Leagues

Open Extended Reactions ALGARVE, Portugal — It was an all too familiar story for England in the opening match of their Nations League campaign, starting the road to Switzerland 2025 on the back foot as worrying form persists. The Euros are five months away, and the Nations League acts as a perfect tournament to prepare

Feb 21, 2025, 10:41 AM ET Open Extended Reactions There is a widespread understanding across German football of the compound word Bayern-Dusel. It dates back to the 1970s and relates to Bayern Munich‘s habit of somehow getting seemingly fortunate breaks to win a game near the end. Are Bayern often just plain lucky? The term

Associated Press Feb 21, 2025, 10:01 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Lorenzo Lucca‘s argument with teammates about him taking a first-half penalty scarred Udinese‘s 1-0 win at Lecce in Serie A on Friday. Captain Florian Thauvian is Udinese’s regular penalty-taker but Lucca grabbed the ball and pushed away teammates who came to discuss his decision.

Open Extended Reactions Spain and Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos is scheduled to make his Liga MX debut for Monterrey on Saturday and will sport the captain’s armband for the Mexican top flight side. “Sergio Ramos will play from the start,” said Monterrey manager Martin Demichelis on Friday ahead of the Week 8 home game

Feb 21, 2025, 10:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Find out who is missing through injury, who’s in a race against time to prove their fitness and who has been ruled out through suspension for the next round of Premier League fixtures. And as you plan your fantasy team for the next gameweek, check out

Open Extended Reactions It shouldn’t be that difficult. Real Madrid are the world’s most successful club, the reigning LaLiga and European champions. Vinícius Júnior is one of their brightest stars, last year’s Ballon d’Or runner-up and FIFA’s The Best winner. His goals helped Madrid win two of the last three Champions League finals. So why

Open Extended Reactions The path to the 2025 Champions League final is now mapped out following Friday’s draw for the round of 16, and there will be some titanic clashes on the way to the showpiece game in Munich on May 31. Defending champions Real Madrid, Premier League leaders Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal must

Sam MarsdenFeb 21, 2025, 06:20 AM ET Email Print Open Extended Reactions Liverpool have been drawn against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16, while holders Real Madrid face local rivals Atlético Madrid. Elsewhere in Friday’s draw, there will be an all-German tie as Bayern Munich meet Bayer Leverkusen, while Arsenal will take

Jeff CarlisleFeb 21, 2025, 12:23 AM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Open Extended Reactions United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes said she felt “pride” at Catarina Macario’s return to the USWNT, one that the Chelsea forward celebrated with a goal in a 2-0

Jeff CarlisleFeb 20, 2025, 11:04 PM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Open Extended Reactions Since the start of the year, there had been a lot of talk about head coach Emma Hayes’ desire to “bridge the gap” within the U.S. women’s national team. The first tier

Associated Press Feb 20, 2025, 07:17 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Inter Milan goalkeeper Yann Sommer has a broken right thumb ahead of key games in Serie A and the Champions League. Inter said the Swiss ‘keeper’s injury was revealed in tests on Thursday and “necessary therapy will be decided in the coming days.” Thumb

Lizzy Becherano Feb 20, 2025, 10:41 AM ET FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Inter Miami‘s 2024 season came to an abrupt end with elimination in the first round of the MLS playoffs, but the team had reasons to be optimistic about the future. The Herons had just lifted the 2024 Supporters’ Shield, set the league record

Feb 20, 2025, 10:50 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Spanish referee José Luis Munuera Montero has been cleared of any wrongdoing after the country’s football federation (RFEF) looked into a possible conflict of interest between his refereeing and a private sports consultancy company that he co-owns. The RFEF released a statement on Thursday that said

Open Extended Reactions Christian Pulisic has denied there is a rift between himself and AC Milan head coach Sérgio Conceição after reports emerged that he had demanded to leave the club should the Portuguese manager remain next season. Italian media claimed on Thursday that Pulisic and midfielder Youssouf Fofana had irreparably fallen out with Conceição

ESPN News Services Feb 20, 2025, 07:36 AM ET Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of kissing Jenni Hermoso without her consent after the 2023 World Cup final. OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images Former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales was found guilty of sexually assaulting player Jenni Hermoso on Thursday for kissing her without

Feb 20, 2025, 05:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 27.7% purchase of a minority stake in Manchester United — a deal that gave Britain’s richest person control of football operations at the Premier League‘s most successful club — but it has been a turbulent 12 months

Open Extended Reactions Pep Guardiola said Manchester City must now fight to qualify for next season’s Champions League after Kylian Mbappé‘s hat trick for Real Madrid sent the Premier League champions crashing out of the competition before the Round of 16. The elimination at the hands of holders Madrid ensured that former Barcelona and Bayern

Lizzy Becherano Feb 19, 2025, 11:22 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Inter Miami CF head coach Javier Mascherano labeled the conditions as “inhumane” after the team triumphed 1-0 over Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup first round at Children’s Mercy Park in freezing temperatures. “I’m very proud because I

Feb 19, 2025, 06:36 PM ET Open Extended Reactions MADRID, Spain — Kylian Mbappé sealed Real Madrid‘s 6-3 aggregate victory over Manchester City with a hat trick at the Santiago Bernabéu as the reigning European champions booked their place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Real, seeking their sixteenth Champions League title, went

ESPN Feb 19, 2025, 05:41 PM ET Email Print Open Extended Reactions Wednesday marks the second and final day of the knockout phase playoff second legs for the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season. Europe’s premier club competition is now whittling down teams as the round of 16 awaits the winners. Enjoy the play-by-play from all