Hail GFOP!

What a weekend of consequential non-consequential football. Everton's Goodison farewell was exquisitely executed. Jamie Vardy netting his 200th goal in his 500th and final Leicester City game. And Crystal Palace won their first ever domestic trophy in their 119th year of history, shocking Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the sun at Wembley. What a spectacle. Dean Henderson dodging the DOGSO bullet one moment, then saving a Marmoush penalty the next, as Eberechi Eze, one of the most tenacious streetballers in the game, summoned a moment of wizard filth to deliver glory.

The most poignant moment of the day came in the seconds before kick-off as the inimitably passionate Palace fans raised a staggeringly heartbreaking tifo: an astonishing piece of storytelling about the passion between three fans, a father and his two boys. The image depicted the late Mark Weallens, who was captured in a famous 2011 photograph celebrating a Palace goal scored with his two young sons.  

Mark tragically passed away in 2017 after battling cancer, but the love for Palace he seeded in his sons’ hearts lives on. Both grown up, they were both at Wembley together, to watch the likeness of their father be raised in this, the greatest of days for their club. Both reportedly broke into tears. If there was a Pulitzer Prize for tifos,  Palace fans would get it. This was the best of football, the memories it makes between the generations.

Huge respect to coach Oliver Glasner, who has created such a ferociously joyous collective culture at the club. Watch his interview with us in which he talked about how he planned to stun Pep. Also, so much love to Alabaman Chris Richards, who has grown so much this year, and was magnificent in the final as he has been all season. I adore Chris, may he bring this form to our US team at World Cup 2026. He should – and has earned the right to be – one of the lead faces of our squad.  

ii. I was in New Orleans this weekend watching the graduation at Tulane and eating up a gumbo storm at La Petite Grocery and all the meats at Cochon. I know a lot of your are graduating right now and I hope you learned so much in this important part of your journey. Tenacity above all, which, in life, is the most important quality. I also hope you savor your friendships and bring them with you. You will learn people can come back into your life in profound ways. So, open your heart, and do not be afraid of what comes next. Life is full of surprises. Jump in. Try things. Learn things. With a big heart and curious brain. Be yourself. Don't follow the group. Do not fear mistakes. You can learn so much from moments of challenge. On the road you will walk, you will learn that troubles can be turned into opportunities. All that matters is how you respond to life, with thought, care, action, and love.  

Courage,

ROG

Crystal Palace’s First Trophy in 119 Years 🦅

- Written by Tommy Stewart

Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester City

It’s difficult to think of a more overwhelming “neutrals’ favorite” in recent memory than Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final against Manchester City on Saturday. And from the whistle, every pivotal moment in this match seemed to swing in the way of the Eagles and their goalkeeper, Dean Henderson, with his perpetually outstretched wings and unbranded blue cap. The former Manchester United lad pulled off a bucket list of highlight-reel saves throughout the game, somehow stopping Erling Haaland from scoring his first goal in eight finals for City early on. Henderson’s shot-stopping kept Palace in the game, allowing them to counter-punch with Mateta, Kamada, and Muñoz combining to set up who else, but that boy Eberechi Eze, who swept home the most important goal in his club’s history in the first half. The Eagles’ ‘keeper’s main character energy permeated throughout this final, and not long after somehow avoiding red for a forehand outside his own box, he stepped up to save Omar Marmoush’s penalty, one that was given the kiss of death by Haaland, who to everyone’s surprise, didn’t take the spot kick himself. But it was Henderson’s heartbreaking and life-affirming dedication to his late-dad, post-match, that mattered more than anything else. Palace were ruthlessly preventative to close things out, and Birmingham, Ala.’s Chris Richards was an instrumental part of the human wall of sacrificial bodies that used whatever part of their anatomy was required to relentlessly say, “Not today, City,” and collect the Eagles’ first trophy in their 119-year history in the process.

Palace, and their Fans, Finally Reach the Mountain Top

Half of Wembley’s bowl was colored blue and red on Saturday, and it bellowed far more fervently than City’s side, perhaps because this is only the Eagles’ third visit here for this trophy in their history, whereas Pep’s team have been down the motorway for it three times in as many years. Their fans represented everything that is beautiful about the game, parading through London like the world’s friendliest army, taking tips from European Ultras, but making sure to clean up after themselves. Generations of Palace supporters shared moments of joy, remembered loved and lost ones, cried and screamed in disbelief, reminding us that football is still the best thing. Oliver Glasner knows that, and he’ll now take the Eagles to Europe for the first time in their history to compete in the Europa League, a competition he’s won before. Let’s hope Eze can join him, but surely almost every club on the continent will have him on their wish list this summer. 

