Football

12:29 PM ET Caitlin Murray There have been underdog teams in the 2021 MLS Cup playoffs, and then there is Real Salt Lake. You’d be forgiven if you didn’t predict they’d get this far — please forgive us, Utahans. To call RSL’s path to the MLS Western Conference final on Saturday a bumpy one would

12:15 PM ET And then there were four. The MLS Cup playoffs conference semifinals saw Supporters’ Shield winners and record points scorers New England Revolution upset on home turf. On the other side of the bracket, fellow No. 1 seed Colorado Rapids were similarly dumped from the postseason in front of their fans. The playoffs

6:15 PM ET Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal for Manchester United. Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images There’s a new boss at Manchester United, but Ralf Rangnick already knows that Cristiano Ronaldo is still the main man. Who knows how Rangnick’s six-month stint as interim manager at Old Trafford will ultimately turn

Nov 30, 2021 Rob Dawson Tom Hamilton Close Senior Writer • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Van de Beek has made just four Premier League appearances, totaling just 62 minutes, for Manchester United this

3:04 AM ET Antonio Conte has said being Tottenham Hotspur manager is the biggest challenge of his career so far and that the club is paying the price for letting standards slip over the years. Tottenham, who are ninth in the Premier League, have won two of their four games in all competitions since Conte

6:53 PM ET LIVERPOOL, England — It was brutal in the end, on the pitch and off it in the 239th Merseyside derby, as Liverpool’s incredible goal-scoring machine broke another record with a ruthless display of finishing in a 4-1 victory at Everton — their biggest win at Goodison Park since 1986. Two Mohamed Salah

11:14 PM ET Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear has compared calls for a transfer levy and an independent regulator to Maoism and the Great Chinese Famine, adding that the recommendations would not make English football any fairer. A transfer levy on top-flight clubs and appointment of an independent regulator for the English game were among

10:55 PM ET Alexander Callens capped a perfect 5-for-5 shootout for fourth-seeded New York City FC en route to a 5-3 win on penalty kicks over the top-seeded New England Revolution in an MLS Eastern Conference semifinal matchup on Tuesday night in Foxborough, Mass. The teams played to a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes plus

5:16 PM ET Caitlin Murray It finally feels like the new era of the U.S. women’s national team has begun. With the retirement of legend Carli Lloyd out of the way with last month’s games, U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski brought a young squad to Australia for a two-game series that finished up Tuesday, including five

For the sixth consecutive year, ESPN presents its annual ranking of the best men’s players and coaches in world soccer! Welcome to FC 100. As always, rankings are broken down into Top 10 lists for positions, plus a countdown of managers, in order to present the most meaningful look at talent on the pitch and

4:25 PM ET Kathleen McNamee Alexia Putellas won the prize in 2021 as the anchor of a brilliant Barcelona team. But the ceremony again showed how far the sport has to go to give women’s players the respect they deserve. FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images The addition of the Ballon d’Or Feminin in 2018 was a

3:54 PM ET Lionel Messi now has seven Ballon d’Or awards, two more than Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi was awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or for a record-extending seventh time in a ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday. Messi, who led Argentina the

4:00 AM ET Cristiano Ronaldo headed straight down the tunnel at the end of Manchester United‘s 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday without even a glance over his shoulder to his teammates or the supporters who so readily chant his name. The former Real Madrid and Juventus forward doesn’t tend to hang around on the

3:39 PM ET LONDON — Chelsea spent last season searching for a clinical goal scorer to help sustain a Premier League title challenge. Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United will raise fears they are still looking. The answer appeared to be Romelu Lukaku, signed in the summer from Inter Milan for €115 million — a

3:27 PM ET Manchester United caretaker manager Michael Carrick said he was leaving Stamford Bridge disappointed after his side were pegged back by Chelsea in a 1-1 draw for his first and perhaps last Premier League game in charge. “At the moment we’re feeling a little bit frustrated and disappointed really,” Carrick told reporters. “Being

8:58 AM ET Lionel Messi inspired Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-1 comeback victory at Saint-Etienne with a hat-trick of assists as Sergio Ramos made his long-awaited debut for the club. Ramos was making his first appearance for PSG since joining them on a free transfer from Real Madrid this summer. – ESPN’s Notebook: The inside

8:09 PM ET Referee Manuel Mota ends the game after Belenenses could not meet the minimum requirement of seven players on the pitch. PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP Benfica‘s Primeira Liga match at Belenenses on Saturday was abandoned amid extraordinary scenes after their COVID-hit opponents were forced to name a team of nine players, including two goalkeepers.

11:35 AM ET Borussia Dortmund‘s top striker Erling Haaland scored on his comeback with a second-half volley as his team came from a goal down to beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 on Saturday and go provisionally top of the Bundesliga. Dortmund are on 30 points, two ahead of second-placed Bayern Munich, in action later on Saturday