It may have a different name this year, but EA FC is still ringing in the new year with official Team of the Year cards, meaning we’ll all have more things to rant about.
The EA FC 24 TOTY cards will feature a full women’s lineup alongside the men’s lineup, and the women’s team has a full roster of favorites as well. Do you have very strong opinions about who gets opportunities in the USWNT midfield and want to discuss the merits of dominating the competition in the Saudi Professional League as a way to nominate for the Team of the Year? You are in the right place!
As usual, this year’s final team will be subject to fan voting, which will open on the EA FC website on January 8. But even then, there’s plenty of room for discussion and debate about who gets your vote.
Here are some of the top talking points for both men and women candidates.
Ronaldo’s return
After the shock of not seeing Cristiano Ronaldo’s name on the list last year, he has once again returned to the elite. He has lit up the Saudi Professional League with 20 goals and nine assists so far this season, and also recovered from a dismal international year in 2022 by his standards to score another 10 goals for Portugal across nine Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Ronaldo ended 2023 as the world’s top scorer after scoring his 54th goal of the year in Al-Nasr’s 4-1 win over Al-Taawoun on December 30.
If he is voted into this year’s TOTY award, he will also have the chance to be one of the first players who do not ply their trade in one of Europe’s top leagues (Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1) to receive this honour. . Perhaps it is fitting that if he does, he will likely share the recognition with someone else in this year’s shortlist – eternal rival Messi.
Messi looks like the first TOTY member in MLS
Lionel Messi is on the list after his final half-season with Paris Saint-Germain and his brief but explosive first outing in MLS, where he scored 11 goals and provided four assists in 14 appearances for Inter Miami, before succumbing to an injury that decimated the league. the rest of his campaign — along with Miami’s MLS Cup playoff hopes.
Messi clearly has more than what it takes to set MLS on fire in the next couple of seasons, and perhaps it is the kind of other worldly talent, the likes of which MLS has never truly seen in their midst in the history of the league, that will help propel him to another TOTY appearance. .
Obviously, every first in soccer is a big event for MLS, and the MLS logo appearing on a TOTY card is likely to elicit at least some satisfaction from league executives, who went to extraordinary lengths to obtain this award.
Manchester City beats the men’s candidates
The men’s nominations mirror last year’s best club in the world: Manchester City. After winning the Premier League and FA Cup along with the Champions League, the Club World Cup followed in December. It is fitting to see that City are the club with the most nominations.
Erling Haaland tops the list, which also includes Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Ederson. It’s hard to argue with including anyone here, and that City have nearly 11 players in their squad indicates just how dominant they will be in 2023.
Goalkeepers
Alisson Becker – Liverpool, Ederson – Manchester City, Brice Samba – Lens, Gregor Kupil – Borussia Dortmund, Wojciech Szczesny – Juventus, Mike Maignan – Milan, Jan Oblak – Atletico Madrid, Marc-Andre ter Stegen – Barcelona.
Defenders
William Saliba – Arsenal, Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool, Ruben Dias – Manchester City, John Stones – Manchester City, Dante – Nice, Marquinhos – Paris Saint-Germain, Kim Min Jae – Bayern Munich, Mats. Hummels – Borussia Dortmund, Lucas Martinez Quarta – Fiorentina, Alessandro Bastoni – Internazionale, Bremer – Juventus, Theo Hernandez – Milan, Giovanni Di Lorenzo – Napoli, Nicolas Otamendi – Benfica, Jules Kounde – Barcelona, Jesus Navas – Sevilla, Jose Gaya. Valencia, Jonathan Klaus – Marseille, Jeremy Frimpong – Bayer Leverkusen, Alejandro Grimaldo – Bayer Leverkusen, Federico Demarco – Inter.
Midfielders
Martin Odegaard – Arsenal, Declan Rice – Arsenal, Kaoru Mitoma – Brighton & Hove Albion, Bernardo Silva – Manchester City, Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City, Rodri – Manchester City, Bruno Guimaraes – Newcastle United, Jarrod Bowen – West Ham United, Aleksander Golovin – Monaco, Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen, Granit Xhaka – Bayer Leverkusen, Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich, Leroy Sane – Bayern Munich, Julian Brandt – Borussia Dortmund, Vincenzo Grifo – Freiburg, Nicolo Barella – Inter, Federico Chiesa – Juventus. Adrien Rabiot – Juventus, Riyad Mahrez – Al Ahly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – Al Hilal, Pedri – Barcelona, Ilkay Gundogan – Barcelona, Alex Garcia – Girona, Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid, Toni Kroos – Real Madrid, Luka Modric – Real Madrid. Madrid, Aurelien Chouamini – Real Madrid, Federico Valverde – Real Madrid
attackers
Bukayo Saka – Arsenal, Mohamed Salah – Liverpool, Jack Grealish – Manchester City, Erling Haaland – Manchester City, Son Heung-min – Tottenham Hotspur, Ousmane Dembele – Paris Saint-Germain, Lee Kang-in – Paris Saint-Germain, Kylian Mbappe. – Paris Saint-Germain, Randall Kolo-Mwani – Eintracht Frankfurt, Harry Kane – Bayern Munich, Luis Opinda – Leipzig, Serho Geraci – Stuttgart, Lautaro Martinez – Inter, Rafael Leao – Milan, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Napoli, Victor Osimhen – Napoli, Domenico Berardi – Sassuolo, Mehdi Taremi – Porto, Karim Benzema – Al-Ittihad, Cristiano Ronaldo – Al-Nasr, Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid, Alvaro Morata – Atletico Madrid, Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona, Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid, Takefusa Kubo. – Real Sociedad, Gerard Moreno. – Villarreal, Lionel Messi – Inter Miami
Spain, La Liga F and Barcelona dominate the women’s candidates
Perhaps that was to be expected with Spain winning the Women’s World Cup and Barcelona also returning home Women’s Champions League He was crowned last year, as there is a heavy Spanish influence among the candidates. Seven of Spain’s World Cup stars are here, including favorites like Olga Carmona, Gheni Hermoso and Alexia Putellas.
