Football

Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondentOct 11, 2024, 10:08 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Sergio Agüero filed a lawsuit against Barcelona for €3 million ($3.2m) over money owed as part of his 2021 contract termination and the matter is still in court, an official report sent to the Catalan club’s members has revealed. Agüero, 36, joined Barça

Lizzy Becherano Oct 10, 2024, 08:35 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Lionel Messi blamed the conditions of the pitch Estadio Monumental de Maturín for Argentina‘s “ugly’ 1-1 draw against Venezuela on Thursday night in their first World Cup qualifier of the October international window. The heavy rain in Maturin, Venezuela impacted the pitch before kickoff,

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentOct 10, 2024, 06:41 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LONDON — On the plus side, Lee Carsley now has a ready-made reply the next time he’s asked if all of England‘s best young attackers can fit into the same team. The downside for the interim manager is that in finding out the answer

Jeff Carlisle Close Jeff Carlisle U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Julien Laurens Oct 10, 2024, 10:47 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Earlier this week, the players on the U.S. men’s national team took the first steps into a new frontier as they experienced their first

Lizzy Becherano Oct 9, 2024, 04:32 PM ET Open Extended Reactions United States midfielder Brenden Aaronson said he has “unfinished business” with Leeds United after returning to the Championship team for the 2024-25 season. Aaronson first joined Leeds in May 2022 from Red Bull Salzburg, signing a five-year contract with the club. He played in

Jeff Kassouf Oct 9, 2024, 05:18 PM ET Five former employees of San Diego Wave FC have filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court against the club and the National Women’s Soccer League alleging multiple forms of discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination. The suit adds additional allegations to those made over the

Open Extended Reactions Jürgen Klopp is back, but not as you know him. The former Liverpool manager has swapped the dugout for the directors’ box in taking on the role of head of global soccer for the Red Bull group, a move announced early Wednesday. The man in the baseball cap and tracksuit is now

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterOct 9, 2024, 03:13 AM ET Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Open Extended Reactions Jürgen Klopp is set to make his return to football as head of global soccer

Lizzy Becherano Oct 8, 2024, 03:51 PM ET Open Extended Reactions United States defender Antonee Robinson said the atmosphere at training already feels “a little bit more intense” under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino as players prepare for October friendlies against Panama and Mexico. Pochettino will lead his first international window with the team after

Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondentOct 8, 2024, 07:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Andrés Iniesta, one of the greatest midfielders ever to play the game, announced his retirement from football on Tuesday after making more than 1,000 appearances and winning dozens of trophies. Iniesta, who turned 40 in May, left his mark on some of the

Joseph Lowery Oct 7, 2024, 10:36 AM ET Open Extended Reactions It’s Monday, and another week of MLS action is in the books, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings. Our Power Rankings are derived from a combination of key season statistics (points per game, goal differential, expected goal differential), recent performance, the Opta

Ryan Rosenblatt Oct 7, 2024, 10:41 AM ET Open Extended Reactions It’s Monday, and another week of NWSL action is in the books, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings. Our rankings are derived from a combination of key season statistics (points per game, goal differential, expected goal differential), recent performance, the Opta computer

Open Extended Reactions Manchester United have made their worst-ever start to a Premier League season and go into the international break in 14th place. With just two wins from seven games, manager Erik ten Hag’s position is under ever-growing threat. United’s new powerbrokers, the team of executives built by Sir Jim Ratcliffe since his INEOS

Open Extended Reactions BIRMINGHAM, England — If Sir Jim Ratcliffe invested £1.25 billion in Manchester United for the thrills and spills that come with being associated with one of the world’s biggest football clubs, he might just want his money back … unless he gets his kicks out of firing a manager. As Erik ten

Jeff Kassouf Oct 5, 2024, 09:47 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The Orlando Pride clinched their first National Women’s Soccer League Shield at home on Sunday with a 2-0 win over the second-place Washington Spirit at Inter&Co Stadium. Pride playmaker and captain Marta scored from the penalty spot in the 56th minute before Orlando midfielder

Manchester United ground out a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on Sunday in a Premier League game steeped in speculation about the future of the visitors’ under-fire manager Erik ten Hag. The draw sends Unai Emery’s team into the international break fifth in the table on 14 points after seven games, while United are languishing

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentOct 5, 2024, 05:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Manchester United‘s players must take responsibility for their run of poor form instead of pinning the blame on under-fire manager Erik ten Hag, according to Harry Maguire. Ten Hag’s job is on the line ahead of the trip to Aston Villa on Sunday after

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Oct 5, 2024, 06:24 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid‘s players are “sad” and “worried” after defender Dani Carvajal suffered what looked like a “serious knee injury” in their 2-0 LaLiga win over Villarreal on Saturday. Federico Valverde put Madrid ahead in the first half at the