After a long and grueling nine months, the club soccer season in Europe is coming to a close this week. For some of he most talented players in the world, championships, league placements, and financial compensation are all at stake over the next several days. The season title in England’s Premier League will be decided later today, along with the European club championship on Saturday.
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, soccer’s best wrap up their club seasons this week with some championship-deciding duels. Take a peek at what will be decided in England today, along with Europe’s big event on Saturday. Plus, a look at the top headlines from the past week, including the shortage in infant formula that has gone viral in America.
Also, you should go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 63 features a breakdown of the various crises facing public schools in America right now. Download and listen to the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Zander’s Weekend Facts is here to give you the facts about what has been going on in the world around us this past week. You’ll just have to read these facts, instead of listening to them on the Zander’s Facts podcast.
Here is Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, May 22, 2022:
Champions will be crowned in European soccer
The current season for European club soccer is wrapping up this week. As the top leagues and competitions in Europe conclude, they will be opening up an unusually quiet summer in a World Cup year. With this year’s World Cup taking place in November and December, there are no high profile men’s soccer events taking place until the beginning of the next European club soccer season in August. Despite the bleak future, much is on the line over the next several days.
Later this morning, the stakes will be higher than ever in England. The final matchday of the Premier League will commence with all 20 teams facing off at 11:00 am et. At the top of the table, the Premier League champion will be crowned at the conclusion of the day’s matches. Manchester City, currently sitting in first place with 90 points, are one point ahead of second-place Liverpool. With a win at home against Aston Villa, Man. City will have clinched their fourth PL title in five years. The only other club to win the league in that span are Liverpool, who won it in 2020. Liverpool can clinch just their second Premier League title with a win at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers and a Man. City draw or loss. If Liverpool tie, they can only win the league if Man. City lose.
At the bottom of the table, two clubs are fighting for one spot in next season’s Premier League. The bottom three teams each year are relegated to the second-tier EFL Championship, while the top two teams and one playoff winner from the EFL Championship are promoted each year to the top-flight Premier League. This season, Norwich City and Watford have already been relegated. Burnley and Leeds United, both tied at 35 points, are fighting not to finish as the final team to be relegated. Later this morning, Burnley will face Newcastle United, while Leeds United will face Brentford. If both teams lose, tie, or draw, Burnley will stay in the PL as they have a superior goal differential. However, if Leeds win and Burnley draw or lose, or Leeds draw and Burnley lose, Leeds will stay in the PL while Burnley will be relegated. All ten matches in the Premier League kickoff at 11:00 am et and can be watched on the NBC Sports networks (NBC, USA, CNBC, Golf Channel, SyFy, Peacock).
On the other side of the relegation coin, two EFL Championship clubs have clinched their spots in the Premier League next season. Fulham and Bournemouth finished as the top two teams in the table, securing their spots at the top of English soccer next season. The third spot for promotion each year is determined by a playoff of the third through sixth teams in the table. After the first round of the playoffs, Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest have advanced to the final match that will decide which club heads to the PL in August. The match is commonly known as the richest game in soccer, as the winner receives a massive increase in funds due to their promotion to the Premier League. That match takes place next Sunday at 11:30 am et on ESPN+.
Additionally, several other European leagues finish their seasons this weekend. The final Serie A and La Liga matches take place later today in Italy and Spain, respectively. While Real Madrid has already clinched this year’s La Liga title, the Serie A championship is still up for grabs. Currently, AC Milan are two points ahead of Internazionale with one match remaining. In Germany, the Bundesliga has already concluded with Bayern Munich winning the lead for a record tenth consecutive time. However, the final spot in the Bundesliga is still up for grabs, as Hamburg SV and Hertha Berlin fight for a spot in next season’s Bundesliga. Berlin were in the Bundesliga last season, but finished third-last, meaning they would participate in a playoff against the third team in the second-division of German soccer (Hamburg) to determine the final spot in the Bundesliga for next season. Hamburg lead 1-0 on aggregate, with the second leg taking place on Monday at 2:30 pm et on ESPN+.
Finally, the biggest prize in European club soccer will be awarded this Saturday, as the final of the UEFA Champions League takes place. Real Madrid will face Liverpool in the final of the competition that involves clubs from all over Europe. Real Madrid have won the most Champions League titles out of any club with 13, with their last title coming in 2018, when they faced Liverpool in the final. The next year, Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the final to win their sixth Champions League title. The final takes place this Saturday at 3:00 pm et on CBS, Paramount+, and Univision.
For even more soccer analysis, tune into this week’s edition of the Zander’s Facts podcast, as ZF soccer guru Emma Adams joins the pod to recap the club soccer season, preview Saturday’s Champions League final, talk about this year’s World Cup, and more!
