Football

Alex Kirkland, ESPN FCDec 13, 2023, 08:33 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Say the name Bebé to a football fan, and there’s a good chance they’ll know exactly who you’re talking about. He’s the forward manager Sir Alex Ferguson signed for Manchester United in 2010 without ever having seen him play, not even on video.

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentDec 12, 2023, 06:51 PM ET Open Extended Reactions MANCHESTER, England — It’s been a slow death for Manchester United in the Champions League, but that doesn’t make Tuesday’s exit any less embarrassing. What started with defeat to Bayern Munich in September ended with another defeat to the Bundesliga champions, this time 1-0,

Dec 12, 2023, 12:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Champions League soccer is back for the final match day! Europe’s premier club competition has provided plenty of exciting matchups, top talent and drama in the 2023-24 season. With eight matches on Tuesday across the continent, we’ll know who advances to the round of 16, who

Open Extended Reactions Two leagues will be rewarded with extra places in next season’s Champions League as part of the revamp to expand it to a 36-team competition — but who is likely to benefit? Four additional clubs will qualify compared to the current format. And two of those places will go to the leagues

ESPN News Services Dec 11, 2023, 09:04 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Seniors Brandon Parrish and Ousmane Sylla each scored, and No. 9 Clemson held off No. 2 Notre Dame 2-1 on Monday night to claim the program’s second national championship in three seasons. Clemson (15-3-5), making its sixth championship game appearance in school history

Gabriele Marcotti, Senior Writer, ESPN FCDec 11, 2023, 01:10 PM ET Open Extended Reactions What a weekend! European soccer delivered a lot to discuss around the top leagues. In Spain, Girona smacked Barcelona away from home to take charge — seriously — of LaLiga’s title race. In England, Liverpool were “lucky” (Jurgen Klopp’s words) to

Open Extended Reactions Unai Emery knows better than most the suffocating pressure that comes with managing some of the biggest clubs in Europe, so the Aston Villa coach will know perfectly well what Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag are enduring at Chelsea and Manchester United respectively. Two of the Premier League‘s most successful clubs,

Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Dec 10, 2023, 12:15 PM ET The LaLiga fixture between Granada and Athletic Club was suspended on Sunday after the death of a fan inside the stadium. The game had kicked off as planned but was halted after 17 minutes, with Granada explaining there was a “medical emergency” in the stands.

Dec 9, 2023, 06:25 PM ET Open Extended Reactions As the final weeks of 2023 come to a close and as we hope to see some more drama and excitement occur into the new year, there is still have some business to get sorted as we wrap up another weekend of the best action across

Connor O’Halloran Dec 10, 2023, 08:38 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Manchester City forward Erling Haaland will missed their trip to Luton Town on Sunday with a foot injury, manager Pep Guardiola has said. Until Sunday, Haaland had started in every Premier League game for City this season, scoring a league-high 14 goals. – Stream

Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentDec 9, 2023, 09:15 PM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Open Extended Reactions COLUMBUS, Ohio — The final whistle had blown. The Columbus Crew had claimed a tense, but unforgettable triumph in Saturday’s MLS Cup final, defeating LAFC 2-1. And it was

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentDec 9, 2023, 03:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Manchester United are “not good enough to be consistent,” according to manager Erik ten Hag, after their 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford. United followed up the 2-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday with a dire performance against Bournemouth, who have now won

Open Extended Reactions Manchester City are enduring their worst slump in form since Pep Guardiola took charge as manager in 2016. Last season’s Treble winners are on a four-game winless streak in the Premier League and have dropped to fourth in the table, six points behind leaders Arsenal, after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa.

Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentDec 8, 2023, 11:03 AM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Open Extended Reactions COLUMBUS, Ohio — Frankie Hejduk is in his element. The skies are cloudy, with a late fall chill in the air. But on the corner of North High and

Connor O’Halloran Dec 8, 2023, 09:23 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has said “pressure” is inevitable when results are not forthcoming as his side face an uphill battle to qualify for European football this season. Nearing the midway point of Pochettino’s first season in charge at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are 10th

Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondentDec 8, 2023, 04:30 AM ET Open Extended Reactions GIRONA, Spain — Something special is cooking in Girona, and that’s doesn’t just mean the giant paella served to supporters outside their Montilivi stadium before matches. Last weekend, they came from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 to remain top of LaLiga, level with

Dec 7, 2023, 09:58 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Lionel Scaloni, head coach of Argentina who are current holders of the Copa America and World Cup, presents the Copa America trophy during the official group stage draw on Dec. 7. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images) The stage is now officially set for the 2024

Sid Lowe, Spain writerDec 7, 2023, 10:34 AM ET CAGLIARI, Italy — Jakub Jankto just wants to play football, like he always did. The Czech midfielder sits by his locker in the dressing room at Unipol Domus, Cagliari Calcio’s temporary home while the Stadio Sant’Elia silently awaits reconstruction next door. A small red-and-blue shirt cut