Let's get the ugly out of the way: Liverpool, Champions League finalist for a second time in three seasons, is out of the Rankings. What? How, you ask, can a club ranked No. 3 just two weeks ago drop right off the map? Screw you, Freedman! (I'd be getting off lightly if that were the worst of what you're writing me.) I've made a decision here, folks: At this advanced point in the season, clubs deserve to be on these rankings for one of two reasons: They've either won a major trophy or are still in the running for one. And Liverpool, despite an amazing run to Athens, finishes its year with zip. True, the Reds are a better team than a lot of clubs on this list. But -- and truthfully, I don't know how many times I can repeat this -- we're not doing a ranking of the best clubs in the world here. As I've argued before, if that were the case, there'd be very little change and we'd all be bored out of our skulls. Our little bi-weekly exercise is a reflection of where the momentum is shifting among the seats of power in the world -- who's dominating and which clubs are establishing themselves as epicenters of soccer might. And while Liverpool defied the odds and shut a lot of doubters up, they're still going home empty-handed. Meanwhile, the 10 below all have reasons to stay pumped. Also, here's a new bonus: For those of you who want to vent over the Rankings, we'll start offering a link to my Throw-Ins blog on Fan Nation to give you a chance to react. Click here to give me your thoughts. Note: All rankings, records and statistics are through May 30.
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AC Milan
Following our own logic, there's no other choice for No. 1. Yes, Milan started the season under a cloud, limped out of the Coppa Italia and finished fourth in Serie A. But if we're talking about powerful positions, the conversation ends with the European Cup, the most coveted club trophy in the world. Milan got its act together in time to win the Champions League and put on countless beautiful performances to get there. The one everyone will remember is the 3-0 mauling of Manchester United, of course. Or is it the 2-0 comeback at Bayern Munich? Maybe Kaká's injury-time winner against Celtic?
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Manchester United
We paid $25 to watch that? The FA Cup final was a snooze, so let's focus on this: Winning the English Premier League in a year when the top-to-bottom quality made it the most competitive competition in the world (excusing some god-awful performances by Watford, Wigan and Fulham, of course) is an incredible achievement. Man Utd hoists its first real hardware in three years, and is already looking ahead to next season. Its three new signings -- Owen Hargreaves and Portuguese-league duo Anderson and Nani -- all have the talent to make major contributions at Old Trafford.
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Sevilla
Why is third-place Sevilla the highest-ranked amongst Spain's trio sprinting to the finish? Because somehow, the Sevillistas are only two points off the pace in La Liga with two matches to play, and they've hung tight even while gutting out a successful defense of their UEFA Cup title and reaching their first Copa del Rey final in 45 years. So you tell me, which Spanish contender has the least pressure on it: Real Madrid, seeking its first trophy in four seasons? Barcelona, looking for anything to keep this year from being dubbed a failure? Or Sevilla, with a European trophy in the case, a major domestic trophy a likelihood and a breakthrough Champions League berth sewn up?
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Chelsea
I love how the Chelsea spin machine works. The club's goal this season was clearly a Champions League title and it came up short again. But there's José Mourinho hoisting the FA Cup and bellowing as if that was what he wanted all along. But Chelsea gets its prize, the season ends on an up note and, most importantly, Mourinho's ridiculous canine epic has come to a merciful close: "The dog is in Portugal and the city of London is safe," said the Special One, in one final zinger for '06-07.
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Inter Milan
Hernán Crespo is staying, and Inter may be reconsidering letting Luís Figo leave for Saudi Arabia. All signs that say the Nerazzurri are serious about keeping their nucleus intact. On a completely biased note (and this is totally jumping the gun), if the Bay Area truly is getting the Earthquakes back next year, Figo should be designated-player target No. 1. What better guy is there to build around for a new era? The former Portuguese captain is still enchanted by MLS, he's fond of the Golden State and the Luso-American population just south in Central California is one of the largest in the country.
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Real Madrid
Funny what a little win streak will do for karma. As Real comes tantalizingly close to that elusive title, here are the side plots that are spreading the warm fuzzies all over the Bernabéu: The renewed love affair with David Beckham grows more passionate every day; Ruud van Nistelrooy and Dutch national coach Marco van Basten have made up, and the striker looks ready to don the Oranje again; the sentimental drivel points to 34-year-old Roberto Carlos staying put; and after a near-mutiny earlier this season, even captain Raúl says he wants Fabio Capello to remain as coach.
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Pachuca
The town of Pachuca has a long history for its silver-mining industry, and los Tuzos certainly know how to mine for hardware: Their Mexican Clausura trophy wraps up a 12-month span that includes the '06 Clausura title, the Copa Sudamericana and the '07 CONCACAF Champions Cup. For a club that is way outside the supposed elite of the Mexican league, that's a remarkable haul. But what a slap in the face for leading scorer Juan Carlos Cacho, who was unceremoniously dropped by Hugo Sánchez for Mexico's Gold Cup team. So much for cracking the elite.
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Boca Juniors
It's a shame Mauricio Macri can't dig into his coffers for the cash to hold onto Juan Román Riquelme, because the veteran's poise, leadership and massive experience are what's driving Boca right now. It's a joy to watch this group play because the former Argentine national-team captain is the Magic Johnson to the Boca Showtime -- the guy whose mere presence on the pitch makes everyone better. Now all the Xeneizes need to do is put teams away early instead of waiting for must-win games. Against a surprise Copa Libertadores semifinalist like Cúcuta Deportivo, which is quick to pounce on mistakes, Boca can't afford to be lazy.
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Santos
That was quite a beating Santos took from a hungry Grêmio side on Wednesday night in the first leg of their Libertadores semifinal. With the pressure the home team was putting on, it's a wonder the score wasn't worse than 2-0. So why is Santos still sitting here? Because if history shows us anything, it's that the Fish will come back hard in the second leg at the Vila Belmiro, where they've won all six of their Libertadores matches this year by a 17-3 margin. Expect big-game veteran Zé Roberto -- the tournament's leading scorer, who was quiet in the first leg -- to go unleashed in the second.
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FC Barcelona
The truth hurts. The follow-up to an amazing '05-06, in which Barça dominated everyone, is a season that could end without a single trophy. The worst part is that the best the Blaugrana can do is win their final two matches against crosstown rival Espanyol and relegation-bound Gimnàstic and hope Real stumbles against Zaragoza or Mallorca. On paper, Barcelona has the edge there, so there's hope. But this club has done little over the last few months to show it still has the cold-blooded quality that saw it run teams off the pitch last season.
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Honorable mentions: Grêmio, AS Roma, Cúcuta Deportivo, Celtic, Olympique Lyonnais, FC Porto, VfB Stuttgart
Dropped off: Liverpool, AS Roma, Club América
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