Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is a member of the ownership group trying to bring an NWSL expansion team to Cincinnati. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is a member of the ownership group trying to bring an NWSL expansion team to Cincinnati. Indiana Fever star...
Former England striker Luther Blissett was rushed to hospital last week after collapsing while attending a charity event - and his former club Watford have released a statement of support Former England striker Luther Blissett was rushed to hospital last week after...
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Liverpool boss Arne Slot has provided an update on the conditions of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of the Reds' Premier League clash against Southampton Liverpool boss Arne Slot has provided an update on the conditions of Virgil van Dijk and Trent...
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Transfer rumors, news: Davies remains linked with Man United
Manchester United continue to keep tabs on Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies. Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.
Manchester United continue to keep tabs on Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies. Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors. Manchester United continue to keep tabs on Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies. Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.
Manchester United are keen on Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies, while PSV Eindhoven are braced to receive bids from the Premier League for USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi in January. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumours, and gossip from around the globe.
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– FC Dallas names Eric Quill to replace interim coach Luccin– Amorim denied January Man United transfer spree – source– Barça official confirms PSG bid €250m for Yamal
– Manchester United are interested in Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies, Sky Sports Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg reports. The Red Devils are said to see the 24-year-old Canada international as a “dream” transfer for next summer when his contract at the Allianz Arena will expire. Davies, who is yet to show any indication of wanting to remain in Germany, has made nine appearances in the Bundesliga this season, and he has also been linked with both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
– PSV Eindhoven are expecting a bid from Premier League clubs for forward Ricardo Pepi in January, reports AS. “Several” clubs are reported to have made enquiries to the Eredivisie side regarding a move in the next transfer window, while it is expected that a bid worth €15 million would be enough to land the 21-year-old United States international. Pepi has been in impressive form of late with six goals in his last nine games for club and country.
– Liverpool are keeping close tabs on Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki, reports RMC Sport. It is believed that manager Arne Slot is interested in a move for the 21-year-old, who the Reds are expected to “intensify” their approach for in the coming weeks. A bid worth less than €30m would reportedly be enough for the Ligue 1 side to agree to part ways with him, amid recent positive form that has seen him contribute to five goals in 11 matches across all competitions.
– A move to reunite with Lille midfielder Angel Gomes is under consideration by Manchester United, reports the Sun. The 24-year-old is reported to be seen as a potential successor to Casemiro, with the Red Devils convinced that he will be a strong fit for new manager Rúben Amorim’s system. Gomes is set to be out of contract next summer, and it is believed that Tottenham Hotspur are also in the running to sign him should he not join the club where he started his professional career.
– Centre-back Andreas Christensen could be moved on by Barcelona in January, reports Sport. The Blaugrana are unsure whether they can promise the 28-year-old regular first-team football with several options available in his position, and set to enter the final year of his deal next summer, they are considering parting ways with him permanently. It is said that the Denmark international would prefer to stay at the club, but there is the belief that could change if manager Hansi Flick informs him that he is not in first-team plans.
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Manchester United continue to keep tabs on Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies. Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.
Costa Rican club threatens FIFA suit for CWC spot
The winningest team in Costa Rica is asking FIFA for a spot in next summer’s Club World Cup and is willing to take legal action if denied.
The winningest team in Costa Rica is asking FIFA for a spot in next summer’s Club World Cup and is willing to take legal action if denied. The winningest team in Costa Rica is asking FIFA for a spot in next summer’s Club World Cup and is willing to take legal action if denied.
The winningest team in Costa Rica is asking FIFA for a spot in next summer’s Club World Cup and is willing to take legal action if denied.
Alajuelense, which has won 30 league titles, wants FIFA to enforce the rule that forbids clubs from the same ownership to participate in the tournament.
“The claim is based on the principles of eligibility set in the rules of the tournament,” the club said in a press release.
Team spokesman Marco Vazquez noted that Mexican clubs Leon and Pachuca belong to the same owner, Jesus Martinez, of Grupo Pachuca.
“Those are the rules that FIFA established — there cannot be multi-ownership,” Vazquez said Wednesday. “There are two Mexican clubs from the same owner and the rulebook is clear. What we are asking is to review what FIFA itself established.”
The FIFA-run competition has been expanded from seven teams to 32 and will be staged in the United States from June to July next year.
“We hired a law firm in Spain, and they have all the details,” Vazquez said of potential legal action.
FIFA has not publicly reacted to the team’s announcement and didn’t immediately answer a request for comment.
Alajuelense is the best-ranked team in Central America for the Concacaf, but 40th overall in the region.
Concacaf has four spots in the Club World Cup. The teams that qualified are: the Seattle Sounders FC, Monterrey, Leon and Pachuca. Lionel Messi‘s Inter Miami CF will participate as a guest of the host.
All five clubs were announced for the Dec. 5 draw in Miami.
In Mexico, besides Leon and Pachuca, there are another two companies that own two or more clubs in the first division. Grupo Caliente owns Tijuana and Queretaro, while Grupo Orlegi controls Atlas and Santos. TV Azteca owns Mazatlan and has partial ownership of Puebla.
On May 2023, the Liga MX announced that multi-ownership will be forbidden, but gave owners four years to sell.
Jesus Martinez Murguia, who runs the Leon club, said they will sell part of the team to comply with the rules but will still have a partial ownership.
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The winningest team in Costa Rica is asking FIFA for a spot in next summer’s Club World Cup and is willing to take legal action if denied.
Antony had enjoyed a stellar season with Ajax when Manchester United came knocking - but he could've gone to Liverpool had Mohamed Salah made a different call on his future Antony had enjoyed a stellar season with Ajax when Manchester United came knocking - but he...
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Mbappé sets career offside record in Clásico bow
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times against Barcelona on Saturday — matching the highest total for any player in a LaLiga game in the last 15 years.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times against Barcelona on Saturday — matching the highest total for any player in a LaLiga game in the last 15 years. Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times against Barcelona on Saturday — matching the highest total for any player in a LaLiga game in the last 15 years.
Burley brands Real Madrid’s second-half collapse ‘diabolical’ (1:43)Craig Burley sounds off on a nightmare second half from Real Madrid as they slump to a 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico. (1:43)
Kylian Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times in Saturday’s Clásico — matching the highest total for any player in a LaLiga game in the last 15 years — as Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid in a 4-0 victory.
Robert Lewandowski scored twice, taking his tally for the season to a league-leading 14 goals, before Lamine Yamal and Raphinha netted late on to send Barça six points clear of Madrid at the top of the table.
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Mbappé ended the game at the Bernabéu having taken three shots, all on target, but was frequently frustrated by Barça’s high defensive line, with two goals being disallowed for offside.
The star forward has scored eight times in all competitions since arriving in Madrid this summer, but was unable to convert in his biggest test to date.
Mbappé’s eight offsides tied the most by a player in a LaLiga game since 2009, matching the unwanted record held by Elche’s Jonathas against Athletic Club in May 2015.
Speaking after the game, Barça’s players praised the coaching their manager Hansi Flick, who has made their offside trap the most effective in Europe’s big five leagues.
“We’ve been doing it all season, the defensive work is spectacular,” midfielder Marc Casadó said. “It’s the work of the whole team. It’s amazing to be that brave, to play a defensive line that high, but at the moment it’s working for us.”
“Flick is incredible,” Yamal said. “He’s arrived, there’s been a radical change in the dressing room. You can see it in how we play. We have a lot of respect for him, he doesn’t have to shout or anything, he’s an incredible coach.”
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Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times against Barcelona on Saturday — matching the highest total for any player in a LaLiga game in the last 15 years.
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Obi-Martin nets hat trick in Man Utd U18s debut
Chido Obi-Martin showed off why he is considered one the the UK’s most prodigious footballing talents on Saturday, scoring a hat trick inside 14 minutes in his first game for the Manchester United under-18s having left rivals Arsenal in the summer.
Chido Obi-Martin showed off why he is considered one the the UK’s most prodigious footballing talents on Saturday, scoring a hat trick inside 14 minutes in his first game for the Manchester United under-18s having left rivals Arsenal in the summer. Chido Obi-Martin showed off why he is considered one the the UK’s most prodigious footballing talents on Saturday, scoring a hat trick inside 14 minutes in his first game for the Manchester United under-18s having left rivals Arsenal in the summer.
Chido Obi-Martin showed off why he is considered one of football’s most prodigious young talents on Saturday, scoring a hat trick inside 14 minutes in his first game for the Manchester United under-18s having left rivals Arsenal in the summer.
Obi-Martin, 16, saw his star grow last season after scoring 10 goals in a game for Arsenal’s academy, before turning down the opportunity to sign his first professional contract with the north London club.
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Playing for United’s U18s against Nottingham Forest‘s age-group team, the Danish-born striker pounced on a mistake from the opposition’s defenders to score his first before 15 seconds had passed in the game played at Carrington.
Obi-Martin then reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box four minutes later, coolly slotting into the bottom-left corner, before completing his hat trick with a first-time finish after a cutback from the left-hand side of the penalty area.
United eventually won the game 5-0.
Obi-Martin’s exploits last season included the 10-goal performance against Liverpool‘s U16s as well as a gluttonous 28 goals in 10 U18 games for Arsenal.
He represented Denmark‘s U17s at that age group’s European Championship in the summer and was elected to the team of the tournament as they reached the semifinals.
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Chido Obi-Martin showed off why he is considered one the the UK’s most prodigious footballing talents on Saturday, scoring a hat trick inside 14 minutes in his first game for the Manchester United under-18s having left rivals Arsenal in the summer.
Rooney’s Plymouth pull off sensational 3-3 draw
Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle side fought back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday.
Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle side fought back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday. Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle side fought back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday.
Wayne Rooney saw his Plymouth side earn a much-needed point against Preston. Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images
Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle side fought back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday.
Morgan Whittaker scored in stoppage time to salvage an important point for Plymouth who are struggling one place outside of the relegation zone following just three wins in their opening 12 games of the season.
“I’m angry really. That performance is nowhere near good enough,” Rooney said postmatch. “For an hour of that game it didn’t look like us at all. We were easy to play against, we weren’t putting tackles in, we weren’t getting to the ball.
“I’m obviously pleased to get a point out of the game, but I can’t accept that performance. There have been games this season where we’ve been really good, but the last three games have been a blip and we have to snap out of it because today could have been much worse.”
Preston led 2-0 at the break through goals from Sam Greenwood and Mads Frøkjær-Jensen before Brad Potts added a third in the 48th minute to give the visitors a commanding lead.
Freddie Issaka pulled one back for Plymouth on 55 minutes before Andre Gray’s 82nd minute strike made it 3-2 and gave the hosts hope.
That set the stage for Whittaker’s dramatic late goal, something which is becoming the norm for Plymouth who have now scored in added time at the end of their last four home fixtures.
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Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle side fought back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday.
Wrexham drop to 3rd after conceding late penalty
Wrexham saw a last-gasp penalty decision go against them as Charlton Athletic earned a 2-2 draw on Saturday to leave the Hollywood-owned side outside of League One’s automatic promotion places.
Wrexham saw a last-gasp penalty decision go against them as Charlton Athletic earned a 2-2 draw on Saturday to leave the Hollywood-owned side outside of League One’s automatic promotion places. Wrexham saw a last-gasp penalty decision go against them as Charlton Athletic earned a 2-2 draw on Saturday to leave the Hollywood-owned side outside of League One’s automatic promotion places.
Wrexham saw a last-gasp penalty decision go against them as Charlton Athletic earned a 2-2 draw on Saturday to leave the Hollywood-owned side outside of League One’s automatic promotion places.
Wrexham took the lead in the 16th minute after Charlton failed to deal with Tom O’Connor’s free-kick from the right hand side, before it bounced in off Connor Coventry much to the delight of the travelling fans.
Coventry almost make immediate amends, forcing Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo into a fine save, but Charlton didn’t need to wait long for their goal as Macauley Gillesphey looped a header over the ailing Okonkwo from the resulting corner.
With Charlton in the ascendancy and Okonkwo forced to make several good saves, the Welsh club’s manager Phil Parkinson turned to Andy Cannon on his bench and the midfielder delivered almost instantly.
Wrexham’s Andy Cannon looked to have done enough to win the game until Charlton’s late penalty.
Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
Paul Mullin’s shot was blocked in the area by some resolute Charlton defending, only for Cannon to react first and fire home.
That looked to be enough to secure all three points and close the gap on league leaders Birmingham City, who were held by Mansfield Town
However, in the 97th minute, the referee blew for a Charlton penalty for a handball, with the spot-kick expertly finished by Matty Godden to leave Wrexham below both Tom Brady’s Birmingham and Wycombe Wanderers having played a game more than both.
Birmingham have 29 points, four more than the team owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, while Wycombe have 26.
Charlton are 11th on 19 points.
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Wrexham saw a last-gasp penalty decision go against them as Charlton Athletic earned a 2-2 draw on Saturday to leave the Hollywood-owned side outside of League One’s automatic promotion places.
Player sent off after 3 seconds in Brazil’s Serie A
A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top-division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match.
A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top-division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match. A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top-division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match.
A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top-division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match.
Cruzeiro‘s Rafa Silva left his team one man down in what ended as a 3-0 defeat at Athletico Paranaense.
Silva hit Athletico’s Kaique Rocha slightly below his neck as they challenged for the ball shortly after kick off.
Referee Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima duly sent the 32-year-old Cruzeiro player off for one of the earliest red cards in soccer history.
Rafa Silva wasted no time in getting sent off in Cruzeiro’s loss to Athletico Paranaense. Gledston Tavares/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Athletico are fighting against relegation from Brazil’s Serie A.
Cruzeiro are seeking one of the top positions to secure a direct berth in the next edition of the Copa Libertadores.
The team from Belo Horizonte rested some of their players for the match in the city of Curitiba so they can recover for the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana at Argentina’s Lanus next week. The first leg ended 1-1.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top-division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match.
Miami’s Fray avoids 4th ACL tear, out till early ’25
Inter Miami CF said defender Ian Fray suffered an injury to his right medial meniscus against Atlanta United on Saturday, after the club initially feared he had suffered a fourth ACL tear in as many years
Inter Miami CF said defender Ian Fray suffered an injury to his right medial meniscus against Atlanta United on Saturday, after the club initially feared he had suffered a fourth ACL tear in as many years Inter Miami CF said defender Ian Fray suffered an injury to his right medial meniscus against Atlanta United on Saturday, after the club initially feared he had suffered a fourth ACL tear in as many years
Jordi Alba scores screamer to make it 2-1 Inter Miami (0:45)Lionel Messi tees up Jordi Alba who unleashes a fizzing drive from 25 yards out as Inter Miami retakes the lead. (0:45)
Inter Miami CF defender Ian Fray suffered an injury to his right medial meniscus during the 2-1 MLS playoff win over Atlanta United Saturday at Chase Stadium, the club announced Saturday.
The player will undergo surgery in the coming days, with a a source telling ESPN that he is expected to return to the field in early 2025.
Inter Miami initially feared another ACL tear for the player after he limped off the pitch in the 92nd minute with the help of the team’s athletic trainers. Fray exited Chase Stadium in crunches, unable to put pressure on the knee.
Ian Fray was helped off the field in obvious distress during Inter Miami’s win over Atlanta United. Rich Storry/Getty Images
The defender previously suffered ACL tears in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
He returned from the latest injury on June 19 in the 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew, where he scored the first goal for the Herons.
Despite Miami’s victory over Atlanta in the opening game of the best-of-three first-round playoff series, head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said the team couldn’t celebrate due to Fray’s injury.
“In the end, I think we feel not as much satisfaction as we could have in the [result] of the match, more because of Ian,” said Martino.
“We are all a little bit sad.”
Inter Miami now prepares to travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the second match against Atlanta on Nov. 2. Should Miami win, it will advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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Inter Miami CF said defender Ian Fray suffered an injury to his right medial meniscus against Atlanta United on Saturday, after the club initially feared he had suffered a fourth ACL tear in as many years
U.S. youth star Campbell makes Dortmund debut
American forward Cole Campbell played his first game for Borussia Dortmund as a late substitute in the 2-1 loss to Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
American forward Cole Campbell played his first game for Borussia Dortmund as a late substitute in the 2-1 loss to Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday. American forward Cole Campbell played his first game for Borussia Dortmund as a late substitute in the 2-1 loss to Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Augsburg ease relegation fear after defeating Dortmund (1:59)Two goals from Alexis Claude move Augsburg away from the relegation zone following a famous 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund. (1:59)
American forward Cole Campbell played his first game for Borussia Dortmund as a late substitute in the 2-1 loss to Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Campbell, 18, came on in the 88th minute as a substitute for Donyell Malen as Dortmund sought to level the score.
Campbell signed for Dortmund in 2022 and until Saturday had only played for the club youth teams and for its reserve team, which competes in the German third tier.
Cole Campbell became the latest American to make his Borussia Dortmund debut. Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images
Campbell was approved by FIFA this year to change affiliation from Iceland to the United States and soon after scored two goals on his debut for the U.S. under-19s in a 3-2 win over England.
Campbell is the son of former Iceland women’s forward Rakel Karvelsson, who was born in Los Angeles and played college soccer at North Carolina. His father is American.
Campbell is the latest U.S. player to come through Dortmund’s development system, following Christian Pulisic, now at AC Milan, and Gio Reyna.
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American forward Cole Campbell played his first game for Borussia Dortmund as a late substitute in the 2-1 loss to Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Philadelphia Union GK Holden Trent dies aged 25
Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Holden Trent died Saturday at the age of 25, the Major League Soccer club announced.
Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Holden Trent died Saturday at the age of 25, the Major League Soccer club announced. Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Holden Trent died Saturday at the age of 25, the Major League Soccer club announced.
Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Holden Trent died Saturday at the age of 25, the Major League Soccer club announced.
The club said it would not be providing any further details out of respect for Holden’s friends and family.
“The Philadelphia Union is devastated by the heartbreaking passing of Holden Trent,” read a statement from the club. “While he was a wonderful player and fierce competitor, he was more importantly a devoted son, brother, fiancé, and teammate who made those around him better.
“He embodied the true meaning of determination, dedication and perseverance, and he will be deeply missed. We extend our greatest sympathies to his family, his fiancé,and his friends.”
In its own statement, MLS said on X: “Major League Soccer joins the Philadelphia Union and our entire soccer community in mourning the tragic passing of Union goalkeeper Holden Trent. A young goalkeeper with a bright future, Trent showcased determination and professionalism every day as he contributed to the close-knit goalkeeping unit at Philadelphia.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his fiancée, his family and friends, his teammates and the entire Philadelphia Union community. MLS is coordinating with the club to provide players and family members with the resources and support they need during this tragic time.”
A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Trent was selected No. 28 overall by the Union in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft out of High Point University.
While he had yet to make his first-team debut, Trent registered six appearances for the Union’s second team in MLS Next Pro.
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Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Holden Trent died Saturday at the age of 25, the Major League Soccer club announced.