Manchester City’s No Good, Very Meh Season Takes Another Hit

Pep Guardiola might have made a mistake in the regular disdain he passive aggressively vocalized for this trophy in recent weeks. Not since his first year at City has he finished a season empty-handed, but he let us all know, even before this match, that winning the FA Cup would be akin to meaningless for he and his billion-dollar squad of serial-winners. There could be a tantrum of unseen proportions if City don’t qualify for the Champions League, and for the first time, perhaps in his whole managerial career, he seems to be a man without solutions. This summer is seismic for Manchester City, and there’s still a court case at their door that could define the identity of the club’s future and recent past.

Champions League Qualification All Comes Down to Next Sunday 📊

Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle

Despite Mikel Arteta still wandering the trophyless desert in another season where it turned out the silverware in the near-distance was in fact a mirage, his team managed to confirm Champions League qualification yesterday for a third consecutive season. Because of the instability that preceded him, most Arsenal fans will still back their manager, and his side’s bounce-back from heartbreak in Paris has been admirable, drawing away at Anfield, and yesterday beating League Cup winners, third-place Newcastle. Even if this game continued deep into next week, and Alexander Isak was fit, you feel David Raya would still not have been beaten. His opposite number, Nick Pope, was also excellent, but with two double-saves, Stretch Armstrong reaches, and Jedi reflexes, Raya was the result of an immovable object and unstoppable force having a child. Arteta can be thankful that Declan Rice has added regular goals to his growing arsenal of weaponry as it no longer feels novel when he curls one in from outside the area as he beautifully did on Sunday. The Magpies host Everton at St. James’ Park on the final day of the season, and although Manchester City have a midweek game in hand, a win should probably see them seal Champions League football in 2025/26, completing one of the greatest seasons in their history. Haway, the lads.

West Ham 1-2 Nottingham Forest

In a weekend where goalkeepers across the land thrived, Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels joined the summit of saves, regularly pulling off acrobatic masterpieces to keep his team in this Champions League place race ahead of the final round of Premier League fixtures. His opposing colleague, Alphonse Areola, had his own miraculous moments in the Olympic Park sun, but it was his gift of a pass to Morgan Gibbs-White that let Forest in, giving us one of the weekend’s most pertinent moments, where the captain dedicated his goal to Taiwo Awoniyi, who suffered a nightmare injury last weekend. Nuno Espírito Santo’s men spent much of the season comfortably in third place, and despite having an early-spring blip, they’ve recovered well to still be one of the five teams in the Battle Royale for the three remaining Champions League spots. 

Aston Villa 2-0 Tottenham

Aston Villa’s fans and players feed off the inimitable aura of their leader, Unai Emery, so it’s unsurprising that their home stadium has become so gladiatorial, but it’s also lucky their opposition was Spurs last Friday. Ange Postocoglou’s team were heavily rotated ahead of the world’s saddest date this Wednesday, the Europa League final, but like the infected on “The Last Of Us,” almost all of their players seem to carry the same germ of fallibility, especially in defense, which was exemplified when Ezri Konsa was left unmarked for a simple finish from a corner. Boubacar Kamara was allowed to slalom through passive Tottenham players to drill home his first Aston Villa goal to seal the win, and Unai Emery’s dreams of “Europe… Europe… Europe” will extend to the final weekend of the season.

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United

The Jadon Sancho custody derby was not pretty or exciting, but that won’t matter to Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, whose team are fourth with only one round of Premier League fixtures to go. Harry Maguire gave the semi-automated offside system its toughest test yet as his first half volley was ruled out by a hair of his enormous knee and a nail of his giant toe. Beyond that, Ruben Amorim’s side, as is their way in the Premier League, didn’t really do much, allowing Chelsea to take the second half and slimly win the game thanks to a Marc Cucurella header that was the culmination of Reece James elegantly pirouetting around Garnacho, before dinking in a consummate cross for the Spaniard. While Manchester United will participate in their weird, Bizzarro World Europa League final with Spurs on Wednesday, Chelsea are readying themselves for a Champions League qualification duel, two and a half hours up the motorway against Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The three places that divide them in the league are deceptive because they only equate to one point, so it’s win or perish for Forest and Chelsea. 

