Barcelona

This here is Week 3 of our keeping track of Americans abroad in these power rankings that aren't really power rankings, and I declare this edition a collector's issue. That's right, fire up the printer, make sure you've got the necessary ink levels and print this whole webpage out for posterity.

This was the week the USMNT made a strong claim to be retroactively awarded the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup after beating Chelsea 3-0 at Elland Road.  

Barcelona got its first win of the season with a hard-fought 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad at the Anoeta on Sunday night in a match that largely swung in the visitor's favor following the introduction of Ansu Fati in the 64th minute.

With Sergio Busquets suspended following his red card in Barça's opening draw with Rayo Vallecano, Xavi handed a start to Frenkie de Jong in midfield and introduced Álex Balde and Ferran Torres on the left-hand side.

With nine successive Serie A titles followed by two campaigns where Champions League qualification seemed a shallow silver lining, Juventus’ fall from grace has been clear to see in recent years. This summer has seen several big names depart Turin, and the Bianconeri will be hard-pressed to find adequate replacements in order to once again fight for the Scudetto.

Like a severed pig's head flying through the air and landing near the corner flag, a Netflix documentary surrounding Luis Figo's infamous transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid is dramatically arriving Thursday, Aug. 25.

Titled "El Caso Figo" ("The Figo Affair"), the documentary promises in-depth testimonies from Figo, Pep Guardiola, former Barça president Joan Gaspart and — the man making a supremely dramatic entrance in the final 10 seconds of the trailer — Florentino Pérez himself.    

Violence seemed to reign supreme this weekend. There were several fights as the European season fully kicked off on Friday, and Twitter had a field day with Manchester United. 

It seems FC Barcelona may be feeling the harsh consequences of its actions this summer. After signing a multitude of players in recent months for outrageous transfer fees while already having several players tied to absurd contracts, reports from Spain claim the club may not be able to register two of its biggest signings before the season and could lose them for free as a result.