Ancelotti slams Barça celebrations in Clásico rout
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was unhappy with how Barcelona’s bench celebrated their fourth goal after seeing his side beaten 4-0 in Saturday’s Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was unhappy with how Barcelona’s bench celebrated their fourth goal after seeing his side beaten 4-0 in Saturday’s Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was unhappy with how Barcelona’s bench celebrated their fourth goal after seeing his side beaten 4-0 in Saturday’s Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Barcelona stun Real Madrid with 4-0 thrashing in El Clásico (1:20)Robert Lewandowski scores two goals as Barcelona dominate Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. (1:20)
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was unhappy with how Barcelona‘s bench celebrated their fourth goal after seeing his side beaten 4-0 in Saturday’s Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Robert Lewandowski scored twice, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha also finding the net as Barça ended Madrid’s 42-game unbeaten streak in LaLiga and moved six points clear of them at the top of the table.
The celebrations after the fourth goal, Raphinha’s 10th of the campaign, spilled in front of the Madrid bench with Ancelotti confronting Barça coach Hansi Flick. Ancelotti, though, said his issue was with the behaviour of one of Flick’s assistants.
“[The problem] was with the assistant, not with Flick,” Ancelotti said in his post-game news conference when asked to clear up what had happened on the touchline.
“The assistant was not a gentleman with the way he celebrated in front of bench. And Flick agreed with us.”
Asked about the incident in his news conference, Flick said: “I didn’t see it. I just spoke with Carlo and it was something … it’s normal in this situation, when you celebrate a goal maybe it’s not … we’re old enough to speak about that.”
Carlo Ancelotti was unhappy with Barcelona’s celebrations for their fourth goal against Real Madrid. OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images
Madrid had won the last four Clásicos in all competitions and avoiding defeat here would have seen them match Barça’s LaLiga record 43-game unbeaten streak.
However, following a goalless first half, they collapsed after the break.
Lewandowski scored twice in three minutes to take his tally to 17 for the campaign in all competitions. Then Yamal, becoming the youngest ever Clásico scorer at 17, and Raphinha completed the rout.
“Until the goal it was an even game,” Ancelotti said. “We had chances and could have scored, but we weren’t clinical.
“When they score, it saps some energy from you and it becomes another game. They did a lot of damage on the counter.
“I liked the first half, we have to follow that line. We don’t have to throw everything away, we just have to forget the last 30 minutes. We can’t give up, we just have to learn.
“We came out of the last defeat well against Atlético Madrid last season and we have to do the same. I am certain we will do better.”
Burley brands Real Madrid’s second-half collapse ‘diabolical’
Craig Burley sounds off on a nightmare second half from Real Madrid as they slump to a 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico.
It proved a tough introduction to the Clásico for Kylian Mbappé, who had two goals ruled out for offside and missed a slew of chances.
In total, Mbappé was caught offside eight times — tied for most in a LaLiga game in the last 15 seasons — as Los Blancos, who had 12 offsides in total, struggled to get in behind Barça’s high line.
“We took risks with his position,” Ancelotti added of Mbappé’s performance. “They have a high line and due to fine margins we have not been able to take advantage of it.
“He has also had three or four chances and has not taken them when we need a little more.
“The result doesn’t reflect what happened on pitch. Barça go ahead and then the confidence that came from that changed the game. We took risks and they’re a team in form who were dangerous on the break.
“The defeat worries me but we have to pick ourselves up quickly.
“We have to keep fighting. We’re not going to be that far away this season from what we did last season.”
The result capped a remarkable week for Barça, coming just four days after they demolished Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Champions League.
Under Flick they have now won 12 out of 14 games in all competitions, but the German coach refused to get carried away.
“We start the journey and we’re doing really well,” he said. “Like I always say, we have to make things better and we do it also, but today was not easy.
“We keep going with our idea, we have a flow at the moment and we have to keep going.
“I’ve always said I’m really happy to work for Barça and also to live in Barcelona. It’s an amazing job, it’s a new part of my life and it feels really good.
“Today we made a fantastic match and I’m really proud about the team. And how we play is very important as well.
“This will give the players more confidence. The celebration in the dressing room was good to see. Now we have a recovery day, then I give the players two days off and after the focus is on Espanyol next weekend.”
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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was unhappy with how Barcelona’s bench celebrated their fourth goal after seeing his side beaten 4-0 in Saturday’s Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Player sent off after 3 seconds in Brazil’s Serie A
A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top-division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match.
A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top-division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match. A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top-division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match.
A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top-division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match.
Cruzeiro‘s Rafa Silva left his team one man down in what ended as a 3-0 defeat at Athletico Paranaense.
Silva hit Athletico’s Kaique Rocha slightly below his neck as they challenged for the ball shortly after kick off.
Referee Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima duly sent the 32-year-old Cruzeiro player off for one of the earliest red cards in soccer history.
Rafa Silva wasted no time in getting sent off in Cruzeiro’s loss to Athletico Paranaense. Gledston Tavares/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Athletico are fighting against relegation from Brazil’s Serie A.
Cruzeiro are seeking one of the top positions to secure a direct berth in the next edition of the Copa Libertadores.
The team from Belo Horizonte rested some of their players for the match in the city of Curitiba so they can recover for the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana at Argentina’s Lanus next week. The first leg ended 1-1.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top-division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank has long been among the candidates for the Manchester United job, with the Dane boosting his reputation after seeing his side beat Ipswich on Saturday Brentford boss Thomas Frank has long been among the candidates for the Manchester United...
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LIVE Transfer Talk: Man United consider an offer for Bayern’s Alphonso Davies
Alphonso Davies has been linked to Real Madrid, but Manchester United are preparing to join the race to sign him. Transfer Talk has the latest.
Alphonso Davies has been linked to Real Madrid, but Manchester United are preparing to join the race to sign him. Transfer Talk has the latest. Alphonso Davies has been linked to Real Madrid, but Manchester United are preparing to join the race to sign him. Transfer Talk has the latest.
The winter transfer window won’t reopen in Europe for a while yet, but there are plenty of moves in the works and gossip swirling around.Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
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Alphonso Davies has been linked to Real Madrid, but Manchester United are preparing to join the race to sign him. Transfer Talk has the latest.
Maresca: ‘Expected more’ from captain James
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has said the club’s dressing room lacks a “proper leader” and has been left “expecting more” from captain Reece James this season.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has said the club’s dressing room lacks a “proper leader” and has been left “expecting more” from captain Reece James this season. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has said the club’s dressing room lacks a “proper leader” and has been left “expecting more” from captain Reece James this season.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has said the club’s dressing room lacks a “proper leader” and has been left “expecting more” from captain Reece James this season.
James returned from another lengthy hamstring injury layoff to make his first start of the season in the defeat against Liverpool last weekend — his first competitive appearance under Maresca.
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When asked on Friday how James helped command the team during his time out injured, Maresca told reporters: “He is on the way, he’s doing well, he’s progressing, but from Reece, I expected more also in terms of leadership.
“Most of the time when they are captain, they think that because they are captain they have more, ‘because I am the captain, I expect that you give me more’. For me, because you are the captain you have to give more. You have to give more than the rest. And sometimes it’s, ‘OK, I am the captain I can give less’, no.
“He’s one of the captains and I expected from him, and his teammates expected from him, to give always more in terms of leadership in general.”
James has made 159 appearances for Chelsea since graduating from the club’s academy and making his senior debut in 2019.
He was made club captain under Chelsea’s previous boss, Mauricio Pochettino, in August 2023.
“He [James] is a reserved guy, but not only him,” Maresca added. “I think we don’t have a proper leader. We don’t have those guys. Probably Tosin [Adarabioyo] is one of the guys that is. So the rest we need to build them.”
Chelsea have begun the season with four wins from eight games in the Premier League. They face Newcastle on Sunday.
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has said the club’s dressing room lacks a “proper leader” and has been left “expecting more” from captain Reece James this season.
KC Current claim inaugural Summer Cup title
Kansas City Current striker Temwa Chawinga scored twice in the first half as her team beat NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 on Friday night in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup final.
Kansas City Current striker Temwa Chawinga scored twice in the first half as her team beat NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 on Friday night in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup final. Kansas City Current striker Temwa Chawinga scored twice in the first half as her team beat NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 on Friday night in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup final.
Temwa Chawinga finds the back of the net for Kansas City Current (1:10)Temwa Chawinga finds the back of the net for Kansas City Current (1:10)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga scored twice in the first half on Friday at Toyota Field to lift her team past NJ/NY Gotham FC, 2-0 in the final of the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
The brace was Chawinga’s fourth in all competitions this year. She recently broke the National Women’s Soccer League’s single-season scoring record. She has scored 20 goals in 25 games, with one game left in the season.
She opened the scoring on Friday in the 25th minute when she got in behind Gotham’s defense and chipped a shot over goalkeeper Cassie Miller.
Twelve minutes later, Chawinga struck again on another sequence that started with midfielders Claire Hutton and Lo’eau LaBonta. Replays showed that Chawinga looked offside on the second goal, but video review was not utilized for the Summer Cup.
The Kansas City Current won the first edition of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup after defeating NJ/NY Gotham FC in the final behind a brace from Temwa Chawinga. Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
“She is a finisher,” LaBonta said about Chawinga. “You already know that she’s the Golden Boot leader, probably about to be the winner. You just give her the ball and she works magical things.”
The Summer Cup was held primarily during the summer Olympic break for the NWSL and featured all 14 teams from the U.S. top flight competing with six teams from Mexico’s first division. Gotham FC and Kansas City won their respective groups before winning the semifinals in August. All four semifinalists were from the NWSL.
“There is something to it, building a winning mentality,” Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “You can’t win a big trophy if you don’t win the small ones. … It’s a good habit to have. Winning is a habit.”
An announced crowd of 3,668 fans turned up in San Antonio, which is not home to an NWSL or professional women’s soccer team. Toyota Field ‘s capacity is around 8,000.
Gotham FC and Kansas City are third and fourth in the NWSL regular-season standings and are separated by only one point heading into the final round of play. Kansas City started most of its usual starting lineup on Friday, including Chawinga, who was subbed off at halftime.
Gotham’s roster was stretched thin by injuries and personal commitments, as well as international absences during the FIFA window. Gotham signed seven national team replacement players ahead of the match just to fill out a full gameday roster. Among them was Mana Shim, who was part of the team’s NWSL Championship run last year, and 14-year-old McKenna “Mak” Whitham.
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Kansas City Current striker Temwa Chawinga scored twice in the first half as her team beat NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 on Friday night in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup final.
Miami beats Atlanta in Messi’s MLS playoff debut
Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba scored and Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 2-1 in Game 1 of a best-of-three Major League Soccer playoff series on Friday night.
Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba scored and Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 2-1 in Game 1 of a best-of-three Major League Soccer playoff series on Friday night. Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba scored and Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 2-1 in Game 1 of a best-of-three Major League Soccer playoff series on Friday night.
Jordi Alba scores screamer to make it 2-1 Inter Miami (0:45)Lionel Messi tees up Jordi Alba who unleashes a fizzing drive from 25 yards out as Inter Miami retakes the lead. (0:45)
Lionel Messi had chances at goals time and time again, only to keep being denied. Turns out, all he needed to do was deliver the right pass at the right time.
Jordi Alba turned a pass from Messi into the go-ahead goal in the 60th minute, Luis Suarez also scored and Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 2-1 on Friday night in the opening game of a best-of-three first-round Major League Soccer playoff series.
It was not the easiest of openers for the Supporters’ Shield winners and No. 1 overall seed in the MLS Cup playoffs, a team that set a league record with 74 points in the regular season, 34 points ahead of wild-card Atlanta in the standings.
Saba Lobjanidze scored for Atlanta, which got eight saves from goalkeeper Brad Guzan. Game 2 will be Nov. 2 at Atlanta — the last road game of the season, no matter what, for Inter Miami. Game 3, if necessary, will be Nov. 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“It’s going to be difficult for us,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said. “It’s going to be difficult as this rival has been throughout the season.”
Inter Miami is the No. 1 seed in the playoffs after setting the MLS record for points (74). Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
Inter Miami’s first-ever home playoff game and Messi’s MLS playoff debut was sold out — Messi games almost always are, everywhere in the world — and MLS even had a camera isolated on him throughout the match, streaming that view on TikTok. There were plans to also show the match live on a massive screen in New York’s Times Square; that ended up getting called off, but Apple will schedule a viewing of another match there.
Atlanta was the only team to beat Inter Miami when Messi was in the lineup this season, and it was almost as though the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner — and finalist for MLS MVP honors — knew the game wouldn’t be easy.
“It gets settled on the field,” Messi said in an interview taped before the playoffs, one that MLS teased on social media and said will be distributed on its Season Pass platform. “Anything can happen in a match.”
And for 60 minutes, the scoreboard said these teams were even.
Suarez scored with the match barely a minute old, and Messi had three high-quality chances later in the half.
Messi’s left foot nearly made it 2-0 after six minutes; Guzan had to sprawl to his right to barely deflect the shot away. Messi found a bit of space and fired again in the 26th minute; this time, Guzan punched it over the crossbar. And in the 29th minute, it wasn’t Guzan who denied Messi — it was the post. The rebound came to Inter Miami’s Marcelo Weigandt, and his shot got punched away by Guzan.
If not for Guzan, it could have been 2-0, 3-0, maybe even 4-0 at that point.
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Instead, it was 1-1 at intermission. Lobjanidze got behind the defense and beat Drake Callender from close range in the 39th minute, and Atlanta — which won at Chase Stadium in May — was all square going into the second half.
“We were frustrated,” Martino said.
In the 52nd minute, Messi’s direct kick from 25 yards nearly gave Inter Miami the lead again but curled just wide of the post to Guzan’s left. The breakthrough came about eight minutes later, with Messi getting lifted into the air by Alba in celebration after the goal.
“We’ve got to keep our heads up, and we’ve got to go again,” Guzan said. “We’ve had our backs against the wall for quite some time now. And when our backs have been against the wall, we’ve found a way. Our backs are against the wall now. We’ve got to go into Game 2, and we’ve got to win.”
The night took a bad turn for Inter Miami late. Ian Fray, a South Florida native who has already dealt with three ACL tears, left in the 90th minute after a noncontact injury left him unable to put any weight on his right leg. There was no immediate word on the severity of Fray’s injury.
“It was a very good game … but we’re not feeling as satisfied as we could because of Ian,” Martino said. “We are all a little bit sad. We’ll wait to see what injury he has.”
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Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba scored and Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 2-1 in Game 1 of a best-of-three Major League Soccer playoff series on Friday night.
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Coaching in a Clásico: What it’s like to coach Barca, Madrid
As Barcelona’s Hansi Flick prepares for his first Clasico, those who have been there talk about the occasion.
As Barcelona’s Hansi Flick prepares for his first Clasico, those who have been there talk about the occasion. As Barcelona’s Hansi Flick prepares for his first Clasico, those who have been there talk about the occasion.
Hansi Flick has been involved in some of the biggest games in football as a player, assistant coach and manager, but Saturday’s trip to Real Madrid — his first Clásico as Barcelona boss — may end up topping the lot. Those who have been involved in the fixture detail a pressure, media environment and political edge unrivaled by almost any other game. Others say the tension around the match makes it impossible to enjoy the actual 90 minutes of football.
Flick has conducted himself well as Barça coach so far. He has not complained about the club’s tricky financial situation, a series of long-term injuries or about having to turn to the youth teams to fill out his squad. It has helped that results have accompanied him: nine wins from 10 games in LaLiga and a three-point lead over Madrid at the top of the table heading into this weekend’s showdown at the Santiago Bernabéu (stream LIVE at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+).
However, all that good work could go out the window should his side fail to get a result in the Clásico. It is the game that is circled in red as soon as the fixtures are announced. For some Barça fans, beating Madrid is even more important than winning the league. It’s important to get that message across to coaches when they arrive from abroad.
The late Terry Venables, Barcelona coach between 1984 and 1987, said in an interview in 2017: “People stopped me in the street and told me: ‘Terry, you’ll never win LaLiga, but don’t worry, as long as you beat Madrid, everyone will be happy.'”
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Venables coached in a different era, mind. Barça hadn’t won LaLiga for a decade when the Englishman took over. He won the title in his first season. Now they are expected to win the league every yearb and the pressure has increased substantially.
“This is baloney,” Henk ten Cate, Frank Rijkaard’s assistant at Barça between 2004 and 2007, told ESPN when asked whether beating Madrid is what matters most. “The title is the most important. It takes away a little of the shine when you don’t win a game against Madrid but you win the title, but winning the title is still the most important because it means over the season you are the best team.”
The truth is, the two teams are often so evenly matched that these games have a direct impact on where the title goes. Winning the Clásico and winning the title cannot be separated. Madrid won both Clásicos last season and won LaLiga; if Barça had won them both, they would have clinched the title.
“I would say there is a heightened sense of anticipation going into these games and that’s created, I suppose, from the outside,” Paul Clement, Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant at Madrid between 2013 and 2015, told ESPN. “The media, the coverage, the talk amongst the fans, it’s building. You sense that and you feel that. You also know that you’re going to have an impact on where the title goes. They’re six-point games.”
Hansi Flick is an experienced elite-level coach, but he will get his first taste of a Clásico at the Bernabéu when his Barcelona side takes on Real Madrid. Eric Alonso/Getty Images
Most derbies pit two teams from the same city against each other, or at least two teams from the same geographical area. The Clásico brings together two different parts of Spain: Madrid, the capital city where central government is based, and Barcelona, nearly 400 miles to the east in Catalonia, a region of Spain where there is an ongoing push for independence.
“It’s different from all of the other derbies you play in the world because this is the more political one,” Ten Cate adds. “You have the establishment in Madrid and then Catalonia, the free spirits of Catalonia and the Catalan people. So it’s more than a game, it’s also politics.
“This is what makes it extra different from all of the other matches you will play. For instance, in the Netherlands you have Ajax–Feyenoord, which is hot. You have Chelsea–Arsenal, Manchester United–Manchester City, Liverpool–Everton, those are derbies but on a different level.”
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That element of the rivalry even surprised Venables during his time in Catalonia, who said back in 2017: “The ferocity was far more severe than I thought it was. I mean it was just, everything geared around the football club and the fixture, even politics is linked in with the club.”
The fact the fixture is so consequential to where the title could end up, and laced with historical and political significance, means that an intense media atmosphere and an immense pressure on all those involved builds to a crescendo in the weeks leading up to the game. Bobby Robson, Barça coach for the 1996-97 season, had coached the England national team and clubs all over Europe before moving to Camp Nou, but even he was surprised by the level of criticism he and his side faced at times.
“This is the phenomenon of Barcelona,” Robson told the BBC in 1996. “It’s what they call here the entorno [the environment around the club]. It’s not the pressure from inside, it’s from the outside.
“The day that Barça are one point behind Madrid is a day of panic. They don’t like that because they are afraid they might lose the next game and go four points behind Madrid and this a complete and utter disaster. So they’re always on that verge of despair if you like.”
