Football

5:33 PM ET Orlando City SC and United States striker Daryl Dike said his loan spell at Barnsley was a “crazy” experience and helped shape him into the player he is today. Dike, 21, played 26 games in all competitions for the Championship club after joining on loan in January, scoring 11 goals as Barnsley

11:04 AM ET Caitlin Murray When the U.S. women’s national team finally begins its Olympic campaign in Japan, it will be the massive favorite. There are some good reasons for that, including its No. 1 world ranking and its title as the reigning World Cup champion. But there’s an even better reason: there’s just not

5:30 AM ET For the United States men’s national team, Thursday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup group-stage match against Martinique wasn’t really about the result. The 6-1 win matters, of course, but the real value for head coach Gregg Berhalter was in seeing some young faces up close in a competitive environment. The upcoming three-match World Cup

11:52 PM ET The United States rode a pair of Daryl Dike goals to an easy 6-1 win over Martinique to book a spot in the knockout rounds of the 2021 Gold Cup on Thursday night in Kansas City. – Gold Cup fixtures, results, schedule and more– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

11:00 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Withington, MANCHESTER — It was around 3 a.m. on Monday when Greater Manchester Police received the first report that the mural of Marcus Rashford in the south of the city had been vandelised. A few hours earlier, 200 miles away at Wembley Stadium, Rashford, along with England teammates Jadon Sancho

6:27 PM ET Adam Brown Euro 2020 and the Copa America are over and the summer transfer window is open, leaving Europe’s biggest clubs clear to make a splash in the market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here. TOP STORY: Chelsea plot move for Haaland Chelsea‘s pursuit of Borussia

8:54 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Lionel Messi and Barcelona have reached an agreement for the forward to sign a new five-year deal with the Catalan club, sources have confirmed to ESPN. Sources added Messi has accepted a significant wage reduction to prolong his stay. Messi was a free agent after his contract at

12:45 PM ET Outside Red Bull Arena, the clinks of Coronas, a blaring Bad Bunny track and the anxious frenzy of juggling circles score the dusk. Inside, a sprite with copper-tinged hair skates around his contemporaries in hot pink cleats: Sporting Kansas City midfielder, Gianluca Busio, still weeks shy of his 19th birthday. Sporting KC

4:00 AM ET Gianluca Vialli made me choke up. And to think, this wasn’t my first rodeo. Between World Cup finals, Champions League finals and Europa League finals, playoff finals, domestic cup finals, European Championship and Copa America finals … I’m well north of 60 in a professional capacity. When you have the privilege of

8:45 AM ET Eric GomezMexico writer The Mexican men’s national team can make a case that it is the most popular soccer team in two countries. So it is jarring to consider that fan allegiance to a controversial stadium tradition could ban El Tri from next year’s World Cup and strip Mexico of co-hosting duties

3:54 AM ET Ian DarkeESPN.com writer Close Darke, who called games for the network during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, is ESPN lead soccer voice in the United States. He has covered the Barclays Premier League and the Champions League since 1982, and has one of the world’s most recognizable soccer voices.