Georgia HS state champions crowned, MLS Rivalry Weekend matches: Morning Espresso, 5.16

there with Atlanta United a one to one draw. Flew back overnight, landed at about four am, So no espresso yesterday. I was sleeping during the espresso, slept right through espresso, slept right past any need for espresso, and then had Georgia High School State championships last night up in Duluth. We'll talk about that in this edition, along with a whole bunch of other things. Were back on the normal schedule as you get ready for a home game on Saturday,

Atlanta United hosting the Philadelphia Union. It's part of rivalry Week in MLS, and I don't know if the league necessarily considers Atlanta Philly a rivalry. I know I do, and I know quite a few others do. As Atlanta and Philly have had some interesting matchups over the last few years. Philly trailed the LA Galaxy two nil on Wednesday before coming back to win three to two on a goal from Ty Barribo, his second of the day.

It's a seven forty kickoff at Mercedes Benz Stadium, six thirty four year pregame on ninety two nine The Game and the Odyssey app with Ape Gordon and Madison Cruise. The weekend starts with Montreal hosting Toronto at two thirty on Saturday afternoon Eastern Conference leaders Cincinnati, they travel to Ohio rivals Columbus the hell Is Real derby seven to fifteen on Saturday night. Portland hosts Seattle Saturday Night as well. That's a nine to thirty start Eastern Time and a

great Sunday doubleheader that I'm looking forward to. Miami hosting Orlando at seven o'clock, followed by hel Traffic Coo. Let me know if you like the l Traffic Coo name. I know some people love it. I'm not a big fan. I think it's kind of silly, but it worked for the LA Galaxy in LAFC. That's a nine pm kick for a doubleheader of Sunday night Soccer on Apple TV and MLS Season Pass. Some other news around the league. Jordi Alba has signed a new contract at Enter Miami

through the twenty twenty seven MLS season. He will be a designated player And could this mean Sennor Messi and maybe Senor Busquetz and maybe Signor Suarez are going to sign new deals. Now there's a lot of talk about Luis Suarez, who has struggled this season, missed a game due to a friend's wedding in Spain. People are starting to get bent out of shape. The tabloids are starting to really get going in Miami talking about these things.

Suarez would seem to be the most unlikely, along with Bousquettes, but Lionel Messi new contract in Miami. Lots of talk about this worldwide, so stay stay tuned. Training ground dispatch later today from Marietta, the Children's Health Care of Atlanta Training Ground, as Ronnie Diila and Saba Loop Genieza will speak to the media. Barcelona. They won their twenty eighth La Liga title yesterday. Lamin Ya Mal scored another stunning goal. Because this is what the guy does. Darby Wynn over Espanol,

the seventeen year old. He's still not eighteen years old. Jamal curled a fantastic shot into the top left corner from the edge of the box. It's becoming the Lamin Jamal goal, where he cuts in on the left foot and goes to goal. He does it again. It's a treble for Barcelona. They had already won the super Copa dea Spagna and the Copa del Rey and now La Liga.

Now because it's Barcelona, there are other conversations going on, and one of them is about their salary limit for next season, because their salary limit for the season has been a conversation all year long, and it's still kind of unknown as to how they actually got Powerful and Donnielmo under the salary limit outside of appealing to the Spanish courts and getting an injunction and getting a stay

and all this stuff. Because the one hundred million euro lease of VIP seats that supposedly gave them the ability to register those two players in the mid season, because there were only six month registrations before that, that's not completely and utterly done yet, so I don't know how they got to play in the second half of the season outside of the courts. We'll see if anything comes back. Because of all that, it would not surprise me. This

is Spanish football after all. But that one hundred million euro sale is still part of the conversation about what Barcelona could do for next season. So auditors Crow decided that they could not include the one hundred million euro lease of four hundred and seventy five VIP seats for thirty years in this year's accounts, which again gave them

the ability to register down Naolmo and pal Victor. At least allegedly they couldn't include it, but they did include it because they had an auditor who worked for four days. It's it's crazy. I don't know how this is actually going to be upheld. That these two guys should have been able to play. So now you're trying to figure out, like, can you get the sale done to help you for next season when it already helped you this season, so

it's going to help you twice. I don't know. Barcelona are trying to get this done to be in place for the next fiscal year. At the end of June. They want to have the renovated camp know and I say they want to because it's not confirmed yet because they've pushed back the start date for all this stuff

