1. No one wants this, CAF
If the Confederation of African Football (CAF) was going to impose severe sanctions on Senegal for leaving the field during the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, it needed to do so immediately. Not 57 days later. Retroactively stripping Senegal of the title wasn't the way to do it either. Declaring Morocco the champions doesn't change what happened on the field. Brahim Díaz still missed a penalty in embarrassing fashion. Pape Sarr still scored a goal. Senegal still won the game.
Does Morocco really want to win AFCON this way? There are so many other ways to hold Senegal accountable for their actions. Warnings. Fines. Suspensions. End the game when they leave the field. People can disagree about what the “right” way to sort out all the chaos transpired is. Taking away championships or awards ultimately doesn't serve much of a purpose. The consequences just are not that severe. Senegal will still consider themselves AFCON champions. Who is going to disagree with them?
2. If this is the end, a trophy makes it much easier for Pep Guardiola to leave
Pep Guardiola’s celebrations after both of Nico O’Reilly’s goals Sunday told you everything you need to know. There was no doubt how much winning another major trophy – even if it was the Carabao Cup – meant to him. Had Manchester City come up short against Arsenal, the FA Cup would have offered their best chance at silverware. They have to beat Liverpool just to reach the semifinals of that competition.
Sunday's victory puts all of the pressure on Arsenal the rest of the season. The Gunners are the ones without a trophy and the ones who have a Premier League title to lose. Guardiola departing this summer makes sense for a number of reasons. It's hard to believe lifting a trophy will do anything but increase the likelihood that he walks away. He ended the drought (if a single season can qualify as one) and got the better of Arsenal to do it. Considering the presentation situation, it's not a bad way to go out.
3. The MLS criticism needs to stop
Inter Miami has competed in seven domestic and continental competitions since Lionel Messi joined: two Major League Soccer postseasons, three Leagues Cups and two Champions Cups. They have won two of them, beating Nashville SC in a shootout and getting outplayed on their home field by the Vancouver Whitecaps in the other. The Herons have been eliminated by a different Major League Soccer club in the other five competitions. Only one other time did they reach the final.
If MLS really is the joke some believe it to be, why hasn't Inter Miami come close to their stated goal of winning the Champions Cup and becoming the dominant force in Concacaf? Liga MX clubs haven't been the problem. Brian White, Cristian Espinoza and Paul Rothrock have. There is no denying that Miami is one of the league's all-time great teams, and no one wins all the time. Wednesday night's Champions Cup exit was just the latest reminder there are other MLS sides that are pretty darn good as well.
4. It's hard to tell what Mauricio Pochettino is thinking
The consistent theme during Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure as U.S. men's national team coach has been the importance of playing time. It hasn't mattered whether it's come in MLS or the Premier League. The players getting on the field are the ones getting called up. Pochettino broke with that philosophy for his final squad before the World Cup team is announced. Alex Freeman has played 42 minutes since leaving Orlando City for Villarreal. Gio Reyna hasn't appeared in a game since Jan. 17.
Both were included in Pochettino's squad. So was Joe Scally, a player he seemed to have little use for. Only Pochettino knows what it actually means. Maybe he just wants to use these games to get one final look at players he hasn't seen much. Maybe it's an indication that form and playing time aren't nearly as important to him as everyone assumed. Regardless of his motivations, it is more difficult to project who will make the World Cup team than it was a week ago.
5. Some final quick thoughts
While worthy of being a topic all on their own, there was not enough room to include all the following stories. They at least deserve a few sentences:
The remarkably light punishment handed down to Chelsea just incentivizes clubs to keep challenging the rules. The risk is absolutely worth the potential reward. It sets a worrying precedent for the Manchester City case too.
The National Women's Soccer League has lost promising young U.S. international after promising young U.S. international the last few years. It appears to have finally acquired one in Catarina Macario. If the deal is in fact finalized, it is a great thing for San Diego and the league.
Any confidence Tottenham may have taken from their draw with Liverpool and second leg against Atlético Madrid is gone. It’s not necessarily his fault, but there is no reason to believe Igor Tudor is the club’s best chance at survival.