It’s a feeling Ten Cate recognises. He tells ESPN: “This is something created by the press. Weeks before the game they already start talking about it. Players who are not fit, if they can make it in the game against Madrid. In the meanwhile you still have to play two or three matches before you play Madrid.”
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All that surrounds this fixture can make it difficult to enjoy the fact you have reached the pinnacle of the game: coaching either Barça or Madrid in one of the biggest fixtures, if not the biggest, in club football.
“The atmosphere was spectacular,” Quique Setién, who was Barça coach for a Clásico in 2020, tells ESPN. “There is so much tension involved in the fixture and you really feel it. You know that half the world is watching you, how you play, what you do.
“It’s electrifying. More because of the pressure and the responsibility you have than for actually enjoying [the games] as I did somewhere like [lower-league side] Lugo, where during my six years I enjoyed football.
“[Coaching in the Clásico] is totally different because enjoying football at a big club is more difficult. Everything is conditioned by the result and by winning matches. There is a lot of responsibility. The pressure is huge. You feel it on the streets and around the club. At these big clubs, you have to win. That’s the norm. Nothing else is good enough.”
The sensation was similar for Clement, who also worked with Ancelotti at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. He says: “I can’t remember enjoying the games, I have to say. And you can imagine, that’s as an assistant, so imagine the pressure on the coach. I’ve had that feeling as an assistant coach and the feeling you get is different when you’re a head coach, the pressure. I can only imagine the feeling that Carlo has during those games.”
Paul Clement (right) went through the pressure of El Clásico several times with Carlo Ancelotti during the Italian’s first spell as Real Madrid coach . NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Despite all the factors at play, most of the coaches insist routine — and staying true to yourself — is the best way to prepare for the games. Jordi Roura, who worked as Tito Vilanova’s assistant in the 2012-13 season and was interim coach for several months due to Vilanova’s illness at the time, tells ESPN that the approach with the players never changed. However, he acknowledged much more work went on behind the scenes when the Madrid games came around.
“You have to, where possible, try and reduce the excitement levels when preparing the team,” he says. “Don’t say anything too different. The game sells itself. Everyone already knows how big this game is. The local lads live in a different way, but those that come in from elsewhere quickly realise what it means.
“From a coaching perspective, in our time, we would analyse eight matches of each upcoming opponent. For the Clásico, that would go up to 12. We also had a playbook at the start of each season. We would always try and reserve some of those plays or dead-ball strategies for the Clásico, to add that element of surprise. We knew that Madrid would be looking at everything as well, so we wanted to keep some things back for those fixtures.”
As Venables told John Toshack when the Welshman took the Real Madrid job in 1989: “At the end of the day, if you try and listen to [all the noise] you’re going to come unstuck. You know that. You have got to just say, I am not going to listen. Because if you try to please everyone, you please no one and if you do it your way and it goes wrong, you’re going to be happy with yourself.”
That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it once the full-time whistle goes. Venables said in 2005 that his first Clásico — which was also the first league game of the season — in 1984, a 3-0 away win, was the best moment of his career.
Ten Cate doesn’t remember his first — a loss — too fondly. But a 3-0 win at the Bernabéu in 2005, when Ronaldinho was given a standing ovation by the home supporters, left its mark and showed there are moments when the rivalry can subside.
“[You enjoy it] if you finish the game as the winner,” he says. “I remember winning in Madrid when the white part of the stadium was applauding Ronaldinho. He played so extremely well that game that it was like football from another planet. And people recognised that.”
Flick has been in the game long enough to have an idea of what awaits him. But he’s new to the Barça job and he’s not yet experienced the Clásico rivalry from the inside. He will take to the Bernabéu dugout on Saturday thinking not only about how to deal with Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior — fresh from his stunning hat trick in the Champions League on Tuesday; something his own player Raphinha replicated the following night — but also the occasion itself.
It’s games like this and the atmosphere that surrounds them that wore many of his predecessors down. Pep Guardiola walked away after three years, as did Luis Enrique. Lose on Saturday and Flick may get a taste of what exhausted his predecessors so much. Win and he will share in their euphoria.
ESPN’s Alex Kirkland and Moises Llorens contributed to this report
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As Barcelona’s Hansi Flick prepares for his first Clasico, those who have been there talk about the occasion.
Germany stun England in Euros final rematch
In a rematch of the 2022 Euros final, Germany secured a 4-3 victory over European Champions England in a chaotic seven-goal thriller in front of 47,167 at Wembley.
In a rematch of the 2022 Euros final, Germany secured a 4-3 victory over European Champions England in a chaotic seven-goal thriller in front of 47,167 at Wembley. In a rematch of the 2022 Euros final, Germany secured a 4-3 victory over European Champions England in a chaotic seven-goal thriller in front of 47,167 at Wembley.
In a rematch of the 2022 Euros final, Germany secured a 4-3 victory over European Champions England in a chaotic seven-goal thriller in front of 47,167 at Wembley.
The last time these two sides met, England defeated the visitors 2-1 to lift their first major trophy in front of a sold-out crowd.
However, some shocking England defending and poor form in front of goal created more questions than answers for manager Sarina Wiegman in the Lionesses’ first friendly in preparation to defend their crown next summer.
New manager Christian Wück began his era as Germany’s head coach with three goals in 30 minutes to put England on the back foot from the start, continuing their sold form following their Olympic bronze medal in Paris.
Captain Giulia Gwinn netted from the spot in the fourth minute after Chelsea defender Millie Bright brought down Linda Dallmann in the box. The lead-up to the goal exposed weaknesses in Wiegman’s back line as out-of-form captain Leah Williamson gave away the ball.
Alessia Russo had the ball in the back of the net five minutes later, but the flag was swiftly raised for offside.
The Lionesses began building into the game, with Russo shattering a chance off the post and Bright sending a header inches wide of the goal.
The difference between the sides was that Germany were able to finish their chances, illustrated when Klara Bühl beat Lucy Bronze following some well-worked team build-up to secure the third goal within half an hour.
Again, Williamson was caught out of position, leaving Bronze and Bright as lone defenders against the clinical German forwards.
England fans breathed a sigh of relief as Georgia Stanway, who plays alongside many of the German national team at Bayern Munich, scored twice in three minutes to give England a fighting chance.
A handball review on Gwinn allowed Stanway to net first from the spot. The second was created through Russo’s pinpoint pass to Beth Mead, who laid her pass perfectly for Stanway to rifle into the top of the net.
Ella Toone soon had a perfect chance to level the match but she sent her shot wide after Sara Doorsoun sloppily lost the ball.
To start the second half, Bright was caught out as England’s defensive issues continued. Jule Brand charged down, forcing a huge block from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.
A contested penalty shout on substitute Pia-Sophie Wolter following Russo’s trailing boot allowed the visitors to claim an extended lead as Sara Däbritz converted from the spot.
Defensive issues had not alluded the visitors either, as a hashed clearance from Ann-Katrin Berger allowed Bronze to fire home from close range after Lauren Hemp, the Lionesses only bright spark in attack, had her goal ruled out for offside, ending a poor evening for the defending European Champions.
England face South Africa on Tuesday in Coventry, in what will be the side’s last chance to fix their issues before facing the United States women’s national team in November.
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In a rematch of the 2022 Euros final, Germany secured a 4-3 victory over European Champions England in a chaotic seven-goal thriller in front of 47,167 at Wembley.
USMNT asst. Estevez exits to become Austin boss
Austin FC hired former United States national team assistant Nico Estevez to revive the club after missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Austin FC hired former United States national team assistant Nico Estevez to revive the club after missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive season. Austin FC hired former United States national team assistant Nico Estevez to revive the club after missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Austin FC hired former FC Dallas head coach and United States national team assistant Nico Estevez to revive the club after missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Estevez led Dallas to the MLS playoffs in 2022 and 2023 but was fired in June after a 3-8-5 start to this season. The club finished in 11th in the Western Conference, one spot below Austin.
Estevez, who is from Spain, replaces Josh Wolff, who had been the only head coach in Austin franchise history. Austin began play in the 2021 season, then advanced to the Western Conference final in 2022 before missing the playoffs the last two years. Wolff was fired on Oct. 6 with one game left in the regular season.
Nico Estevez was on Mauricio Pochettino’s staff for his first matches as USMNT coach earlier this month. John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
“Our search process was extremely detailed and we feel he is someone that ticks all the boxes,” Austin sporting director Rodolfo Borrell said in the team’s announcement. “He is highly ambitious, has experience in MLS and he is familiar with the culture in Texas.”
Estevez was an assistant with the U.S. national team from 2019-21, and had recently joined the national team again this past summer. He was on U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino’s staff when the Americans beat Panama and lost to Mexico in friendlies this month.
“We’d like to thank Nico for all his contributions to the program,” U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement. “He’s a fantastic coach and an even better person. We wish him continued success.”
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Austin FC hired former United States national team assistant Nico Estevez to revive the club after missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Arteta dismisses injury crisis: ‘We don’t feel sorry’
Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal “won’t feel sorry for ourselves” despite facing a mounting injury crisis ahead of Sunday’s clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal “won’t feel sorry for ourselves” despite facing a mounting injury crisis ahead of Sunday’s clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool. Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal “won’t feel sorry for ourselves” despite facing a mounting injury crisis ahead of Sunday’s clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool.
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Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal “won’t feel sorry for ourselves” despite facing a mounting injury crisis ahead of Sunday’s clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal will be without William Saliba through suspension while Bukayo Saka (hamstring), Riccardo Calafiori (knee) and Jurriën Timber (muscular problem) were all unable to take part in training on Friday.
Captain Martin Ødegaard (ankle) and defender Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) — who has performed well marking Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah in previous meetings — are both ruled out and Arteta admitted at a Friday press conference he was still unsure of his starting line-up.
“Until tomorrow, no [I don’t know my team],” Arteta said. [There will be] a lot of drawing. A lot of possibilities, a lot of ifs. Probably the team that we start won’t be the team that finishes the game.
Mikel Arteta has called on his players to step up amid a growing injury list. Alex Pantling – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
“It happens every week. I have to prepare for the scenarios: What happens if, what contexts the game throws at you and how prepared we are after to make the changes we need to do. Who’s available to play 90 minutes, who is not? That’s always the case.
“Obviously we didn’t want to be in that situation, but we are really lucky as well to have the squad that we have, to have the players that we have, to have the attitude that we have.
“When it comes down to reacting against a difficult situation, we don’t feel sorry for ourselves — face it. We are a team that we know how good we are as well and how difficult we can be for the opponents. And having that ruthless mentality is something that I love.
“I love watching individuals and teams react to that. It is a [down] look? I hate it. I haven’t seen it in the staff, I haven’t seen it upstairs, I haven’t seen anyone talk about it.
“Get on with it. Get on with it. Show your teeth. Show how much you want it. This means opportunities for other people, opportunities for us as a team to rebel against certain situations. We need the crowd more, on Sunday even more. Let’s keep going.”
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Arteta does have Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko available as he considers how to reshuffle his defence but the Spaniard could turn to teenage academy graduates Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri as they seek to end Arne Slot’s strong start as Liverpool boss, winning 11 out of his first 12 games.
“They are in contention,” he said. “They always give us the option and the possibility to start the game.
“Myles came on the other night [against Shakhtar Donetsk] and he did really well. Ethan the same. They are first-team players. They are with us and we treat them and value the same way as any other player.
“They don’t feel much — especially those two — and that is something really positive. It brings the crowd together as well, it creates energy in the team, that’s something really good. It is about throwing them in the best moment with the right players around them, which is something really important as well.”
Meanwhile, James King is set to re-join Arsenal as director of football operations.
King left the club in 2022 to join the Professional Footballers’ Association but will leave the role vacated by Richard Garlick, who was promoted to managing director earlier this year following Vinai Venkatesham’s departure.
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Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal “won’t feel sorry for ourselves” despite facing a mounting injury crisis ahead of Sunday’s clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Ten Hag: ‘I deny, ignore’ 3-0 home loss to Spurs
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said that he has chosen to “deny” and “ignore” his team’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said that he has chosen to “deny” and “ignore” his team’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said that he has chosen to “deny” and “ignore” his team’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham.
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said he has chosen to “deny” and “ignore” his team’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham because the red card shown to Bruno Fernandes during the game was subsequently rescinded.
Spurs dominated United at Old Trafford on Sept. 29 as goals from Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke served to increase the pressure on Ten Hag following his team’s stuttering start to the season.
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With Spurs 1-0 up in the first half, United captain Fernandes was shown a straight red card for a challenge on James Maddison near the halfway line. Speaking after the match, Ten Hag said the decision “changed the game,” while Fernandes was incensed by the decision and claimed Maddison himself said it wasn’t a sending off.
United appealed against the red card, with the Football Association confirming they had overturned the decision on Oct. 1.
“I deny that game, ignore that game against Spurs because we were downsized to 10 with a 1-0 losing position … And then the red card was overturned. So I totally ignore that game,” Ten Hag told a news conference on Thursday following the team’s draw with Fenerbahce.
“That is not a fair assessment of the team to take this into consideration because we didn’t have the chance to bounce back.
“But you see this team is resilient, this team is determined. Against Brentford, two tough away games now in Europe — Porto and today again [against Fenerbahce] — this team has character and this team showed fighting spirit and determination to win games.”
Ten Hag also pointed to the number of injuries suffered by his squad as a reason for some of United’s inconsistent results this season.
Erik ten Hag’s team were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham at Old Trafford on Sept. 29. Visionhaus/Getty Images
Defenders Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro and Tyrell Malacia have not yet made an appearance for the club this season, while Mason Mount is in his second spell out of action since the start of the campaign.
“It holds us back in our levels and also in our position in the league because when you don’t have the players available, you can’t line up the best team,” Ten Hag said.
“That is what’s holding us back in this moment and we need more players often available and then we have to work all together on this point. That is the players, the coaching staff, all the other staff. We have to do better … To get more available players because we know when we have them we are a really tough team to play and when we have them we can be really successful. That is what we have showed over the last couple of months.”
United travel to east London to face West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday.
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said that he has chosen to “deny” and “ignore” his team’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham.
Sources: Ex-U.S. coach Arena in talks with Quakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are in advanced discussions with former LA Galaxy and United States men’s national team coach Bruce Arena to make him the team’s next head coach, sources told ESPN.
The San Jose Earthquakes are in advanced discussions with former LA Galaxy and United States men’s national team coach Bruce Arena to make him the team’s next head coach, sources told ESPN. The San Jose Earthquakes are in advanced discussions with former LA Galaxy and United States men’s national team coach Bruce Arena to make him the team’s next head coach, sources told ESPN.
The San Jose Earthquakes are in advanced discussions with former LA Galaxy and United States men’s national team coach Bruce Arena to make him the team’s next head coach, sources told ESPN.
Arena, 73, has long operated as both head coach and general manager in his previous MLS stops, but it is unclear if his potential role with San Jose would involve similar responsibilities, and what this might mean for current GM Chris Leitch.
Arena was first linked with the San Jose job last month, as was another former USMNT coach, Gregg Berhalter, as well as former Portland Timbers boss Gio Savarese and Robin Fraser, the former coach of the Colorado Rapids. Berhalter has since been hired by the Chicago Fire.
The Earthquakes declined to comment.
Arena has been out of work since he resigned as head coach and sporting director of the New England Revolution in September 2023.
His resignation came after he was placed on administrative leave and later investigated by MLS for making “insensitive and inappropriate remarks.” At the time of his resignation, Arena acknowledged he “made some mistakes” but didn’t elaborate further.
MLS announced that “certain” allegations were confirmed and that Arena would have to petition MLS commissioner Don Garber if he wanted to work in the league again. Arena eventually met those conditions, and was declared eligible to resume working in MLS in December 2023.
Appearing on CBS Sports Golazo Network’s “Kickin’ it” in June, Arena said he took responsibility for his actions but also said he had to be “reserved” in what he could say about why he resigned. He called what he went through “hurtful.”
Bruce Arena resigned as coach of the New England Revolution in September 2023. Jeff Dean/Getty Images
Though no deal has yet been reached, if completed, Arena would take over a San Jose side that is a long away from its heyday in the early 2000s, when it won two MLS Cups and a Supporters’ Shield, and is now in need of a complete rebuild.
The Quakes just finished the 2024 MLS regular season dead last in the entire league, with 21 points from 34 games, and a record of 6-25-3. The second-worst point total was Chicago’s 30. San Jose also set a dubious MLS record by conceding an all-time high 78 goals.
The Quakes started the season with Luchi Gonzalez as head coach, but he was dismissed in late June, with assistant coach Ian Russell leading the team on an interim basis for the rest of the year.
Arena has proven himself adept at rebuilding jobs, having resurrected the LA Galaxy when he took over in 2008 and doing the same with New England starting in 2021.
Arena’s on-field success in MLS is unmatched. He is the winningest coach in MLS history with 262 regular season victories, and has won 12 trophies.
With D.C. United he won two MLS Cups, a Supporters’ Shield, a U.S. Open Cup, the 1998 Concacaf Champions Cup and the Interamerican Cup. Later, with the Galaxy, Arena won three MLS Cups and two Supporters’ Shields. He won his last title with the Revs in 2021. He also managed the New York Red Bulls.
Arena has enjoyed similar highs at international level, but also experienced some crushing lows.
He led the USMNT to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, including a round-of-16 triumph over bitter rival Mexico. During two spells in charge, he guided the USMNT to three Gold Cup crowns in 2002, 2005 and 2017.
But he was also in charge when the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, thanks in part to a shocking 2-1 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago on the final day of qualifying. He resigned days after that defeat.
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The San Jose Earthquakes are in advanced discussions with former LA Galaxy and United States men’s national team coach Bruce Arena to make him the team’s next head coach, sources told ESPN.
Pep: City won’t have United-like collapse if I leave
Pep Guardiola has said there will not be a Manchester United-style collapse at Manchester City if he decides to quit as manager in the summer.
Pep Guardiola has said there will not be a Manchester United-style collapse at Manchester City if he decides to quit as manager in the summer. Pep Guardiola has said there will not be a Manchester United-style collapse at Manchester City if he decides to quit as manager in the summer.
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Pep Guardiola has said there will not be a Manchester United-style collapse at Manchester City if he decides to quit as manager in the summer.
United haven’t won the Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013. City have won it in six of the last seven years and Guardiola is adamant the club will continue winning even after he leaves the Etihad Stadium.
“I don’t know what happened [at United],”Guardiola said.
“It will be a bad sign for the club if after just one person leaves and everything is dragged down. Maybe they will make mistakes, but during the mistakes they will solve it.
“Then the mistakes will be solved immediately, that is for sure. The guys know exactly what they have to do.”
Pep Guardiola has said Man City’s success will continue if he leaves the club. Xinhua via Getty Images
Guardiola is under contract until the end of the season and has so far refused to be drawn on whether he will extend his deal.
Sources have told ESPN that City expect a decision between the November international break and the new year, although they have been conscious of not putting pressure on the 53-year-old to make up his mind.
