Tag: SoccerBlast

Serie A 2023-24 top scorers: Tracking the Italian goalscoring race

Tracking all of the top scorers in Serie A during the 2023-24 season

Can Victor Osimhen make it back-to-back scoring titles in Serie A, or can someone else take the prize away from the Napoli star?

That’s the big question in 2023-24, after Osimhen scored 26 league goals last season to help his side win its first Serie A title in 33 years.

Inter’s Lautaro Martínez finished second last year and figures to be among the challengers again this time around.

Here is an updated list of the top scorers in Serie A for the 2023-24 season.

All stats updated as of May 5

La Liga 2023-24 top scorers: Tracking the Pichichi race

An updated list of the top scorers in La Liga for the 2023-24 season

The race for the Pichichi is on in La Liga.

The trophy given to the league’s top scorer could be wide open this year, after Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski took home the prize last season with 23 goals.

The Poland star is among the favorites this season, but he should have plenty of competition from around the league. The most recent winners before him, Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema, have departed La Liga, leaving an opening for some new blood in the race.

Here is an updated list of the top scorers in La Liga for the 2023-24 season.

All stats updated as of May 5

Bundesliga 2023-24 top scorers: Tracking the German goalscoring race

An updated list of the top scorers in the Bundesliga for the 2023-24 season

The battle to be the Bundesliga’s top marksman is underway.

Last year, the Kicker-Torjägerkanone trophy was claimed by both Niclas Füllkrug and Christopher Nkunku, who scored 16 goals each for Werder Bremen and RB Leipzig, respectively.

With Füllkrug no longer necessarily a sure starter after a summer move to Borussia Dortmund and Nkunku having left the league for Chelsea, there’s a strong chance that the Bundesliga will see a new player atop the goalscoring charts at season’s end.

England striker Harry Kane may be a favorite after a summer transfer to Bayern Munich, but the notoriously free-scoring Bundesliga will likely produce a long list of contenders to lead the league in goals this time around.

Here is an updated list of the top scorers in the Bundesliga for the 2023-24 season.

All stats updated as of May 5

Premier League 2023-24 top scorers: Tracking the Golden Boot race

Can anybody stop Erling Haaland from winning again?

The 2023-24 Premier League Golden Boot may be Erling Haaland’s to lose.

The Manchester City striker set a single-season Premier League goals record last season with 36, clinching the prize in his first English top-flight season.

The Norwegian’s closest challenger was Harry Kane with 30 goals, but the England striker has now moved to Bayern Munich. Ivan Toney was in third place with 20 goals, but the Brentford star is suspended for the first half of the season due to gambling.

Can anybody step up to challenge Haaland’s dominance this season? We are tracking all of the Premier League’s top scorers for the 2023-24 season right here.

All stats updated as of May 5

Messi breaks MLS record with five assists for Inter Miami…all in one half?!

Who does this? Literally no one!

Everyone knew Lionel Messi would be the best player in MLS upon arrival, but we’re now getting a look at just how extreme the situation is.

Messi produced a staggering five (5) assists in one half Saturday night, helping Inter Miami to a 6-2 demolition of the New York Red Bulls.

Luis Suárez and new addition Matías Rojas were the beneficiaries, with the Uruguayan star notching a hat trick. Rojas would strike twice, while Messi would chip in a goal for good measure, because why not?

It didn’t seem like the kind of night where this would happen. The Red Bulls actually walked off at halftime up 1-0 on a Dante Vanzeir goal, and had to be feeling alright about how things were going.

Messi had a different idea in mind.

Rojas would enter at halftime, and the Paraguayan played a major part in flipping this game on its head. Messi’s first assist would come just three minutes after play restarted, but in truth it was mostly about the thunderbolt Rojas unleashed from long range.  This time, all Messi had to do was play a square pass.

Two minutes later, the Red Bulls seemed to begin to collapse. Rojas’ pressure created a bad giveaway, and Suárez helped the ball on for Messi to finish with a first-time strike.

In alarming news for the rest of MLS, Rojas — making just his second appearance since being signed on April 23 — seemed to have an instant rapport with Messi. The duo would link up again, playing increasingly intricate one-twos until Messi defied geometry and our common understanding of space to send Rojas through for a 62nd minute goal.

Things just got worse for RBNY. Benjamin Cremaschi’s chip found Messi in behind the defense in the 69th minute, and two Red Bulls spent an eternity trying to just contain the Argentine icon.

Good news: they did avoid being beaten on the dribble. It’s just that Messi wedged a pass through a miniscule gap, finding Suárez on the doorstep to make it 4-1.

Next up? Another give-and-go sequence, this time with Messi waltzing away from the midfield in possession before combining with Suárez for a point-blank finish.

There was still more time, and with the Red Bulls seemingly unable to track Messi coming out of midfield, more goals were inevitable.

