Football

5:26 AM ET With just one weekend left until the European leagues shut down for the World Cup, there was plenty of drama to discuss across the continent! From Arsenal cementing their Premier League lead with an easy win at Chelsea to Bayern Munich reclaiming top spot in the Bundesliga after beating Hertha Berlin (and

5:09 PM ET It’s officially World Cup month, but before league action pauses ahead of the tournament, there are several storylines to follow across Europe. Arsenal claimed bragging rights over Chelsea, a club icon took a bow at Barcelona, and storm clouds are gathering over Atletico Madrid. ESPN correspondents Julien Laurens, Alex Kirkland, James Tyler,

12:53 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Erik ten Hag branded Manchester United‘s tactics during the 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa “stupid” while accusing his players of not following the game plan. United’s nine-game unbeaten run came to and end at Villa Park in Unai Emery’s first game in charge with Ten Hag afterwards calling the performance

9:30 AM ET LONDON — Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League courtesy of a 1-0 win over London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) Gabriel put Arsenal ahead on 63 minutes with his second goal of the season to settle a hard-fought

11:12 PM ET Cesar Hernandez LOS ANGELES — Not even Hollywood finest could have written the script that played out Saturday in the MLS Cup title win for LAFC. Headlined by leading men such as Carlos Vela, Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale, who are massive stars on their own, LAFC were heavy favorites against the

7:18 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LAFC won its first-ever MLS Cup title, beating the Philadelphia Union 3-0 on penalty kicks after a thrilling, roller-coaster final at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday finished 3-3 after extra time. Substitute goalkeeper John McCarthy, in just his second appearance for the club, was LAFC’s hero, coming off

9:49 AM ET Associated Press Shannon Boxx, a three-time Olympic gold medalist with the United States and member of their 2015 World Cup team, has been appointed vice chair of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s participant safety task force. Maryland State Youth Soccer Association executive director Greg Smith was also picked as a vice chair. –

11:30 AM ET LOS ANGELES — It’s been 19 years since the No. 1 seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences met in an MLS Cup, which LAFC and the Philadelphia Union will do on Saturday. MLS has changed an awful lot in that time. In 2003, there were only 10 teams in the league.

12:37 PM ET Bruce Schoenfeld In 2022, Manuel Pellegrini led Real Betis to their third Copa del Rey title. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) SEVILLE, Spain — When Manuel Pellegrini folds his lanky frame into a chair at the Real Betis training facility, he has time on his mind. He isn’t hurried, but his

9:30 AM ET Sid LoweSpain writer “Culers, I have to tell you something,” he posted at 6.36 p.m. on a grey Thursday evening in November, and just like that, it was over. Twenty-five years after he joined the club where he’d been a member from the day he was born, and 15 years since he

5:00 AM ET The battle for Jude Bellingham is hotting up, with Liverpool in pole position — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. Jump to: Real Madrid ready for battle | Barcelona plan more spending | Shakhtar set for MLS fundraising drive | Alonso’s new deal | Prem clubs to help financially struggling fans Liverpool

1:18 PM ET The next time the Champions League becomes the dominant topic in soccer, we will be approaching Valentine’s Day. An entire World Cup will have come and gone. We’ll have spent many thousands of words talking about player wear and tear, particularly for players on the four teams that will have played seven

8:05 AM ET AC Milan‘s Zlatan Ibrahimovic has questioned Kylian Mbappe‘s decision to stay at Paris Saint-Germain and warned him that “you are never bigger than a club.” Mbappe snubbed a move to Real Madrid to sign a three-year extension with the French champions in May and became the highest-paid player in world football, according

5:00 AM ET Bayern Munich finished the group stage with a perfect record for the third time in four years. S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty Images The 2022-23 Champions League group stage is all wrapped up, and there was no shortage of drama, goals and chaos. Bayern Munich achieved a perfect record, Tottenham Hotspur narrowly clinched

5:32 PM ET Shakhtar were no match for a rampant Leipzig side who avenged a 4-1 defeat in matchday one to win 4-0 and advance to the Champions League last 16 at the Ukrainian side’s expense. EPA/Leszek Szymanski WARSAW, Poland — “We wanted to hit the jackpot, but it was not to be,” Shakhtar Donetsk coach

9:36 PM ET Ange Postecoglou has come a long way since he served as a ball boy on the sidelines at Middle Park in Melbourne. A long, long way. The stage he inhabits now is significantly grander, but the early experiences and lessons in a place that allowed him to familiarise himself with a new

5:51 PM ET Tottenham Hotspur survived a real scare in Marseille before fighting back to win 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome on Tuesday and clinch a place in the Champions League last 16 as group winners at the French side’s expense. Spurs, with coach Antonio Conte banned from the touchline, were dominated in the first

7:21 PM ET Tottenham Hotspur survived a scare in Marseille before fighting back to win 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome on Tuesday and clinch a place in the Champions League last 16 as group winners. Spurs, with coach Antonio Conte serving a one-game suspension from the touchline, went behind the French side in stoppage time