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Director of football Txiki Begiristain has already told the club he will leave at the end of the season and will be replaced by Hugo Viana from Sporting Lisbon.
“They [the club] will be patient, calm and know what they have to do,” Guardiola said.
“Absolutely, I don’t have doubts about that. With Txiki for 12 years and my case, it is normal that it looks like we cannot leave, but of course we can move on. Life moves on. The earth continues to go round.
“The club is well run and the structure is good. Solid clubs don’t depend on one figure or another. When the club is strong it doesn’t matter. Otherwise it would not be good.”
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Pep Guardiola has said there will not be a Manchester United-style collapse at Manchester City if he decides to quit as manager in the summer.
Follow live: Suarez opens the scoring as Miami takes early lead vs. Atlanta
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8:30 PM, October 25, 2024Coverage: MLS Season Pass
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Line: MIA -1.5
Over/Under: 3.5
www.espn.com – SOCCER
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USMNT asst. Estevez exits to become Austin boss
Austin FC hired former United States national team assistant Nico Estevez to revive the club after missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Austin FC hired former United States national team assistant Nico Estevez to revive the club after missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive season. Austin FC hired former United States national team assistant Nico Estevez to revive the club after missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Austin FC hired former FC Dallas head coach and United States national team assistant Nico Estevez to revive the club after missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Estevez led Dallas to the MLS playoffs in 2022 and 2023 but was fired in June after a 3-8-5 start to this season. The club finished in 11th in the Western Conference, one spot below Austin.
Estevez, who is from Spain, replaces Josh Wolff, who had been the only head coach in Austin franchise history. Austin began play in the 2021 season, then advanced to the Western Conference final in 2022 before missing the playoffs the last two years. Wolff was fired on Oct. 6 with one game left in the regular season.
Nico Estevez was on Mauricio Pochettino’s staff for his first matches as USMNT coach earlier this month. John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
“Our search process was extremely detailed and we feel he is someone that ticks all the boxes,” Austin sporting director Rodolfo Borrell said in the team’s announcement. “He is highly ambitious, has experience in MLS and he is familiar with the culture in Texas.”
Estevez was an assistant with the U.S. national team from 2019-21, and had recently joined the national team again this past summer. He was on U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino’s staff when the Americans beat Panama and lost to Mexico in friendlies this month.
“We’d like to thank Nico for all his contributions to the program,” U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement. “He’s a fantastic coach and an even better person. We wish him continued success.”
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Austin FC hired former United States national team assistant Nico Estevez to revive the club after missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Here's everything you need to know for Week 8 NFL games. Which teams will win? Who are the X factors, and which storylines matter most? Here's everything you need to know for Week 8 NFL games. Which teams will win? Who are the X factors, and which storylines matter...
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Here's everything you need to know for Week 8 NFL games. Which teams will win? Who are the X factors, and which storylines matter most? Here's everything you need to know for Week 8 NFL games. Which teams will win? Who are the X factors, and which storylines matter...
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Ex-Morocco, Marseille player Barrada dies at 35
Former Marseille midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada has died at the age of 35, the club said on Thursday, with the Moroccan federation (FRMF) describing his death as a “great tragedy.”
Former Marseille midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada has died at the age of 35, the club said on Thursday, with the Moroccan federation (FRMF) describing his death as a “great tragedy.” Former Marseille midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada has died at the age of 35, the club said on Thursday, with the Moroccan federation (FRMF) describing his death as a “great tragedy.”
Abdelaziz Barrada played for Marseille between 2014-2016. Romain Perrocheau/Getty Images
Former Marseille midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada has died at the age of 35, the club said on Thursday, with the Moroccan federation (FRMF) describing his death as a “great tragedy.”
No official cause of death has been announced for the France-born player, who earned 26 caps for Morocco and was part of the side that reached the under-23 Africa Cup of Nations final in 2011.
“The club would like to offer its sincerest condolences to his family and share their grief,” Marseille, where Barrada spent two years, wrote on X.
Barrada also played for Spanish side Getafe and had stints in Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates before retiring in 2021. He also played for Paris Saint-Germain‘s reserve side.
“Paris Saint-Germain extends its sincerest condolences to his family and friends,” PSG wrote on X.
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Former Marseille midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada has died at the age of 35, the club said on Thursday, with the Moroccan federation (FRMF) describing his death as a “great tragedy.”
Raphinha: I considered Barça exit ‘several’ times
Barcelona forward Raphinha has told ESPN he considered leaving the club on several occasions during his first two seasons.
Barcelona forward Raphinha has told ESPN he considered leaving the club on several occasions during his first two seasons. Barcelona forward Raphinha has told ESPN he considered leaving the club on several occasions during his first two seasons.
Is Raphinha now showing his true form for Barcelona? (0:59)The Futbol Americas crew discuss just how good Raphinha’s been for Barcelona this season. (0:59)
Barcelona forward Raphinha has told ESPN he considered leaving the club on several occasions during his first two seasons.
The 27-year-old has been one of Barça’s best players this year, starring with a hat trick in the 4-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich, but there have been tough times since he joined from Leeds United in 2022.
Raphinha struggled to adapt to his new surroundings after joining Barça. He suffered injury problems in his second season and then had to put up with speculation that the club wanted to move him on.
Raphinha scored a hat trick for Barcelona in their Champions League clash with Bayern Munich. Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
“Man, there were several moments, not just one [when I considered leaving Barça],” he told ESPN ahead of Saturday’s trip to Real Madrid for the first Clásico of the season.
“My first six months here, the period from the summer transfer window until the World Cup, was a season in which I didn’t have the best of starts, so it crossed my mind to leave the club.
“There was a lot of self doubt. I have a nasty habit of criticising myself heavily, so to speak, so that pressure made me think about leaving.
“Then, obviously, after the World Cup I had a huge turnaround, managing to put up great numbers in six months.
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“Last season, after the injuries I had, the sending off [against Getafe in the first game of the campaign], and also at the end of the season, seeing a lot of things that the club wanted to sell me, that the fans wanted me to leave, it also ends up crossing your mind to leave, to go somewhere where there’s no pressure.”
Raphinha said he was especially upset by fans buying Barça shirts with his No. 11 on the back but the name of Nico Williams, the Athletic Club winger who was rumoured to be his replacement last summer.
Speaking before the Bayern game this week, he said he felt “disrespected” and “hurt” when he saw those shirts, but he has responded on the pitch since the start of the season.
The Brazil international has dazzled in a new position, starting on the left with the freedom to come inside, and has scored nine goals and laid on nine assists in 13 appearances in all competitions.
“But football is no fun without pressure,” he added when reflecting on his decision to stay and fight for his place under new coach Hansi Flick.
“Football has to have a little pressure. I’ve always dreamed of playing for big clubs, playing big games for the national team, and you can’t realise those dreams without pressure, the pressure comes with it.
“So, thank God, I didn’t let myself get carried away by those thoughts that, naturally, end up going through your head. I just focused on working hard and adapting to the new roles I’d have to play on the pitch.”
Barça travel to the Bernabéu this weekend with a three point lead over Madrid at the top of the table.
It will be Flick’s first Clásico in the dugout since taking over as Barça coach in the summer.
The German has made an impressive start, winning 11 of his opening 13 games in all competitions, but he knows defeat to Madrid can quickly change things given the magnitude of the rivalry.
“It’s nice, but I know my job and that everything is about the results,” he said in a news conference on Friday when asked about the praise he has received.
“When you win, it’s good; when you don’t win, not too good. We have to focus about our performance, ideas, passion and how we want to play [on Saturday].
“This is why we are playing football, why we give everything, to win the Clásico. When you start to play football, you want to play the Clásico.
“It’s the real Clásico. In Germany, we also have some Clásicos, but it’s not the same as Barça against Real. This is the Clásico. So everyone is happy and they have to enjoy it and to enjoy it you have to work hard.”
One aspect of Barça’s style under Flick has been their high line, with his team having the highest average defensive block in LaLiga at 61 yards from their goal when the ball is in the opposition’s half.
That strategy will be tested by Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior‘s pace in behind, but Flick insists his team will remain true to their ideas.
“We play against Real Madrid, a team with world class players, but at the end of the day I have a big belief in my team,” he added.
“I believe in the team. We have a lot of quality with and without the ball. This is what we want to see. Everyone is playing or running for each other. This is the most important thing, that we are one team. It’s our biggest strength.”
Flick has no new injury worries ahead of the game, with Fermín López, Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo and Gavi all in contention having returned from injury problems in recent weeks.
Marc-André ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araújo, Marc Bernal, Eric García and Ferran Torres all remain sidelined.
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Barcelona forward Raphinha has told ESPN he considered leaving the club on several occasions during his first two seasons.
Ange won’t rush Moore amid Neymar comparison
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou believes promising teenager Mikey Moore is ready to start a Premier League game but vowed not to rush the winger’s development.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou believes promising teenager Mikey Moore is ready to start a Premier League game but vowed not to rush the winger’s development. Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou believes promising teenager Mikey Moore is ready to start a Premier League game but vowed not to rush the winger’s development.
Ange responds to Neymar-Mikey Moore comparisons (1:20)Spurs boss says he has no fear of playing 17-year-old Mikey Moore after James Maddison compares the youngster to Neymar. (1:20)
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou believes promising teenager Mikey Moore is ready to start a Premier League game but vowed not to rush the winger’s development.
Moore made only his second senior start for Spurs in Thursday night’s 1-0 Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar.
The 17-year-old switched to his favoured left-sided position in the second-half and tormented AZ full-back Seiya Maikuma, prompting James Maddison — Spurs captain for the evening — to joke afterwards that “from minute 45 to 65, I thought we had Neymar on the left wing!”
The clamour for England under-19 international Moore to start in Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace will grow after an exciting display but Postecoglou said: “I think we all understand with young players you do have to be really careful but I don’t get the sense that’s going to affect Mikey at all.
Mikey Moore was compared to Neymar Jr by Tottenham captain after their Europa League win to AZ Alkmaar. Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
“And there’s no denying he was great last night. I thought he was great the whole game, especially in that period so exciting for us.
“He’s ready to start any game. I just feel especially with young players you’ve got to be really careful about their introduction into senior football. It’s not like even last year he had a full season of football.
“He had a couple of injuries. He went from under-18s to playing very little under-21s before we integrated him so you have to look at that. He’s still physically growing and you have to take that into account.
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“I think he’s ready to start a Premier League game for sure but for us what we want to continue to do is develop Mikey in the right way, give him the platform to keep improving. So far, whatever we’ve asked of him, he’s made a real impact and the plan is to continue to do that.
“Mikey just wants to be Mikey. He’s very mature for a 17-year-old. He handles things really well, both positive and negative. He works hard every day. And he’s making an impact at an age where it is very difficult at this level. But that’s the beginning of a process for him.”
Spurs are likely to be without Son Heung-Min after only just returning from a hamstring injury.
“Sonny is still not right,” Postecoglou said. “He’s still not feeling 100%. He won’t train so unlikely for the weekend. We’ll see how he is beyond that.”
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Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou believes promising teenager Mikey Moore is ready to start a Premier League game but vowed not to rush the winger’s development.
Slot confirms Jota out for crunch Arsenal clash
Arne Slot has said that Diogo Jota will miss Liverpool’s clash against Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday after the forward suffered an injury during the team’s 2-1 win over Chelsea last weekend.
Arne Slot has said that Diogo Jota will miss Liverpool’s clash against Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday after the forward suffered an injury during the team’s 2-1 win over Chelsea last weekend. Arne Slot has said that Diogo Jota will miss Liverpool’s clash against Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday after the forward suffered an injury during the team’s 2-1 win over Chelsea last weekend.
Why Laurens has concerns about Arsenal ahead of Liverpool clash (1:17)Gab & Juls discuss Arsenal’s performance vs. Shakhtar Donetsk ahead of their Premier League clash vs. Liverpool. (1:17)
Arne Slot has said that Diogo Jota will miss Liverpool‘s clash against Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday after the forward suffered an injury during the team’s 2-1 win over Chelsea last weekend.
Jota limped off the pitch in the 30th minute following a collision with Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo and missed Liverpool’s midweek victory over RB Leipzig in the Champions League as a result.
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The Portugal international joins Liverpool’s growing list of absentees that includes goalkeeper Alisson (hamstring) and midfielder Harvey Elliott (foot).
Slot also confirmed that summer recruit Federico Chiesa will miss the trip to north London as he continues to recover from injury, but full-back Conor Bradley could return to the matchday squad.
“I think they [Bradley, Jota, Elliott, Alisson and Chiesa], feel good, but not for the weekend, Chiesa might train today, Diogo not, Conor, let’s see if he can be with us tomorrow,” Slot told a news conference on Friday.
Alisson could be set for an extended stint on the sidelines despite making a good start to his recovery, according to Slot.
“He’s progressing well, like we expect, but it’s not a short-term recovery, so it’s always difficult to judge him,” the Dutch coach said.
“I think the best way to judge an injury is in the end of an injury, the end phase of his rehab, and he’s not there yet, so I can’t tell you for how long he will be out, but don’t expect him to be against Brighton in the cup or next week.”
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota was substituted after 30 minutes of Liverpool’s win over Chelsea on Sunday. Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images
Liverpool have the best defensive record in the Premier League seven games into the season, having conceded just three goals from their opening seven matches. Asked how he has made his team so miserly in defence, Slot said: “There are two reasons why we don’t concede a lot. One of them is that we, most games — maybe except for one — we dominated and controlled for large parts of the game. So it helps if you dominate, if you have the ball and your rest defence is in order.
“But I also like that if we have difficult parts in the game, or for a large part of the game like we had against Chelsea, that the work rate is incredible not to concede and that is something that’s very important. And if you combine that with having the likes of Virgil [van Dijk and Ibu [Ibrahima Konaté] and the two goalkeepers we’ve used until now, that is probably one of the reasons why these three elements, why we haven’t conceded that much.
“And then to be aware of the fact that we also have Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez, we are in a good place when it comes to centre-backs and the goalkeeper speaks for itself, I think.”
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Arne Slot has said that Diogo Jota will miss Liverpool’s clash against Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday after the forward suffered an injury during the team’s 2-1 win over Chelsea last weekend.
Man Utd coach Fletcher charged after ref outburst
Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association for allegedly abusing the match officials at half-time during the 2-1 win over Brentford.
Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association for allegedly abusing the match officials at half-time during the 2-1 win over Brentford. Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association for allegedly abusing the match officials at half-time during the 2-1 win over Brentford.
Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association (FA) for allegedly abusing the match officials at half-time during the 2-1 win over Brentford.
Fletcher was in the press box at Old Trafford with United’s analysts, but made his way down to the tunnel area just before the break.
The FA allege that the former United midfielder acted in an “improper and/or confrontational manner” and used “abusive and/or insulting words” towards referee Samuel Barrott and his team.
United were furious that Barrott ordered defender Matthijs de Ligt off the pitch to receive treatment for a head injury and subsequently conceded from a corner while the Dutchman was on the touchline.
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Both manager Erik ten Hag and assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy received yellow cards for their protests at the time.
A statement issued by the FA on Friday read: “Darren Fletcher has been charged with misconduct following Manchester United’s fixture against Brentford on Saturday, 20 October, in the Premier League.
“It is alleged that the coach acted in an improper and/or confrontational manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words towards the fourth official and the referee and/or assistant referees. Darren Fletcher has until Tuesday, 29 October, to respond.”
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Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association for allegedly abusing the match officials at half-time during the 2-1 win over Brentford.
Ancelotti: Mbappé knows what to do in Clásico bow
Kylian Mbappé “knows what he has to do” in his first Clásico, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday, backing the star forward to deliver in this weekend’s top-of-the-table LaLiga clash.
Kylian Mbappé “knows what he has to do” in his first Clásico, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday, backing the star forward to deliver in this weekend’s top-of-the-table LaLiga clash. Kylian Mbappé “knows what he has to do” in his first Clásico, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday, backing the star forward to deliver in this weekend’s top-of-the-table LaLiga clash.
Why Bellingham’s goalless start is being unfairly criticised (1:57)Janusz Michallik stands up for Real Madrid’s star midfielder Jude Bellingham, who has yet to find the net this season. (1:57)
Kylian Mbappé “knows what he has to do” in his first Clásico, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday, as he backed the star forward to deliver in this weekend’s top-of-the-table LaLiga clash.
Madrid go into the game three points behind leaders Barça, but unbeaten domestically after picking up seven wins and three draws so far.
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Mbappé has scored six goals in nine league appearances in a solid start to his time in Spain, but hasn’t received universal praise for his all-round performances.
“We’re satisfied,” Ancelotti said in a news conference. “[Mbappé] has scored goals, he’s very important to the team… He’s looking for his best form. We aren’t in a hurry, and neither is he. Obviously he’ll do better, because he has all the qualities to do better.”
Ancelotti said he hadn’t offered any special advice to Mbappé going into the player’s first Clásico.
“He has experience, he’s often played against Barcelona,” Ancelotti said. “He knows what he has to do … His way of preparing for a game is to be very calm, very straightforward. He believes a lot in his qualities. We’re confident that he’ll bring something to the team [on Saturday], and so is he.”
Kylian Mbappe does not need advice ahead of his first game for Real Madrid against Barcelona, according to his coach. Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Both teams shone in the Champions League in midweek, with Madrid coming back from 0-2 down to beat Borussia Dortmund 5-2, while Barça thrashed Bayern Munich 4-1.
“They’re doing very well,” Ancelotti said, praising his counterpart Hansi Flick. “In a game like the Clásico, like a derby, it’s hard to choose a favourite. But luckily, nobody’s made me lose sleep so far.”
Ancelotti described the development of Barca winger Lamine Yamal, 17, as “spectacular.”
“I love his way of playing, his attitude,” Ancelotti said. “He’s a very dangerous player … You have to bear the opponent’s qualities in mind, but you have to be more focused on what you want to do.”
Madrid will face Barcelona without forward Rodrygo Goes, who picked up a thigh problem this week, and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, with a recurrence of his adductor injury.
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Kylian Mbappé “knows what he has to do” in his first Clásico, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday, backing the star forward to deliver in this weekend’s top-of-the-table LaLiga clash.
USWNT’s ‘rusty’ win over Iceland shows evolution is needed
What got the USWNT to the gold medal at the Olympics won’t get them there at the next World Cup. Emma Hayes’ side will need to evolve.
What got the USWNT to the gold medal at the Olympics won’t get them there at the next World Cup. Emma Hayes’ side will need to evolve. What got the USWNT to the gold medal at the Olympics won’t get them there at the next World Cup. Emma Hayes’ side will need to evolve.
Kassouf: It wasn’t a perfect USWNT performance (1:36)Jeff Kassouf recaps the USWNT’s 3-1 win over Iceland in Austin. (1:36)
AUSTIN, Texas — On Thursday, the United States women’s national team picked up where it left off in August: on the podium. Two hours before kickoff of the team’s first game since winning the 2024 Olympics, the 18 players present from that squad filed out onto the field to face Iceland at the Q2 Stadium and stood on an elevated platform to record a prematch TV interview.
