Friday 12/29

Franklin Munoz
December 29, 2023

☃️⭐️⚽️ Last Friday of the year team. 2023 has been good to us soccer fans. We want to thank you, our readers for taking part of the SSB crew and here is to an exciting 2024. The year has delivered all types of thrills and unforgettable matches, we hope that SSB was able to highlight some of those memorable moments for you. Vote for 2023’s goal of the year below.

Giveaway: Wake up and smell the coffee. Just in time for the Holidays, our next giveaway will be a $30 gift card for our favorite coffee brand- Kickoff Coffee. As always, each friend that you refer to subscribe to the newsletter is an entry to our raffle. Best of luck!

The Courtroom
The Rise of Disorder At Soccer Matches

Gif by s04 on Giphy

👮🎟️ UK lawmakers are taking a stand. It seems like every week we are reading about a new crowd incident occurring at a soccer match. Whether it be fans using copious amounts of flares, arguments turning into fights or slow ticket checks due to larger crowds than expected- there’s always an incident to be reported and UK lawmakers have had enough. The lawmakers are seeking to criminally punish those individuals who enter a match illegally without a ticket in order to improve crowd control and safety for all of those who attend. Currently, the punishment is typically a fine or simply getting kicked out of the event, but they hope that by increasing the punishment for the offense, they will improve the soccer viewing experience for all.

Read the full article here

Thursday Recap

Premier League

Saudi Professional League

Serie A
Certified Juve Fresh

via Juventus

📈 📉 North, South, East, and Weston, much like the directions McKennie’s start with Juventus took. Signed in 2020 by the Serie A giant from Schalke 04, the young American midfielder did not have the strongest debut season with only logging in 5 goals and just 2 assists. With changes in Juve’s coaching and management, McKennie was loaned off to Leeds where he was united with ex-NYRB and RB Leipzig American coach Jesse Marsch. His time in the Premier League was filled with more ups and downs, as Marsch was sacked midseason and McKennie was part of the Leeds squad that was ultimately relegated.

🐶😤 Weston shows he’s got that Dog in him. Weston was given an extra shot in Turin under the management of big boss Massimiliano Allegri. To say the least, he’s gone from flop to wonder. McKennie has proven the Italian critics wrong as he continues to flourish in this year’s Serie A. Weston’s revival has gone so well that he’s the highest-rated player of the season for the Turin club. In the absence of big midfielders like Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli, McKennie has solidified himself as a transitional midfield and cemented his defense presence that’s been critical in several fixtures. McKennie has blessed the pitch with his creative playmaking abilities and has contributive on both sides of the ball.

🫡🍴 the Yankees are cooking up, returning to Juventus after the conclusion of the ‘22 Premier League, McKennie was reunited with fellow USMNT forward Tim Weah, who had just signed with Juventus that summer from Lille. Not to mention, McKennie returned the same summer that saw USMNT Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah sign with Serie A rivals AC Milan. We cannot lie, we are pumped and hopeful that their development will transition to the US men’s national team and these are exactly the type of players we want on our team, the guys who’s going to show grita and get after it.

Quick Bites 🍕

Real Betis sign USMNT midfielder

Real Betis has been making moves. In addition to extending Isco’s contract, the La Liga side acquired Johnny Cardoso from Brazil’s Internacional in a deal valued up to $6.3M and valid through the 2028-29 season. However the young midfielder is keen to hit the ground running and make an impact on the La Liga opportunity to secure his spot on Gregg Berhalter’s Copa America roster this summer.

Check out the latest on the new Real Betis lad

DSQUARED2 🤝 Manchester City

The champs are here and they came with the drip. The limited-edition showcases styles bridging the pitch and the streets. In their Champions League group game against Young Boys, the reigning champions climbed off the team bus dressed in navy blue cardigans with their names and numbers on the back and “Manchester City” on bands around the sleeves, over white dress shirts, and light denim jeans.

Make sure to cop the City drip here

Mike Tyson the Argentinian?

The year was 2005, US boxing legend Mike Tyson found himself in hot water for punching a local news cameraman during his visit to Brazil. Mike was coming out of a night club in the city of São Paulo, when the cameraman had been following Mike around the entire time and resulted with Mike snapping and destroying his camera equipment. Mike was ultimately charged by authorities for this act. However on his day in Court to pay for damages, Mike appeared wearing a signed Diego Maradona Argentina jersey that was gifted to Mike by the Argentinean legend, in efforts to taunt the the people of Brazil. Let’s just say the judge almost bite an ear off, and the move sparked media outrage.

Read the full story here