Month: April 2023

LONDON — Frank Lampard’s disastrous opening week to his second stint at Chelsea was completed as they sunk to their third successive defeat, with a 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on his Stamford Bridge return. Conor Gallagher put the hosts ahead on 13 minutes in fortuitous fashion as his deflected strike was sent

9:40 AM ET Wrexham dropped points in their bid to secure automatic promotion to the English Football League (EFL) after a goalless draw at Barnet on Saturday. The Welsh club were reduced to 10 men after defender Callum McFadzean was shown a red card after 51 minutes. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

7:24 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent American based investment firm Carlyle are interested in purchasing a minority stake in Manchester United, sources have told ESPN. Carlyle, which has assets of close to £300 billion, are among a number of companies in talks with Raine Group about investing in the Premier League club. – Stream on ESPN+:

10:04 PM ET Jorge Sampaoli returns to Brazil as Flamengo’s coach after stints at Santos and Atletico Mineiro. Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images Copa Libertadores defending champion Flamengo said on Friday it had signed a contract with Argentinian coach Jorge Sampaoli until December 2024. Earlier this week, the Brazilian side fired Portuguese coach Vitor Pereira after

8:00 AM ET Zlatan Ibrahimovic demonstrated how his black belt in taekwondo could be put to good use on a Hollywood film set. Pierre Suu/WireImage AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is no stranger to the rough and tumble of martial arts, and he has once again been demonstrating his fighting prowess by sharing an action-packed video

4:30 PM ET Cesar Hernandez The draw for this summer’s 2023 Gold Cup has placed current champions the United States in Group A alongside Jamaica, Nicaragua and a team that has yet to be determined through a preliminary round. Mexico, who finished second to the U.S. in the 2021 Gold Cup, were placed into Group

3:42 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester United‘s Lisandro Martinez will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his foot, the club have confirmed. Martinez was stretchered off during Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal and medical assessments on Friday confirmed the defender has fractured a metatarsal

11:11 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.

8:49 AM ET Christophe Galtier has said he will do everything to clear his name amid racism allegations. Photo by Aurelien Meunier – PSG/PSG via Getty Images Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier said he was “extremely shocked” by the racism allegations made against him this week and announced that he was taking legal action against the

6:15 AM ET Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has likened talk of big-money signings to a five-year-old asking for a Ferrari for Christmas, after the Merseyside club pulled out of the race to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham. Sources told ESPN on Tuesday that Liverpool ended their pursuit for England international Bellingham, instead opting to

1:27 PM ET Associated Press James Rodriguez has failed to settle at a club since leaving Real Madrid in 2020. Omar Vega/Getty Images Colombian attacking midfielder James Rodríguez was released by Olympiakos on Thursday, a day after the club was knocked out of the Greek Cup. The 31-year-old former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich player joined

3:46 PM ET Premier League assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis will face no disciplinary action by the English Football Association and is free to return to officiating after apologising to Liverpool‘s Andy Robertson for appearing to elbow the player during last Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield. Television footage showed a confrontation between Hatzidakis and