Gold was omnipresent around the arena, from the medal around captain Lindsey Horan’s neck during the interview, to special “champions edition” aluminum water bottles and spiked seltzer cans. Thursday was, first and foremost, a celebration of the USWNT’s fifth Olympic gold medal.
“Just being back with each other is celebration in itself,” USWNT forward Sophia Smith said later, after scoring in her team’s 3-1 win.
A few minutes after the smoke had cleared from the prematch fireworks, the whistle blew to start the match and midfielder Rose Lavelle touched the ball into play. With that, the page turned toward the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
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When Emma Hayes met reporters for the first time as head coach of the USWNT in May she used a common coaching refrain to describe the changing landscape of women’s soccer: “What got you here won’t get you there.”
She was discussing how the USWNT could bounce back from a poor 2023 World Cup at this year’s Olympics, but the phrase rang even more true on Thursday as the USWNT kicked off a three-game victory tour with a goal from a player who wasn’t even at the Olympics.
Nineteen-year-old forward Alyssa Thompson, playing in her first international match in nearly a year after regaining form with Angel City FC, smashed a shot off the underside of the crossbar in the 39th minute to give the Americans the lead. It was the first goal of her USWNT career.
Forward Yazmeen Ryan and midfielder Hal Hershfelt came off the bench for their international debuts in the second half. Hayes had promised debuts during this three-game victory tour over the next week, and there are likely more to come given there are six uncapped players in camp.
Thompson, Ryan, Hershfelt and dozens of other young players are hoping to break into the USWNT as Hayes maps out her strategy to win the 2027 World Cup. That work has already begun. Hayes plans to use this international window, which includes a rematch against Iceland on Sunday and a game against Argentina on Wednesday, to test new players. But all that experimentation might result in some “choppy” performances, the coach admitted earlier this week.
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“One of the hardest things to do at the international level is we always want to see more players, but the more changes you make, the more broken up the play becomes,” she said. “Football, like any sport, is about building connections and building relationships, and you can’t do that if the relationships change game in, game out.”
Hayes said the team looked “a little rusty” on Thursday, noting that most players are at the end of a long NWSL season. Ten of the USWNT’s 11 starters on Thursday were from the Olympic gold medal-winning team, but the 3-1 win over Iceland would certainly qualify as imperfect from the USWNT’s perspective.
Key passes in the final third were lacking in the first half and players were too slow to recognize when to switch play across field, Hayes said. She also suggested that the Americans lost the physical battle to a compact and defensively disciplined Iceland team.
“It was a physical team,” Hayes said of Iceland, ranked No. 13 in the world. “Sometimes I want us to win the fight first, and there’s parts of that I didn’t particularly like from us, and I’ll address that.”
Iceland scored an equalizer early in the second half as the USWNT’s midfield was beaten in one quick sequence, and it took superb finishes from Smith and Jaedyn Shaw off the bench to break the deadlock in the final minutes of the game.
The USWNT picked up a late win thanks to a goal from Sophia Smith, but things didn’t go to plan. Tim Warner/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
Shaw and Smith were both part of the Olympic team — although Shaw didn’t play due to injury — and at 19 and 24 years old, respectively, they will be major parts of Hayes’ plan going forward. The USWNT coach said after the match that Shaw’s “ability to create and score goals is second to none in this country,” and that Smith “is becoming the prolific striker that I want her to become.”
Hayes has the core of the team that she will develop to compete at the 2027 World Cup, but she is still catching up on studying the player pool. The gold medal match was only Hayes’ 10th in charge of the team after taking over in June. Players spoke this week about how they are still getting to know their new coach, and that their development as a group is only beginning, with Horan claiming: “There’s going to be a huge evolution of this team.”
Ryan is one of three players in her first USWNT camp; Hershfelt, who was an alternate on the Olympic team despite being uncapped, was never called into youth national team camps. Neither was forward Emma Sears, who is training with the USWNT for the first time this week. An entire roster of new players will train alongside the senior team in January as Hayes conducts an identification camp. It will take time for such a large volume of new faces to adapt to what is known as the most cut-throat environment in the sport — and incumbent players will need to adjust, too.
“One is the conversations, communication off the field,” Horan said. “Making players feel comfortable but also knowing that they are new; that they have to figure out the level and the standard. It’s different coming from the club environment to this team, and it’s hard. We’ve all been there and we have to adjust.
“I think that’s the reality of it: You have to let these players know that that is the job at hand, but again, they’re all here for a reason. I’m sure they are going to do great. We’ve had only one training session in this camp so far. We’ll do whatever we can to make them feel welcome.”
How the USWNT won their first game since Olympic gold
The USWNT saw off a valiant Iceland in Austin, their first game since clinching Olympic gold in Paris.
Hayes said her “biggest goal is broadening the player pool.” A deeper pool of players will bring competition and more diversity of skills, which Hayes claims will lead to a wider variety of ways to beat teams.
The margins are thinner than ever in women’s soccer. The USWNT won all three knockout games at the Olympics by a 1-0 score — two of those after extra time. The team “suffered” through winning at the tournament, as Hayes said at the time, grinding out results and riding the peak form of an unstoppable forward line.
It was only a year ago that Spain won its first World Cup and the Americans endured a different kind of suffering with their worst finish at a major tournament in history: a Round of 16 exit after losing a penalty shootout to Sweden on a shot that crossed the line by a millimeter. The 2023 World Cup exposed the USWNT as too predictable, and showed how much other teams had improved.
“The realities are that it’s extremely difficult to create some of the more traditional advantages, whether that be numerical superiority, whether that be technical advantages, for example,” Hayes said this week. “You have to find a different way to be able to do that.”
What got the Americans to the podium at the Olympics won’t get them there at the next World Cup. The next three years require evolution, and that process began on Thursday.
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What got the USWNT to the gold medal at the Olympics won’t get them there at the next World Cup. Emma Hayes’ side will need to evolve.
Can Rodri, football’s ultimate team player, win the Ballon d’Or?
Rodri is undoubtedly one of the most impactful players in the world, but there’s still debate over whether he deserves the Ballon d’Or. Is it finally his time?
Rodri is undoubtedly one of the most impactful players in the world, but there’s still debate over whether he deserves the Ballon d’Or. Is it finally his time? Rodri is undoubtedly one of the most impactful players in the world, but there’s still debate over whether he deserves the Ballon d’Or. Is it finally his time?
Can the ultimate team player ever hope to win the Ballon d’Or, the most prized individual award in football? That is the question being asked of Rodri, the Manchester City and Spain midfielder, and he will discover the answer when the 2024 winner is announced at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday.
While the award is decided by the votes of a panel of journalists from the top 100 ranked nations in the FIFA Men’s Ranking, with the candidates drawn from a 30-player shortlist, the 2024 award is almost certain to come down to the claims of two players — Rodri, and Real Madrid and Brazil forward Vinícius Júnior.
It is football’s version of the immovable object against the irresistible force — the defensive brilliance and awareness of deep-lying midfielder Rodri against the goals, pace and creativity of Vinícius. With Rodri ruled out for the rest of this season due to a cruciate ligament injury sustained last month, and Vinícius emphasising his claim with a stunning Champions League hat trick against Borussia Dortmund this week, the odds now seem stacked against Rodri in his attempt to become the first defensive player since Fabio Cannavaro won the Ballon d’Or in 2006 after leading Italy to World Cup glory.
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Cannavaro’s success was the first non-forward since Germany defender/midfielder Matthias Sammer won the award in 1996, again after helping his national team to success at Euro ’96, while only Germany defender Franz Beckenbauer (1972 and 1976) and Russia goalkeeper Lev Yashin (1963) had previously denied attacking players the Ballon d’Or since it was first awarded in 1956.
So history is not on Rodri’s side and neither is current form or fitness, but the 28-year-old was a Premier League winner with City last season — 12 months after his goal in the Champions League final win against Inter Milan sealed the club’s Treble — and he was also named as Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament after helping Spain to success in Germany this summer. He is the player who has forgotten how it feels to lose in the Premier League, with his recent injury halting his run of 52 games without defeat in the competition, dating back to February 2023.
Regardless of whether he was fit or not heading into next Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, was it ever possible for Rodri to buck the trend with football’s most prestigious individual award?
“I really think there’s a lot of marketing involved,” Rodri told ESPN when asked about the Ballon d’Or in an exclusive interview last month. “But how it works when they give you the cards in a game, you just have to play with these cards — you cannot say ‘I would like to play another game.’
“No, this is what it is. We all know how it works and that’s why it’s something that doesn’t frustrate me. I hope that sometimes in the next 10 years we have one or two players in my position, or different position, that people can value what they do on the pitch. There’s great players on the defensive side, on the midfield. We all agree about this. But yeah, let’s see.”
Attacking players have dominated the Ballon d’Or award, but will Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri upset the natural order? Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
When a defensive midfielder excels, it can be transformative for the team and the player. France international Claude Makélélé dominated the position during the early-2000s with Real Madrid and Chelsea to such an extent that everybody wanted that type of player. The position eventually became known as the “Makélélé Role.”
Xabi Alonso (Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Spain), Michael Carrick (Manchester United, England), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus, Italy), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich, Germany), N’Golo Kanté (Leicester, Chelsea, France) and Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, Inter Miami, Spain) have all followed the Makélélé blueprint, with Alonso and Carrick also adding goals and creativity to their game, just as Rodri has done with Villarreal, Atlético Madrid and City.
For City manager Pep Guardiola, whose success at Barcelona owed plenty to the work done by Busquets away from the spotlight shining on his teammates Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, there is no doubt as to Rodri’s status in the world game.
“He’s the best midfield player in the world currently by far because he is able to do everything,” Guardiola said. “The holding midfielder has to play positive, for him and for the team, and make the team play. This is the role for the holding midfielders. All the highlights have to be for the guys up front who score goals and make assists and so on.
“But Rodri always has the ability in important moments to score goals so he’s an unbelievable player. What a signing. It’s difficult to understand how we could have done what we have done in recent years without him.”
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Guardiola’s view is shared by Luis de la Fuente, the Spain coach, who has known Rodri since working with him as youngster during Spain under-19s’ winning campaign at the 2015 European Championship in Greece. Rodri was central to that success as well as Spain’s emergence as champions at Euro 2024 this summer.
“I think he’s the best player in the world at his position and he’s accomplished enough to win the Ballon d’Or,” De La Fuente told ESPN. “It would be an injustice if he wasn’t one of the players in the running to win the Ballon d’Or.
“Those of us who have known Rodri from an early age, like I know him, aren’t surprised. We knew he had a lot of room to improve, and he’s improving still, but the growth he has experienced and above all his production now is the production of a genuine No. 1 in the world.
“One follows natural leadership, and Rodri has it. He’s a player who grabs his teammates’ attention and influences action. That’s why he is one of the strongest leaders. For us, Rodri’s importance is huge.”
It is another coach that Rodri regards as having the greatest impact on his career, however, in terms of making him the player that he is today. Rodri spent just one season working under Diego Simeone at Atlético Madrid, having moved to the Estadio Metropolitano from Villarreal in 2018 before City triggered his £62.6 million release clause 12 months later. But Rodri says that Simeone, a former defensive midfielder with Argentina, Lazio, Inter Milan and Atlético, added crucial elements to his game in their short time together.
“Well I think, I never said this, but I met Simone in the right moment,” Rodri told ESPN. “It was a great experience with him.
“The knowledge I got from him was great in the way I was playing because I thought that football just was with the ball and trying to be a beautiful footballer. But if I want to play holding midfield, you have to be also a bad guy sometimes and be trying to be better defensively and he improved me in that sense.
“The first time I met him he said, ‘I know you’re very good with the ball. I don’t care about that. I know you got it. I’m not going to work in that. I’m going to work in the other side. I think you can improve.’ And that’s what really happened: [Simeone taught me] blocks defensively, running the games, being competitive. And this is something I gained before I came here [to City].
“We all know how the rhythm of the Premier League is and how tough it is for the players to adapt into this league and I think that year [at Atlético] made it easier for me.”
Who’s had the biggest influence on Rodri’s playing style?
ESPN’s Mark Ogden catches up with Manchester City midfielder Rodri as the Spanish international reveals which coaches have had the biggest impact on his playing style.
Moving to City and linking up with Guardiola, after Simeone had toughened him up, proved to be Rodri’s finishing school.
“With Pep, we know I improve in all the aspects,” Rodri said. “I mean there’s a thing with him that he never gives up on. He never stops. He always thinks that you can be better and I agree. It’s something I’ve managed to try to improve in the areas that I think I can do better every day than every season.
“Now, I have to visualise all the players, visualise where the spaces are. Not only focus on the ball, but also what happens when you don’t have the ball. Like look in the sides, detect where the problems are.
“These kind of things that you might not think it’s useful before because no one tells you, but the first time someone tell you, you realise, oh yeah, you’re fine. If I move more intelligent, I can run less, but I can run better. It’s these kind of things [with Pep.]”
At the peak of his career and with multiple successes with City and Spain on his roll of honour, Rodri has made himself the reference point for every aspiring midfielder in the game. For Javier Calleja, Rodri’s coach at Villarreal, his progression has been everything he expected.
“I’m not surprised by his evolution,” Calleja told ESPN. “I didn’t know how far he was going to go, since obviously I can’t read the future, but I knew that he was going to have a brilliant career because he puts everything together to make him who he is. From his technique to his vision, positioning, intelligence on the pitch … and another thing that sets him apart that I’ve said puts him at the top is his character. His demeanour has made him the best midfielder in the world, every year getting better.
“I don’t think there’s a better player right now. It’s true that scorers get the most attention, but it would say a lot about football to recognise a player with Rodri’s ability and accomplishments toward winning a Ballon d’Or. Because he’s done it and he deserves it.”
Rodri was a key player to Spain’s dominance at Euro 2024. Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Rodri has been selected by his fellow professionals in England as part of the Premier League Team of the Year for the past two seasons and, barring his injury, would have been expected to secure a spot for third successive year this time around. While pundits and supporters have their opinions, it is those who share the same space on the pitch who know best.
“He [Rodri] doesn’t get so much credit because he’s playing a position that doesn’t score, assist or it’s not so much on the scoresheet all the time,” City midfielder Ilkay Gündogan said. “But for me he’s one of the best players right now in the world.
“He’s someone that if there’s someone maybe in our team right now that is irreplaceable, for me it’s definitely Rodri. He’s such an important puzzle piece and he deserves to be named with the best players in the world.”
Former Spain international Juanfran played with and against Rodri during his eight-year career with Atlético, and told ESPN that Rodri’s calmness and humility mark him out as a special player.
“Rodri is a sensational and very simple guy,” Juanfran said. “He brings calmness in most situations on the pitch and he symbolises the success of a real humble guy. He’s a very normal guy who surrounds himself with normal people and acts normal. That’s a great virtue and it’s one of the keys to his success.
“He has gone from strength to strength and will continue to grow. He has also had very good teachers to learn from as he has been coached by two of the most important midfielders who played in Spain like Simeone and Guardiola, with two very different ways of interpreting football.
“If I could, I would vote for him to win the Ballon d’Or without even having to think about it for a second. He’s the No.1 in his position.”
City teammate Rico Lewis, who has been tried out by Guardiola in the defensive midfield role following Rodri’s injury, says that his teammate is “nine times out of 10 right” when making judgement calls on the pitch and is always “two steps ahead.”
But perhaps the greatest praise comes from Busquets, the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, who Rodri has replaced in the national team. Busquets was the Rodri of Guardiola’s great Barcelona team and the crucial midfield cog in Spain’s 2010 World Cup-winning team, and he believes Rodri has become the world’s best in his position.
“You could always see the potential he had since he started at Villarreal, then at Atlético, then at City,” Busquets told ESPN. “He’s learned a lot, improved a lot, and today for me, he is the best midfielder in the world in terms of his position.
“It was a shame the injury he had. It’s the worst thing for a footballer. I talked to him and I hope he can return to the level he was at because he made us enjoy a lot and also in the team he was in, which I believe that the role he has is very important and his characteristics come to light individually and collectively.”
Ogden remembers when players didn’t care about the Ballon d’Or
ESPN FC’s Mark Ogden tells the hilarious story about Michael Owen winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001.
Michael Owen won the Ballon d’Or in 2001 after helping Liverpool win a treble of FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. It was another era — the former England striker didn’t even know what the award meant.
“When I first got told by [Liverpool manager] Gerard Houllier that I’d won it, I said to him, ‘What is it?'” Owen told ESPN. “I didn’t know what it was. I knew there was an award to vote for the best player in the world of that year, but I didn’t know what it was called and I didn’t know much about it. It’s very different now.”
In the age before Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, who won the award 13 times between them from 2008 to 2023, the importance of the accolade was nowhere near the level that it enjoys today. But nonetheless, Owen was merely the latest in a long line of forwards to win it and he expects Vinícius to add to the list of attacking players who have won the Ballon d’Or this year
“I’m not saying that a defensive midfielder can’t win it, but I think it’s a rarity for that to happen and I think it should be a rarity,” Owen said. “Why? Because the hardest thing is to score a goal. Lots and lots of players can ruin, can kick a ball into Row Z and get a clap, but to score a goal, to create a goal, every young player, when they start on the football pitch wants to score.
“So I will always favour an attacking player, but Rodri is the dominant force in his position and he has such an influence on the teams he plays for and those teams have been so successful, so this could be the year that a holding player could win the Ballon d’Or.”
Overcoming football’s inclination to favour the goal scorers and the creators — the headline-makers — is Rodri’s biggest challenge. Vinícius ticks every possible box for a potential Ballon d’Or winner, but Rodri, as Owen says, performs a different role. And while Rodri accepts the commercial aspect of the Ballon d’Or and that it is about more than simply what is achieved on the pitch, he believes that his position is as important as that of a goal scorer.
“I understand the debate, I understand the people that say they don’t see what they can see in a winger or a striker in a holding midfielder because we do such a different task on the pitch,” Rodri said.
“And I understand because football is about goals, it’s about the excitement of scoring and I get it. But on the other hand I can show you that being a midfielder, a defender, is as beautiful as being as a striker and it has different things to manage on the game. And in my opinion, the holding midfielder is a bigger role on the football pitch than a striker.
“I think we all agree that scoring is the most difficult thing in football and there’s a few players who they can score 30, 40 goals in the season. But the [holding midfield] role in terms of football is the most important.”
So back to the original question: can the ultimate team player win football’s biggest individual award?
“I hope that the people that vote and the people that when they watch football, they don’t see the fancy cars or the fancy way you live, they just watch a game and we are equal on the game, no matter what you are or wherever you come from, you’re equal,” Rodri said. “So let’s see what the people [voters] think.”
www.espn.com – SOCCER
Rodri is undoubtedly one of the most impactful players in the world, but there’s still debate over whether he deserves the Ballon d’Or. Is it finally his time?
