums and brands. Plus, if a circus act like Manchester United are the second most valuable team in the universe ($6.6bn, by Forbes' calculations) then it's best if Europe doesn't throw stones.
The only mentions of Neymar in Europe over the weekend were in reference to how much better off PSG are without him. But you didn't think he'd keep out of the public eye for long, did you?
Down in Brazil, 24 hours later, he was sent off during Santos' 1-0 defeat to Botafogo, his punishment for the aberration you're seeing above. It could prove to be his last appearance for Santos — his deal is about to expire — and he was evidently hell-bent on scoring just in case.
As brazen handballs go, it's a classic of the genre. With good grace (or no alternative), he apologised for it later.