On April 6, 1996, Major League Soccer held its first match. D.C. United traveled to the San Francisco Bay Area to take on the San Jose Clash, with the hosts securing the first win in the league’s history thanks to an 88th-minute Eric Wynalda winner. Were it not for the coronavirus pandemic putting the sports
admin
Bayern’s Alphonso Davies believes the club can win it all, including the Champions League. Julien Laurens explains the changes Hansi Flick has made in his time at Bayern Munich to earn an extension. Gab Marcotti explains why Manuel Neuer should not re-sign with Bayern after they signed Alexander Nubel. Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich and Leon
Sid Lowe responds to comments made by Toni Kroos who said wage cuts are like a “donation in vain.” Real Madrid have announced that their players, coaches and executives have agreed to temporary pay cuts of between 10 and 20 percent due to the coronavirus pandemic. “This decision, taken by players, coaches and staff, avoids
Take a trip down memory lane with a look back at every trophy Barcelona won from 2008-12 under Pep Guardiola. Shaka Hislop and Steve Nicol clash over Lionel Messi’s standing after his UCL showing vs. Chelsea in 2018. Relive the FC panel’s reaction to Cristiano Ronaldo’s overhead kick goal for Real Madrid against Juventus. ESPN’s
Two weeks ago, we took a look at how the Premier League’s richest clubs are stocked for the future. Now, it’s time to turn our gaze to the rest of Europe. Looking specifically at what are likely the eight richest clubs in the Spanish Primera Division, the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and French Ligue
With almost all football postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, star players have found themselves at a loose end. With many training grounds off-limits, clubs have sent footballers home, where they’re adhering to an isolation period for the next few weeks. How are they passing the time? ESPN will be keeping a daily eye
Frank Leboeuf explains what made legend Franz Beckenbauer so special and why he was his idol. The organisers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have strongly denied allegations from the U.S. Department of Justice that bribes were paid to secure votes for the hosting rights to the tournament. Suspicion and rumours have long surrounded
Zlatan Ibrahimovic launches a fundraiser to “kick coronavirus away” in typical Zlatan fashion. Herc Gomez gives his No. 2 pick of MLS’s biggest stars. Watch the full segment on ESPN FC’s YouTube channel. The Toe Poke Daily is here every day during soccer’s coronovirus-enforced shutdown to bring you all the weirdest stories and quirkiest viral
Bill Barnwell runs down his picks for the best transfers ever. Today, we’re continuing the Top 100 Premier League transfers series. After running through the best transfers from 100 to 51, we’ll hit the top 50 today. Signings from 19 different clubs are represented on the list, with a likely source leading the way. Fourteen
ESPN’s MLS commentator Jon Champion gives his all-time top goals in Major League Soccer. Eric Wynalda explains what it meant to him to score the first goal in Major League Soccer history in 1996. Relive some of the best of David Beckham’s 18 career MLS goals. Eric Wynalda’s late heroics led San Jose Clash past
Sid Lowe responds to comments made by Toni Kroos who said wage cuts are like a “donation in vain.” Julien Laurens explains why players have yet to take action on wage cuts despite being ready to donate money. Craig Burley says the players have become scapegoats for the financial problems caused by the pandemic. Fiorentina
Julien Laurens believes clubs that furlough non-playing staff should not buy players without selling first. Liverpool’s David James gets a taste of Thai food alongside John Dykes as they discuss food, football and pre-match meal routines. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said there is “no way” Liverpool will be denied the opportunity to win the Premier
Manchester City have confirmed that Pep Guardiola’s mother has died after contracting the coronavirus. Dolors Sala Carrio died in Barcelona after falling ill. She was 82 years old. A statement issued by City on Monday read, “The Manchester City family are devastated to report the death today of Pep’s mother Dolors Sala Carrio in Manresa,
FifPro General Secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffman explains covid-19’s financial impact on even the biggest clubs. FIFA has recommended extending players’ contracts which were due to end in June and said it will allow transfer windows to be moved to allow for extensions to the current European season caused by the coronavirus pandemic, it said Tuesday. –
Julien Laurens explains the changes Hansi Flick has made in his time at Bayern Munich to earn an extension. Gab Marcotti explains why Manuel Neuer should not re-sign with Bayern after they signed Alexander Nubel. Thomas Muller has signed a contract extension at Bayern Munich until 2023, the club announced on Tuesday. Muller, 30, flirted
La Liga releases a video to thank those still going to work amid the coronavirus crisis in Spain. La Liga chief Javier Tebas has heavily criticised Serie A’s finances following talk Inter Milan was a realistic destination for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. Ex-Inter president Massimo Moratti told an Italian radio station that he felt Inter
The winter transfer window is closed, but now it’s time to look ahead to the summer! Here are the new rumours floating around Europe’s big leagues and beyond. TOP STORY: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City in battle for Aouar Lyon wonderkid Houssem Aouar is attracting plenty of interest from England, with Arsenal joining Liverpool and Manchester
It’s morning on New Year’s Day and a Premier League club player liaison officer’s phone rings. A first-team player has a problem and it needs fixing. When something happens, a footballer doesn’t call the manager, the owner, the captain or the physio, they call the player liaison officer. “It was one of our foreign lads,
With almost all football postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, star players have found themselves at a loose end. With many training grounds off-limits, clubs have sent footballers home, where they’re adhering to an isolation period for the next few weeks. How are they passing the time? ESPN will be keeping a daily eye
Former LA Galaxy players Alan Gordon and Mike Magee join Taylor Twellman to assess the state of the current side. Herc Gomez gives his No. 3 pick of MLS’s biggest stars. For the full segment watch on ESPN FC’s YouTube channel. LA Galaxy striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez is convinced that his mental attributes propelled him