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Eriksen, Onana stand out as Man United remain winless in Europa League
Despite Christian Eriksen’s goal, Manchester United are unable to break their winless streak in the UEFA Europa League as they drew Fenerbahce 1-1.
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How Mourinho’s red card helped Manchester United (0:45)Alejandro Moreno says Jose Mourinho getting sent off helped Man United settle into their game vs. Fenerbahce in the Europa League. (0:45)
Manchester United‘s hunt for a first UEFA Europa League win this season goes on following a 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday night.
Erik ten Hag’s side got off to the perfect start at the Sukru Saracolglu Stadium, as Christian Eriksen rounded off a fine United move to fire the visitors into the lead in the 14th minute.
However, they failed to press home their advantage and were pegged back just after the half-time break, when Youssef En-Nesyri headed home from close range to level the scoreline.
Chances fell to Matthijs de Ligt and Marcus Rashford in the final third of the game, but United were unable to find a late winner against the side managed by Jose Mourinho — who was sent to the stands on the hour mark.
As such, the Red Devils sit on just three points from their first three Europa League games this season, with big tests to come against PAOK, Rangers and Bodo/Glimt.
Despite being winless in the competition so far, they currently sit 21st in the Europa League table, which would be enough to qualify for the knockout phase play-offs.
Christian Eriksen’s goal made him one of Manchester United’s standout players in their 1-1 draw to Fenerbahce. (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)
United proved to be very dangerous on the counter, breaking with speed down the flanks through Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. Indeed, it was through a quick breakaway that Eriksen scored the game’s opening goal, which saw Garnacho, Joshua Zirkzee, and the Dane combine beautifully.
In the absence of Harry Maguire in defence, United were very vulnerable to crosses. The speed and skill of Fenerbahce’s wingers carved out space for balls into the United box, which were seldom dealt with by Victor Lindelöf and De Ligt.
Erik ten Hag, 5 — No Bruno Fernandes meant the Dutch manager was forced into tweaking his tactical plan somewhat, but his gamble of playing Noussair Mazraoui in the No.10 position and Lisandro Martínez at left-back did not work at all. Both looked lost at times, which was not a good look for Martinez, who deputised as United captain.
GK André Onana, 8 — Pulled off a stunning double save to deny En-Nesyri from close range in the first half. The 28-year-old could do very little about the Moroccan’s second-half goal, however.
DF Diogo Dalot, 6 — A solid outing from the right-back, who had the unenviable task of facing off against Allan Saint-Maximin. He stood up to the challenge fairly well for the most part and provided decent support to Rashford when going forward.
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DF Victor Lindelof, 5 — The Swede made a handful of vital last-ditch interventions but could have done more to prevent Fenerbache’s equaliser. He was subbed off for Casemiro after 55 minutes.
DF Matthijs de Ligt, 6 — Was caught out positionally from time to time, especially in the first half. However, his distribution was accurate throughout the game, helping the visitors to successfully build out from the back.
DF Lisandro Martinez, 5 — Looked very uncomfortable playing at left-back. Martinez was easily beaten by his man a few minutes into the match, which pretty much set the tone for what was to come.
MF Christian Eriksen, 8 — United’s star man. The Dane controlled the game from central areas, setting the tempo with his determination to win the ball back and launch attacks. His fine long-range goal in the first half encapsulated his efforts.
MF Manuel Ugarte, 7 — While his contribution in the final third still leaves much to be desired, you cannot question the midfielder’s defensive importance. Alongside his overall work-rate, Ugarte saved a certain goal in the first half with a remarkable block inside the six-yard box.
MF Alejandro Garnacho, 7 — A constant threat down the left-hand side for United. Indeed, it was the Argentine’s penetrating run that led to Eriksen’s opener, with his general movement a particular issue for Fenerbahçe that they never quite found a solution to.
MF Noussair Mazraoui, 5 — Deployed in the No.10 position in the absence of the suspended Fernandes, Mazraoui didn’t pull up any trees. His end product, especially in dangerous areas, was very wasteful.
MF Marcus Rashford, 6 — Showed flashes of his brilliant best, but much like Mazraoui, he lacked composure in the final third — exemplified by a dreadful second-half miss from a few yards out. The England international also picked up a yellow card for a tactical foul.
FW Joshua Zirkzee, 6 — Grabbed an assist for Eriksen’s opener, but that was as good as it got for the summer arrival. For large parts of the game, he looked very isolated.
Casemiro (Lindelof, 55″), 6 — Steadied the ship in the centre of the park for the visitors, just when it looked like the game might be slipping away from them.
Rasmus Højlund (Zirkzee, 55″), 7 — Replaced the Dutchman and immediately added a focal point to United’s attack.
Antony (Rashford, 73″), N/R — The Brazilian was lively in spells and helped relieve pressure on the United defence, but was forced off with an injury in the final moments.
Amad Diallo (Antony, 89″), N/R — Came on for the injured Brazilian in added time.
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Despite Christian Eriksen’s goal, Manchester United are unable to break their winless streak in the UEFA Europa League as they drew Fenerbahce 1-1.
Ex-Italy coach Mancini leaves Saudi Arabia job
Roberto Mancini has left his role as head coach of Saudi Arabia’s national team, the country’s soccer federation said Thursday.
Roberto Mancini has left his role as head coach of Saudi Arabia’s national team, the country’s soccer federation said Thursday. Roberto Mancini has left his role as head coach of Saudi Arabia’s national team, the country’s soccer federation said Thursday.
Roberto Mancini has left his role as head coach of Saudi Arabia‘s national team, the country’s federation said Thursday.
Mancini, who won the European Championship as Italy coach in 2021, left by mutual consent, the federation said.
“The Saudi soccer federation’s Board of Directors and the national team coach, Italian Roberto Mancini reached a joint agreement on Thursday to end the contractual relationship,” the national team posted on social media platform X.
The former Internazionale and Manchester City manager won multiple titles in a storied career as both player and coach.
But he failed to lead Saudi Arabia to victory at the Asian Cup this year — exiting the tournament in the round of 16.
His actions during that match in Qatar also sparked controversy when he walked off before the end of his team’s losing penalty shootout against South Korea. He later apologized.
Mancini had been hired by Saudi Arabia in August 2023 — two weeks after he left his job in charge of Italy.
The Saudis are third in Group C of Asia’s third round of World Cup preliminaries with five points. They are five points adrift of group leaders Japan after four matches.
They lost 2-0 at home to Japan on Oct. 10 before being held to a scoreless draw by Bahrain five days later.
The top two in each group advance automatically to the World Cup while the third and fourth-placed sides go into another round of preliminaries with the bottom two finishers eliminated.
As manager of Inter, he won three Italian league titles and went on to win the Premier League with Manchester City in 2013 thanks to Sergio Aguero’s dramatic late goal on the final day of the season.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this story.
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Roberto Mancini has left his role as head coach of Saudi Arabia’s national team, the country’s soccer federation said Thursday.
Pedri: Barcelona youth thriving under Flick
Barcelona midfielder Pedri has praised coach Hansi Flick for giving young players the confidence needed to thrive.
Barcelona midfielder Pedri has praised coach Hansi Flick for giving young players the confidence needed to thrive. Barcelona midfielder Pedri has praised coach Hansi Flick for giving young players the confidence needed to thrive.
How Hansi Flick has completely revolutionised Barcelona (2:20)Gab & Juls praise Hansi Flick for his impact at Barcelona after their 4-1 win over Bayern Munich. (2:20)
Barcelona midfielder Pedri has praised coach Hansi Flick for giving young players the confidence needed to thrive.
Barça have the youngest team in LaLiga, with an average age of 23.6 years.
Barça are three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the standings heading into Saturday’s Clásico at the Bernabéu.
“It’s very important,” Pedri told ESPN of Flick’s commitment to nurturing home-grown talent.
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“The confidence that the coach gives to all the young players that are coming up, they give it back with good play. This allows them to gain confidence and have more freedom to dare to try out things.”
Flick started six players from the youth academy in Wednesday’s 4-1 home win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Barça’s second win in the competition.
“We are seeing a lot of players that are coming out of La Masia (Barça’s youth Academy) and it’s the soul of this club,” Pedri said.
Dani Olmo, who returned to Barça from Leipzig this summer, is happy to see academy players get opportunities.
A youth product of Barça, Olmo joined Dinamo Zagreb aged 16.
“It’s amazing,” Olmo told ESPN. “Barcelona is the best academy in the world. La Masia have shown this all through the years, so we celebrate it now, having in the first team a lot of players who grew up in La Masia. It just gives motivation for all the players coming up to keep working because they can get a chance.”
Barcelona have the youngest team in LaLiga this season. Pedro Salado/Getty Images
Veteran Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny, who came out of retirement to join Barça earlier this month following the injury of Marc-André ter Stegen, admits having so many youngsters in the team takes some getting used to.
“I have to tell you, it’s strange,” he told ESPN. “Some of these players probably haven’t seen me playing for Arsenal and I feel like that wasn’t a long time ago!
“But it’s a big point of why I decided to come because I think I can give something to this team.
“So you try to talk as an experienced player to those young kids and help them understand maybe the right moments to press, right moments to maybe drop a little bit.”
Asked which young Barça talent has impressed him the most, Szczęsny said: “[Pau] Cubarsí [aged 17] is an exciting player because watching him on TV, I expected a modern defender who’s very good on the ball but more on the soft side when it comes to defending and when you see him live, he’s actually quite nasty to play against and he’s very strong in defensive duels.
“So he’s one that impressive the most, but you can go through all of the La Masia products and it’s all very exciting for the future of the club.”
Pedri, 21, also hailed Flick for his tactics.
“Above all, he’s got very clear ideas,” the Spain international said. “I think an advanced defensive line characterises us a lot in all the games. He has transmitted to us the confidence that we can do it and to believe in ourselves.”
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Barcelona midfielder Pedri has praised coach Hansi Flick for giving young players the confidence needed to thrive.
Messi, Suárez, Benteke among MLS MVP finalists
Major League Soccer named Lionel Messi a finalist for the 2024 MLS MVP award, joining his Inter Miami CF teammate Luis Suárez, as well as Cucho Hernández, Evander and Christian Benteke on the list.
Major League Soccer named Lionel Messi a finalist for the 2024 MLS MVP award, joining his Inter Miami CF teammate Luis Suárez, as well as Cucho Hernández, Evander and Christian Benteke on the list. Major League Soccer named Lionel Messi a finalist for the 2024 MLS MVP award, joining his Inter Miami CF teammate Luis Suárez, as well as Cucho Hernández, Evander and Christian Benteke on the list.
Will the Messi gamble pay off if Inter Miami win the MLS Cup? (1:54)Futbol Americas’ Herc Gomez says Lionel Messi was brought into Inter Miami to win trophies like the MLS Cup. (1:54)
Major League Soccer named Lionel Messi a finalist for the 2024 MLS MVP award, joining his Inter Miami CF teammate Luis Suárez, as well as Cucho Hernández, Evander and Christian Benteke on the list.
Each player met the new qualifying regulations that require a minimum of 1,000 minutes played in the regular season campaign.
Messi earned his second nomination for the award since joining MLS in July 2023. Though the forward failed to win the award last season, he’s being considered the leading candidate in 2024 after contributing 20 goals and 16 assists in just 19 games.
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Despite concerns over his lack of participation throughout the 34-match campaign, playing only 55% of games, teammate Jordi Alba has insisted that Messi must win MVP.
“Regarding Leo, I repeat myself, every time you ask me, I think he deserves all the awards they can give him, I think he is the best player in the world, with a lot of intensity compared to the rest and until he retires,” he said on Friday.
“I’m sure he’ll win the MVP and if he doesn’t win it, well, it’s no longer anyone’s decision, it’s the people who vote but hey, for me he’s the best.”
Messi’s contributions in 2024 propelled Inter Miami to lift the Supporters’ Shield and set the new league record for most points recorded in a single season.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez have formed a lethal partnership for Inter Miami this season. Jason Mowry/Getty Images
Suárez, on the other hand, has recorded 20 goals and nine assists in 27 games in his first MLS season after joining Inter Miami in December 2023. He also stands as a finalist for Newcomer of the Year.
The forward adjusted quickly, tying for second place on the Golden Boot rankings with Messi and Dénis Bouanga. Together, Messi and Suárez account for 40 of the team’s 79 goals this season.
Benteke won the Golden Boot with 23 goals this season, but his D.C. United team failed to make the MLS Playoffs, while Evander impressed in the Western Conference with15 goals and 19 assists before the Portland Timbers fell 5-0 to the Vancouver Whitecaps in Wednesday’s wild-card match.
Hernández, reigning MLS Cup MVP, propelled the Columbus Crew to second place on the Eastern Conference table with 19 goals and 14 assists.
Other award finalists include: Chris Armas (Colorado Rapids), Gerardo “Tata” Martino (Inter Miami CF) and Wilfried Nancy (Columbus Crew) for Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year.
Luca Orellano (FC Cincinnati), Gabriel Pec (LA Galaxy) and Suárez (Inter Miami CF) were announced for MLS Newcomer of the Year, and Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF), Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew) and Jackson Ragen (Seattle Sounders FC) for Defender of the Year.
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Major League Soccer named Lionel Messi a finalist for the 2024 MLS MVP award, joining his Inter Miami CF teammate Luis Suárez, as well as Cucho Hernández, Evander and Christian Benteke on the list.
Messi, Inter Miami lead way as MLS salaries rise
Lionel Messi remains MLS’ highest-paid player, with an annual guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million, the MLS Players Association announced Thursday.
Lionel Messi remains MLS’ highest-paid player, with an annual guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million, the MLS Players Association announced Thursday. Lionel Messi remains MLS’ highest-paid player, with an annual guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million, the MLS Players Association announced Thursday.
Could Neymar join Messi and Suárez at Inter Miami? (0:52)The Futbol Americas crew discuss Neymar’s return from injury for Al Hilal and a potential shock move to Inter Miami in 2025. (0:52)
Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team continue to lead the way as the average MLS salary rose 9.7%, according to the latest MLS player salary data released by the MLS Players Association (MLSPA) Thursday.
Messi, who is under contract through the end of 2025, has an annual guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million, factoring in only the Argentina forward’s salary. Previously, Miami co-owner Jorge Mas has said that Messi’s total compensation, which includes a cut from the league’s Apple TV deal, was in the $50 million to $60 million range.
Messi’s total compensation was more than the entire payrolls of 22 other MLS teams.
Miami won the Supporters’ Shield for the first time this year and set an MLS record for most points in the regular season with 74 after Messi’s 11-minute hat trick inspired the team to a 6-2 win over the New England Revolution on Saturday.
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The team’s point total was aided in part by a record spend of $41.7 million. That is more than double the amount spent by 23 of the league’s 29 teams.
The average outlay per team was $18.41 million, with the median settling in at $16.68 million. Spending big was by no means a guarantee of success, however. Of the 10 highest-spending teams, four missed the MLS Cup playoffs.
The top five salary-earners were rounded out by Toronto FC‘s Lorenzo Insigne at $15.4 million, Miami’s Sergio Busquets at $8.77 million, Austin FC‘s Sebastián Driussi at $6.7 million and Toronto’s Federico Bernardeschi at $6.3 million.
French World Cup winner Olivier Giroud has $3.7 million annualized total compensation under the contract he signed to join LAFC in July.
All data is as of Sept. 13, 2024. The salary data was annualized for players who arrived during the summer transfer window.
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi remains MLS’ highest-paid player. CHRIS ARJOON/AFP via Getty Images
The average guaranteed base compensation for the entire MLS player pool — which included pool players, retired players still owed money and a pair from next year’s expansion side, San Diego FC — continues to climb on an annual basis, rising to $596,226 up 9.7% from the September 2023 mark of $543,207.
The salaries of players at the bottom of the wage scale continue to improve, as the league’s median guaranteed base compensation was $308,375, up 9.3% from last year’s figure of $282,125.
MLS and the MLSPA are in the fourth year of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was agreed upon in February 2021. The CBA runs through the end of the 2027 season.
In terms of team payroll based on guaranteed base compensation, Toronto FC ranked second behind Miami at $31.81 million, followed by LAFC (22.08 million), LA Galaxy ($21.96 million) and Nashville SC ($21.86 million).
CF Montreal had the lowest payroll at $11.43 million, followed by the Philadelphia Union ($13.81 million), the Colorado Rapids ($13.44 million), the San Jose Earthquakes ($14.63 million) and Minnesota United (14.77 million).
Other notable players who joined MLS during the summer transfer window included Houston forward Ezequiel Ponce ($2.8 million total compensation), St. Louis midfielder Marcel Hartel ($2.2 million), Atlanta midfielder Alexey Miranchuk ($3.7 million), Salt Lake midfielder Diogo Gonçalves ($1.8 million), LA Galaxy midfielder Marco Reus ($1.2 million), Minnesota forward Kelvin Yeboah ($1.2 million), New York Red Bulls midfielder Felipe Carballo Ares ($1.2 million), Cincinnati defender Chidozie Awaziem ($1.2 million) and Austin winger Osman Bukari ($1 million).
Total spend per team:
1. Inter Miami – $41.7 million
2. Toronto FC – $31.81 million
3. LAFC – $22.08 million
4. LA Galaxy – $21.96 million
5. Nashville SC – $21.86 million
6. FC Cincinnati – $20.95 million
7. Houston Dynamo – $20.52 million
8. New England Revolution – $18.88 million
9. New York Red Bulls – $18.08 million
10. Austin FC – $17.60 million
11. Orlando City – $17.49 million
12. Vancouver Whitecaps – $17.41 million
13. Chicago Fire – $17.22 million
14. FC Dallas – $17.19 million
15. Seattle Sounders – $16.68 million
16. Columbus Crew – $16.57 million
17. DC United – $16.49 million
18. Sporting Kansas City – $16.31 million
19. New York City FC – $16.24 million
20. Real Salt Lake – $16.07 million
21. St. Louis City SC – $15.48 million
22. Charlotte FC – $15.47 million
23. Portland Timbers – $15.41 million
24. Atlanta United – $15.23 million
25. Minnesota United – $14.77 million
26. San Jose Earthquakes – $14.63 million
27. Colorado Rapids – $14.44 million
28. Philadelphia Union – $13.81 million
29. CF Montreal – $11.43 million
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Lionel Messi remains MLS’ highest-paid player, with an annual guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million, the MLS Players Association announced Thursday.
United players ‘not happy’ after Fenerbahce draw
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has branded their 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League “a big disappointment.”
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has branded their 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League “a big disappointment.” Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has branded their 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League “a big disappointment.”
Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana has branded their 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League “a big disappointment.”
United led through Christian Eriksen before Youssef En-Nesyri equalised just after half-time. Onana played his part in earning a point for United with a stunning double save from En-Nesyri, but afterwards the goalkeeper insisted the dressing room was “not happy.”