Messi seemed to consider the prospect of dribbling several people for a moment, but ultimately played a slide-rule pass that found Suárez, and the other former Barcelona great on the field evaded goalkeeper Carlos Coronel before shooting home from an acute angle.

On another night, Suárez’s hat trick and the big scoreline would have garnered all the attention. It’s just that Messi did something no one else has ever done, with his five assists and six goal involvements both setting new MLS records.

Entering the night, only 10 players in MLS had five assists on the season. For Messi, five assists in this game required just a 33-minute span, during which he also scored.

That leaves Messi atop the Golden Boot leaderboard with 10, and also way out in front on the assist chart with 12. Carlos Vela once had 49 goal involvements in a single season, setting the MLS record with 34 goals in the process.

Messi’s 22 combined goals and assists, gathered in just in eight appearances, have him on pace to get to around 61 if he plays the rest of Miami’s 22 remaining matches.

So yeah, looks like the guy can play a little.

[lawrence-related id=64589,64557,64335]

USWNT defender Girma misses San Diego Wave match with injury

Girma’s return from an injury on USWNT duty has hit a speed bump

With the Olympics looming, the U.S. women’s national team may need to start worrying about Naomi Girma.

The San Diego Wave center back, who has emerged over the past 18 months as the USWNT’s most important defender, was not in uniform as her side fell 2-1 to the 10-player Seattle Reign at Lumen Field on Friday night.

Girma was listed as out with a thigh issue on a league availability report published Thursday night, not long after Wave head coach Casey Stoney had said she had “no updates” on her side’s list of injured players.

“Still waiting on a few decisions,” Stoney told reporters in a Thursday press conference.

Girma’s status had become something to monitor a month ago, when she pulled up with an injury during the USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup win over Japan.

One week later, the 2023 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year would sit out San Diego’s 0-0 draw with Racing Louisville due to the knock. However, she would return after that, starting both a 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride and this past Saturday’s 2-1 win over Bay FC.

Girma is joined by some big names on the list of Wave absentees. USWNT teammates Alex Morgan (lower leg) and Abby Dahlkemper (thigh) were also unavailable for Stoney’s side in Seattle, as were Sweden winger Sofia Jakobsson (lower leg) and teenage midfielder Melanie Barcenas (hip).

After the match, Stoney told reporters that Girma and Dahlkemper are both “questionable” to play on Wednesday, when San Diego hosts the Utah Royals.

The USWNT, meanwhile, will announce a squad for a pair of friendlies against South Korea later this month in what will be Emma Hayes’ first matches as head coach. Those games will be the the final tests before Hayes selects her 18-player roster for the Olympics later this summer.

[lawrence-related id=59588,58991,37706]

Roda JC fans storm field to celebrate promotion despite not being promoted

Everyone gets a little too excited from time to time, even stadium announcers

Roda JC fans might need to work on timing their celebrations.

Supporters streamed onto the pitch at Parkstad Limburg Stadion after two second-half goals gave Roda a 2-0 win over Cambuur in the Dutch second division on Friday.

Fans twirled yellow scarves, ran in jubilation, and generally delighted in Roda’s climb out of the Eerste Divisie and into the top flight.

Just one problem: Roda had not clinched promotion yet.

De Koempels had hit full time, but elsewhere in Eerste Divisie play, Groningen trailed its away match against Telstar. A Groningen loss would do the job for Roda, and at full time it seemed like that was going to happen.

However, Thom van Bergen’s 95th-minute equalizer gave life to Groningen’s hopes of bouncing right back into the Eredivisie. To add to the drama, Telstar would go on to put the ball in the back of the net afterwards, only for the goal to be chalked off.

In an interview with Voetbal International, stadium announcer Wim Frijns put his hand up, saying that he had conveyed some incorrect information to fans at what turned out to be an awkward moment.

“It started with supporters entering the field,” explained Frijns, who said he announced that Telstar and Groningen were still playing.

Still, per Frijns everyone was ready to party. Fans clustered in one corner, ready to get out on the field, while players returned from the locker room to join the revelry.

“Someone said to me, ‘Telstar has scored a goal,'” said Frijns. “People were crying next to me, players came out, everyone was celebrating. So I thought: it must be so.”

Frijns got on the mic and announced the Telstar goal. Cue the scenes:

“A little later I heard that the goal had been disallowed,” admitted Frijns.

Much to the chagrin of Roda fans, the results mean that there’s still work to do. Fortunately, this one isn’t too complicated, and all parties should have no trouble sorting out whether to party or not at full time.

You see, Roda is at Groningen on May 10, and the situation is very simple. Roda will be promoted — for real this time — with a win or a draw. A positive result could also see Roda win the league outright, as the club trails Willem II by a single point.