many many times. They want to have it ready for action when it comes to the VIP seats by June to be able to present the new Era Visionary Group in EVEG and Forsha Advisors fo r Tia Fortia Advisors with a receipt for their purchase before the end of their accounting year, so that can, in theory, prove to the auditors named Crow that they have delivered the product, while before they said the deal could not be included as the product did not exist because the stadium is

not being used. So as such, without the one hundred million euro deal, Barcelona or back in the red with regard to their salary limit, and they shouldn't have been able to register pal Victor and Doniolmo. But they did and they played. And yes, forty advisors have already paid their thirty million euro share for one hundred and twenty five of the four hundred and twenty four hundred and seventy five seats in EVG have put up twenty eight million euro. There's forty two million euro to pay. Their

payments were scheduled for September and December. But the Moldovan businessman and convicted fraudster Ruslan beer Lodino, he's already secured the commercial agreements necessary, according to folks at Barcelona and the media, and could advance the second payment to this June rather than September. That could aid Barcelona in their bid to prove to the auditors in La Liga that the deal should be included in the accounts. It would not be the end of the matter, again, because this

is Spanish football. If the deal is included in Barcelona's audit, Laaliga are suspicious over the business links between Barcelona, forty advisors and ANYVG. They're investigating all of the deals. The lease is over thirty years. There's a suggestion that La Liga could say the deal has to be pro rata

and include the income. Divide the income over the link of the deal, which again makes you wonder how Doniomo and how Victor are playing outside of the court system, and why now you're going to get double credit for these sales that are already a little odd. I'll put it that way to be safe. Yeah, just smile a nod and move on. Brilliant on the field, Barcelona, but off the field questions Sarah. Almost everything is still uncertain heading into the next to last round of matches this weekend.

Two teams fighting for the title, six teams trying to avoid relegation, four are vying for the final Champions League spot, another two are still in that mix. All the games this Sunday are kicking off simultaneously nine to forty five pm local time. Inter and Napoli are chasing the title. Napoli has a one point advantage. They won the title two years ago. They had one of the worst title defenses in history. Last year they went through three managers

and they finished tenth. Inter are the defending champions. Antonio Conte went to Napoli and he's brought all kinds of stability to the team. They're looking to make him a manager. With three teams that have won Seria titles, he wanted to enter and he won at three times at Juventus. Napoli goes to Parma, who are trying to avoid relegation. On Sunday, Inter hosts fifth placed Lazzio, so if they stay tied through the last two rounds of the season,

there will be a playoff. They don't go to Gold. Differentially, they don't go ahead to head, they go to a playoff. The final round is set for May twenty fourth or twenty five, but if it's needed, a playoff game is going to be really difficult to schedule because Enters in the Champions League final against PSG a week later. Then they have the Club World Cup the summer. One idea that has been pushed to the side for now would be to move Napoli and Enter's final games up to Thursday,

freeing Sunday for a potential playoff. SARAA has voted to keep it as it is for now, they have not changed it yet. If Napoli wins an Inter loses, then Napoli wins the title this weekend and we don't have to worry about a playoff. Also in Italy, Bologna they won the Copa Italia over Milan this week, their first major trophy since winning the Copa Italia in nineteen seventy four. Bologna Joey Saputo very very excited this week. Liga MX playoffs semi finals right now cruz Asul and Club America.

Last night La Machina they won one zil to take the advantage. Nacho Rivera's goal won at Club America. Manager Andre Jardine was sent off the other semi final first leg finished one to one. Second legs are this weekend. Everton final game for their men's team at Goodison Park this weekend. The women's team will continue at Goodison Park, the men's team will move to a new stadium at

nearby Bramley Moore Doc. This is the final game in the team's home of one hundred and thirty three years, famous stadium in England, as well more top tier games than any other stadium in England that it has hosted. Nineteen sixty six World Cup. Pela was kicked to pieces before losing a World Cup match with Brazil for the only time that he was ever on the field and a loss for Brazil. Eight league titles were won, several

escapes from relegation completed. Everton had been able to avoid that fate this season and they will celebrate Goodison part on Sunday. Club World Cup. Let's get caught up on some of the conversation around the tournament that's coming to Atlanta this summer. On held Maria with Benfica. It was expected that he would be part of this, but reports in Portugal. The magazine Record has said that he will not be part of it. That would mean his last match for Benfica would be on May twenty fifth, the

Portuguese Cup final against Sporting. He's been a huge part of Benfica this season, thirty eight games played, fifteen goals, nine assists. He could be heading back to Rosario Central in Argentina, where he started. There's been talk about MLS as well. Miami's name has come up, obviously because of all the Argentines there, but I don't know how they would make that work interesting. I thought he would be part of Benfica in the Club World Cup. Stay tuned.