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“It is a big disappointment for me and the fans, for the club, as a Manchester United player you have an obligation to try to win,” Onana told TNT Sports. “We didn’t win, but at least we didn’t lose, Not happy of course, but we move on, take responsibility and go again.
“We conceded an early goal in the second half, we had to show character and I think that is what we did. We didn’t win but I thought we were better than them.”
On a sometimes chaotic night in Istanbul, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands for his protests after believing his team should have had a second-half penalty. Mourinho sought out referee Clement Turpin after the game and said the official’s explanation was “incredible.”
However, Erik ten Hag, who was missing 10 players through injury or suspension, was keen to take the positives ahead of a trip to West Ham United on Sunday.
“We’ve shown we are a team which is hard to beat,” said the Dutchman. “We can take confidence and take it into the game against West Ham.
“We have to win and we came in the position to win. We created the chances but we have to be killing more. We let the opponent get away with a point.”
United winger Antony picked up an injury late in the game after coming on as second-half substitute for Marcus Rashford. The Brazilian left the field on a stretcher and was seen leaving the stadium in a protective boot.
“His training performances are that good that he deserved to come on,” Ten Hag said. “When you have to come off so quickly, that is really sad to see. Hopefully, it’s not too bad, we have to wait 24 hours for what the assessment is.”
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Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has branded their 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League “a big disappointment.”
Mourinho mocks ref after red card vs. Man United
Jose Mourinho mocked the “incredible” explanation of the referee after he was shown a red card during his Fenerbahce side’s 1-1 Europa League draw against former club Manchester United on Thursday.
Jose Mourinho mocked the “incredible” explanation of the referee after he was shown a red card during his Fenerbahce side’s 1-1 Europa League draw against former club Manchester United on Thursday. Jose Mourinho mocked the “incredible” explanation of the referee after he was shown a red card during his Fenerbahce side’s 1-1 Europa League draw against former club Manchester United on Thursday.
Jose Mourinho mocked the “incredible” explanation of the referee after he was shown a red card during his Fenerbahce side’s 1-1 Europa League draw against former club Manchester United on Thursday.
Mourinho was shown a red card just before the hour mark amid a heated dispute with the referee, which seemingly included some colourful language, after Fenerbahce were denied an appeal for a penalty.
After initially saying he didn’t want to speak about the non-penalty, he ridiculed the referee’s account of the incident.
“He told us something incredible,” Mourinho told TNT Sports. “He told that at the same time he could see the action in the box and my behavior on the touchline.
“I congratulate him because he is absolutely incredible, his peripheral vision. During the game, 100mph, he had one eye on the penalty situation and he had one eye on the bench and my behaviour. So that’s the explanation he gave me. That’s why he’s one of the best referees in the world.”
Jose Mourinho showed his frustration after being shown a red card in Fenerbahce’s draw with Manchester United. Serhat Cagdas/Anadolu via Getty Images
Man United led early from Christian Eriksen‘s 15th-minute goal only to see Youssef En-Nesyri equalize in the 49th, heading home unmarked from close range on a cross from Allan Saint-Maximin.
The result keeps Fenerbahce unbeaten with five points from three games but Mourinho said he felt his team should have gotten more from the game.
“I think it would be fair to say that we did an extraordinary match and we were better than them, so good result for Man United,” he said.
“My boys played an amazing match,” he added. “We played against a team that is at a superior level to us. We finished the game with a centre-back playing at right-back and a right-back at left-back. We had to do a crazy puzzle but our performance was extraordinary and I couldn’t ask for anything more from the players.”
Mourinho led United to win the Europa League in 2017 during his 2½ years at Old Trafford. He took the Fenerbahce job in this past offseason.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jose Mourinho mocked the “incredible” explanation of the referee after he was shown a red card during his Fenerbahce side’s 1-1 Europa League draw against former club Manchester United on Thursday.
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Dortmund need a miracle to turn underwhelming season around
Borussia Dortmund have looked unconvincing in the Bundesliga, they were embarrassed in the Champions League, and it’s hard to see how them improving.
Borussia Dortmund have looked unconvincing in the Bundesliga, they were embarrassed in the Champions League, and it’s hard to see how them improving. Borussia Dortmund have looked unconvincing in the Bundesliga, they were embarrassed in the Champions League, and it’s hard to see how them improving. Borussia Dortmund have looked unconvincing in the Bundesliga, they were embarrassed in the Champions League, and it’s hard to see how them improving.
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Borussia Dortmund have looked unconvincing in the Bundesliga, they were embarrassed in the Champions League, and it’s hard to see how them improving.
Player ratings: Liverpool continue perfect streak in Champions League
An important performance and goal from Darwin Núñez leads Liverpool over RB Leipzig.
An important performance and goal from Darwin Núñez leads Liverpool over RB Leipzig. An important performance and goal from Darwin Núñez leads Liverpool over RB Leipzig. An important performance and goal from Darwin Núñez leads Liverpool over RB Leipzig.
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An important performance and goal from Darwin Núñez leads Liverpool over RB Leipzig.
Madrid derby: 4 arrested for Vini hate campaign
Spain’s national police have arrested four people responsible for a hate campaign against Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior.
Spain’s national police have arrested four people responsible for a hate campaign against Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior. Spain’s national police have arrested four people responsible for a hate campaign against Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior. Spain’s national police have arrested four people responsible for a hate campaign against Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior.
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Spain’s national police have arrested four people responsible for a hate campaign against Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior.
Sources: GK Courtois out 3-4 weeks with injury
Thibaut Courtois has been ruled out of this weekend’s El Clásico against Barcelona due to an “adductor injury in his left leg,” sources have told ESPN.
Thibaut Courtois has been ruled out of this weekend’s El Clásico against Barcelona due to an “adductor injury in his left leg,” sources have told ESPN. Thibaut Courtois has been ruled out of this weekend’s El Clásico against Barcelona due to an “adductor injury in his left leg,” sources have told ESPN. Thibaut Courtois has been ruled out of this weekend’s El Clásico against Barcelona due to an “adductor injury in his left leg,” sources have told ESPN.
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Thibaut Courtois has been ruled out of this weekend’s El Clásico against Barcelona due to an “adductor injury in his left leg,” sources have told ESPN.
Mourinho: I could still win Prem with Man United
Jose Mourinho said mischievously that he’s still hopeful he could become a Premier League Champion with Manchester United if Manchester City are retroactively docked points due to Financial Fair Play breaches.
Jose Mourinho said mischievously that he’s still hopeful he could become a Premier League Champion with Manchester United if Manchester City are retroactively docked points due to Financial Fair Play breaches. Jose Mourinho said mischievously that he’s still hopeful he could become a Premier League Champion with Manchester United if Manchester City are retroactively docked points due to Financial Fair Play breaches. Jose Mourinho said mischievously that he’s still hopeful he could become a Premier League Champion with Manchester United if Manchester City are retroactively docked points due to Financial Fair Play breaches.
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Jose Mourinho said mischievously that he’s still hopeful he could become a Premier League Champion with Manchester United if Manchester City are retroactively docked points due to Financial Fair Play breaches.
Coenraets named Utah coach after turnaround
The Utah Royals have named Jimmy Coenraets the team’s new head coach, removing the interim tag from the Belgian manager after four months overseeing a revival of the team.
The Utah Royals have named Jimmy Coenraets the team’s new head coach, removing the interim tag from the Belgian manager after four months overseeing a revival of the team. The Utah Royals have named Jimmy Coenraets the team’s new head coach, removing the interim tag from the Belgian manager after four months overseeing a revival of the team. The Utah Royals have named Jimmy Coenraets the team’s new head coach, removing the interim tag from the Belgian manager after four months overseeing a revival of the team.
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The Utah Royals have named Jimmy Coenraets the team’s new head coach, removing the interim tag from the Belgian manager after four months overseeing a revival of the team.
Alba: Club World Cup berth ‘success’ for Miami
Defender Jordi Alba has said the 2025 Club World Cup will not be easy for Inter Miami CF, as the Major League Soccer team looks to compete against several European giants and “elites.”
Defender Jordi Alba has said the 2025 Club World Cup will not be easy for Inter Miami CF, as the Major League Soccer team looks to compete against several European giants and “elites.” Defender Jordi Alba has said the 2025 Club World Cup will not be easy for Inter Miami CF, as the Major League Soccer team looks to compete against several European giants and “elites.” Defender Jordi Alba has said the 2025 Club World Cup will not be easy for Inter Miami CF, as the Major League Soccer team looks to compete against several European giants and “elites.”
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Defender Jordi Alba has said the 2025 Club World Cup will not be easy for Inter Miami CF, as the Major League Soccer team looks to compete against several European giants and “elites.”
Slot’s Liverpool set 132-year club record with win
Liverpool’s relentless start to the season under new manager Arne Slot is seeing the team pump out record after record, and the scene of their latest win felt poignant.
Liverpool’s relentless start to the season under new manager Arne Slot is seeing the team pump out record after record, and the scene of their latest win felt poignant. Liverpool’s relentless start to the season under new manager Arne Slot is seeing the team pump out record after record, and the scene of their latest win felt poignant. Liverpool’s relentless start to the season under new manager Arne Slot is seeing the team pump out record after record, and the scene of their latest win felt poignant.
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Liverpool’s relentless start to the season under new manager Arne Slot is seeing the team pump out record after record, and the scene of their latest win felt poignant.
Foden: Still trying to recover from ‘burnout’
Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has admitted feeling burnt out at the end of last season has contributed to his slow start to the new campaign.
Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has admitted feeling burnt out at the end of last season has contributed to his slow start to the new campaign. Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has admitted feeling burnt out at the end of last season has contributed to his slow start to the new campaign. Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has admitted feeling burnt out at the end of last season has contributed to his slow start to the new campaign.
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Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has admitted feeling burnt out at the end of last season has contributed to his slow start to the new campaign.
Pep: Haaland goal ‘not normal for a human being’
Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland’s outrageous goal in Manchester City’s 5-0 win over Sparta Prague should “not be normal for a human being.”
Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland’s outrageous goal in Manchester City’s 5-0 win over Sparta Prague should “not be normal for a human being.” Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland’s outrageous goal in Manchester City’s 5-0 win over Sparta Prague should “not be normal for a human being.” Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland’s outrageous goal in Manchester City’s 5-0 win over Sparta Prague should “not be normal for a human being.”
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Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland’s outrageous goal in Manchester City’s 5-0 win over Sparta Prague should “not be normal for a human being.”
When Oregon put 12 men on the field late against Ohio State, the untrained eye saw a gaffe. But really it was gamesmanship and using the rule book. When Oregon put 12 men on the field late against Ohio State, the untrained eye saw a gaffe. But really it was...
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Dallas allows fans to rub elbows with players in a way not common among the 31 other NFL teams. Some players believe tours get in the way of championship-building. Dallas allows fans to rub elbows with players in a way not common among the 31 other NFL teams. Some...
Bryce Young will start at quarterback for the Panthers on Sunday against the Broncos after Andy Dalton sustained a sprained right thumb in a car accident Tuesday, coach Dave Canales said Wednesday. Bryce Young will start at quarterback for the Panthers on Sunday...
Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic, Mike Miller and Jamal Mashburn were among the ex-Heat players who returned to Miami on Wednesday night to watch the team's home court be renamed for their former coach, Pat Riley. Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic, Mike Miller and Jamal Mashburn...
Just over two weeks after being fired by the Jets, Robert Saleh was on the Packers' practice field Wednesday in a new role. Just over two weeks after being fired by the Jets, Robert Saleh was on the Packers' practice field Wednesday in a new role. Just over two...
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Bulls guard Lonzo Ball checked into Wednesday night's game with 6:14 left in the first quarter to mark his first official NBA game since January 2022. Bulls guard Lonzo Ball checked into Wednesday night's game with 6:14 left in the first quarter to mark his first...
The NBA is likely to begin an investigation later this week into the Philadelphia 76ers surrounding the player participation of All-NBA center Joel Embiid, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The NBA is likely to begin an investigation later this week into the...
Williamson relishing England duty amid Arsenal run
England captain Leah Williamson admitted it is “refreshing” to be back with the Lionesses ahead of their two friendlies against Germany and South Africa amid turbulence at Arsenal.
England captain Leah Williamson admitted it is “refreshing” to be back with the Lionesses ahead of their two friendlies against Germany and South Africa amid turbulence at Arsenal. England captain Leah Williamson admitted it is “refreshing” to be back with the Lionesses ahead of their two friendlies against Germany and South Africa amid turbulence at Arsenal.
Leah Williamson has endured a difficult start to the season with Arsenal. Getty
England captain Leah Williamson has admitted it is “refreshing” to be back with the Lionesses ahead of their two friendlies against Germany and South Africa amid turbulence at Arsenal.
Williamson returned to England duty on Monday as part of manager Sarina Wiegman’s 24-player squad following a testing period for Arsenal.
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Jonas Eidevall resigned as manager last week after the club were humbled 5-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League and a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the Women’s Super League (WSL).
Having been with Arsenal since preseason due to the lack of a September international window, the England captain admitted that she was happy to be back with the Lionesses and that the break from club football has come at the “right time.”
“I’m a footballer, our job is to win games and that hasn’t happened so smoothly,” she told a news conference on Thursday.
“Results tell a story, performance is another thing that you can actually change and affect on a day-to-day basis and to be honest, I’m happy to be here in a different environment. I think sometimes that comes at the right time and since I’ve been here, I’ve had no contact with club.
“To be here in this environment is refreshing, obviously; it is natural for that to be the case at this time and playing for this team, everyone knows how much we love it. I think you see that every day.
“It’s been a different start to the season. Obviously, we’ve been at club for a long time. Normally, we’d have an international break window before this so it’s been different in that sense of being there [with Arsenal] for so long and being in one place, we’re not used to that.”
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England captain Leah Williamson admitted it is “refreshing” to be back with the Lionesses ahead of their two friendlies against Germany and South Africa amid turbulence at Arsenal.
When Oregon put 12 men on the field late against Ohio State, the untrained eye saw a gaffe. But really it was gamesmanship and using the rule book. When Oregon put 12 men on the field late against Ohio State, the untrained eye saw a gaffe. But really it was...
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The NBA is likely to begin an investigation later this week into the Philadelphia 76ers surrounding the player participation of All-NBA center Joel Embiid, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The NBA is likely to begin an investigation later this week into the...
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200 Peñarol fans detained after clashes in Rio
More than 200 supporters of Uruguayan club Penarol were detained Wednesday after clashing with law enforcement ahead of their team’s Copa Libertadores semifinal match against Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro police said.
More than 200 supporters of Uruguayan club Penarol were detained Wednesday after clashing with law enforcement ahead of their team’s Copa Libertadores semifinal match against Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro police said. More than 200 supporters of Uruguayan club Penarol were detained Wednesday after clashing with law enforcement ahead of their team’s Copa Libertadores semifinal match against Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro police said.
More than 200 supporters of Peñarol were detained Wednesday after clashing with law enforcement ahead of their team’s Copa Libertadores semifinal match against Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro police said.
Police said in a statement that the fans “were involved in a series of acts of vandalism, looting and destruction of business places and vehicles.” One pistol was found, police said.
TV footage showed people dressed in Peñarol shirts throwing stones at police officers, defending themselves with tables taken from local kiosks, and setting motorcycles on fire near a beach in Rio’s west end. The conflict lasted more than one hour.
According to police, the violence began when a Uruguayan fan was arrested for stealing a cellphone in a bakery in the Recreio Beach area on the west side of the city.
Police keep watch over Penarol supporters who were detained ahead of their team’s Copa Libertadores semifinal. Getty Images
Peñarol fans fought with police on the same beach before a game against Flamengo last month.
In 2019, a Flamengo supporter died in a clash between Peñarol and Flamengo fans in Rio.
The bus carrying Peñarol’s team to the Nilton Santos stadium was delayed by two hours, with club president Ignacio Ruglio saying the vehicle had been attacked.
“They brought us at a pedestrian pace for almost two hours, the places where they put us, the stones they threw at us, they put us in the middle of the corral,” Ruglio told reporters after arriving at the venue.
“Today, nobody really controlled anything.”
Ruglio added that Conmebol, South American football’s governing body, told them the delay was “incomprehensible” and agreed to push the start of the match back by 15 minutes to 9:45 p.m. (1245 GMT)
Peñarol fans also fought with police on the same beach before a game against Flamengo last month, and in 2019, a Flamengo supporter died in a clash between Penarol and Flamengo fans in Rio.
Later Wednesday, Botafogo beat Peñarol 5-0 for the first leg of their semifinal.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.
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More than 200 supporters of Uruguayan club Penarol were detained Wednesday after clashing with law enforcement ahead of their team’s Copa Libertadores semifinal match against Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro police said.
Sources: LaLiga want Barça-Atleti in Miami in Dec.
LaLiga continue to work on staging Barcelona’s home fixture against Atlético Madrid in Miami on the third weekend in December, but several pieces still need to fall into place for the plan to go ahead, various sources have told ESPN.
LaLiga continue to work on staging Barcelona’s home fixture against Atlético Madrid in Miami on the third weekend in December, but several pieces still need to fall into place for the plan to go ahead, various sources have told ESPN. LaLiga continue to work on staging Barcelona’s home fixture against Atlético Madrid in Miami on the third weekend in December, but several pieces still need to fall into place for the plan to go ahead, various sources have told ESPN.
Flick: Barcelona-Bayern about more than Lewandowski vs. Kane (1:33)Barcelona boss Hansi Flick says Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich will be decided by more than the performances of Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane. (1:33)
LaLiga continue to work on staging Barcelona‘s home fixture against Atlético Madrid in Miami on the third weekend in December, but several pieces still need to fall into place for the plan to go ahead, various sources have told ESPN.
The Spanish league has been working on taking a game to the United States for several years, but have previously been met by opposition from the Spanish Football Federation [RFEF], FIFA and U.S Soccer, among others.
However, sources say some of those issues have now thawed and that there is a real possibility of taking Barça’s game against Atlético to the Hard Rock Stadium.
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Relevent Sports Group, who are working on the project in collaboration with LaLiga, would not comment on any recent developments.
A source at FIFA acknowledged that LaLiga and the clubs are working on the plan but did not make the governing body’s new position immediately clear.
The Miami Dolphins are set to host the San Francisco 49ers at the Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 22.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has repeatedly spoken of his desire to play a regular season game abroad, while sources told ESPN that the news “would not have come out” if both clubs did not maintain an interest in being involved.
Barça and Atlético have both been involved in previous plans to take a game to the States, although neither Barça’s match against Girona nor Atlético’s with Villarreal ended up being moved in the end.
At the time, that was due to resistance from several sporting bodies, although the stances at some of those organisations have altered following a landmark court case earlier this year.
In April, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Relevent’s antitrust lawsuit to go forward against FIFA and the U.S. Soccer Federation over the world governing body’s policy of not permitting a country to host league matches involving teams from other countries.
The Miami Dolphins are set to host the San Francisco 49ers at the Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 22. Rich Storry/Getty Images
Despite that win, there remain other unanswered questions. The situation at the RFEF is the most complicated, for example, as the institution is without a president until Dec. 16. However, a source suggested the interim board would be able to sanction the playing of a match abroad.
