Soccer

6:02 PM ET Roman Abramovich has been an untouchable billionaire free to bankroll Chelsea‘s unprecedented success for almost two decades, but that changed on Thursday morning. The U.K. government announced sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs with what it believes are close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s murderous regime, with the move following two weeks

10:59 AM ET Major League Soccer has announced it will leverage a $25m loan with Black banks. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Major League Soccer has announced a partnership with the National Black Bank Foundation (NBBF) that will see the league leverage a $25 million loan with Black banks. “Major League Soccer’s partnership with the National Black Bank

4:29 AM ET The U.K. government said on Thursday it had imposed asset freezes on seven Russian businessmen including Roman Abramovich, Igor Sechin, Oleg Deripaska and Dmitri Lebedev after they were added to the country’s sanctions list. “There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin’s vicious assault on Ukraine,” U.K. prime

7:11 PM ET MADRID — It was written in the stars that a Frenchman would shine at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, when Real Madrid hosted Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League round-of-16 second leg. It just wasn’t the one we all expected. For his big audition in the Spanish capital ahead of a

Mar 8, 2022 On Saturday Feb. 26, after PSG’s brilliant 3-1 win against Saint-Etienne in Paris in which he shone and twice set up Kylian Mbappe for goals, Lionel Messi travelled to Barcelona on his private jet. Before you jump to any conclusions, though: it was for his wife’s birthday. Antonela turned 34 that weekend,

Mar 8, 2022 Thibaut Courtois isn’t simply the world’s No. 1 goalkeeper. In fact, his imperious form is such that he’s easily among the top three or four footballers — any position, any club. Were the Ballon d’Or Award moved to this week instead of December, Courtois would be mighty close to becoming the first

10:42 AM ET Chris Henderson has compared the rebuilding job he is doing as sporting director of Inter Miami CF to that of the expansion season he experienced with the Seattle Sounders in 2009. Yet that’s arguably an understatement considering just how onerous his current task is. With Seattle more than a decade ago, Henderson,

6:53 PM ET LONDON — Midway through the first half, after yet another save from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, the ball ricocheted into the away end and was hidden by a group of travelling supporters. It was the best piece of defending the Merseysiders managed all night. They were only 2-0 down at that point,

12:41 PM ET Another weekend of drama in European soccer brought a crushing defeat for Manchester United at their rivals, Manchester City, but that’s nothing compared to the scenes in Serie A as Milan took down Napoli to seize the league lead and keep the title race buzzing with intensity. There were also statement performances

2:15 PM ET New York Jets owner Robert “Woody” Johnson is readying a bid for Chelsea FC in the English Premier League, according to sources close to the situation. Johnson already has spoken to Raine Group, which is organizing the bid process, per sources, and he now is vying to become the latest NFL owner

5:17 PM ET Ahead of their midweek Champions League showdown, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain endured mixed fortunes. Elsewhere, Jesse Marsch made his Premier League managerial debut, Thomas Muller scored an “unforgettable” own goal and Manchester United had a derby day they will want to forget. Here are Alex Kirkland, Ryan O’Hanlon, Andrew Cesare Richardson

3:54 PM ET United States and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie has been ruled out for the season with a broken foot, his club manager Massimiliano Allegri said on Sunday. McKennie sustained the injury in Juve’s Champions League round of 16 clash with Villarreal last month. Sources previously told ESPN he suffered fractures to the second

2:59 PM ET MANCHESTER, England — David Moyes was once ridiculed for saying that Manchester United should aspire to be like Manchester City, but the former United manager was right when he said it in 2014 and it still rings true today, following another City derby win on Sunday — 4-1 this time — which

5:10 PM ET Roman Abramovich has taken what he describes as an “incredibly difficult” decision to sell Chelsea, but the uncertainty surrounding the club is far from over. The 55-year-old initially attempted to separate the Blues from any potential personal sanction from the UK government relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last Saturday, announcing the

8:31 PM ET Charlotte FC’s first-ever home game broke the MLS attendance record. Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports Charlotte FC has broken the MLS attendance record, after a crowd of 74,479 was announced at Bank of America Stadium for their first-ever home game against the visiting LA Galaxy on Saturday. That number beat the previous MLS record

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10:28 AM ET Caitlin Murray The U.S. women’s national team won its fifth SheBelieves Cup, the annual spring invitational hosted by U.S. Soccer. But the tournament wasn’t so much about lifting the trophy as it was about playing the kids. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski did exactly that, giving chances to players who haven’t yet earned

5:32 PM ET Roman Abramovich’s decision to sell Chelsea has led to more than 300 expressions of interest to Raine Group — the New York merchant bank hired by Abramovich to find a buyer — with sources telling ESPN that at least 10 are regarded as credible parties. Sources have told ESPN that RedBird Capital