GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, with the final day of the European club season arriving
The final weekend of the European club season has arrived.
It’s been a long, demanding campaign. Players are pushing through fatigue, fans have ridden the highs and lows, and managers are already eyeing the months ahead. But before the offseason begins, there’s still one league match left – and for a few teams, everything is still on the line.
In Italy, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus take the stage in their league finale against none other than fellow U.S. international Gianluca Busio and his club, Venezia. The stakes for this contest are higher than most – all across Europe – this weekend. UEFA Champions League qualification is on the line for the while Venezia are in must-win territory to avoid relegation to Serie B.
Then, in England, Antonee Robinson's Fulham and Tyler Adams' Bournemouth end their Premier League seasons playing for pride on the final day of their campaign. For the , they hold the keys to potentially pushing Manchester City outside a top-five placement spot, while the will be competing in front of their home fans at the Vitality Stadium in what will be Jamie Vardy's final game for Leicester City.
GOAL looks at some of the biggest storylines to follow among Americans Abroad this weekend.
AFPJuve's last dance, Venezia's final hope
This one will be a blockbuster; there isn't a better storyline on the final day of the season.
Busio and Venezia need all three points on Sunday to have any hope of staying in Serie A – but they'll also need results elsewhere to go their way. They host Juventus at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, where a passionate home crowd will be urging them on in a last-ditch fight for survival.
Venezia need to defeat Juventus, and both Lecce (away at Lazio) and Empoli (home vs. Hellas Verona) will need to lose, as well, to guarantee their safety. Should Venezia win, and Lecce and Empoli both draw, all three teams will be level on 32 points and enter what's called a . With that, Lecce would come out on top with eight points to Empoli and Venezia's three, but Busio and Co.'s superior goal difference (-1 to -2) would thereby earn them a playoff match against Lecce, and see Empoli relegated.
Very simple, nothing crazy or extraordinary, right?
For Weah, McKennie and the , three points secure them fourth place and a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season. They will also secure fourth by matching or bettering the results of Roma (away to Torino) and Lazio (at home vs. Lecce). Juve hold the head-to-head record over Lazio, so even if they end level on points, they will finish above them. The same goes for their scenario with Roma – if the two sides end level on points at the end of the day, Juve hold a superior goal difference (+22 to +19), which is the next tiebreaker. Roma could hypothetically make up the goal difference on the final day, but that becomes a whole different string of permutations then.
For Juventus, it's simple: win and you're in – don't let it rest on the hands of others.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesBournemouth ending on top
It's been a pretty remarkable season for Tyler Adams and Bournemouth. The who sit 11th heading into Sunday, could finish as high as ninth pending other results around the league. Andoni Iraola has had a blockbuster campaign on the touchline, and the club have been in the thick of conversation for European contention most of the latter half of the campaign.
They host Leicester City on Sunday, and Adams and Co. will be looking to end things on a high note, with three points in front of their home fans against the already-relegated .
The match will reportedly be the final game that legendary Leicester forward Vardy dons their crest in, so there will be a lot to play for from the perspective of the away side. They will want to send the England international off with grace in what will be his 501st appearance for the club across all competitions.
Adams, meanwhile, will play his final match of the campaign before shifting gears towards representing the U.S. men's national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer. The midfielder was recently named to Mauricio Pochettino's training camp roster and will be leading the midfield this summer in their final competition tune-up before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Getty Images SportFulham's plot vs. Man City
U.S. international Antonee Robinson's status for the match is uncertain as he's been a bit of an anomaly of late. He played 89 minutes this past week against Brentford in a brilliant 3-2 victory, but wasn't named to the USMNT's roster for the Gold Cup by Pochettino on Thursday due to a Tendon injury that is ruling him out for the summer. There are expectations that he will, at minimum, be available for selection on Sunday when the host Erling Haaland and Co. on the final day of the season.
"We were considerate and talked with the medical staff and the staff from Fulham about the situation," Pochettino said of Robinson, when he was not included in the roster. "He was visiting different specialists, and it's still not clear, the situation. I'm no doctor to explain the problem that he has, but it's a player who hasn't been training much over the last few months.
"He's only been competing on the weekend, and then, next weekend, they'll see if he can play or not. I saw it as a big risk and, in this moment, we need to consider and pay attention to the advice of the medical staff and, of course, Fulham."
Regardless of his availability on Sunday, though, it's a big, big match.
City only need one point from the match to confirm a top-five spot, while a victory would confirm third place in the Premier League standings. However, if Fulham can secure a victory, it could force them out of the UCL next season, delivering a major blow to Pep Guardiola and Co. The only scenario where a draw would not be enough is if Aston Villa defeat Manchester United by 17 goals, and, well, it could happen! But yeah…it probably won't.
The lowest City can finish is sixth, so they have been guaranteed Europa League soccer next year at a minimum.
Getty Images SportAround the continent
+ Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah take the pitch for AC Milan for the final time this campaign on Saturday when they travel to already-relegated Monza. The have nothing to play for beyond pride and integrity in the match.
+ Chris Richards and Crystal Palace take on Liverpool in the final match of their campaign. There are no permutations involved in the game.
