Football

We’re nearly at the end of 2020, which means it’s time for ESPN’s annual ranking of the best men’s players and coaches in world soccer! Welcome to the FC 100. This year, our fifth edition of the countdown has a lot of surprises and new faces — more on that later — as well as

4:12 PM ET Thomas Tuchel has great memories of Manchester, or more precisely, Old Trafford. Two and a half years ago, he planned the perfect game as his Paris Saint-Germain team thrashed Manchester United in their Champions League round-of-16 first leg. The Parisians should have won by more than the 2-0 scoreline, but their performance

5:30 PM ET Tom Fenton Liverpool sealed qualification into the last 16 of the Champion League with 1-0 win at home to Ajax on Tuesday night. In a closely-fought contest, both sides had opportunities to snatch the win. However, after the likes of Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane faltered in front of goal, it fell

12:35 PM ET With just two rounds to go in the Champions League group stage, matchday five has plenty of big games with big implications. — How teams can qualify for last-16— Also see: Soccer world pays tribute to Diego Maradona The crucial action comes in Group H as Man United and PSG go head

12:55 PM ET Sid LoweSpain writer Diego Maradona’s laces were undone. Even when it was virtually done, even when the drugs ban was lifted 15 months after he had left Naples, even as Sevilla FC and Napoli negotiated his transfer, the Italians forced to the negotiating table by FIFA and the Spaniards bankrolled by Silvio

11:23 AM ET Manchester United fought back for a big win, Chelsea and Tottenham played it safe in the Premier League’s game of the weekend and Napoli showed their Serie A title credentials, while Real Madrid, Arsenal, PSG, Juventus and Bayern all failed to impress. – Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)– Predict

9:00 AM ET It has been the most unpredictable of seasons, with fixture congestion, mounting injuries and the impact of COVID-19 creating unprecedented challenges for the 20 Premier League clubs. 2 Related Heading into the arduous month of December, Tottenham are the surprise leaders, Manchester City are stuck in mid-table, while Arsenal are languishing in

5:37 PM ET Gustavo Bou scored two goals and Carles Gil continued his excellent postseason with a penalty-kick score as well as an assist, as the visiting New England Revolution defeated 10-man Orlando City 3-1 in Sunday’s MLS Eastern Conference semifinal. After a disappointing regular season where Bou had just five goals and three assists,

2:57 PM ET One of the main motivating factors behind Chelsea‘s £220 million summer spending spree was the lack of a killer instinct during Frank Lampard’s maiden season in charge. Yet Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Tottenham now stands alongside a goalless draw at Manchester United and a 2-0 home defeat against Liverpool in a failure

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9:44 AM ET Jose Mourinho loves to play the numbers game when he has a point to prove. An empty Stamford Bridge on Sunday will deny the Tottenham manager the opportunity to wave three fingers at home supporters, signifying his three Premier League titles as Chelsea boss, but you can guarantee that he will mention

9:50 AM ET Liam Wheeler Liverpool missed the chance to go three points clear at the top of the Premier League as a late Pascal Gross penalty cancelled out Diogo Jota‘s strike to earn Brighton a 1-1 draw at the Amex. The Reds were let off the hook twice as Aaron Connolly went close and

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Nov 26, 2020 Chelsea have been one of the Premier League’s form teams in recent weeks, but they’ve yet to carve out a consistent style or identity under Lampard. Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images Thanks to a 2019 transfer ban, Chelsea had spent an uncharacteristically low amount on new players of late. Owner Roman Abramovich

7:21 AM ET Jurgen Klopp has said it is a “waste of time” attempting to persuade the football authorities and broadcast rights holders to review the match schedule after Liverpool were handed two games in less than 72 hours in the December fixture list. Klopp has been a vocal critic of the demands placed on

4:00 AM ET Soccer clubs including Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, RB Leipzig and Real Madrid are selling all kinds branded merchandise. ESPN.com Illustration The arrival of Thanksgiving and the Black Friday sales herald the start of the holiday season, and soccer clubs have a mind-boggling array of branded products available in the run-up to

3:30 PM ET Jeff Carlisle Close U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Austin Lindberg The 2020 MLS Cup playoffs are upon us. With the 18-team field whittled down to eight ahead of the conference semifinals, ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle and Austin Lindberg have broken down the biggest

8:02 AM ET Adriana Garcia Diego Maradona’s lawyer and agent Matias Morla has requested an investigation be launched over the time it took an ambulance to arrive at the Argentina legend’s home. Maradona died on Wednesday from a heart attack. He was 60. – Marcotti: Maradona soccer’s ultimate flawed genius– Messi on Maradona passing: ‘Diego