Barcelona is the highest represented women’s club, with 10 nominees. There are more from other clubs and countries too, such as El Colombia and Real Madrid striker Linda Caicedo.
Liga F was the league with the most nominees with 15, beating the FA Women’s Premier League by two nominations.
If there’s one big point, it’s that Spanish women’s football is getting its flowers.
Goalkeepers
Christian Endler – Lyon, Marie Earps – Manchester United, Merle Frooms – Wolfsburg, Chiamaka Nadozi – Paris, Jane Campbell – Houston Dash.
Defenders
Wendi Renard – Lyon, Maby Lyon – Barcelona, Irene Paredes – Barcelona, Sakina Kerchaoui – Paris Saint-Germain, Fredolina Rulfo – Barcelona, Katie McCabe – Arsenal, Millie Bright – Chelsea, Salma Basha – Lyon, Una Patel – Barcelona, Amanda Elstedt. – Arsenal, Eli Carpenter – Lyon, Glodis Vigosdottir – Bayern Munich, Niamh Charles – Chelsea, Naomi Girma – San Diego Wave FC, Olga Carmona – Real Madrid, Jenna Neswonger – NJ/New York Gotham FC.
Midfielders
Alexia Putellas – Barcelona, Aitana Bonmatti – Barcelona, Patri Guyaro – Barcelona, Debinha – Kansas City Current, Lena Oberdorf – Wolfsburg, Grace Giuro – Paris Saint-Germain, Keira Walsh – Barcelona, Clara Mathieu – Paris, Caroline Weir – Real. Madrid, Georgia Stanway – Bayern Munich, Lissy Santos – Atletico Madrid, Frida Mannum – Arsenal, Gaetan Tiny – Paris FC, Janina Ming – SC Freiburg, Kerolin – North Carolina Courage, Estefania Panini – Atletico Madrid, Barbara Dunst – Eintracht Frankfurt, Samantha Coffey – Portland Thorns
attackers
Sam Kerr – Chelsea, Caroline Graham-Hansen – Barcelona, Kadidiato Diani – Lyon, Guru Reiten – Chelsea, Alexandra Pope – Wolfsburg, Sophia Smith – Portland Thorns, Ewa Bajor – Wolfsburg, Lauren Hemp – Manchester City, Lea Schuler – Bayern. Munich, Salma Baraluelo – Barcelona, Rachel Kundanange – Real Madrid, Lynn Williams – New Jersey / New York Gotham FC, Rachel Daly – Aston Villa, Khadija Shaw – Manchester City, Chloe Kelly – Manchester City, Eugenie Le Sommer – Lyon, Trinity Rodman – Washington. Spirit, Beth England – Tottenham Hotspur, Alba Redondo – Levante, Tabitha Chawinga – Paris Saint-Germain. Melissa Cussler – TSG HoffenheimLinda Caicedo – Real Madrid
The NWSL lags behind other major women’s leagues
Five leagues are represented on the women’s nominees list, and while there are several NFL players here, American fans may be surprised to see the league lagging behind the rest in terms of total nominations, with Spain, Germany, England and France all in the league. Receive more player gestures.
It has, of course, been something of a transitional year for the United States after its disappointing Women’s World Cup appearance, and the presence of an international team in the National Football League makes the league’s relative lack of candidates more understandable.
Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith lead the American cast, a group that also includes Lynn Williams, Samantha Coffey, Naomi Girma, Jenna Nighsonger and Jane Campbell. They are joined by Brazilian duo Kerulin and Debinha in representing the league.
Even the video game knows the USWNT should have played Lane Williams
A name conspicuously absent from the list of women’s nominees is Alex Morgan, especially considering Lynn Williams is included in it. Williams was edged out in the NFL by another American last season (Sophia Smith) and scored herself a goal to open the scoring in the NFL championship game while leading the line for New Jersey/New York Gotham FC, going on to win the biggest prize in League at last. year.
However, Williams only received two opportunities to play for the USA in the Women’s World Cup. The team managed just four goals in the tournament before exiting in the round of 16, three of which came in their opening group match against Vietnam. Hindsight, 20/20, but it’s hard to imagine a player of Williams’ caliber not being a star for almost any other country in the world.
Unfortunately, she is rarely given the opportunity to be a difference-maker for her country when it matters most, with Morgan being chosen before her.
