Billed as the biggest MLS playoff game ever, Taylor Twellman says LAFC-LA Galaxy exceeded expectations. Craig Burley and Frank Leboeuf try to make sense of why Zlatan Ibrahimovic would consider joining Napoli. Shaka Hislop feels Zlatan Ibrahimovic fits into a number of clubs amid Napoli links. Zlatan Ibrahimovic aimed an indecent gesture at an LAFC fan
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4:54 PM ET A quick-fire strike from Lionel Messi and a second half own goal gave Barcelona a 2-1 win over Slavia Prague in a thrilling Champions League Group F encounter on Wednesday where both sides spurned multiple chances. Barcelona swarmed forward from the kick off, keeping Slavia bottled up in their own end and
Craig Burley explains how the return of multiple players from injury helped Liverpool power past Genk. Steve Nicol says Tottenham’s win vs. Red Star will have Mauricio Pochettino rethinking his plan for Liverpool. The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to bring you all the weirdest stories, quirkiest viral content and top trolling that
Brian McBride names his top 3 destinations for Kylian Mbappe, including a potential move to Old Trafford. After all, the worst thing possible for the Club Brugge players and their fans on Tuesday was actually to see Kylian Mbappe on the bench for PSG. What might have looked like good news in theory, with the
Shaka Hislop doesn’t see much promise from Real Madrid after a shocking loss to Mallorca. “Sack Zinedine Zidane!” Really? Sack him? Real Madrid should be preparing to promote him, and I’ll tell you precisely why. The brutal prospect of Los Blancos getting rid of the legend who won them three straight Champions League titles, as
Stewart Robson presents his top five players in the world, but questions arise over some glaring omissions. Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri will not intervene to stop Cristiano Ronaldo taking free kicks within scoring range, he said Friday, despite the Portuguese forward’s dismal record for the Turin side. According to TruMedia, Ronaldo has taken 29 free
The Serie Awesome crew discuss the strengths of Stefano Pioli ahead of his expected appointment at AC Milan. As they say in Italy, it always rains on the wet. Right now, Roma and Milan, who play Sunday (1:00 PM ET on ESPN+), are down on their luck, caught in a downpour. And just when the
5:01 PM ET Forward Lautaro Martinez scored one goal and missed a second-half penalty as a lacklustre Inter Milan scraped their first win in their Champions League group by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on Wednesday. The Argentine broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute, scoring from close range after Stefan de Vrij’s pass sent him
The entire FC panel agrees that both sides performed poorly in Inter’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol explains why Jadon Sancho should depart Dortmund and take the next step in his footballing career. Raphael Honigstein joins the crew to weigh in on Borussia Dortmund’s signings, and questions whether or not they’ve
Brian McBride names his top 3 destinations for Kylian Mbappe, including a potential move to Old Trafford. The transfer windows in Europe’s top leagues are closed, but it’s never too early to look forward to January. Click here to view the latest transfers, and keep up to date with the newest gossip below. Top 10
Keepers make saves. Defenders prevent shots. Midfielders pass the ball, and attackers score it. BORING. Sure, soccer is slowly moving toward the positional flexibility we’re seeing in other professional sports — or perhaps back toward the fluidity that was required to play Total Football. However, there’s still a general expectation that comes with every position
The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to bring you all the weirdest stories, quirkiest viral content and top trolling that the internet has to offer, all in one place. Jump to: Chris Smalling takes ball to face, referee gives penalty for handball | Liverpool fans who went to Gent instead of Genk given tickets
ESPN FC’s Brian Mcbride says the former U.S. under-20 manager is a strong hire for the Houston Dynamo. Six games. Twenty-seven goals. The MLS Cup Playoffs are off to an electric start. Catch more MLS on ESPN+. Tab Ramos has been named the next coach of the Houston Dynamo, the MLS club announced on Friday.
Steve Nicol highlights Raheem Sterling’s maturation in recent years after Man City’s win vs. Atalanta. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged Phil Foden to learn from his Champions League red card against Atalanta. Foden, starting a game for just the second time with season, was booked twice in the second half to see red
With the third set of Champions League group stage games finished, we look at who stood out from this week’s performances. Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) Courtois has not always found life comfortable under the relentless spotlight at Real Madrid but he answered some of his critics in the crucial win at Galatasaray. Fine early
Stewart Robson presents his top five players in the world, but questions arise over some glaring omissions. After a strong week in the Champions League and Serie A, Juventus take the top spot on Shaka Hislop’s top 10. Tottenham and Manchester City both scored five times in comfortable victories on Matchday 3 of the UEFA
Janusz Michallik and Ross Dyer believe Barcelona’s new boys are starting to click after their 3-0 win at Eibar. Sid Lowe looks at the possibility of El Clasico being moved from the Camp Nou to Miami, Florida. ESPN FC’s Gab Marcotti provides the latest on the Catalonia protests and how they might affect La Liga.
5:01 PM ET German champions Bayern Munich needed two goals from their top scorer Robert Lewandowski to sneak past hosts Olympiakos 3-2 on Tuesday and remain top of their Champions League Group B. The Greeks scored on the break when Kostas Tsimikas’s cross found Youssef El Arabi at the far post and the Moroccan beat
The transfer windows in Europe’s top leagues are closed, but it’s never too early to look forward to January. Click here to view the latest transfers, and keep up to date with the newest gossip below. Top 10 free agents in 2020 | European transfer review TOP STORY: Chelsea eye January moves for strike duo Chelsea
ESPN FC’s Gab Marcotti provides the latest on the Catalonia protests and how they might affect La Liga. Janusz Michallik and Ross Dyer believe Barcelona’s new boys are starting to click after their 3-0 win at Eibar. Shaka Hislop reacts to reports that Barcelona are interested in Marcus Rashford over Roberto Firmino. Shaka Hislop doesn’t