Football

9:20 AM ET Jeff Kassouf The friendlies against New Zealand allowed the U.S. to hone in on areas of improvement as well as give younger players a chance to prove themselves. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images) Saturday’s warm-up did not go as planned for the United States women’s national team. Forward Alex Morgan felt tightness in

8:19 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Carlo Ancelotti said midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are “untouchable” at Real Madrid but “that doesn’t mean they play every game” with competition from youngsters Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde. Modric missed Thursday’s 3-2 Copa del Rey comeback win at Villarreal through injury, while Kroos

3:19 PM ET Juventus have been deducted 15 points for the current season by an Italian soccer court investigating its transfer dealings, the national soccer federation (FIGC) said Friday. The ruling, which also deals a blow to the club’s reputation, is tougher than a nine-point deduction a soccer prosecutor had requested earlier in the day

5:14 PM ET The U.S. men’s national team will have a very different look at the top as it heads into the new year. Brian McBride will not return as general manager of the program, sources have told ESPN. McBride, who scored 30 goals in 95 appearances for the U.S. as a player, became the

6:50 PM 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.

9:00 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent A day after scoring the winner against Manchester City last weekend, Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford posted a picture on Instagram of him training alone at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, alongside the caption “Summer 22.” Editor’s Picks 2 Related Rashford, 25, doesn’t care much for the noise around him,

4:29 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Messi and Ronaldo are now worlds apart in terms of where they’re playing and where they’re headed, but Thursday night was a reminder of what they’re both capable of when given a chance to score. FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — If this is to be the last

21 Mohammed Al-Owais Saves 3 Shots 0 0 Shots on Target Fouls Committed 0 0 Fouls Against Assists 0 Discipline 0 Yellow 0 Red 5 Ali Al-Bulayhi  45’+2′ Goals 0 Shots 0 0 Shots on Target Fouls Committed 1 0 Fouls Against Assists 0 Offsides 0 Discipline 1 Yellow 0 Red 20 Jang Hyun-Soo Goals

6:00 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A football fan has paid $2.6 million for a VIP ticket to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi go head-to-head in Saudi Arabia. The exhibition match at King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday will feature Paris Saint-Germain and Messi facing a select side made up of

12:01 PM ET Konrad Laimer looks to be the next RB Leipzig standout to leave East Germany for Bayern Munich. RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images Editor’s note: ESPN’s lead Bundesliga commentator, Derek Rae, is in Leipzig this week for Friday’s return of Germany‘s top flight and examines the possibility that the club most hard-core fans have

9:33 AM ET When the United States men’s national team takes the field next week against Serbia, with the squad to be announced at noon ET on Wednesday, it will officially open the 2026 World Cup cycle. Call it a soft launch. The roster won’t look anything like the version that advanced from the group

1:10 AM ET Jeff Kassouf After an underwhelming first half from the USWNT, substitutions and the gap in quality allowed them to beat New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) The United States women’s national team opened 2023 with a 4-0 win over New Zealand on Wednesday in Wellington. Mallory Swanson (nee Pugh) scored the opening

5:30 PM ET Adam Brown Liverpool booked their place into the fourth round of the FA Cup by securing a 1-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux on Tuesday night. The visitors made a bright start to the game with Liverpool’s midfield looking much more controlled in their pressing, and they got themselves in front in

2:33 AM ET Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play in Saudi Arabia for the first time since joining Al Nassr after he was named as captain of Riyadh ST XI for an exhibition match against Lionel Messi‘s Paris Saint-Germain, officials announced on Monday. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The 37-year-old will lead

4:27 PM ET If you visit Rio Ferdinand’s social media accounts, you’ll discover him sharing a clip from Sunday’s Spanish Supercopa final, in which Barcelona dismantled Real Madrid 3-1 to win Xavi’s first Camp Nou trophy as a coach. The world-class former Manchester United sweeper announces, “The Xavi impact is here. I know what this

1:11 PM ET It’s back! The first Marcotti Musings of 2023 is here, and the European soccer weekend offered up plenty to talk about, from Arsenal, Barcelona and Man United getting memorable, morale-boosting wins over their rivals Tottenham, Real Madrid and Man City respectively to more pain at Liverpool. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga,

9:27 AM ET Sophie Lawson It’s January of a World Cup year, and the U.S. women’s national team is about to kick off the first of a series of friendly games that will take the Americans to the start of the quadrennial tournament. Ahead of the 2019 and 2015 Women’s World Cups, it was trips

12:32 AM ET Another weekend of European football is in the books and, once again, there is drama everywhere you look. Barcelona have lifted the Spanish Supercopa, humiliating Real Madrid in the process, while Arsenal, Manchester United and Napoli all secured statement wins. ESPN correspondents Julien Laurens, James Tyler, Rob Dawson, Alex Kirkland and Sam