2:05 PM ET Andrea Pirlo, center, is trying to revamp Juventus and extend their Serie A dynasty. How is he doing? Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images Few things in life make me happier than a well-crafted (American) football playbook. It lays out a coach’s foundational principles and underlying philosophy. It defines how they intend to
Month: December 2020
5:30 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has welcomed Ed Woodward’s long-term backing but the Manchester United manager has accepted he is never more than six games from the sack. Woodward has been firm in his stance that Solskjaer fits the club’s “long-term approach” with his latest show of support coming at a fans’
12:49 PM ET Arsenal‘s best results under Mikel Arteta have come in a style markedly at odds with the philosophy the Spaniard outlined when taking charge last December. “There are some things that have to have a blueprint,” he said at the time. “We have to have passion, we have to be dominant, we have
5:15 PM ET The United States, Mexico, and other CONCACAF countries will play three matches in four of the five designated international windows as the men’s FIFA World Cup qualifying round schedule was announced on Friday. – Lindberg: The keys to New England’s MLS Cup playoff run– MLS playoffs: Fixtures, results, final date and key
7:39 PM ET Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke of his frustration at Brexit’s impact on English football, with the German concerned tough new transfer rules being implemented on Jan. 1 are a negative consequence of Britain leaving the European Union. Premier League clubs will not be allowed to sign players from European Union (EU) countries
1:47 PM ET The reforms aim to give greater protections to women. Harold Cunningham/Getty Images Professional women footballers are to be guaranteed maternity leave under new rules approved by FIFA on Friday, the global football body’s president Gianni Infantino said. Under the new rules, approved by the decision-making FIFA Council on Friday, a player will be
3:54 PM ET Jeff Carlisle Close U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Kyle Bonagura Close ESPN Staff Writer Covers the Pac-12. Joined ESPN in 2014. Attended Washington State University. MLS is making contingency plans for the MLS Cup final that include the possibility of holding the
12:49 PM ET Italian side Napoli‘s San Paolo stadium has been officially renamed the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium after the late Argentina midfielder who led them to their only two Serie A titles and the UEFA Cup, the city’s council said on Friday. Maradona died last week after suffering a heart attack at his home
8:42 AM ET Paris Saint-Germain are exploring the possibility of signing Barcelona‘s Lionel Messi in the summer, sources have told ESPN. Messi wanted to leave Barca in August after the 8-2 Champions League elimination to Bayern Munich, and sources told ESPN at the time that Manchester City led the chase to sign him. – Insider
9:53 AM ET Arsenal‘s players exchanged angry words with each other in a clear-the-air meeting after manager Mikel Arteta called the squad together to identify reasons behind their poor start to the season. Sources have told ESPN that Arteta assembled the entire first-team group on Tuesday in a bid to address a slump in form
8:50 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has said it wasn’t helpful for the club’s acting president Carles Tusquets to say that Lionel Messi should have been sold last summer. Tusquets, who is in charge of the managing committee running Barca until a new president is elected on Jan. 24, said
6:54 AM ET Juventus are under investigation following irregularities found in an Italian citizenship test Luis Suarez underwent in September. At the time of the initial investigation on Sept. 22, the Italian finance police chief Selvaggio Sarri had said Juve were not being looked into, but that situation has now changed. – Insider Notebook: Man
6:16 AM ET Patrick Vieira has been sacked as Nice head coach after a poor run of form, the club announced on Friday. The French club were dumped out of the Europa League group stages after a 3-2 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday. – Insider Notebook: Man United give Solskjaer backing Nice
4:47 PM ET Last season, Hertha and Union split the first-ever top-flight derbies, Union winning 1-0 in November and Hertha 4-0 in May. Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS In early November 2019, Union and Hertha Berlin fans boarded a boat at the S-Bahnhof Friedrichstraße. They were to attend the first-ever Bundesliga derby
9:32 PM ET Anirudh Menon Oh, what fun the Champions League can be when it is in the mood. In Group A, Bayern Munich (already comfortably through) drew Atletico Madrid 1-1. Shakhtar Donetsk blew Group B wide open by doing the double over Real Madrid, beating them 2-0. They are both on seven points now.
4:51 PM ET Fans returned to the Emirates as Arsenal raced past Rapid Vienna 4-1 in their penultimate Europa League Group B match on Thursday. The Gunners, who qualified for the 32-team knockout stage the previous round, welcomed in around 2,000 fans before goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Pablo Mari, Edward Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe
10:23 PM ET Kevin Molino scored twice as Minnesota United FC knocked off top seed Sporting KC in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference playoff semifinal at Children’s Mercy Park on Thursday night. The home side had the better of the early chances, but it was Minnesota that scored first when Molino calmly finished off a
5:53 PM ET LONDON — Never has a dead Europa League game felt so alive. Arsenal had already qualified for the competition’s round of 32 prior to kickoff, prompting manager Mikel Arteta to make 11 changes to his starting lineup. But try telling the 2,000 fans in attendance that this match didn’t matter. After nine
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9:32 AM ET David Moyes will hope to beat Man United for the first time since leaving the club. CLIVE ROSE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images It has taken almost eight years, but David Moyes is finally emerging from the shadow of his Manchester United nightmare. The Scot can put the seal on his rejuvenation by guiding West