8:31 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Carlo Ancelotti defended Karim Benzema after the veteran forward’s performance in Real Madrid’s 1-0 Copa del Rey semifinal first leg defeat to Barcelona on Thursday. Benzema had a first-half goal disallowed for offside at the Bernabeu but was otherwise subdued, with the home side failing to register a
Month: March 2023
7:47 AM ET Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has said the league would be willing to think “outside the box” in order to secure a deal for Lionel Messi to the play in the United States. In an interview with The Athletic, Garber confirmed the league would be highly interested in ensuring that a
5:49 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Jurgen Klopp and Erik ten Hag have released a joint statement to urge Liverpool and Manchester United fans to stop “tragedy chanting” ahead of their meeting at Anfield on Sunday. Liverpool supporters have been asked to stop singing about the 1958 Munich air crash while United fans have been told
5:44 AM ET Adriana Garcia Emiliano Martinez was named the best goalkeeper at the 2022 World Cup. Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has said he regrets making a vulgar gesture at the World Cup final but placed the blame on his teammates. After being handed the “Golden Glove” for being the best
4:42 PM ET Napoli lost for just the second time this season as Lazio moved up to second place in Serie A. Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images A second-half strike by midfielder Matias Vecino earned Lazio a 1-0 win over Napoli in Serie A on Friday, ending the runaway leaders’ winning streak of eight games. Lazio, who made
4:15 PM ET The Washington Spirit signed midfielder Chloe Ricketts to a three-year deal, making the 15-year-old the youngest player to ever sign a contract with a National Women’s Soccer League franchise, the club announced Friday. The contract also includes an option for 2026. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Ricketts, a high
8:00 AM ET With league titles and golden boots on the line, many of the big stars across Europe’s elite clubs have been proving their worth with vital goals as we prepare to enter the final third of the season. But which two players have combined for the most goal contributions in Europe’s “Big Five”
5:30 PM ET Graham Potter said his Chelsea squad remains united behind him as they attempt to salvage their season starting with Saturday’s visit of Leeds United. Potter’s side are languishing in 10th place in the Premier League and will seek to close a 14-point gap on the top four against Leeds before trying to
4:31 PM ET Borussia Dortmund took a two-goal lead in the first half and hung on for a nervous 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig on Friday to go top of the Bundesliga and stretch their perfect run in 2023 to eighth straight league wins. A Marco Reus penalty and a deflected shot from Emre Can
2:35 PM ET Moises Caicedo has excelled for Brighton since making his debut in a FA Cup tie against Tottenham in February 2022. James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images Moises Caicedo has signed a new long-term contract with Brighton & Hove Albion, the Premier League club announced Friday, just over a month after the midfielder asked to
1:53 PM ET Adriana Garcia Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino will leave Liverpool this summer after eight seasons at the club, sources confirmed to ESPN Brasil. Firmino, 31, has decided not to renew his contract which expires in June. Sky Sports were first to report the news. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Liverpool
11:23 AM ET Associated Press Brazil interim coach Ramon Menezes left Neymar, Gabriel Martinelli and Alisson out of his squad Friday for the international friendly against Morocco on March 25 in Tangier. Brazil will be playing for the first time since their elimination from the World Cup by Croatia in the quarterfinals in December. –
10:19 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Real Madrid‘s board were disappointed by coach Carlo Ancelotti’s tactics in the side’s 1-0 Copa del Rey semifinal first-leg defeat to Barcelona on Thursday, sources have told ESPN. Some senior figures at the club criticised the manager’s lack of a plan B, sources said, after a performance in
6:32 AM ET Achraf Hakimi has been charged with rape after an investigation. Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi has been charged with rape, the prosecutor’s department of Nanterre told ESPN on Friday. A preliminary investigation was opened against Hakimi last week after a 23-year-old woman went to the police accusing
5:00 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent “We want more. My contract is long, so hopefully I can win something more.” These words sound a lot like something Erik ten Hag could have said in the aftermath of Manchester United‘s Carabao Cup final victory against Newcastle on Sunday, but they belong to Jose Mourinho, who had been
4:53 AM ET Adriana Garcia LaLiga president Javier Tebas has said it is “practically impossible” for Barcelona to make any summer signings due to the club’s financial situation. Despite the departures of Gerard Pique, who retired, Memphis Depay who joined Atletico Madrid and Hector Bellerin‘s transfer to Sporting Club, league leaders Barca were unable to
4:11 PM ET Chelsea broke the British transfer record to sign Enzo Fernandez in January. Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images The new visa system put in place after Brexit is a contributory factor to Premier League clubs spending record sums on transfer fees as they find it more difficult to sign players at a younger
3:22 PM ET Cesar Hernandez Diego Cocca was named as Mexico’s new manager last month, replacing Gerardo Martino. Carlos Santiago/ Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images Mexico men’s manager Diego Cocca has left out national team veterans Hector Herrera and captain Andres Guardado in his first 34-man roster for CONCACAF Nations League matches this month, while
7:18 PM ET Canada Soccer and its women’s national team players have reached an interim funding agreement, the sport’s governing body said Thursday. The terms of the deal, which is retroactive to last season, reflect that of the men’s national team, Canada Soccer said, with per-game incentives and results-based compensation. A final collective bargaining agreement
6:11 PM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Thibaut Courtois said Real Madrid “dominated” and were “really unlucky” to lose 1-0 to Barcelona in their Copa del Rey semifinal first leg on Thursday. An own goal from Eder Militao in the first half — the ball rebounding off the defender into the net, after goalkeeper Courtois