Football

3:42 PM ET It’s the juxtaposition that gets you. Davy Propper and Christian Eriksen made their professional debuts on the very same day and on Tuesday — 4,370 days later — they made radically different different choices when faced with an almost existential question: How do I feel about football? One is in love. The

12:43 PM ET Newcastle United suffered a humiliating 1-0 home defeat by third-tier Cambridge United on a day of FA Cup shocks in the third round (stream all games LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S.) Premier League strugglers Newcastle flexed their new financial muscle by signing England full-back Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid on Friday

9:05 AM ET Lorenzo Insigne will join Major League Soccer side Toronto FC. Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images Toronto FC will sign Lorenzo Insigne from Serie A side Napoli in the summer, the Major League Soccer club said on Saturday. Insigne has signed a four-year deal and will be added to the squad’s roster as

4:57 PM ET Premier League leaders Manchester City made light work of fourth-tier Swindon Town in a 4-1 away victory in the opening salvo of a busy weekend of FA Cup third round action on Friday. A full house at the County Ground had their hopes of a famous upset crushed inside the opening half

9:46 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Ralf Rangnick has said there are “unhappy” players at Manchester United but has urged the squad to be professional as they look to bounce back from the demoralising defeat to Wolves. Rangnick said the bloated squad he inherited from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has led to some players being left out

8:30 AM ET In footballing terms, Kylian Mbappe is a phenomenon. The same goes for Robert Lewandowski. Thomas Delaney stands a chance of helping Sevilla to their first LaLiga title since 1946 while his Denmark teammate, Simon Kjaer, deservedly received a special commendation at this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony. A young French World Cup winner,

3:06 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Newcastle United have completed the signing of Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid, the club announced on Friday. The England full-back returns to the Premier League after a successful two-and-a-half year spell in Spain. – Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access

1:42 PM ET Caitlin Murray FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, insist that their brewing plan for a biennial World Cup will be a good thing for soccer. The problem is that when they say that, they seem to be talking about the men’s side of the sport. As usual with FIFA, the women’s game

9:30 AM ET When the elevator doors slide open on the third floor of Manchester United‘s offices in London’s exclusive Mayfair district, you’re immediately greeted by full-size replicas of the Premier League and Champions League trophies. For the past eight-and-a-half years, Ed Woodward has had to walk past them, tormented by their presence, every time

2:59 PM ET Caitlin Murray U.S. women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe blasted former U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro for his “caveman levels of misogyny” as he confirmed plans to run again for the post he resigned from in disgrace two years ago. Cordeiro was elected president of U.S. Soccer in 2018 but resigned barely

6:49 PM ET LONDON — Chelsea managers often succumb to the club’s internal politics, but after a challenging week on and off the pitch, it is difficult to imagine Thomas Tuchel emerging from the past week with more credit than this. The only disappointing aspect of Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur is that their

3:48 PM ET Sid LoweSpain writer “We’re back!” Joan Laporta was in a bullish mood, which is the mood he’s in most days, but especially on days like this. It was the first day of the rest of their lives, a sunny morning in the city. Up in the stands at the Camp Nou were

2:57 PM ET Former U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro is considering a run to reclaim his old position, multiple federation sources have told ESPN, with one source saying Cordeiro has made up his mind and has shared plans to run with others privately. According to the sources, Cordeiro has received multiple nominations from the

9:00 AM ET Tor-Kristian Karlsen On Monday, FC Dallas 18-year-old striker Ricardo Pepi joined German Bundesliga side FC Augsburg for around €17 million ($20 million) to become the most expensive homegrown player in the history of MLS. 2 Related Pepi had an incredible 2021 with 13 goals in 31 league appearances for Dallas and (after

8:33 AM ET There are two ways that a manager can impress the players when he walks into a new dressing room for the first time, but Ralf Rangnick is failing on both fronts as he grapples with the challenges as interim boss at Manchester United. – ESPN+ viewers’ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup,

2:25 PM ET Manchester United suffered their first defeat under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, falling to a 1-0 loss at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Monday. An 82nd minute strike from Joao Moutinho earned Wolves their first win at Old Trafford since 1980 and moved Bruno Lage’s side up to eighth

4:00 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — It says everything about Manchester United‘s opening game of 2022 that Phil Jones returned for his first appearance in 708 days and was, by some distance, their best player. It’s no disrespect to Jones, without a game since January 2020 as he battled back from a serious

4:00 AM ET Chelsea broke their transfer record in August to sign Romelu Lukaku in the expectation he would fire them to the Premier League title. Yet in the first week of January, the Blues find themselves 10 points behind leaders Manchester City and with their €115 million acquisition facing a decidedly uncertain future. Head