However, should Groningen win, it’ll be Groningen fans wilding out instead. A win would get Groningen level with Roda on points, and since the former holds a two-goal edge on goal difference (the first tiebreaker in the Eerste Divisie), that would seal promotion for the hosts.

It’s just important for all parties to be absolutely sure the game is really, actually over before getting the champagne out.

[lawrence-related id=53210,60679,58293]

Tyler Adams remains sidelined for Bournemouth clash with Arsenal

Adams is running out of time to make another Premier League appearance this season

Tyler Adams remains out for Bournemouth, with the U.S. men’s national team midfielder rapidly running out of time to play a further part in this Premier League campaign.

At a pre-game press conference, Cherries manager Andoni Iraola ruled Adams out for Saturday’s clash with Arsenal.

Adams will have missed seven straight games with back spasms that first bubbled up in early April. The new injury has derailed a promising return from a hamstring issue that effectively cost Adams most of 2023.

After Adams’ second game out, a 2-1 loss to Luton Town, Iraola had expressed some hopes that the back issue would be resolved quickly. More recently, the Bournemouth boss referred to the issue as “not a bad injury” before adding that “we have to be careful with these decisions,” indicating that Adams may not return until he’s completely healed.

The problem? There’s not much time left for that to happen. With the New York native ruled out of the Arsenal clash, there are just two games remaining this season in which he could return. Bournemouth’s final two fixtures are May 11’s home match against Brentford, and a season-ending trip to face Chelsea on May 19.

The Cherries sit 10th in the table, and have little left to play for this season. The club has been safe from relegation worries for some time, and has only the faintest mathematical chance of claiming a Europa Conference League playoff round berth (essentially needing to win three straight while getting significant help from elsewhere in the league).

However, Adams’ performances in his brief spell back on the pitch will likely make Bournemouth fans wonder where the club would be had he been healthy all season. The USMNT No. 6 was at his best in a 2-1 win over Everton in March, shortly after scoring a spectacular long-range goal against Mexico on international duty.

[lawrence-related id=63700,62112,56795]

USWNT great Kelley O’Hara announces she will retire at end of 2024 season

The 35-year-old won two World Cups and one Olympic gold medal in her USWNT career

Kelley O’Hara, one of the pillars of the U.S. women’s national team over the past 15 years, has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2024 NWSL season.

The Gotham FC defender has amassed 160 caps during a decorated USWNT career, winning two World Cups (2015 and 2019) and an Olympic gold medal in 2012.

“It has been one of the greatest joys to represent my country and to wear the U.S. Soccer crest,” O’Hara, 35, said in a U.S. Soccer release. “As I close this chapter of my life, I am filled with gratitude. Looking back on my career I am so thankful for all the things I was able to accomplish but most importantly the people I was able to accomplish them with.”

O’Hara played in four World Cups and three Olympics after making her USWNT debut in 2010. Her final game for the USWNT came in a last-16 defeat to Sweden in the 2023 World Cup.

On the club level, O’Hara has won titles in two different American pro leagues. First, she lifted the WPS with FC Gold Pride in 2010, before also winning the NWSL title with the Washington Spirit in 2021 and Gotham in 2023.

O’Hara began as an attacking player before transitioning to a defender in the early stages of her professional career. At Stanford, O’Hara won the 2009 MAC Hermann Trophy as the top college player in the country after tallying 26 goals and 13 assists in her senior season.

In the last several years of her career, O’Hara has had to battle a number of injuries. She cited the physical toll the sport took on her body as the main reason she’s hanging up her boots.

“I have always said I would play under two conditions: that I still love playing soccer, and if my body would let me do it the way I wanted to,” O’Hara told Just Women’s Sports. “I realized a while back that I was always going to love it, so it was the physical piece that was going to be the deciding factor.”

She added: “I’ve always been like, ‘I gotta put my best foot forward every single day I step on this field’ — which is honestly probably half the reason why I’m having to retire now as opposed to getting a couple more years out of it. I’ve just grinded hard.”

[lawrence-related id=65195,35822,66110]

Concacaf Champions Cup 2024 top scorers: Tracking the Golden Boot race

An updated list of the top scorers in the Concacaf Champions Cup for the 2024 tournament.

The race to claim the Concacaf Champions League Golden Boot for 2024 has begun.

The trophy given to the tournament’s top scorer figures to be wide open this year, with 27 teams participating in the region’s premier club competition.

Lionel Messi will surely be among the favorites to claim the award, as will his Inter Miami teammate Luis Suárez, LAFC’s Dénis Bouanga — who won the award last year — and Philadelphia Union striker Julián Carranza.

Liga MX stars like André-Pierre Gignac (Tigres), Julián Quiñones (Club América), and Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey) are also smart bets, especially given the success Mexican clubs have had over the years.

Here is an updated list of the top scorers in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.

All stats updated as of May 1.