Leicester City 2-0 Ipswich Town

Football’s favorite shithouse, the Red Bull merchant, Leicester’s GOAT, and the cause of PTSD for defenders from the lowest rungs of English football to some of the greatest the Premier League has ever seen, Jamie Vardy, said goodbye to the club he has given everything to in a poem only he could write. His goal against Ipswich, that was his 200th in 500 games, made the King Power erupt in a way it hasn’t all season, and it was a throwback to the sort of finish that took his team to the title in 2016. The 38-year-old isn’t done with football yet, and wherever he plays next season will likely be the closing scene of his Hollywood story career, one where Rocky met Joe Dirt. The only question that remains is: will Vardy play himself when that movie finally gets made?

And Now, Rog’s Super Chill Thoughts on WTF Happened to Everton this Weekend 💙 

Everton 2-0 Southampton

Rog writes: Rarely has a meaningless game meant more. I woke up in New Orleans at 5 a.m. in the morning, slightly hungover, and groggy af, but was instantly whisked thousands of miles away to Goodison Park, sitting there in the dark of the hotel room, overcome by emotions, watching the Blues I love leave their home of Goodison Park. A place I have seen the club win titles, and stave off relegation through last minute wonder goals. I have cried, a lot. I have sobbed tears of joy. Of agony. Of mourning. So many Blues have, and now it is gone. Watching the Everton fans bellow their hearts out as the teams came on the field was so stirring. Every Blue thinking of their own memories, of players they have loved (for me: Bob Latchford, Dave Thomas, Alan Irvine, Adrian Heath, Graeme Sharp, Leighton Baines, Thomas Gravesen, Tony Hibbert, Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku, and Seamus Coleman). And now we move on, bringing our memories with us, in the style of Haruki Murakami, “No matter how much suffering you went through, you never wanted to let go of those memories.”

The football was irrelevant. Ndiaye opened the scoring with a stunning finish of creative violence and killed the game off with a second sharp snipe just before halftime. The match ended with the players on the bench craning round to stare out at the fans. A reversal of roles which paid tribute to the spirit of the Blues which has kept us going over the last decade of darkness. The collective tenacity, perseverance, and passion, as well as the deepest love. That will move with us to the new stadium, which will, please god, act like a catalyst for a bold new future to emerge for this club. One grounded in the glory of the past, like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.

More: Everton’s last Premier League match at Goodison – in pictures.

Elsewhere in the Premier League: Brentford 2-3 Fulham

Chelsea Women Take Home the Treble 🏆💙

The Blues finished a historically dominant year in England by winning the last trophy available: the FA Cup. Sunday’s 3-0 win over the reigning champs, Manchester United, was played in front of over 74,000 fans at Wembley and also included a goal from USWNT forward Cat Macario, who came off the bench to secure the second score for Chelsea. Sunday’s win cemented a seismic three-trophy season for Sonia Bompastor’s Blues, which included their sixth-straight WSL title, an unbeaten domestic season, a League Cup trophy, and a record-setting 60 points in the league. Not a bad start for Bompastor, who’s in her first year in charge in West London after taking over for legendary manager, and current USWNT head coach, Emma Hayes.

Want more women’s football updates sent straight to your inbox each week? Subscribe to The Women’s Game newsletter.

Some Absolute Weekend Worldies 🚀 🥅

There were a lot of great goals this weekend, but these three get top marks:

On the Continent 🇪🇺

Serie A 🇮🇹: Inter Milan and Napoli managers, Simone Inzaghi and Antonio Conte, have been doing battle against each other since Serie A’s golden-era of the 90s and early 00s, and now it’s bubbled beautifully to this: one game each next weekend to decide whose side wins the league. In the most Serie A news imaginable, they will both miss their team’s title-decider because each was sent off in their respective matches last night. Inter lost grip of a 2-1 lead against Lazio to an injury time penalty, as Napoli fans in the away stand at Parma roared to alert their players of the late goal, which allowed them to drag a 0-0 draw over the line. Napoli are a point ahead of the Nerazzurri and have home advantage against Cagliari in the last round of fixtures this Friday, but if they lose and Inter draw away at Cesc Fàbregas’ Como side, goal difference and one-on-ones will be brushed aside for an old school play-off final. 

