Football

Mauricio Pochettino’s United States side rode a barnstorming first half to a 4-2 win over Jamaica on Monday in St. Louis, earning a spot in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals next year. First-half goals from Christian Pulisic and Ricardo Pepi put the two-legged series out of reach for Jamaica, already trailing 1-0 from the first

Open Extended Reactions As a strategy, it seems to make sense: Secure the budding superstar before he becomes prohibitively expensive. It worked out great for Real Madrid with Vinícius Júnior (acquired for €45m at age 16) and Rodrygo (also €45m at age 17), less so with Reiner (€30m at 18). And, of course, the jury

Jeff Kassouf Nov 17, 2024, 08:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Moments after scoring one of the most iconic goals in NWSL history in her team’s most important game to date, Orlando Pride forward Marta clutched her fist and unleashed a passionate scream before beating her chest and then, with her two thumbs, pointing to

Jeff Kassouf Nov 17, 2024, 05:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The Orlando Pride advanced to their first NWSL Championship on Sunday with a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Current in the semifinal at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando. Pride forward Barbra Banda scored the equalizer in the 53rd minute before 38-year-old captain Marta scored

Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentNov 17, 2024, 01:20 PM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Open Extended Reactions ST. LOUIS — United States midfielder Tim Weah said he has “moved on” from the red card he received at Copa América against Panama, though he admitted it “played

Open Extended Reactions The Premier League has paused for the final international break of 2024, but while the leading players are away representing their countries, the recruitment teams at the top clubs are drawing up plans for the January transfer window and plotting the moves that could transform or save their hopes and ambitions for

Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentNov 16, 2024, 04:37 PM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Open Extended Reactions ST. LOUIS — U.S. men’s national team defender Tim Ream said that it’s easy to have Tim Weah back in the squad, and there had been little discussion in

Jeff Kassouf Nov 16, 2024, 03:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury saved all three penalties she faced as the Spirit defeated reigning champion NJ/NY Gotham FC 3-0 in a penalty shootout on Saturday at Audi Field to advance to next week’s NWSL Championship. The two teams played to a 1-1

Open Extended Reactions A full beer can thrown from the stands struck Mexico coach Javier Aguirre in the head after the final whistle of a 2-0 away loss to Honduras in the first leg of a Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal. The incident left Aguirre with a bloody head injury and occurred when he approached Honduras

ESPN News Services Nov 15, 2024, 07:02 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The UEFA Nations League match between Romania and Kosovo was suspended in stoppage time with the score 0-0 in Bucharest on Friday. There were scuffles between players from both teams and Kosovo players walked off the pitch. UEFA did not explain why the

Nov 15, 2024, 07:05 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Paul Pogba will leave Juventus after the Serie A club confirmed the termination of his contract by mutual consent on Friday. Pogba’s contract will officially end on Nov. 30, Juventus said, and he will then become a free agent. “The club wishes Paul the very best

Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentNov 15, 2024, 05:00 AM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Open Extended Reactions Ricardo Pepi met the moment, and now the United States men’s national team is one step closer to the Concacaf Nations League (CNL) semifinals. The USMNT forward, long limited

The United States rode an early goal to a 1-0 win over Jamaica in the first leg of their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal in Kingston on Thursday night to give new manager Mauricio Pochettino his first win in a competitive match as coach of the Americans. Ricardo Pepi opened the scoring early in the first

Alex Kirkland Tim Vickery Nov 14, 2024, 09:44 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Additional reporting by Gustavo Hofman. Vinícius Júnior didn’t win the Ballon d’Or last month, but try telling Real Madrid fans that he didn’t deserve it. “Vinícius, Ballon d’Or,” the crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu sang on Saturday, over and over again, as

Nov 14, 2024, 03:32 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is confident there will be Lionel Messi jerseys in the home section despite the Paraguayan Football Association’s (APF) ban on rival shirts ahead of Thursday’s South American World Cup 2026 qualifier. Argentina will play Paraguay at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in

ESPN News Services Nov 13, 2024, 01:13 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Even when he is not there for France, the focus remains on Kylian Mbappé. On the eve of a high-risk UEFA Nations League match against Israel in Paris, France coach Didier Deschamps was asked Wednesday if he had spoken with Mbappé about his

Nov 13, 2024, 11:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The women’s game continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and toward the end of another monumental 12 months, it’s only fitting that ESPN FC Women’s Rank, our ranking of the top 50 women footballers in the world, returns. As much as we saw the power

Open Extended Reactions Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer of the Premier League, admitted that West Ham United were wrongly awarded a penalty through VAR which gave them a 2-1 win at home to Manchester United that resulted in the firing of manager Erik ten Hag. The Premier League game on Oct. 27 was locked