Finally, a chance for some Americans in Europe to win something. It’s been a rather quiet season on that front. There s been a lot of promise, but no real quantifiable moments of unqualified success. You can perhaps consider the Supercoppa Italiana as a trophy – which Christian Pulisic played his part in.
But those are a couple of glorified friendlies. No one will remember who won it in a year. This week, though, there are real-life trophies on the line, soccer that means something.
First, it’s Pulisic’s Milan in the Coppa Italia final. They have been better in the league of late, but are still unlikely to qualify for the Europa League by their own devices. But win Wednesday against Bologna, and they will not only lift a trophy of relative meaning but also secure European football.
It would be a solid one-two punch after a fairly miserable campaign. Milan probably go in as narrow favorites, but their Milan-ness dictates that they won’t make it easy.
There’s something far more meaningful – albeit admittedly less likely – for Crystal Palace. The club have treated their fans to a memorable FA Cup run, and the Eagles are one win away from securing a first major trophy in their history. The problem? Manchester City stand in the way.
This is a poor, beta version 2.0 of Pep Guardiola’s City side, but Chris Richards and Palace are still massive underdogs for Saturday’s match at Wembley. Then again, the cup can do magical things – or so we are told.
With two big games in a season that is otherwise spluttering to a close, GOAL US writers look at whether Americans can end the season with some silverware in the latest edition of… The Rondo.
Tom Hindle: They should, but if this Milan is anything to go by, that probably means they won’t. The Rossonieri have a lot of good footballers but also a pretty comical ability for self-inflicted wounds. It would be peak Milan to lose to a team they just beat. It will be 1-0 Bologna.
Jacob Schneider: Theoretically, they should. They’re in form and playing some relatively impressive soccer at the moment. Bologna, meanwhile, are winless in their last three matches. Pulisic is coming off an impressive performance in which he earned MOTM honors, while Mexican striker Santi Gimenez has been in the goals lately, too. Milan have all the reason to be confident they can win.
Ryan Tolmich: For their own sake, they better! This is all Milan have left to play for, so they’ll be throwing everything they can at this game knowing that fact. The optimist will point to this past weekend’s 3-1 win over Bologna, the same opponent they’ll play Wednesday, as a sign they can do it. The pessimist will say how hard it is to do that to a team twice. We’ll lean optimism and say Milan grit their teeth and get it done in a 2-1 win.
TH: Yes. This is a silverware economy, and people tend to forget about how good or bad you have been over the course of 50-plus games if you end up lifting something at the end of the year. Milan’s aspirations would have been higher this season, no doubt. But if they win Coppa italia, make it into the Europa League, and salvage just enough to go again, then the league slump is likely forgiven.
JS: Yes, but only because it hands them a spot in the Europa League next season. If not, it really wouldn’t matter. Their Serie A campaign was an absolute disappointment, and their UCL run was the same, too. They need this – and if they don’t get it – the hammer needs to come down.
RT: Not really? Obviously, getting into Europe, and getting the money associated with it, would be a big boost to this team as they head towards an obvious rebuild. But the reason that rebuild is necessary is quite clear. This is supposed to be a Champions League-level club, and any time they aren’t in the Champions League, that’s a failure. Two trophies would be nice, yes, as would the Europa League spot, but Milan are a team with bigger ambitions – and those ambitions weren’t met this season.
TH: Heart says yes (please), head says absolutely not. It would truly be wonderful for Crystal Palace to win the first meaningful trophy in club history. They deserve it. They’re a really well run club with likeable players and a good manager. Richards has done an excellent job for them this season. But City are in the process of City-ing at the moment, which means that silverware for Palace at Wembley seems mightily unlikely.
JS: They absolutely can. They’re in blistering form at the moment, unbeaten in five across all competitions. They’re coming off a 2-0 win over Spurs, and should be full of confidence. City, meanwhile, couldn’t manage to beat Southampton at the weekend. Richards will have his hands full, though, with Erling Haaland officially back and healthy for the Etihad club.
RT: Can they? Sure, why not? Will they? Good luck! While Palace really want this trophy given their lack of silverware, Manchester City will feel like they need it. Their season has been a failure by their own standards, and this trophy will be a way to end that season on something resembling a high. It will give them some silverware but, more importantly perhaps, it will serve as a fitting sendoff for Kevin De Bruyne before he heads to wherever he’s going to go. This isn’t a City team focused on competing on multiple fronts. No, they’ll be locked in and desperate, which is why this will be hard for Palace.
TH: Sure? But that’s really not saying all that much. Center back is unquestionably the U.S.’s weakest outfield position heading into the World Cup. Richards has been pretty good for a mid-table Premier League team. That’s not much to shout about, but looks pretty good given the relative weakness of competition at his position.
JS: It’s definitely up there. He’s had a remarkable past few months for Palace, and has essentially become a must-start player for club and country. Cameron Carter-Vickers and John Brooks have had stellar seasons in different leagues, but if Richards lifts the FA Cup final this weekend, he might just take the throne
RT: This season? Absolutely. Richards has asserted himself as an average to slightly-above-average Premier League center-back, which is certainly a high level. Obviously, the two Americans at Celtic have done well to lift the league, while Mark McKenzie has grown in Ligue 1. But it’s hard to really compare any of that to the level of the Premier League. Richards was generally seen as the USMNT’s top defender even before this season. Now, there really isn’t any doubt