Eredivisie 🇳🇱: PSV Eindhoven’s 3-1 away win at Sparta Rotterdam, which was sealed by a Malik Tillman goal, confirmed them as champions, in what is possibly the footballing heist of the century. He and his USMNT compatriots, Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi, and Richie Ledezma, have just made USA Eindhoven your new second team, and although Tillman has more eyes on him across the continent than the Eurovision song contest, the boys appropriately playing in red and white stripes have made America – and their Director of Football, former USMNT midfielder, Earnie Stewart – proud. While we don’t endorse violence against any Eredivisie camera operators, you can understand Wout Weghorst’s humiliation when he swatted away a camera after his Ajax team somehow allowed a nine-point lead to become second place.

Primeira Liga 🇵🇹: The battle of Lisbon was tense, with Sporting and Benfica level on 79 points before Saturday’s Primeira League finale, but it was Benfica who blinked, drawing 1-1 away at Braga, whilst Ruben Amorim’s former side won 2-0 at home to Vitória S.C. Lisbon is green and white for now, but Benfica have the opportunity for some form of redemption as Portugal’s national stadium, the Estádio Nacional do Jamor, which is conveniently located in the capital, hosts the two sides this Sunday for the domestic cup final, the Taça de Portugal.

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Mid-Week Matches to Fake a Meeting for 📺 

Premier League 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Brighton vs. Liverpool (TODAY, 3 p.m. ET, USA)

While Liverpool’s squad of Champions have been partying in Dubai like Charli xcx in Cannes, Brighton will not just be a passive human guard of honor tonight, because they have their own shimmering dreams of the continent to play for. When it comes to European qualification, there are myriad sliding doors and passing ships this Premier League season, and Brighton are one of the 11 teams in that punch bowl of permutations. They’re currently in ninth and eighth could seal Europa Conference League football next season, which is a place that seagulls don’t often fly. Liverpool have their Trent Alexander-Arnold sideshow to occupy them, but if Ibiza rave lord, Moby Arne Slot, can secure the services of Bayer Leverkusen’s precious gem, Jeremie Frimpong, then perhaps Liverpool and their fans can look forward rather than back.

Manchester City vs. Bournemouth (Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET, USA)

Pep Guardiola’s ultimate humiliation would be to enter a club that’s never had him as a member: the Europa League. That puts more emphasis on this and Sunday’s season-closer away at Fulham than this past weekend’s FA Cup final result, because if he doesn’t clinch one of the three-remaining Champions League spots, we could see a new network of scratches on his head. We won’t run through Bournemouth’s highly unlikely route to Europe, because even Isaac Newton would struggle with that, but the fact they’ve even daring to approach its door this season is so seismic. Keep an eye out for our documentary, Golden War Cherries: “Always Attack, Never Retreat”, which premieres on our YouTube Channel THIS THURSDAY.

Europa League Final 🇪🇺🏆

Tottenham vs. Manchester United (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Here we are then: The Superbowl of Sadness, Trauma Bonding Deluxe, The World’s Most Toxic Date, Couples Therapy; we could go on. The thing is, though, this could either be the most joy-sapping season-ending since “Game of Thrones” let the world down, or these two stubborn managers in Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim might give us an epic Europa League Final for the ages. Perhaps never has there been more of a consolation-free, Winner Takes All game in football, with jobs, pride, and stature on the line in Bilbao. We can’t wait.

Some Non-Football to Start the Week Off Right 📖

• The Alabama Landline That Keeps Ringing. Imma tell my kids this was our ChatGPT.

• A NYT journo goes to Finland... in February... to try to figure out why it's the world's happiest country. Spoiler alert: SAUNAS!

• Stendhal Syndrome happens when museum visitors get physically overwhelmed by the beauty of art. It happens in Florence every year. It also happened the first time I saw Fernando Torres.

• ChatGPT Turned Into a Studio Ghibli Machine. How Is That Legal?. Forget about legal, it's DEEPLY LAME. 

• Every Food Collab Now Is Completely Bonkers. Doesn't mean I don't want to try them all. 

It’s MiB Trivia Time 🤔

Get ready for your weekly dose of trivia!

This week’s question: Before Wednesday’s Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham, there have been five all-English European finals: but which team has appeared in the most of these? 

Send your answers to [email protected] to win a coveted MiB patch!

Last week’s answer: Congratulations to Stephen Loester, who correctly answered the five North Americans who have won the Coppa Italia: Weston McKinnie, Tim Weah, David Suazo, Hirving Lozano, and Amando Frigo.

The patch is on its way to you, Stephen 🚚👏