It is the vision of United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the ambition of his multi-national corporation City Football Group to be the dominant power in world club soccer. CFG has clubs all over the world, including in the United States. The spearhead of Sheikh Mansour's vision and of CFG's ambition obviously is Manchester City Football Club and Manchester City destroyed the English league last year, setting records for most points, becoming the first club to get over 100, most goals, most wins, and greatest point difference over its nearest rival. CFG has now trained its eyes on Europe.

To use the analogy of World War II, CFG opened an Eastern front this year. The Champions League has always been what CFG wanted. But, as Germany did, they thought destroying England was the same as conquering England. Rule follows conquest. Here the war analogy breaks down because you cannot literally destroy a competitive sport without also destroying yourself as a participant in the competition. Your goal is dominance, as Barcelona dominates Spanish football, Bayern Munich does German football, as the New York Yankees of old dominated American baseball.

You have to hold what you conquer. CFG thought, not unreasonably, that the destruction of the EPL last season meant that they could hold England, win the EPL title again this year, and at the same time open an Eastern front and begin dominance of the continent. They had too much faith in the players. If City do not win the EPL this year, obviously CFG's strategy will have failed, as Germany's did in World War II. If they do hold England this year, still the fall off from last season's margin of victory and the improvement of Liverpool mean that they cannot be said in any real sense to dominate English soccer. Win the EPL this season or lose the EPL this season, if they win the UCL they cannot be said to be the dominant football club on the continent. Even if they win both.

Like Germany also, CFG has forgotten about the behemoth across the Atlantic. Would be world conquerors do so at their peril. CFG was perfectly set up in the States for conquest and rule. They got the New York City franchise! They are co-owned by the Yankees! Play at Yankee Stadium! CFG could have conquered and ruled Major League Soccer in perpetuity and for a fraction of the cost of conquering England and Europe. Yet, it is Atlanta United, one year newer, who won MLS this season and are the clear model franchise. In their three seasons in the league New York City Football Club have never won their conference much less the league and have finished with the fourth, second, and seventh best records overall in the second-rate league.

City Football Group have not come close to conquering American soccer, have never repeated as EPL champions and have never won Europe. They must win England, Europe and America in the same year to grasp their ambition. Then we will see if they can hold what they grasped.