The FA Cup Final is Saturday, pitting Manchester City against Watford (11 a.m., no TV, online-only pay-subscription ESPN+). Manchester City is the big favorite to make a clean sweep of the English trophies this year. But what was once the showpiece day of England's soccer calendar has lost some luster as the Premier League has become a global centerpiece. Yet it's also a fine example of European soccer having the perfect attitude toward playoffs.
End-of-season playoffs mean that the entire year builds toward the final matchups, but in doing so they tend to devalue the rest of the season. Cup competitions like the FA Cup run parallel to the regular league schedule. It's the best of both worlds — a meaningful league season alongside the excitement of a knockout tournament.
Here's to banning end-of-season soccer playoffs. Let the whole calendar provide the excitement, both in the league and in a national knockout tournament, one that includes teams from beyond the top leagues. In the United States, that would be the U.S. Open Cup, which like the FA Cup is now on ESPN+. It has even less prestige than a diminished FA Cup does in England, but nixing end-of-season playoffs would change that.
Short takes
• The Italian Football Federation announced that Caligari would not be punished for the racist chants that its fans directed at teenage Juventus striker Moisie Kean, saying that the chants had "an objectively limited relevance." At the same time, it announced that Torino would be fined 3,500 euros for starting a home match four minutes late. It's hard to read both of these facts and conclude anything other than that something is seriously wrong in Italian soccer.
• The U.S. women's national team is making its final preparations for next month's World Cup, and things are going well. The U.S. defeated South Africa 3-0 and New Zealand 5-0 in two of its final three matches before the World Cup begins. Two shutouts is good news for a defense that has struggled.
WATCH GUIDE
Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund at Borussia Monchengladbach, 8:30 a.m. Saturday, FS1, and Eintracht Frankfurt at Bayern Munich, 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Ch. 9. Every team needs something on the final day of the German season. Bayern needs a win or a draw and it's the champion for the seventh time running. Dortmund needs a win and a Bayern loss for a shock title of its own. Monchengladbach is one of three clubs with a realistic chance of clinching a Champions League spot. Another is Frankfurt, one point behind in that race.
Writer Jon Marthaler gives you a recap of recent events and previews the week ahead. E-mail: jmarthaler@gmail.com