UEFA, who govern football in Europe, would also have to green light the plans.
“UEFA has not been approached regarding this matter,” a spokesman for the body told ESPN. “The process to follow in such cases is to have agreement from the clubs, the RFEF, U.S Soccer, CONCACAF and only then from UEFA.”
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LaLiga continue to work on staging Barcelona’s home fixture against Atlético Madrid in Miami on the third weekend in December, but several pieces still need to fall into place for the plan to go ahead, various sources have told ESPN.
Lille stun Atlético to do double on Madrid teams
Lille’s Jonathan David scored twice as the French side stunned hosts Atletico Madrid with a 3-1 comeback Champions League win on Wednesday to make it two wins from their last two matches while piling more pressure on the struggling Spanish team.
Lille’s Jonathan David scored twice as the French side stunned hosts Atletico Madrid with a 3-1 comeback Champions League win on Wednesday to make it two wins from their last two matches while piling more pressure on the struggling Spanish team. Lille’s Jonathan David scored twice as the French side stunned hosts Atletico Madrid with a 3-1 comeback Champions League win on Wednesday to make it two wins from their last two matches while piling more pressure on the struggling Spanish team.
Lille‘s Jonathan David scored twice as the French side stunned hosts Atlético Madrid with a 3-1 comeback Champions League win on Wednesday to make it two wins from their last two matches while piling more pressure on the struggling Spanish team.
Lille, who have their keeper and man-of-the-match Lucas Chevalier to thank for the win, have now beaten their second Madrid team in consecutive matchdays after also stunning holders Real Madrid 1-0 earlier in October.
With the goals against Atlético, David became the all-time top Canadian scorer in Champions League history with six goals, one more than Tomasz Radzinski, according to UEFA.
The win moved Lille to six points, while Atlético are on three with just one win from their three games so far.
“We had a complicated start because we conceded a goal that was avoidable,” said Lille coach Bruno Genesio. “In the last 15 minutes of the first half we felt we had renewed energy. We had a chance to level just before the break and I was confident we would not concede a second goal and that we would have opportunities to draw level.
“All my players were very decisive. We have taken a step towards qualification, because between nine and 10 points, we can dream of progressing to the round of 16.”
His team found themselves on the back foot at the start as the Spaniards went in search of an early goal.
Atletico Madrid players react after conceding a goal against Lille in the Champions League.
Getty Images
They got it in the eighth minute with Julian Alvarez intercepting a weak back pass from Lille defender Ousmane Toure and slotting in to give them the lead.
There was more bad news for Lille when they had to take off injured midfielder Remy Cabella in the 16th minute, bringing in Edon Zhegrova.
Atlético had only themselves to blame for not going into the break with a far bigger advantage or even killing off the game, with Alexander Sorloth wasting three golden scoring opportunities in the first half after being denied by Chevalier.
“We had a great first half, but we lacked efficiency after creating many scoring opportunities,” Alvarez said. “In the Champions League, if you don’t score the chances you have, you pay for it, because all the rivals are very good.”
Lille’s best chance in the first half came only in stoppage time with Zhegrova firing over the bar but the introduction of the Kosovo international would later prove crucial.
Zhegrova whipped in a superb left-footed shot into the top far corner in the 61st to draw the visitors level.
Atlético almost bounced back instantly when Antoine Griezmann found himself unmarked in front of goal but his volley flew well over the bar.
Instead it was the French side who scored again to seal their comeback courtesy of a 74th-minute penalty by David, who had also scored the winner against Real.
With Chevalier pulling off another superb save to keep them in the lead late in the game, Canada international David sealed their win with his second goal of the evening as his deflected effort found the net in the 89th minute.
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Lille’s Jonathan David scored twice as the French side stunned hosts Atletico Madrid with a 3-1 comeback Champions League win on Wednesday to make it two wins from their last two matches while piling more pressure on the struggling Spanish team.
Hayes’ USWNT celebrating gold, looking to future
United States women’s coach Emma Hayes on Wednesday called the team’s October training camp “the perfect window” to test out new players who could bolster the squad following its Olympic gold medal earlier this year.
United States women’s coach Emma Hayes on Wednesday called the team’s October training camp “the perfect window” to test out new players who could bolster the squad following its Olympic gold medal earlier this year. United States women’s coach Emma Hayes on Wednesday called the team’s October training camp “the perfect window” to test out new players who could bolster the squad following its Olympic gold medal earlier this year.
Swanson reflects on ‘special’ USWNT connection with Smith & Rodman (1:42)Mallory Swanson speaks about her connection with Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman for the USWNT. (1:42)
AUSTIN, Texas — United States women’s coach Emma Hayes on Wednesday called the team’s October training camp “the perfect window” to test out new players who could bolster the squad following its Olympic gold medal earlier this year.
Hayes called up six uncapped players to the USWNT for a training camp ahead of a pair of games against Iceland, and a third match against Argentina next week. Three of those players are also in their first senior team camp.
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“There will be debuts over this block,” Hayes said on Wednesday at Q2 Stadium. “This window, plus the January window, are the two big windows in the immediate to be able to assess what other players from outside the current playing pool are going to be candidates to be involved with what we’re going to be doing.”
Thursday’s match against Iceland will also mark the first time the team has gathered since the Americans won Olympic gold on Aug. 10 in Paris. For as much talk there is about turning the page toward the 2027 World Cup and identifying new talent, the three games this window are contractually considered the team’s victory tour.
“Number one, we want to celebrate,” USWNT midfielder and captain Lindsey Horan said. “We want to celebrate with our fans. We haven’t been back together since the Olympics, so this is an incredible moment for us to be back on home soil and be able to celebrate.
“But it’s also a new cycle, and we have new players in. My big message at the beginning [of camp] and Emma’s message as well is, these players are here for a reason. You’re here to make the program better, and we are looking forward to the future.”
Forwards Emma Sears and Yazmeen Ryan, and defender Alyssa Malonson have each been called into a senior national team camp for the first time. Hayes stressed last week that those call-ups were direct rewards for players’ form in the NWSL this season.
Defenders Emily Sams and Eva Gaetino, and midfielder Hal Hershfelt are also uncapped, but have been in previous training camps. Hershfelt and Sams were alternates at the Olympics, and Sams earned a gold medal since she made a gameday roster as an injury replacement.
Forward Alyssa Thompson and midfielder Ashley Sanchez are both in their first training camp since late 2023. Hayes requested to expand the training camp roster by three to 26 members so she could evaluate as many new players as possible.
Hayes was restricted by the USWNT’s collective bargaining agreement, which stipulates that all available players from the Olympic roster be called up for a victory tour. Four players from the Olympic squad are missing from training camp: forward Trinity Rodman (back), defender Tierna Davidson (hamstring), and midfielder Croix Bethune (meniscus) due to injuries, and defender Crystal Dunn due to personal commitments.
Emma Hayes speaks to her USWNT players during a training session at their October camp. Getty Images
Forward Sophia Smith is with the USWNT after missing over a month of action for Portland Thorns FC due to an ankle issue that she said has bothered her since the Olympics. Smith returned to the field for the final 29 minutes of Portland’s 1-0 loss to Racing Louisville FC on Saturday.
“It’s been go, go, go for a while now for me, so I felt like I needed to address it before it got worse,” Smith said on Wednesday. “But I’ve been feeling good. I’ve been doing a lot of work in Portland with our medical staff, who’s great. I haven’t been in games, but I’ve been working hard and staying ready.
“I’m feeling good now, just building minutes. Obviously, we have three games in this window and then I go back, have a game very early with Portland. It’s just kind of building minutes, getting my feet back underneath me and feeling good again.”
Smith’s minutes will be restricted over the next week with the USWNT — and she won’t be alone, even among healthy players. The NWSL’s final round of the regular season kicks off on Friday, Nov. 1 — two days after the USWNT plays Argentina in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Thorns sit in seventh place and are haven’t clinched a playoff spot.
Portland is one of four NWSL teams playing that Friday, which will limit who Hayes plays against Argentina. The former Chelsea coach said that “in an ideal world,” nobody will play more than two full matches across the three fixtures.
The USWNT coach said the compact NWSL schedule is more of a challenge than having European-based players (the USWNT has four in camp) fly over to Texas.
“I think the bigger issue is the NWSL has games [next] Friday,” Hayes said. “In Europe, they don’t play until [next] Sunday. So, the bigger challenge are the four teams that are playing NWSL games on the Friday, which as we know is far from ideal.
“And these are conversations I’ve had with the NWSL, and the player welfare is critical. We all, of course, know what the FIFA windows are, so hopefully in the future we’ll work towards not having scheduled games on a Friday after a Wednesday international game. We’re working hard with NWSL in our communication to plan for the future.”
Hayes said she and her staff have conducted an “extensive, comprehensive report” around the Olympics that will inform their strategy as the team shifts focus toward the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. That strategy will be shared internally in January at a camp feature senior players training side by side with a “futures camp” of younger players who are relatively new to the national team experience.
“I think the rest of this year is very much celebrating this victory tour for the players, plus recognizing the achievements of those that have performed really well in the NWSL,” Hayes said.
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United States women’s coach Emma Hayes on Wednesday called the team’s October training camp “the perfect window” to test out new players who could bolster the squad following its Olympic gold medal earlier this year.
Raphinha says Bayern rout ‘revenge for the fans’
Barcelona forward Raphinha said Wednesday’s thumping 4-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich served as “revenge” for the club’s supporters for past results against the German giants.
Barcelona forward Raphinha said Wednesday’s thumping 4-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich served as “revenge” for the club’s supporters for past results against the German giants. Barcelona forward Raphinha said Wednesday’s thumping 4-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich served as “revenge” for the club’s supporters for past results against the German giants.
Nicol: Bayern’s defensive approach ‘made no sense’ (1:40)Steve Nicol can’t fathom why Bayern Munich played with such a high line in their 4-1 defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. (1:40)
Barcelona forward Raphinha said Wednesday’s thumping 4-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich served as “revenge” for the club’s supporters for past results against the German giants.
Raphinha starred with a hat trick on his 100th appearance for Barça as the Catalan club ended a run of six successive defeats against Bayern in the competition.
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The Brazilian was only there for two of those games — and he had not signed for Barça when they lost 8-2 to Bayern in 2020 — but he said he experienced them all as a supporter.
“It was revenge for the fans I think,” Raphinha said after the game. “For us on the inside, the players, we don’t look at the past. We focus on the next game. But I suffered those games as a fan, too.
“It’s been an amazing, special night, scoring [a hat trick] on my 100th game for the club. I am very happy with the performance and how we played.
“As a team, we played really well and that’s the most important thing for me. Getting that second win in the Champions League was important.”
Barça and Bayern both came into the fixture at the Olympic Stadium with one win and one loss from their opening games in this season’s Champions League, making it imperative not to drop more points given the uncertainty over how many will be needed to progress in the new format.
Raphinha opened the scoring inside the opening minute, but Harry Kane drew Bayern level with his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
Robert Lewandowski restored Barça’s lead before half-time and two more goals from Raphinha either side of the break earned Barça the points in a game the former Leeds United attacker feels could have been the final.
“I said before the game this could be a Champions League final,” he added. “Maybe not everyone agrees with me, but in my opinion it could be.
“So to be able to win in this manner, in front of our fans, is quite special and I am really happy.”
Raphinha celebrates with his Barcelona teammates after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Getty Images
Raphinha, who captained Barça on the night, now has nine goals and six assists in all competitions in what is his third season with the Blaugrana. He was named MVP by UEFA for his performance.
“I will give [the MVP] award to my son, it will be another trophy for him, although he prefers the match balls,” he joked. “But it’s a trophy that shows what I can do in the Champions League. Since I signed I have dreamed of these nights: scoring goals, playing these games and making a difference.”
The victory sets Barça up perfectly for Saturday’s trip to Real Madrid for the first Clásico of the season. If they win at the Santiago Bernabéu, they could open up a six point lead at the top of the table.
Coach Hansi Flick — who was in charge of Bayern for that 8-2 four years ago — lauded an “incredible” win against his former side, but tempered expectations about winning the Champions League as he looked ahead to taking on Madrid.
“No, it’s too soon, we just started the season,” he said in a news conference when asked if the result makes Barça a genuine contender to win the trophy. “We’re on a long road in LaLiga and in the Champions League. We are taking things game by game. We’re obviously very proud of the result tonight, but on Saturday it continues with another hard game.
“We want to deliver another top performance. It’s an incredible result against a fantastic team and gives us confidence for Saturday. I am very proud of the team. We saw the joy of the team and how they celebrated.”
It was a different story for Bayern, who tasted defeat for the second game running in the Champions League after losing at Aston Villa last time out.
Coach Vincent Kompany had few complaints with the result, but said there were moments around Kane’s equaliser when he thought his side could get points from the game.
“What I can share at the moment is how we felt the game went at the start or in the first half versus what we thought we could achieve in this game,” Kompany said in a news conference. “I think all of us, and you guys would have felt it too, felt like we could edge this game, that it could turn for us.
“But in key moments we got outdone and for that reason the result is fairly heavy. We have to learn from this game so the next opportunities we have we are stronger again.”
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Barcelona forward Raphinha said Wednesday’s thumping 4-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich served as “revenge” for the club’s supporters for past results against the German giants.
With Bayern crushed, Barça and Raphinha look ominous pre-Clásico
Raphinha proved that he is in career-best form with a hat trick against Bayern Munich. Now, the Clásico awaits.
Raphinha proved that he is in career-best form with a hat trick against Bayern Munich. Now, the Clásico awaits. Raphinha proved that he is in career-best form with a hat trick against Bayern Munich. Now, the Clásico awaits.
Nicol: Bayern’s defensive approach ‘made no sense’ (1:40)Steve Nicol can’t fathom why Bayern Munich played with such a high line in their 4-1 defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. (1:40)
BARCELONA, Spain — There is often something iconic about a celebration spilling on to the running track behind the goal, as Raphinha‘s did at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday after he sealed Barcelona‘s emphatic 4-1 UEFA Champions League win over Bayern Munich with his third goal of the night.
As he ran towards the fans, supporters tumbled down to the front to get a better glimpse and photographers surrounded him. Eventually, he made his way out of the crowd and back to the pitch, fists clenched and the Hansi Flick era at Barça in full flow ahead of Saturday’s trip to Real Madrid.
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Barça have been on the other end of these nights so often in Europe in recent years — especially against Bayern. They had lost their last six games against the German giants, including that famous 8-2 defeat in 2020 when Flick was in the other dugout, and eight of their last nine, a run dating back to 2013. Lose to them again and all the good work Flick had done since taking over in the summer — 10 wins from 12 in all competitions — would have been questioned ahead of this weekend’s Clásico (stream live on ESPN+).
But Raphinha, wearing the captain’s armband on the night, ensured there would be no repeat of Bayern ghosts of the past.
“This was revenge for the supporters,” he said after the game. “For the players, we can’t focus on the past, only the next game, but I suffered those games as a fan, too.”
It wasn’t always straight forward, despite Raphinha rounding Manuel Neuer within a minute to open the scoring. Bayern came back. Harry Kane was denied by Barça keeper Iñaki Peña, had a goal ruled out for offside, and then finally equalised. Between Raphinha’s and Kane’s goals, Barça had been too passive, and Bayern had control. The English striker’s leveller woke them up and they began to press again, all while keeping the high line that has characterised Barça under Flick so far.
Robert Lewandowski restored the hosts’ lead and then Raphinha took centre stage. He brought down a Marc Casadó pass before the break and finished expertly from the edge of the box. Then, in the 56th minute, he wonderfully chested down a ball from Lamine Yamal and fired his shot across Neuer into the bottom corner to crown his 100th appearance for the Catalan club with a hat trick.
There were other impressive performances. Pedri and Casadó, both just 21, were brilliant in midfield, Yamal and Pau Cubarsí continue to bely their 17 years of age, and there was good news in the form of more minutes from the bench for the returning Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo and Gavi ahead of the Madrid game.
“Raphinha is a very good example of how the team works,” Flick said in a news conference. “He is someone who always gives everything in training and in games, too, he plays with a lot of intensity. He’s very important for us, how he presses, and today we saw he scores goals as well.
“He’s a player who is defensive and offensive, with intensity, dynamism, technique … We have an excellent team and these characteristics suit us perfectly. But also I have to highlight that the whole team has great quality. Everyone did so well in possession of the ball in the second half, whether it was Lamine, Casadó or Cubarsí. At their age, it’s a superb level of performance.”
Raphinha proved that he is in career-best form with a hat trick against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images
Raphinha becomes Barça’s first Brazilian to score a Champions League hat trick since Neymar did it in 2013. Ronaldinho and Rivaldo also managed it, but Raphinha was never meant to be on that level. The idea of him leaving was even floated in the summer. He was furious that some Barça fans bought shirts with his No. 11 on the back but the name of Nico Williams — the Athletic Club winger linked with Barça at the time. “It was disrespectful,” he said on Tuesday before the Bayern game. “It hurt. People need to respect the players that are here.”
There wasn’t a single Barça fan among the 50,312 crowd whose respect he didn’t have by the time he buried his third goal. Up in the second tier behind one of the goals, even the 3,000 Bayern fans must have begrudgingly respected what they had just witnessed from the former Leeds United man.
This was not a freak performance, either. He already has one hat trick this season, against Real Valladolid in LaLiga, and he now has nine goals for the campaign in all competitions — and another six assists. To put that into perspective, he only netted 10 goals in each of his first two seasons with Barça. It’s only Oct. 23.
As the final whistle went, more celebrations followed. Barça’s players threw Raphinha in the air and he was awarded the MVP trophy. “It will be for my son, although he prefers the balls,” he said when asked where he will put the trophy. Luckily, his hat trick also earned him the match ball. His son will be happy.
The victory afforded some optimism for Barça. After opening their Champions League campaign with a defeat to AS Monaco, they have now won back-to-back games in the competition and are one point off the top eight. Thoughts, though, quickly turned to Saturday’s trip to Madrid, where a win would open up a six-point lead at the top of the table over their Clásico rivals.
“If you’re not bouncing, you’re a Madrid fan,” Barça’s fans chanted after the game. Many of the players obliged them by bouncing.
It sets up an enthralling game at the Santiago Bernabéu. Raphinha’s treble came the night after Vinícius Junior netted one of his own as Madrid came from behind to beat German opposition in Borussia Dortmund 5-2. The two Brazilians will go head-to-head this weekend.
For Bayern, this was their second defeat in a row in the Champions League. They have three points from three games and Dinamo Zagreb — who they beat 9-2 in their opening fixture — are now ahead of them in the standings. Vincent Kompany’s team remain unbeaten and top of the Bundesliga, but they evidently have a lot of work to do in Europe ahead of upcoming games against Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain.
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Raphinha proved that he is in career-best form with a hat trick against Bayern Munich. Now, the Clásico awaits.
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