Soccer in Europe season review

Soccer+in+Europe+season+review

Gunnar Foster, Staff Writer

Soccer is very popular in Europe and is starting to become more popular in the United States with many new and old fans.

There are five “Power Leagues” that are the main focus of fans, with other smaller leagues filling in the rest. Most of the top players in the world play in these leagues, which makes them so entertaining.

With so many good teams in Europe, each team has its own stars. Youth soccer coach Goran Kljaic says Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player on a European team this year.

“It has to be Cristiano from Real Madrid,” Kljaic said. “He is such a strong player that scores a lot of goals to help his team win.”

Freshman Niko Stathakios agrees with Kljaic.

“I think it is Ronaldo by far,” Stathakios said. “He just leads a team better when he is in tough situations.”

Behind each of the star players is a strong coach who directs the team. With so many good coaches in Europe, people have trouble deciphering who is the most effective.

“It has to be Antonio Conte from Chelsea F.C.,” Freshman Josh Alcock said. “He took a team that finished in tenth and led them to the Premier League Title.”

With all these good leagues, which one is the best? Freshman Jasper Najar knows exactly which one he would pick.

“It has to be the Premier League,” Najar said. “It is so entertaining because anyone can beat anyone.”

Just as fans have a hard time agreeing on top players and coaches, there is also a debate over which team is the worst in the league.

“I think it’s Arsenal,” Stathakios said. “They had a terrible season and now they aren’t playing in the Champions League.”

With all the good teams in the leagues, there’s always a team that surprises fans with their season. 

“Tottenham Hotspur for sure,” Stathakios said. “They surprised everyone by finishing in second, for a second straight season.”

Duos are always keys to success for teams and lead to a lot of goals, or a lot of stops, and Kljaic has a favorite pairing. 

“Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain from Juventus,” Kljaic said. “They are such a good pair and they score so many goals.”

With the Champions League quickly approaching, many fans wonder who the Champion will be.

“Real Madrid is too good for Juventas,” Alcock said. “They will win by a couple goals.”

A tough argument over the last few years is if soccer officials should be allowed to use replay. Najar weighs in on the debate. 

“I don’t think that replay should be used in soccer,” Najar said. “If the official makes a mistake then the team should get the advantage from the mistake.”

This year’s soccer season has been “extremely exciting,” according to Stathakios.

“I hope that the finally of the season turns out good and I am looking forward to a better more exciting season to come next year.”