Tune into this week’s Zander’s Facts podcast to get the gang’s predictions for the final, along with checking Zander’s Facts’ social media channels.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
There’s much more going on in the soccer world, and the NBA Playoffs continue. Here are the headlines from Zander’s Facts Sporting Club:
The Conference Finals have begun as only four teams remain in the NBA Playoffs. In the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat currently lead the Boston Celtics two games to one after winning game three on Saturday night. Game four will take place Monday night at 8:30 pm et on ABC, with the remaining games in the series airing on ESPN. In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors currently lead the Dallas Mavericks two games to zero. Game three will take place tonight at 9:00 pm et on TNT, with all games in that series airing on TNT. The first team in each series to win four games will clinch a spot in the NBA Finals, which will begin on Thursday, June 2. Make sure to tune into next week’s edition of the Zander’s Facts podcast, as ZF NBA analyst Hill Billy will join to preview the matchup in the championship round.
The United States men’s and women’s soccer national teams announced the ratification of new collective bargaining agreements for both teams. The agreements include equal pay for the two sides, marking a historical achievement not just in sports, but also in American society. For years, the USWNT, who have won four World Cups since 1999, have fought to be paid equally with the USMNT. The final piece to that puzzle fell this week, as the men and women agreed, along with the United States Soccer Federation, to evenly split World Cup prize money between the two squads. The moment has been a long-time coming, and it took newfound support from U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone, a member of the 1999 USWNT World Cup squad and the first woman president of U.S. Soccer. Cone was announced as president of U.S. Soccer in 2020 after previous president Carlos Cordeiro resigned due to the federation’s stance against equal pay during his time as president. The CBAs will begin on June 1 and last until 2028.
Lionel Messi could be on his way to the U.S., with a move to Inter Miami in the near future. According to a report on Monday from DIRECTV Sports Argentina, Messi would join the MLS club as a player in 2023 and claim a 35% ownership stake in the club. The move would make Messi the greatest soccer player to play in MLS, and would give him part-ownership of a club co-owned by former opponent David Beckham. However, Messi’s camp soon denied the report, saying that Messi has not decided his future.
Soccer star Kylian Mbappé stated on Saturday that he would remain at Paris Saint-Germain in a stunning announcement. For months, Mbappé had been in contact with Spanish club giant Real Madrid regarding a move from France to Spain. Reporting over the past week even suggested that a move to Real Madrid was inevitable. However, Mbappé ended up staying at the club he has played for since 2017 and in the country he has represented internationally since he was 17 years old. The 24-year-old signed a new deal that will extend his time in Paris until 2025.
Rapid-fire Facts
Here is a look at the top headlines from the past weekrapid-fire fashion:
The shortage of formula across the United States came to a front this week, as distressed parents had to resort to extremes to feed their young children. Photos of empty store shelves and stories of parents not being able to find formula anywhere were widespread online over the past few days. This has led to many asking how this is happening and when formula will be widely available again. For answers, follow the link below to an NPR story explaining what you need to know.
Children ages five to 11 can now receive coronavirus booster shots in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave the recommendation on Thursday, just a few days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Pfizer booster shot for the age group. According to the CDC, only 36% of children ages 5-11 have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while 30% are fully vaccinated. The CDC also gave a reminder for those 50 years old and older to receive a second booster shot, along with immunocompromised individuals ages 12 and older.
Saturday’s elections in Australia resulted in a new government, with the center-left opposition party appearing more likely to form a coalition in parliament than the ruling conservative party. Prime Minister Scott Morrison conceded defeat to Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese, despite millions of ballots left to be counted at the time. While Albanese’s labor party will have the largest presence in parliament, the rise of third party representation in the election guarantees Labor will not have a majority. The result brings the possibility of a minority government or hung parliament into play. Nonetheless, Albanese will face his first test as Australia’s leader on Tuesday as he travels to Tokyo, Japan for a summit that includes U.S. President Joe Biden.
Sweden and Finland submitted their applications to join NATO this past week. The two countries have long been allies to the 30-nation organization, and are now seeking to become members after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought new security concerns for the nordic countries. While most of the current NATO members have expressed support for Sweden and Finland joining, including the United States, Turkey has notably shown concern. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with the leaders of NATO, Finland, and Sweden recently to address problems that Turkey has with the two nations’ applications.
A new study has found that 50,000 lives could be saved in the U.S. each year if fossil fuel emissions were eliminated from the atmosphere. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison estimated that an elimination of microscopic air pollutants from the U.S. would also save $600 billion each year. The researchers used data provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to come up with the estimates.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to Episode 63 wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Zander’s Facts’ Linktree page for more on anything Zander’s Facts related: Zander's Facts on Linktree
The Zander’s Facts podcast returns with an all-new episode this Wednesday! Listen in to Episode 64 as Zander Facts’ soccer guru Emma Adams joins the pod to recap everything going on in the world of soccer. Plus, we’ll give our exclusive predictions for this Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final. Remember to check out the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast, coming out this Wednesday morning!
Do remember to check out the next edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts next Sunday! If you haven’t already, make sure to sign up with the link below to get Zander’s Weekend Facts in your email inbox every Sunday so you don’t miss anything!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, May 29, 2022.
