Football

6:27 PM ET LONDON — The pre-match message was for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but we know now he wasn’t the only one listening. Mikel Arteta’s decision to strip Aubameyang of the captaincy dominated the build-up to Arsenal‘s game against West Ham United on Wednesday and could have had divisive effect given the striker’s popularity within the

6:30 AM ET Sergio Aguero won five Premier League titles during his 10 years at Manchester City before joining Barcelona in the summer. DAVE THOMPSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Sergio Aguero scored the most memorable goal in Premier League history, an iconic moment, three minutes and 20 seconds into stoppage time against Queens Park Rangers in 2012.

6:38 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City enjoyed themselves against Leeds United on Tuesday night, and so did Jack Grealish. Pep Guardiola’s side were 3-0 up after half an hour at the Etihad Stadium, eventually winning 7-0 to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League table. A seventh

5:29 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Sergio Aguero will address questions over his future on Wednesday. Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images Sergio Aguero will hold a news conference on Wednesday to explain his future as he battles a heart condition. Various reports suggest that Aguero, who joined Barca from Manchester City on a free transfer

4:28 AM ET Even while Real Madrid have been imposing a magnificent stranglehold on LaLiga‘s title race, it has been fascinating to see and hear Xavi Hernandez’s early attempts to coax and even taunt a reaction out of Barcelona, as they languish seven places and 18 points behind their eternal rivals. To put it mildly,

12:07 PM ET What a weekend! Even before the chaos of the Champions League draw, the past 48 hours delivered a ton of talking points across Europe’s top leagues. Real Madrid‘s big derby win over Atletico Madrid feels decisive in LaLiga’s title race, while Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea all won to keep all three

11:07 AM ET Paris Saint-Germain must win the Champions League the hard way after being paired with Real Madrid in the re-drawn Round of 16 on Monday, following a software error that led to the initial draw — which had PSG facing Manchester United — being declared void by UEFA. – Champions League draw: PSG-Real

9:29 AM ET The Champions League round-of-16 draw was redone on Monday, with Paris Saint-Germain to face Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid paired with Manchester United. UEFA confirmed that a “clerical error” occurred where United were mistakenly omitted as potential opponents for Atletico in the original draw. – ESPN FC 100: Presenting the top male

8:07 PM ET Was this the weekend that saw decisive moves by the leaders in Spain and Germany? Real Madrid and Bayern Munich fans certainly hope so! Elsewhere, Juventus dropped more points, a USMNT youngster scored a vital goal and Manchester United were thankful for their world-class goalkeeper. Here are Rob Dawson, Andrew Cesare Richardson,

4:53 PM ET Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio scored as Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 at the Bernabeu on Sunday to move 13 points ahead of their local rivals in the LaLiga table. Benzema struck in the 16th minute, volleying Vinicius Junior’s cross past Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak for his 13th league goal of

5:00 AM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — When fans started lining up outside Providence Park on Monday, five days before the Timbers were set to host their first MLS Cup, their rationale boiled down to something simple: They wanted to experience history. Portland has billed itself as Soccer City USA for decades and the opportunities to

9:19 PM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — Ronny Deila is a man of his word. Minutes after New York City FC had claimed its first MLS Cup, beating the Portland Timbers via penalties, there was Deila, the coach stripping down to his underwear in front of the team’s fans and doing pushups on the Providence Park

9:42 AM ET Nashville SC is on the verge of acquiring forward Teal Bunbury from the New England Revolution in exchange for up $150,000 in allocation money, sources have told ESPN. NSC will part with $75,000 in 2022 allocation money, and the amount could rise by another $75,000 if incentives are met. The deal is

8:09 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Forward Antoine Griezmann has said he struggled to adapt to life back at Atletico Madrid after rejoining the LaLiga champions from Barcelona last summer. The France international starred this week in Atletico’s dramatic 3-1 win away at FC Porto to secure qualification for the Champions League round of

5:50 PM ET Caitlin Murray OL Reign has decided not to protect USWNT player Megan Rapinoe in upcoming NWSL expansion draft. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images United States women’s team stars Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Kelley O’Hara are among those who have been left unprotected by their teams and are available to be taken in next

10:44 AM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — On a rainy Thursday at Providence Park, the Portland Timbers‘ home venue has all the trappings of base camp on Mount Everest. Shelters have been constructed. Sleeping bags and blankets are everywhere. Propane canisters and space heaters provide little additional warmth against the December chill. Adult beverages are expected

4:00 AM ET Ralf Rangnick has identified Manchester United’s midfield as an area of weakness — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. Jump to: Chelsea fear Azpilicueta exit | Man City keen on Arsenal’s Tavares | Van De Beek’s Everton move is off | Spurs’ Bergwijn on the move? Rangnick talks up Bellingham, Haidara, Phillips

12:17 PM ET EINDHOVEN, Netherlands — Young midfielder Richy Ledezma had just completed his first full contact session in nearly a year. It was with the Under-19s; the 21-year-old was smiling, his teeth chattering in the cold and rain on the balcony of PSV Eindhoven‘s training centre as he talked it through. One of the