It's just a report at this point. There's reports out of Argentina saying otherwise, so we shall see. Be on the lookout later today. On our social media at Soccer down here for clips from Jude Bellingham. He spoke to FIFA about Real Madrid's ambitions in the tournament earlier this week. It's a big opportunity for Madrid to start off the Shabi Alonso era right and kind of wash away what's been a disappointing year and start a new era in a big way. Donny carve Hall also spoke to media.

He said he's really looking forward to playing teams from the rest of the world in meaningful matches. He's obviously got experience in doing this with Real Madrid, but he's also a big NBA fan, so he's looking forward to being in the US for this event, hoping that the Madridistas will be turning out in big numbers for the tournament. His club, they're trying to get deals done to strengthen this back line right now, Dean Huisen from Bournemouth and

Benfica left back Alvaro Fernandez. They're trying to get those deals over the line for Club World Cup enter They want to add four to five players ahead of the tournament. One of them that has been identified is marse Luis Henrique trying to get that deal done. Carrari Della Sport has said that the Italians have set a timetable to get this deal done, trying to put some pressure on Marseille. So stay tuned if you are getting kind of up to speed on the Club World Cup, thirty two teams

from all over the world. Action kicks off on June fourteenth in Miami as intern Miami hosts a La Lee first game here in Atlanta is going to be Chelsea against either Clube America or LAFC on June sixteenth, Miami. They make the trip up to play Porto on June nineteenth. Manchester City will play Al Ayen from Abu Dhabi on June twenty second. Three knockout games here in Atlanta on June twenty, ninth, July first, July fifth. The final of the tournament will be at MetLife Stadium on July thirteenth.

Tickets are available FIFA dot com slash tickets. Also, hospitality packages are available FIFA dot com slash Hospitality and there are ticket package is that will get you into the mix for World Cup twenty twenty six tickets. Go check out FIFA dot com slash tickets. This weekend. The FA Cup Final Crystal Palace versus Manchester City on Saturday at eleven thirty Eastern time. City have won the trophy seven times.

They're unbeaten in their last seven games against Palace across all competitions, aggregate score of eighteen to four in their last three games with Palace and the FA Cup. Expect some goals, though eleven goals scored across this season's Premier League games between these two teams. Palace have also netted two goals in five of their last six encounters with Manchester City, so it should be a fun one on Saturday at eleven thirty the Women's FA Cup Final between

Chelsea and Manchester United. That is on Sunday as Chelsea tries to add another trophy to the case. And I mentioned it off the top. The Georgia High School Finals continue tonight, final day of the twenty twenty five Georgia High school season in Macon in two to a. It's Pike County on the girls side, facing Savannah Arts, Drew Charters boys will play Shaw Madison Cruse and I will be in Duluth. Five A. Roswell's girls try to finish

the season unbeaten against Northgate. River Ridges boys face off with Sprayberry Your Finals Your champions so far. Single ad one. It was a Floyd County sweep, their first soccer title since nineteen seventy one. Models girls beat Breeman and Armucci's boys came back to win four to three over Thomasville Single ad two. Lake Oconey Academy's boys won last night in extra time in Macon over Atkinson County. Atlanta Classicals Girls beat Loa in the first match of the day.

In the private bracket Atlanta Internationals Boys they beat Whitfield Academy On Wednesday. Love Its Girls beat Greater Atlanta Christian in Duluth on Wednesday as well three to a over at mckeacheren On Wednesday night, Johnson's Boys beat Northwest Whitfield one nil. Oconey County's girls completed their three peat three titles in a row. They beat Jefferson in overtime one nil. Four A last night Blessed Trinity's girls one nil win

over Marist on a great goal from Julie Melhuch. Westminster's boys needed penalties, but they got it done to beat previously unbeaten Marist. Last night in six a over at mckeacher and Campbell's Boys they won one nil over Grayson. Walton's girls beat previously unbeaten Buford in penalties in the final. So the previously unbeaten teams fell last night Marrist's boys Walton's girls. We'll see if Roswell can stay unbeaten for the entire season and win a state title. Tonight. You

can watch on the NFHS network. Madison and I will be in Duluth, our friend matteen Rad will be down in making. That's going to do it for this edition of The Morning Espresso. Will be back on Monday to recap the weekend around the world of soccer. Make sure you're following us at Soccer down here on all our social media platforms. Tons of content coming out all weekend long.